Sioux Central girls win South O'Brien Relays behind depth, relay success

Sioux Central did not need one runaway performance to win the South O’Brien Relays. The Rebels used depth across the track and field card, won eight events, and held off Alta-Aurelia 144-131 on Thursday in Paullina.

The margin stayed tight because Alta-Aurelia answered with five first-place finishes of its own and kept pressure on Sioux Central through the final events. South O’Brien finished third with 83 points, but the top two teams separated themselves in a meet that was still in doubt late.

Lillian Johnson gave Sioux Central an early boost by winning the 100 meters in 13.16 seconds. Marley Madsen followed with a victory in the 400 hurdles in 1:11.41, while Sage Weber won the 1,500 in 5:31.09 and Madison Wittmaack took the shot put with a throw of 31-0. Sioux Central also won the sprint medley relay in 1:57.82, the distance medley relay in 4:37.93, the 4x100 in 52.14 seconds and the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:13.34.

That kind of spread across sprints, distance, hurdles and field events told the story of the night. Sioux Central also picked up runner-up finishes from Hanna Weier in the hurdles and Karina Bloom in the 800, then added second-place efforts in the 4x200 relay in 1:56.87 and the 4x800 relay in 11:33.58. A third-place finish in the 4x400 relay in 4:36.85 added more points to a total that proved just enough.

Alta-Aurelia was strong enough to force Sioux Central to keep scoring. Allie Stites won the 100 hurdles in 17.59, Macy Droegmiller captured the 800 in 2:33.82, and Amarie Olsen won the high jump at 4-8. The Warriors also took the 4x400 relay in 4:22.4 and the 4x800 relay in 10:25.87, a reminder that the race for the team title was built on real quality at the top.

Sioux Central coach Nathen Anderson said the Rebels tried different events while still coming away with the team win, a sign the group is balancing regular-season points with bigger goals ahead. That matters now, with state qualifying meets set for Thursday, May 14, and the state meet scheduled for May 21-23.

For Sioux Central, the win in Paullina was more than another line on a results sheet. It showed a team that can score in waves, survive a strong challenge from a county rival and carry momentum into the postseason.