Some of my favorites
For various reasons, I will personally miss seeing several graduating seniors competing in future years, including:
* Georgia Hatesohl, Blue Valley, second place this
year in the class 1A girls 100 meter hurdles;
* Celia Biel, Hutchinson-Trinity, state champ in the class 3A girls 1600 meter run;
* Madeline Hess, Waubunsee, third place in the class 2A girls 3200 meter run, and fifth place in the 1600. She was the top senior in class 2A distance running this season;* Caleb Carrasco of Stanton County had a busy day at state, but I'll remember his dive to try and win the class 2A boys 1600 meters. He came up inches short, settling for runner-up by .10 second. Carrasco did win the 800 meters later in the meet;
* Alex Ferguson, Silver Lake, third place in the class 3A girls 400. She was coming back this year after suffering an ACL tear in her knee that kept her from defending the titles she won in that event in 2014 and 2015;
* Kassidy Johnson of Maize South, who battled Girard's Logue in the class 4A girls 800 right down to the last stretch, before settling for second. Johnson did win the 400 meters earlier in the meet.
The door opens in 3A
Perhaps the division most open for next year is class 3A. Of the 30 individual events for boys and girls, half of those state titles were won by seniors in 2017. Those not mentioned elsewhere in this article include:
* Miranda Ortiz, Cheney, 300 hurdles
* Kaylee Line, Lakin, high jump;
* Kaley Dalinghaus, Nemaha Central, shot put;
* Alaina Gfeller, Russell, triple jump;
* Joe Kline, Humboldt, 1600;
* Colin Budke, Beloit, long jump;
* Johnathon Ball, Hoisington, pole vault;
* Garet Johnson, Remington, shot put;
* Chance Main, Cherryvale, triple jump.