For the first time in more than six decades, the North Platte boys track and field team has finally won a state trophy.
The Panthers finished third with 35 points in Class 2 at the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships held May 22-23 in Jefferson City. They held off Paris (33 points) and West Platte (32 points) while settling behind Brentwood (38 points) and a 66-point score from state champion Jefferson (Festus).
North Platte scored points in seven events to bring an end to a 62-year drought without a team trophy. Just like the lady Panthers, the boys’ best event came in distance.
“It is a huge jump and we are so proud of the boys,” North Platte co-coach Brendan Cary said. “I think the part that we are most proud of is the fact that we took 11 guys down there and 9 of them medaled, indicating a true team effort to accomplish this achievement.”
Drake Keraus finished his senior season with three individual medals and a 4x400 relay medal. Photo: Drake Ramsay
Drake Keraus delivered a state tournament appearance to remember, tallying 21 points alone from his three individual events. The senior set personal records with state runner-up finishes in the 800 and 3200-meter runs, while also adding a fourth-place finish in the 1600.
Keraus opened the meet on May 22 with a runner-up finish in the 3200, smashing his previous record by nearly 10 seconds, finishing in 9 minutes, 29.27 seconds behind only Lexington’s Chael Lichte (9:24.23). It was a much-improved run from his previous two outings, which both took more than 10 minutes. Keraus remained with the top three for the entirety of the run, and even jumped into first after 2800 meters before finishing second.
He finished fourth in the 1600 in 4:23.45 on May 23. After running in the top three for much of the run, Keraus slipped to fourth on the final lap but still set a PR by more than five seconds.
Keraus added another runner-up finish in the 800, which he ran in under 2 minutes for the second time this year. He set a new PR by finishing in 1:55.59, controlling second the entire way to finish behind only Paris senior Landen Chapman (1:53.95).
“Drake was one of the driving forces in the leap we have made,” Cary said. “Not only his work ethic, but his athletic and leadership abilities have had the guys not only want to be a part of this program, but to push beyond their limits and be better than they could be.”
Keraus finished his high school career with peaks on a personal front and as a team. A fitting way for him to move into his next chapter.
“Drake is absolutely the backbone to that team,” said Matt Keraus, North Platte co-coach. “He was a great leader, player-coach, an outstanding recruiter, and motivator. The guys followed his lead and they have so much respect and gratitude for him.”
Watching on as a father, Matt Keraus has seen his son become an all-time great for North Platte while helping build up the boys’ track and field program. While his everyday presence will be missed next year, it will also serve as a motivator to continue building.
“You cannot replace him, we can only hope the younger guys learned from him and carry on what he started on the boys side of this,” Matt Keraus said. “I have never been prouder as a father, not only about his accomplishments, but even prouder about his character, leadership and work ethic.”
North Platte senior Jase Smith helped the Panthers to a fifth-place medal in the 4x400 relay. Photo: Drake Ramsay
North Platte also scored well in a pair of sprint relays at state. The quartet of Hudson Yarc, Cooper Cummings, Isaac Wright and Dylan Armstrong finished second in prelims and third in the finals with a season record of 43.19, falling just shy of third place. The 4x400 relay of Wright, Jase Smith, Keraus and Austin Spencer took fifth in the prelims and finals, clocking a time of 3:29.53 in the finals.
The Panthers also scored a point from Cummings in the 100 dash, with the junior finishing sixth in prelims with a PR time of 11.13 before finishing eighth in the finals with a time of 11.17.
Senior Cameron Wortham concluded his North Platte career with a sixth-place state medal in discus, taking his third throw of 44.30 meters.
North Platte, while relatively inexperienced with numerous rookies to the team, embraced the team’s philosophy and determination to reach the state podium.
“The boys came into the season with a goal to get on that podium,” Matt Keraus said. “We all knew it would be hard to do with this group because they were so young. Not only young by age but because years in track.”
Keraus and Galen Christiansen were the only four-year track athletes on the team. It took a team effort from the coaching staff, returning leaders and newcomers to build a season that they will never forget.
West Platte also performed well in the state tournament, narrowly missing out on a state trophy as they finished fifth overall. All 30 of the Blue Jays’ points came on the track.
West Platte’s Alex Kinslow was seven thousandths of a second from winning state in 300m hurdles. Photo: Chris Kendall
Alex Kinslow came agonizingly close to the state championship in 300 hurdles, but settled for runner-up in the finals by a narrow margin to Brentwood’s Demetrius Thompson. Kinslow won the prelims in 38.83, but Thompson edged out the finals race 37.961 to Kinslow’s PR final time of 37.968.
The Blue Jays also performed well in relays, where they earned 20 points. The 4x100 quartet of Brady McMillan, Mark Sanders, Layn Kear and Kinslow finished fourth in prelims before finishing as runners-up in the finals in 43.16, behind only Thayer (42.77).
The Blue Jays added third-place finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800, with the team of McMillan, Eric Beard, Samuel Miller and Kinslow racing 3:28.33in the 4x400 and the team of Noah Rees, Collin Frederick, Charles Trease and Miller finishing the 4x800 in 8:20.58.
Trease added a seventh-place medal in the 3200 to conclude his sophomore campaign, finishing with a PR of 9:52.70.
North Platte’s trophy is the latest accomplishment for the school’s boys athletic program that has seen a renaissance over the past several years. The Panthers have made deep postseason runs in each athletic program they offer, which includes track and field, baseball, football, cross country, basketball and a joint program with Mid-Buchanan in wrestling.
“Hopefully this string of success just keeps building, and in a small school like ours, is part of continuing a movement of strong boys athletic program,” Cary said.