Six Warriors punch their tickets to Omaha

If you want to know how exciting it is to qualify for state, just ask Leyton's Katy Ernest and Shaela Jenkins.

Though she attended as a sophomore to support her teammates, Ernest had never before competed at Burke Stadium. Now a senior, she had just one more chance. Those tears she shed at the end of the shot put competition were tears of happiness.

Ernest eclipsed her previous personal best at just the time it would do her the most good. She threw 33-08.50 to earn a silver medal and a ride to Omaha.

Before the meet she was on the outside looking in with a third or fouth seed.

"Today I was just focusing on improving myself," said Ernest. "As a senior I really wanted to do everyting I could to make it."

As a sophomore, Ernest was just a few inches from qualifying in shot. After Wednesday's competition was finally over and her place secure, the tears came.

"What else is new for me?" she said, smiling broadly.

Jenkins, who qualified for state as a wild card in the 100-meter hurdles in 2013, had been struggling all season with injury. After finishing third in the preliminaries, she was admittedly nervous before the finals.

Fortunately she had a good-luck charm.

"My dad held my blocks for me. Just before the race I held his hand and he said, 'You'll do great,'" said Jenkins. "My dad's one of my heroes. He always has faith in me."

The combination proved unbeatable. She won the race by edging her friend Regyn Hicks of Potter-Dix by just .09 seconds.

"I haven't beaten Regyn since I was a sophomore," said Jenkins.

Jenkins' teammate, Taylor Berner, finished a close third and will wait to see if she qualifies as a wild card.

Overall, it was a great day for the Warriors at the D-11 District Championship in Morrill. The girls team finished second while the boys finished in sixth.

The NSAA State Track and Field Championships will take place at Omaha's Burke Stadium on May 22-23.

Also back for a return engagment in Omaha is senior Kassandra Harris. She hasn't failed to qualify for state in the discus her entire high school career.

While she finished second and cleared the automatic qualifying distance of 114 feet, she was nearly about six feet longer in a scratch throw.

"I was told after a scratch that I threw 120 feet," said the college bound track athlete. "I would like to throw an official 120 feet at state. That would be a nice way to end my high school career."

For Harris, she will spend the next week working on gaining more height with her throws.

Kaitlyn Berner earned her way back in the long jump and triple jump. Berner's mark of 15-10 was good for a silver medal. She also earned the title of District Champion in the triple jump at 33-10.25.

For good measure she made it in the 800 meters though she only picked up the event midway through the season.

On the boys side, Lane Rathman and Seth Schuessler both made the dance. Rathman (42-03) finished just over six inches behind Matt Hessler of Morrill in the shot put, but it was more than enough to punch his ticket.

Schuessler earned his way in the 3,200 meters with a strong late kick. While he was beaten by Tate Coss of Garden County at the MAC Meet, Schuessler came to districts with a plan. He stayed on the heels of Coss for more than seven laps before he exploded down the final stretch to win going away.

Going to State

Kaitlyn Berner

Seth Schuessler

Shaela Jenkins

Lane Rathman

Katy Ernest

Kassandra Harris