Jeff Hajny

    They were young and strong and running against the wind.
     That could be the story of the Centennial Bronco track team as it hosted the Centennial Invite April 15.
     Fighting against wind gusts of over 45 miles per hour, the Bronco boys finished fifth with a team score of 55 and the girls third with a team score of 95.5.
     The Bronco boys saw three individuals win gold medals for the day.
     Jamario Philyaw took first in the long jump with a leap of 20-3.75".
     "Unfortunately, Jamario twisted his knee landing in the sand and was not able to run or jump after that point," Coach Rob Johansen said. "It turned out to be his personal best of the season, but also ended his day."
     Shaey Kratochvil finished with a gold in the triple jump with a jump of 39-10.
     "He has been working hard on his technique and has improved quite a bit," Johansen said. "He has a great second phase to his jump which is usually the hardest part of triple jump for kids to learn."
     Tyler Wullenwaber also took home a gold for the boys, finishing first in the high jump with a jump of 6-4.
     "This is Tyler's first year jumping and he has put quite a bit of practice time learning the technique," Johansen said. "It really paid off for him at the meet as he improved a foot over his first time doing it."
     Bryon Wellman took home second in the high jump with a jump of 5-10 and fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.20.
     The Bronco girls saw golds won by Shelby Luettel and Danielle Mooney.
     Luettel took first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.4 seconds and the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.3 seconds.
     "It is great to see Shelby back to near 100 percent after struggling with a foot problem," Johansen said.
     Mooney won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.1 and finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:42.5.
     The girls' 400-meter relay, consisting of Lizz Beatty, Tesia Brackhan, Brooke Pfeifer and Tiffany Heine, placed second with a time of 54.9 seconds.
     "This relay has only been able to run together just a few times in meets as many have been gone for school activities," Johansen said.
     Jackie Ziemke finished third in the shot put with a throw of 37-2.5, and third in the discus with a throw of 116-4.5.
     Melanie Erks finished third place in triple jump with a jump of 31-2.75.
     "Coaches were very excited about the progress that some of the athletes have taken," Johansen said. "We have been without a meet for about two weeks and that can be a big concern to coaches not having the competition or focus in practice that you get in meets."
    Upcoming action
     On Saturday, April 26, the Broncos will travel to Milford for the Southern Nebraska Conference Tournament. Meet times have not been announced yet.