Platte County delivered a strong all-around performance while West Platte and Park Hill South also produced standout efforts at the Kearney Classic Invitational on April 10.
Jackson Goodale stepped in for the final leg of Platte County’s first-place 4x100 relay team.
On the boys side, Platte County placed third as a team with 105 points, fueled by dominant sprinting, distance success and a relay victory. West Platte (46 points) and Park Hill South (26) also found success across numerous events.
Platte County’s sprint group set the tone early as senior Ty Christopher turned in one of the top performances of the meet, finishing second in the 100-meter dash in 10.77 seconds before winning the 200 meters in a personal-best 21.72. He added another gold as part of the Pirates’ 4x100 relay team with a winning time of 42 seconds.
Christopher wasn’t alone in leading Platte County’s sprint dominance. Jackson Goodale placed second in the 200 (21.99), while Stevens and Akande joined Christopher in the 100 finals, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Alex Kinslow helped West Platte to top-five finishes in the 4x200 and 4x400 after winning the 400 in 50.36 seconds and finishing runner-up in the 110 hurdles.
West Platte’s Alex Kinslow delivered one of the Blue Jays’ most impressive individual performances of the meet, winning the 400 meters in a personal-best 50.36 and followed that up with a runner-up finish in the 110-meter hurdles (15.40). He also anchored two West Platte relays, helping the Blue Jays’ 4x200 relay team to a third-place finish in 1 minute, 30.71 seconds and the 4x400 relay to fifth-place in 3:31.86.
Brady McMillan also helped West Platte’s strong showing, placing fifth in the 400 (51.78) and seventh in the 200 (23.18). He also contributed to the third-place 4x200 relay team, which included Kinslow, Layn Kear and Mark Sanders.
In the distance events, Platte County’s Elijah Jackson claimed the 800-meter title in 1:58.18. The Pirates also saw strong performances in the 3200, with Tate Stone finishing fifth (10:26.06), Nicholas Flowers taking seventh (10:28.33) and Donavin Ness placing ninth (10:34.82).
Park Hill South’s Simon Ketter, right, finished runner-up in the 1600 while Platte County’s Blake Herron was fifth.
Park Hill South’s distance group stood out as well. Simon Ketter led the Panthers with a second-place finish in the 1600 (4:16.25), followed closely by David Meyer in fourth (4:25.99). Grant Windmeyer added a top-10 finish in both the 800 and 1600.
West Platte’s Charles Trease earned a third-place finish in the 3200 (10:17.58) and later added a solid showing in the 1600, while Collin Frederick placed eighth in the 3200.
In the hurdles, Platte County’s Jaden Mathurin placed third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.78), with Zaden Batey finishing sixth. Maverick Troncin also added a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles (42.48).
West Platte’s Sanders contributed with a seventh-place finish in the 300 hurdles and helped power multiple relay teams in the middle, while Park Hill South’s Jonah Hicks placed ninth in the 110 hurdles.
Platte County also excelled in the field events, led by freshman Jayden Horn, who won the shot put with a personal-best throw of 14.05 meters. Kyler Parker added an 11th-place finish, and the Pirates had three throwers place inside the top 20 in discus, led by Miller Bigus in 12th.
West Platte’s Khysen Heskin stood out in the throws as well, placing 16th in discus and sixth in the javelin (41.12 meters). Park Hill South’s Chase Stewart (eighth) and Jonathan Taylor (12th) both recorded strong finishes in the javelin.
In the relays, Platte County added a runner-up finish in the 4x400 (3:27.61) and sixth in the 4x800, showcasing its balance across sprint and distance disciplines. West Platte’s 4x200 team placed third, while its 4x400 squad finished fifth.
On the girls side, Platte County placed second as a team with 87 points, while West Platte (53) and Park Hill South (50) also turned in competitive performances once again.
Platte County tallied 87 points to place behind Liberty North, using a balanced lineup across sprints, distance events and the field to secure the runner-up finish. West Platte placed seventh with 53 points, and Park Hill South followed closely in eighth with 50.
Adi Benninghoff finished first in 100 hurdles in 15.26.
Platte County’s sprint and hurdle group helped set the tone as Adi Benninghoff delivered one of the top individual performances of the meet, winning the 100-meter hurdles in 15.26 and later placing eighth in the 100 (13.39). Benninghoff also contributed to a strong relay showing, helping the Pirates take second in the 4x100 (50.93).
Vanessa Sarpong added a fourth-place finish in the 200 (27.42) and ran on both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams. The 4x200 group placed fifth (1:51.86), while the 4x400 team took second in 4:11.82.
Mary Dellinger secured Platte County’s 4x800 relay victory, also finishing fifth in the 1600.
In the distance events, Platte County leaned on its depth with Addison Ayers placing sixth in the 800 (2:31.95) and came back to help the Pirates win the 4x800 relay in 9:55.47 alongside Emily Huehl, Madelyn Stewart and Mary Dellinger. In the 1600, Dellinger led the way with a fifth-place finish (5:44.78).
The Pirates also scored valuable points in the 3200, where Tyler Stambersky placed seventh (12:33.32) and Carlie Baker took ninth. In the field, Adilynn Kern cleared a personal-best 3.05 meters to win the pole vault, while Rylee Carr placed second in the long jump (4.85m) and added a leg on the 4x100 relay.
Park Hill South showed its strength in the sprints and hurdles, led by Ava Sakic-Conner, who placed seventh in the 100 (13.37) and followed with a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles (16.00). The Panthers also got a strong showing from Breanna Verdi, who was also runner-up in the 300 hurdles (49.12).
In the 400, Park Hill South had two athletes in the top eight, with Paige Farber finishing seventh (1:04.95) and Renae Masson close behind in eighth (1:05.32). Devlynn Winishut led the way with a runner-up finish in the shot put (10.60m) and followed with a sixth-place finish in discus.
Charlotte Gillis finished as the runner-up in the 1600, running a personal best score of 5:36.03.
West Platte’s distance group produced some of the most notable performances of the meet. Freshman Charlotte Gillis placed second in the 1600 (5:36.03), leading a strong showing that also included Payton Reber and Jersey O’Neal. Caroline Ransome added a fifth-place finish in the 3200 (12:29.77), helping the Blue Jays stack more points in the longer races.
In the hurdles, Hana Hoover placed fifth in the 100 hurdles (17.86), while Addison Bailey delivered a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles (49.22).
West Platte also found success in the relays. The 4x400 team placed fifth (4:16.50), and the 4x800 group finished fourth (10:45.68), with Gillis, Ransome and Reber all contributing.
In the field events, Sophie Grier highlighted the Blue Jays’ effort with a fourth-place finish in the javelin (34.89m). Katherine Carletti added a sixth-place finish in the pole vault. It proved to be a good test for West Platte, who was competing against larger schools all afternoon.