Bison boys achieve a B-6 title 'five-peat'

One with the thumb means McCook High’s boys have won five consecutive B-6 district track and field championships with No. 5 on Thursday at Ogallala. McCook scored 140 points to top the 10-team drama by a decisive 34-point margin.

Steve Towery/McCook Gazette

OGALLALA, Neb. — All those other fastest 400-meter relays in Class B should be quiet on social media this week.

The McCook Bison returned to full speed and no four sprinters ran a full lap around any track faster than Thursday’s B-6 district championship meet.

McCook’s 400-meter victory avenged the GNAC meet last week where those Bison finished a close fourth. A performance that followed some extra social media discussion.

Gothenburg (43.63) and Scottsbluff (43.65) brought faster times into the rematch (43.65) while Gering (43.93) wasn’t far behind McCook’s 43.71.

That all changed in the season’s biggest meet — SO FAR.

Junior Corban Jernigan, seniors Alec Bunger, Seth Dugger and Morgan Fawver needed just 43.47 seconds to circle the B-6 district track in Ogallala.

The Bison outraced Gothenburg (43.57) and Gering (43.91) while Scottsbluff was disqualified.

In fact, McCook’s time would even top Class B No. 1 Hastings (43.54) before districts.

Enough twitter talk.

McCook’s message was loud and clear as the Bison qualified 18 athletes into Omaha Burke Stadium where they’ll compete with all of Class B’s best next.

The Bison also continued a tradition that hasn’t changed since all of these Bison were junior high youngsters.

McCook won its fifth consecutive Class B B-6 boys team title with 140 points. Talented Scottsbluff settled for second (106) among 10 teams with those results appearing below.

McCook prevailed thanks to some super clutch efforts like sophomore Mark Arp’s career high jump of 6’4”.

Arp needed every inch to top a Gering Bulldog’s 6’3”.

The Bison dominated events like discus where seniors DJ Gross, Colin Giron and sophomore Torrington Ford placed 1-2-3. Seniors Fawver and Dugger also captured two huge jumping titles.

OGALLALA, Neb. — Team scores, all champions and McCook High top six boys placers at the B-6 track/field district Thursday.

Top two in each event automatically qualify for state which starts one week from today at Omaha Burke Stadium.

Top 10 teams: 1. McCook 140, 2. Scottsbluff 106, 3. Sidney 64, 4. Gering 57, 5. Gothenburg 43, 6. Ogallala 35, 7. Mitchell 32, 8. Alliance 30, 9. Cozad 15, 10. Chadron 5.

100 meters: 1. C. Busby, SCOT, 10.99; 2. Morgan Fawver, MC, 11.02. 110-hurdles: 1. L. Rohrer, SCOT, 15.55. 200 meters: 1. Busby, SCOT, 22.61. 300-hurdles: 1. Rohrer, SCOT, 39.99; 2. Gabe Sehnert, MC, 40.0 (PR); 5. Alec Langan, MC, 42.92 (PR). 400 meters: 1. M. Himestra, ALL, 51.47. 800: 1. L. Moravec, GER, 2:01.86; 6. TJ Renner, MC, 2:09.74 (PR). 1600: 1. Moravec, GER, 4:43.68; 6. Josh Hegwood, MC, 4:55.7. 3200: 1. C. Brauer, SID, 10:22.23; 3. Riley Mai, MC, 10:27.63.

400-relay: 1. McCook 43.47 (Corban Jernigan-Alec Bunger-Seth Dugger-Morgan Fawver); 2. Gothenburg 43.57. 1600-relay: 1. Gothenburg 3:27.6 (R. Healey-T. Hruza-T. Harbur-M. Ackerman); 5. McCook 3:32.05 (Isaac Hegwood-Brandon Tucker-Cameryn Berry-Gabe Sehnert). 3200: 1. Gering 8:21.04 (B. Pszanka-L. Andrews-C. Ferguson-L. Moravec); 2. McCook 8:24.58 (Renner-Josh Hegwood-Berry-Isaac Hegwood).

Shot put: 1. DJ Gross, MC, 56’5 1/2”; 2. Colin Giron, MC, 53’; 3. Torrington Ford, MC, 49’ (PR). Discus: 1. T. Scow, SCOT, 166’9”; 2. Gross, MC, 165’6” (PR); 3. Giron 156’10”. High jump: 1. Mark Arp, MC, 6’4” (PR); 2. K. Ebbers, GER, 6’3”. Pole vault: 1. Hruza, GOTH, 14’; 2. Tyler Lytle, MC, 13’2”; 5. Branson McDonald, MC, 13’. Long jump: 1. Morgan Fawver, MC, 22’10”; 2. Alec Bunger, MC, 21’7 1/4”. Triple jump: 1. Seth Dugger, MC, 42’11”; 2. J. Lopez, SCOT, 41’11”; 3. James Mockry, MC, 41’9 1/2” (PR)