OMAHA — Hartington Cedar Catholic senior Carson Noecker had one final hurrah at Burke Stadium.
In the final race of his high school career, Noecker won his third straight championship in the Class C boys 1,600-meter run, outdistancing the field by almost exactly 11 seconds with his time of 4:19.35.
"I never thought I'd be standing here one day and being able to do the things that I've been able to do," he said. "I just ... I don't have the words to speak on the emotions. It's one of those things that will hit me later on."
Noecker was part of two gold-medal efforts on Friday, winning the 3,200-meter run and participating on the winning 4x800. Those helped spur Cedar Catholic to a top-five team finish, too.
Northeast Nebraska boasted five of the eight medalists in the 1,600. Dyami Berridge of Winnebago stuck with Noecker for most of the opening 800 before finishing third, while Jaxon Kilmurry of Battle Creek was fifth, Brody Taylor of Ponca was sixth, and Drew Martin of Atkinson West Holt was eighth.
"I'm truly thankful to be here and once again thankful to God and the people around me," Noecker said.
The senior noted that preparation for Burke Stadium bears a similar resemblance to any other competition.
"I wouldn't say that I really want to go at it any different than any other meet," he said. "I guess it's state, it's a bigger meet, and it's your final race of the year, and you want to do well. I feel like you have to take every chance to run to the best of your ability."
Noecker lauded his support network — teammates, coaches, family and faith — throughout his journey.
"I guess I can't really put words on how much it really means to me," he said.
