Not long before breaking 20 minutes on a 5-kilometer course at Rhylander Park in Plattsmouth, Blair High School cross-country runner Reece Ewoldt yawned.
“It's just a habit,” the senior said through a grin after the Class B-2 District race Oct. 11. “I don't know why I do that, but I always do that before my races.”
The Bear won the event by nearly 20 seconds, pushing her team to a second-place finish and a state qualification.
“I'm not tired,” Ewoldt said, defending what has become a part of her pre-race routine with a laugh. “It just happens.”
Ultimately, yawn or not, coach Carson Norine's standout led the way. She stopped the clock in 19:55.69, while BHS finished with a score of 36. Bennington won the meet, but both the Bears and third-place Plattsmouth will see the Badgers in Kearney on Friday during the NSAA State Championships.
“I'm really proud of my team,” Ewoldt said.
The district champ will run alongside teammates Allie Czapla, Jade Wickwire, Ryen Anderson, Nadia Davey and Ryleigh Schroeter at state. Czapla, notably, finished seventh in 20:46.24 for the fourth state qualification of her prep career.
“This whole week, we've been super excited to run. Super happy, and we've been getting along really good,” the senior said. “I think that's what made the difference. That's why we did so good today.”
Wickwire medaled 11th, too, after recently returning from a midseason injury.
“I felt really good especially after not running for two weeks,” she said after a 21:22.81 effort. “I'm really proud of myself.”
Anderson was next in 17th, while Davey took 19th and Schroeter was 26th. Their team next competes noon Friday during the Class B girls race at Kearney Country Club.
The Blair boys, meanwhile, were shut out from their state race with a fifth-place finish in the B-1 District race at Rhylander Park. Declan McCabe, however, led the way in 19th for Norine's team. He stopped the clock in 18:19.55.
“I really enjoyed the run,” the Bear said, noting he was previously slated to finish 22nd based on entry times.
BHS' boys didn't have as much team success in 2023 as they had hoped, but McCabe said there was a silver lining to it all.
“Honestly, I'm not going to lie, it was frustrating,” he said. “But, just sticking with it and seeing the results as we kept PR-ing and getting better as a team, was really fun.”
Michael Amandus added a 24th-place finish for the Bears, while Roland Barondeau was 25th and Tannon Bellamy took 28th. Zeke Prochaska and Zack Anderson were 29th and 30th, respectively.
CLASS B DISTRICT RESULTS
Oct. 11 at Rhylander Park, Plattsmouth
B-1 BOYS
Team standings: Omaha Skutt 17, Plattsmouth 34, South Sioux City 41, Gretna East 64, Blair 96, Ralston 114
5K race winner: Braden Loftquest, Gretna East, 16:04.95.
Blair results: 19, Declan McCabe, 18:19.55. 24, Michael Amandus, 19:41.5. 25, Roland Barondeau, 19:43.44. 28, Tannon Bellamy, 19:59.98. 29, Zeke Prochaska, 20:09.14. 30, Caleb Funk, 20:09.57.
B-2 GIRLS
Team standings: Bennington 20, Blair 36, Plattsmouth 54, South Sioux City 74, Gretna East 85, Lincoln Standing Bear 85, Nebraska City 127
5K race winner: Reece Ewoldt, Blair, 19:55.69.
Blair results: 1, Ewoldt, 19:55.69. 7, Allie Czapla, 20:46.24. 11, Jade Wickwire, 21:22.81. 17, Ryen Anderson, 22:18.61. 19, Nadia Davey, 22:25.07. 26, Ryleigh Schroeter, 23:18.06.
