Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 848
Good morning Banner County, neighbors near and far. Here we are in December, and I am wondering after spending months and months and many holiday celebrations in very uncustomary ways how many December customs will be altered or cancelled. Christmas is at our doorstep! There will be changes and restrictions I am pretty sure. But if we look at what we have in our lives we will have more than if we look at what we don’t have in our lives and never have enough. I am trying really hard to remember that as we finish this year. Here is what is h...
Here we go. The winter sports season opens this week under a number of coronavirus safety precautions for Kimball, Potter-Dix and Banner County high schools. For the Kimball Longhorns, it's time for wrestling and a new basketball era with first-year coaches Jaclyn Burks leading the girls and Chad Miller the boys. In Potter-Dix, it's all about Coyotes boys and girls basketball. And in Banner, the Wildcats are competing in wrestling and JV basketball. Here are the multi-sports schedules, as of...
Topping off a successful 9-1 football season, eight Potter-Dix Coyotes have been named to the All-District team and head coach Dale Frerichs has added to the team's 2020 accolades by receiving the Six-Man Berens Coaching Award from Huskerland Preps. "There are lots of good coaches and it is an honor to win," he said. "It is very humbling." Frerichs started his coaching career with eight-man football at Potter-Dix in 2005, when the enrollment numbers in high school were higher. The school went...
Potter-Dix High School's talented student actors have brought home yet another Minuteman Activities Conference championship for play production. Their devoted hours of daily practice paid off during the MAC competition Nov. 17 at Leyton High School with their commanding performance of playwright Don Zolidis' "A Christmas Scarol." Two of the three judges gave the Coyote thespians perfect scores and all three judges placed them first. Potter-Dix also shined in terms of individual performances....
Despite COVID-19, local winter sports are ongoing with the Kimball Junior High wrestling and girls basketball underway, and the Nebraska High Schools were allowed to start winter sports practices this past Monday as well. Kimball Junior High Wrestling Kimball hosted its junior high wrestling tournament that we told you about in last week's Observer with a much smaller turnout, and as also reported, I have some individual results from that tournament for you readers this week. Tig Woolington had...
Over the past year, two area High Schools welcomed new Activities Directors, and both have faced unique challenges along with managing and implementing state-mandated COVID-19 policies. A High School Activities Director's day is already loaded with a multitude of tasks to ensure the many sport teams, clubs, theater and dance programs are scheduled, equipped and performed as efficiently as possible. Add the policies and requirements needed to perform all of these activities within the state's...
The Potter-Dix Coyote Football team had their season end Friday night with a 42-8 loss against he Cody-Kilgore Cowboys at Combs Field in Potter. The Coyotes could not stop the lightning and thunder combination of speedy running back Peyton Sterkel and the bruising running of big back Tucker Ravenscroft, giving up 375 yards rushing in the loss. There was a lot of energy prior to the game, with the Coyotes coming out of a WWII truck to take the field for warm-ups, cheered on by a big crowd at...
The Western Trails Conference has announced their All Conference selections for volleyball and football and Kimball has six athletes to receive recognition from all conference coaches. In volleyball, senior Megan Spicer was named All Conference and senior Sydney Biesecker and sophomore Jayden Paxton were given honorable mention. Bridgeport had 4 players on the all conference team plus 2 honorable mentions and the Lady Bulldogs were the conference champions. Mitchell and Gordon-Rushville both had 3 all conference selections plus 2 HMs, Morrill...
Timothy Dale Lukassen of Dix, Nebraska passed away October 26, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. He was born October 25, 1953 in Kimball. Tim loved horses and was the Horseman of the Year at the Abbey, Cañon City. CO. He earned his college degree in Curtis, NE. Tim served many years on the Potter-Dix school board and was involved in the 1987 merger. Tim and Debbie owned and farmed the Lukassen Homestead just east of Dix from 1976 to now. Numerous family and friends completed his harvest this...
The streaking Potter-Dix Coyotes added another notch to their win column Friday when they defeated the visiting Wallace Wildcats, 66-34, to advance to the quarterfinals of the state Class D6 playoffs. The second round of playoffs has 9-0 Potter-Dix hosting 5-2 Cody-Kilgore at 5 p.m. Friday. Cody-Kilgore defeated Stuart, 30-0, in its playoff opener. The winner of the Potter-Dix/Cody-Kilgore game faces the winner of the McCool Junction/Paxton game. Senior Javon Coyle, the transfer from Kimball,...
The Winter Sports season is underway, at least for the Kimball Junior High. They participated in a junior high wrestling tournament at Harrisburg this past Saturday and I will hopefully have some results from that event by next week. Kimball was scheduled to host their own junior high wrestling tournament this past Tuesday but that got postponed to November 16th. The Shorthorn wrestlers will be at Hemingford on November 12th. Kimball Junior High Girls Basketball will also tip off today (Thursday) with the Kimball girls going to Bridgeport and...
We can close the door on one more Fall Sport for Kimball High School with the completion of the 2020 Nebraska State Cross Country races held at the Kearney Country Club Golf Course this past week. As reported last week, Kimball had two state qualifiers in sophomore Matt Johnson and junior Chantel Malson, but Malson ended up being the Longhorns' only participant at state due to a health issue that prevented Johnson from competing. Matt was unable to compete due to being informed his blood sugar...
The Potter-Dix Coyotes ended their undefeated regular season in a spectacular fashion, dominating the Creek Valley Storm in Chappell, 66-13, in a one-sided game that proved the Coyotes were not only for real, but a class above their D6 rivals. The win earned the 8-0 Coyotes the D6-6 Title and a first round home game in the D6 playoffs starting Friday. The temperatures dipped into the high 20s but the wind never picked up, and the cold temperatures seemed to not affect the red-hot Coyotes at...
Creek Valley's Storm football team and Potter-Dix's Coyote football team have struggled in recent years, with wins hard to come by for both programs. But Creek Valley turned the corner last year, going undefeated in the regular season before falling in the championship game to Harvard. This year, it has been Potter-Dix's turn to reverse its fortunes, with a big roster filled with talent that has run the table so far in the regular season with a 7-0 record, and looks to finish its drive for an un...
While working in the kitchen at the Potter-Dix Elementary School, cook Shirley Skaja heard about the Small Towns Matter contest. She and her associate Teresa Loghry both filled out nomination forms. Shirley's nomination was the winning entry, which was announced at the ceremony. Shirley is originally from Denver and has only been in the Panhandle a few years, but she loves the area's small towns. "I went to a really big school," she said. "I now just love the small town atmosphere." She also...
Good Morning and Happy Fall y’all! I have had my doubts as to what season we were in here this past month or so, but it blew in this past weekend for sure. Wow, the wind we had here this past Sunday was outrageous. Needless to say the horseshoe tournament with the Harrisburg Community Church was postponed until another time. Thank goodness it died down that evening and the sun shined bright and beautiful Monday morning. In the valley the Spooktacular continues out at the Riverside Discovery Center and they are planning on moving Smokey and B...
Potter-Dix’s Coyote Football team continued its undefeated season with a decisive 50-26 road victory over the Hay Springs Hawks on Friday night. The Coyotes’ big play offense and aggressive defense were too much for the Hawks to handle, and the Potter-Dix team was again powered by sophomore quarterback Luke Kasten, whose three touchdown runs and two touchdown passes led the Coyote attack. Kasten ran nine times for 121 yards while completing nine of 15 passes for 250 yards. Senior Javon Coyle also had a big game for Potter-Dix, catching fou...
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Potter-Dix Lady Coyotes hosted a Triangular against Bayard and Kimball, and were able to manage a split against the two teams. The Lady Coyotes first matched up against Bayard, and although the Coyotes played well, the Lady Tigers were too much for Potter-Dix, and won in straight sets 25-to-16 and 25-to-19. Senior Mikayla Lee led the Lady Coyote’s offense with five kills in the loss. Potter-Dix next faced a Kimball Lady Longhorns team that lost to Bayard in straight sets, but played a very tight first set against the L...
Mary James of Dix said, "I am just going to sit back and enjoy my party." And party they did on a beautiful Saturday afternoon Oct. 3, they partied on the front and side lawns of Mary's home just across from the Potter-Dix Elementary School. There were tents and tables, and Mark Whetham had BBQ brisket and pork, salads and birthday cake. There was music and beer and about 100 guests. Mary continued to express her appreciation. "It was really good of these kids to do this." For two years, Corey...
Potter-Dix, home of the mighty Coyote football team, enjoyed a fine homecoming. Pictured here, from left, are attendants Kyle Evans and Mckynna Deeds, king Donnie Moench and queen Jaydin Paxton, and attendants Brandon Mendoza and Mary Kasten. The crown bearers are Ava Hickman and Kamden Monheiser....
Potter-Dix’s Coyote Football team remained unbeaten as they traveled to Big Springs on Friday and recovered from a slow start to beat the South Platte Blue Knights in convincing fashion, 62-to-27. A surprisingly slow first quarter had the Coyotes only up 6-to-0, but as the second quarter developed the Potter-Dix squad went on a run and opened up a big 27-to-7 lead at the half. Potter-Dix then put the game away in the third quarter by running up 27 points to the Blue Knights’ 14, then finished the game with another touchdown in the fourth qua...
1. Briefly tell us about yourself, your background, your previous public service experience and why you are running for city council. I grew up on my family's ranch in Banner County. After receiving a BS degree from Chadron State College and an MS degree from the University of Nebraska Kearney, I lived in Virginia, Delaware and Indiana, returning to the area in 2009 to teach science at Potter-Dix schools. I decided to run for City Council because I believe I have the skills to help the...
Kimball’s Lady Longhorn Volleyball team opened October with a victory against the Hemingford Lady Bobcats in straight sets, 2-to-0. After losing to Bridgeport and Morrill by straight sets, the Lady Longhorns found their groove and made it two out of three against the rival Lady Bobcats. The Kimball squad had no trouble in the first set, winning 25-to-12, but the Hemingford team fought hard in the second set until the Lady Longhorns were able to put the set away 25-to-23 and take a 2-to-0 match victory. The win moved the Lady Longhorns record t...
Potter-Dix’s Lady Coyote Volleyball team had a strong start to the season, but has hit a stretch losing eight straight matches, only winning three sets during the run. The last three losses started on Tuesday Sept. 29 when the Lady Coyotes traveled to Big Springs for a Triangular with South Platte and Bayard. Starting against the Lady Blue Knights, the Potter-Dix squad had a tight battle with South Platte in the first set, but eventually fell 25-to-22. South Platte stepped it up in the second set, downing the Lady Coyotes 25-to-14 for the s...
Potter-Dix's Coyote Football team continued their undefeated start and moved to 4-and-0 on the season by defeating the favored Arthur County Wolves at Combs Field Friday night. The two high-powered offenses squared off, with the Wolves scoring first early to take a 6-to-0 lead. Both defenses played well in the early going, with Potter-Dix sophomores Conner Glanz and Anthony Tovar chasing down and hurrying Arthur County junior quarterback Bryce Hanna and limiting big plays. The Wolves led...