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Articles written by John Roark


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  • From the Sidelines

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 6, 2013

    From the day I accepted my first newsroom position back in 1984, I realized there would be good times and bad. That said, this column blends the two, marking the final edition for yours truly at the Sun-Telegraph, as I have accepted the sports editor’s position at the Rawlins (Wyo.) Daily Times, and will begin there Tuesday. The opportunity popped up a few weeks back, and the move seems to be one that will head me in the right direction. When I came on board here in January 2012, my responsibilities were in the news slot. Former sports writer M...

  • Leyton girls fifth at CV Tri-State Invite

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 5, 2013

    CHAPPELL — Leyton High School’s girls track team finished fifth in the team standing at Thursday’s Tri-State Invitational at Creek Valley. The Warriors finished with 49 points, getting one first-place performance from discus thrower Kassandra Harris. Kaitlyn Berner was second in the triple jump and third in the long jump, with Shaela Jenkins running second in the 100-meter high hurdles. Creek Valley had one place on the girls’ side, that being Clarice Ford finishing third in the pole vault. The top local boys’ performance came from Creek sen...

  • Peetz baseball splits with Pawnee

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 5, 2013

    PEETZ, Colo. — After a weeklong spring break, the Peetz (Colo.) High School baseball team returned to the diamond Thursday and gained a home doubleheader split with Pawnee. Both games were deadlocked late; Pawnee pushed across a pair of sixth-inning runs en route to a 5-3 win in the opener, before the Bulldogs — being the scoreboard visitor in the nightcap — broke loose for five runs in the seventh to post a 10-5 win. Peetz pitchers Austin Crane and Josh Cavender went the distance in their respective games. The duo combined to strike out 29 Pa...

  • Raiders third in season-opening Invite

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 4, 2013

    As a freshman, Scottsbluff’s Andrew Hollaway emerged as medalist in the 2010 Class B state golf finals, then tied for seventh as a sophomore and was third last spring. Wednesday, the Bearcats’ senior got off to hot start at cool, windy Hillside Golf Course, winning medalist honors and leading his team to the Sidney High School Invitational championship. Hollaway fired a 35 on the front nine, as did teammate Michael Hadden, which was good for a two-shot lead at the turn against SHS senior Tay...

  • Slezak case to be heard in September

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 3, 2013

    The case of Chicago trucker Josef Slezak is headed for a September trial. Cheyenne County District Judge Derek Weimer this morning set two weeks aside to hear testimony in the case against Slezak, 36, River Grove, Ill., who is charged in the Sept. 9 multi-vehicle accident which claimed four lives and an unborn baby Both Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub and defense counsel Kelly Breen agreed that they were comfortable with the case moving forward, and both agreed that the jury trial should...

  • Two men charged with violent crimes

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 2, 2013

    Two Sidney men face violent felony counts, one being charged with assault on an officer, in the Cheyenne County court system. Roman J. Maes, 21, and Steven R. High, 57, remain in custody at Cheyenne County Jail following their respective arrests. Maes, was charged Monday with Class IIIA felony assault on the police officer. According to Meas’ arrest affidavit, Sidney City Police officers Jim Bush and Curtis Hofrock responded to a call of an assault in progress at Frenchman Valley Coop. During t...

  • Sidney man charged with hate crime

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Apr 2, 2013

    A Sidney man has been charged with a hate crime in connection with a March 2 assault incident against an individual which allegedly arose due to the assumption of the victim’s sexual orientation. Nathan Pohl, 28, on Monday appeared for a preliminary hearing on an enhanced Class IV felony count of third-degree assault. The count is normally carried out as a Class I misdemeanor, but Cheyenne County Deputy Attorney Jon Stellar said he amended the charges to reflect the nature of the assault. The c...

  • Robb sets new standard; SHS girls win Ed Moore

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 29, 2013

    OGALLALA — Sidney High School’s girls track team picked up six first-place performances — including Kali Robb breaking her own school record in the discus — and four second places en route to winning the team title at Thursday afternoon’s Ed Moore Invitational, while the boys finished third as a team. Sidney finished first in the girls team standing with 116 points, while the boys were third behind Cozad at 68 points. Robb, who already owned the SHS mark of 129 feet, 10 inches, smashed t...

  • Bulldogs fall apart late in lop-sided loss

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 28, 2013

    PEETZ, Colo. — For four innings Wednesday afternoon, the Peetz High School baseball Bulldogs were locked in a tight scrum with visiting Caliche. Then along came a fifth-inning meltdown that repeated itself twice more. Batting around in each of the final three innings and scoring 14 unanswered runs — fueled by numerous wild pitches, errors and passed balls — the visiting Buffaloes turned a one-run deficit into an easy 16-3 victory. Peetz (1-2) held a 1-0 lead after an inning when John Ommen slice...

  • Search warrant for stolen coins results in drug arrest

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 28, 2013

    Execution of a search warrant for stolen coins led to the Tuesday arrest of two Sidney individuals on drug-related charges. Estevan Campos, 18, Sidney, faces one count of Class IV felony possession of methamphetamine, while Julian Salinas, 19, also of Sidney, has been charged with infractions in connection with the case. The arrests stem from reports that up to 16 collectable coins had been stolen from a Sidney woman, Carrie Uhrig. Sidney City Police began investigating by taking statements and...

  • SHS well represented on all-WC hoops teams

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 27, 2013

    Sidney High School’s basketball teams were well-represented on the 2012-13 All-Western Conference postseason teams, with all five Lady Raiders either making first team, or honorable mention, and four Raiders earning honors. SEGELKE HEADS SHS GIRLS’ SELECTIONS Senior Karissa Segelke, who’s headed to Concordia University on a dual basketball-track and field scholarship, was one of three Lady Raiders named to the first team, joining senior Kylee Price and junior Sarah Mahr. Segelke, whose prese...

  • Lady Raiders thinclads tie for first, boys run third

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 26, 2013

    Fueled by two first-place finishes by senior Morgan Linneman, the Sidney High School girls’ track team tied with Ogallala for first-place team honors Friday afternoon at Weymouth Field, while the Red Raiders wound up third in the boys’ division. In a meet cut short by three running events, Linneman swept the 100- and 400-meter dashes. She didn’t get a chance at a triple, since the 200 was one of three events not held, the 3,200 run and 4x4 were also called off. As things stood, the Lady Raide...

  • Gurley resident faces drug charges

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 26, 2013

    GURLEY — Following the Friday afternoon execution of a search warrant, Cheyenne County deputies arrested a Gurley resident on methamphetamine-related charges. Justin J. Warren, 29, faces a Class ID felony count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute after deputies entered the residence of Shirley Brewer at 1:43 p.m. Friday. Chief deputy Fred Wiedeburg located a male, Warren, in the southeast basement bedroom. Once the residence was secured, Wiedeburg and investigator Zach Goo...

  • P-D's Brady Knigge, LHS's Schumacher All-Stars

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 22, 2013

    A pair of local high school seniors have been invited to participate in the 36th annual Sertoma 8-Man All-Star Football Game, to be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Hastings College Football Complex. Brady Knigge, a wide receiver from Potter-Dix, and Leyton’s Sam Schumacher, a running back/linebacker, have been selected to participate in the game for the West team. Knigge becomes the 11th Potter-Dix/Potter player selected to the game. As a senior, he grabbed 59 catches for 869 yards a...

  • Peetz nine loses in extra-innings against Merino

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 20, 2013

    PEETZ, Colo. — Luck often occurs when opportunity meets preparation, but toss in a lack of aggressiveness, and it spelled extra-innings misfortune Tuesday for the Peetz High School baseball team. “We had our chances to win, but we have to swing the bats better,” Bulldogs coach Darrin Fehringer said of his team’s 7-6 loss in 10 innings to visiting Merino on a cold, blustery afternoon. “We just weren’t aggressive when we needed to be.” Peetz (2-1) managed plenty of base runners from the top of it...

  • Sidney, Creek track teams have strong showing

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 19, 2013

    CHADRON — Getting three wins on both the girls’ and boys’ teams, the Sidney High School track teams put up strong performances at Saturday’s Chadron State College indoor meet. “It was a good opening day,” SHS coach John Ganser said. “Not only did we do well on the track, but we also scored well in the field events.” Senior Morgan Linneman came away with three first-place efforts for the Lady Raiders. She won the 200-meter dash, and then anchored two relay teams to victory. Linneman joined...

  • Warriors lead all-MAC boys' postseason awards

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 15, 2013

    Leyton High School’s boys basketball team ‑— which went unbeaten in the league for the second season in a row and finished fourth at the Class D2 state tournament — led the way with two selections on the all-Minuteman Activities Conference postseason team. Potter-Dix’s and Creek Valley’s girls’ squads both had two first-team MAC picks. WARRIORS HAVE TWO PICKED FIRST-TEAM Senior Sam Schumacher and junior Dylan Brenner were tabbed as first-team members, along with Bryant Knigge of Potter-Dix, Creek Valley senior Sam Behrends and Minatare soph...

  • Leyton has unfinished business next season

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 14, 2013

    Clearing out the cobwebs from winter sports gone by … Leyton’s fourth-place finish in last weekend’s Class D2 state tournament was a nifty cap on a 22-3 season. Sure, the Warriors could have played better in the semifinals loss to Spalding/Spalding Academy, but Gary Oltmann’s team just got caught in one of those buzzsaws that you can’t escape. Granted, the team is also losing a lot in terms of its heart and soul that is senior Sam Schumacher, and the onus is on the rest of the Warriors’ returnee...

  • Warriors bring home fourth in D2 state finals

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 12, 2013

    LINCOLN — Dylan Brenner let one last shot fly from deep along the left sidelines Saturday afternoon, and when it fell short, the miracle ride of the Leyton High School boys basketball team had culminated with a fourth-place finish. The Warriors, who earned the right to the Elite Eight in Lincoln, were nipped 57-56 by Falls City Sacred Heart in the Class D2 third-place game at Lincoln North Star High School,wrapping up a 22-3 campaign. Though outsized once again, Gary Oltmann’s Warriors fou...

  • Spalding humbles Warriors in D2 semis

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 9, 2013

    LINCOLN – Joe Imus says that rather than scout other teams, he’d just as soon work on improving his own Spalding/Spalding Academy Knights. And right now, things are clicking on all cylinders for Imus’ club, which outraced top-seeded Leyton to the tune of a 68-51 romp in Friday afternoon’s Class D2 boys basketball semifinals inside Lincoln’s Pershing Center. “We don’t spend a lot of time scouting,” said Imus, whose club advanced to today’s championship game opposite Wynot (24-3), which knocked of...

  • Warriors survive cold shooting

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 7, 2013

    LINCOLN – It was hardly a finish of beauty, but the Leyton High School boys basketball team will take Thursday morning’s 42-37 victory against Wauneta-Palisade into Friday’s Class D2 semifinals, and has assured itself of earning hardware. Despite making just 3 of 12 free throws in the fourth period, Gary Oltmann’s Warriors played well enough defensively down the stretch to earn their 22nd win against just one defeat. “I don’t know if it was the early-morning game or what,” Oltmann said of the g...

  • Local OHD client raises $2,000 for local Coyotes players

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 7, 2013

    A.J. Cloud knows it isn’t cheap to keep the Sidney Coyotes’ UNIFYed Special Olympics basketball players up and going. So last week, the Coyotes hit the streets to raise money. The only difference was bit more persistence on Cloud’s part. When the fundraising smoke had cleared, the local Coyotes, clients of the Sidney Office of Human Development, had enough to make do for the remainder of the winter — with Cloud leading the way. The team raised about $2,400, with about $2,000 being collect...

  • Shoe’s on the other foot

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 6, 2013

    DALTON — A year older, and perhaps a year wiser. That’s the hope Leyton High School boys basketball coach Gary Oltmann is carrying with him as his Warriors make a return trip to the state finals in Lincoln this weekend. LHS (21-1) enters the D2 Elite Eight as the top seed, whereas last year, the Warriors were the eighth and bottom seed, and were knocked off by top-seeded Howells, 60-46. Oltmann recalls all too well last year’s quarterfinals loss to Howells. “They were bigger than us, like 6-...

  • Johnson set for second competency evaluation

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 6, 2013

    The cases against two accused Cheyenne County murderers are headed in different directions as a result of hearings this morning before Judge Derek Weimer. A July 15 trial date has been set for Larry G. Martinez, 53, Sidney, who is charged with Class IA felony first-degree murder, and felony use of a weapon to commit a felony, while Craig A. Johnson, 47, Sidney, also facing first-degree murder charges, will have a second competency evaluation before he can be arraigned on his charges, which is...

  • Nevada man charged with felony meth possession: Called police on himself

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Mar 5, 2013

    A Nevada man finds himself in Cheyenne County Jail after his Saturday morning arrest on felony drug charges. John Lee Longshore, 58, Carson City, remains in custody on $50,000 bond (or 10 percent) after his Monday presentment before Cheyenne County District Judge Randin Roland on a Class IV felony count of methamphetamine possession. According to his arrest affidavit, Longshore actually made it easy for authorities to make the arrest. Nebraska State Patrol was called to locate Longshore and his...

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