Local schools miss out on State one-act contest

HARTINGTON – Hartington- Newcastle Public Schools’ 2023 one-act season ended on a bittersweet note.

While Hartington-Newcastle and Plainview tied at 179 points at the District C2-3 Play Production contest Nov. 28 in Creighton, Plainview finished in first place out of nine schools and clinched a spot in the 2023 Nebraska School Activities Association Play Production Championships.

Plainview finished with firstplace rankings from all three judges at the district competition, while Hartington-Newcastle received second-place marks from each judge.

“The judge rankings are the primary determiner of what place a play gets,” Hartington Newcastle one-act coach A.J. Johnson said. “The team with the lowest cumulative rank wins the contest, regardless of points.”

The last time Hartington- Newcastle, the two-time defending Class C2 state champion, did not qualify for the state play production contest was in 2020.

“I was proud of how our kids performed and worked all season long,” Johnson said. “Some days you just don’t win. They worked with a championship mindset and that’s all you can ask for. We’re disappointed not to go, but I am proud of what we did and I hope the kids are, too.”

Hartington-Newcastle students performed “Willy Wonka” – the classic story of Charlie Bucket and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl – for their one-act production this year.

“The kids were fully committed to our team since practice started,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t be more proud to coach them.”

Cedar Catholic High School finished in third place at the District C1-3 Play Production contest held Nov. 28 at Ponca High School.

Crofton placed first out of eight schools with 175 points, Oakland-Craig was the runner- up with 173 points, followed by Cedar Catholic with 167 points.

Cedar Catholic students, coached by Audrey Freeman, performed a Greek comedy called “The Idiot and the Oddity” for their one-act production this year.