Northeast Neb. News photographers took hundreds of photos during the annual five-day fair. Those photos can now be found on this website – hartington.net. Just click the link below to access the pages.

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The 9-1 knockout punch was delivered by Pender, which recorded six hits and six runs in the first against starting Laurel-Coleridge pitcher Clint Wemhoff.

“That inning made the biggest difference for us,” Laurel-Coleridge head coach Don Maxwell said. “The most important thing for us to do at that point was to keep battling and not quit playing the game.”

Pender’s Jordan Nelson set the tone early when he scored the first run of the contest following his lead-off single. John Smith then brought in Denman Bledsoe after pounding out an RBI double, and teammate Bret Meyer crossed the plate on a pass ball.

To finish out the inning, Ryley Mohl blasted a two-RBI triple and Zach Yarolimek laid down a bunt to score Mohl, which gave Pender a 6-0 advantage.

“We felt like we could make up the first few runs, but Pender kept finding the right spots and capitalized off its opportunities to increase the lead,” Maxwell said. “The six runs became a hole that we couldn’t quite dig ourselves out of.”

In the fourth, Pender added one more run when Colton Novak scored from third following a Laurel-Coleridge error that allowed Bledsoe to reach first base.

Laurel-Coleridge responded in the fifth inning by collecting its first run off of Travis Nelson’s RBI single that brought Scott Pippitt to home plate.

“It’s never too late to get something going,” Maxwell said. “We had some of our biggest production in the fifth, but left too many guys on base. It was unfortunate that we didn’t draw out the big hits when we were in position.”

As Laurel-Coleridge struggled to get its offense going, Pender tallied two runs in the top of the seventh. Bledsoe hit a stand up double and scored on a RBI single from Smith. Smith then recorded the final run of the game to help Pender claim the victory.

“These boys did a great job,” Maxwell said. “Most of them haven’t had the chance to play baseball until the legion program started up awhile back so they definitely have impressed me with their participation.”

Leading the way for Laurel-Coleridge was Travis Nelson, who ended the day with one RBI and two singles. Kyle Kardell and Wemhoff finished with one single each.

On the mound, Wemhoff threw a complete game, allowing nine runs and 12 hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Now that the season is over for Laurel-Coleridge, Maxwell believes that the team will rebuild and come back next year ready to compete.

“I know that we are going to hold a skills camp at the start of next summer,” he said. “We have a good group, and we will look to push their dedication further than before.”

The win proved to be the team’s biggest victory of the year as it came in the first round of the Class C American Legion Juniors State Baseball Tournament.

Hartington’s offense came alive late in Saturday’s first-round game to earn the 6-5 victory and advance to Sunday’s second-round contest at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Hartington, now 21-5 on the year, will take on Dannebrog-Cairo-Boelus in second-round action. The Grand Island area team has lost just two games this season.

Wakefield earned the 12-1 six-inning run to advance to Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Randolph.

Hartington will play Ponca at 2 p.m., while Pender will take on Laurel in the noon game.

HARTINGTON — Despite coming into Friday’s Class C Area 2 District Tournament as the second-seed, the Randolph American Legion Seniors had to battle in order to earn a one-run win over seventh-seeded Ponca Friday.

Both teams got their bats working in the first frame as Ponca put up two runs on two hits and Randolph came back in their half of the frame to score three runs on four hits.

Clint Lackas, who finished the game with a sizzling 3-3 effort, got the Redbirds started with a lead-off single. Chris Rohde then sliced an RBI double down the first base line and into right field to score Lackas. Not to be outdone, Michael Kint belted an RBI triple down the left field line to score Rohde. Kint then came in on a Chris Leiting single.

Randolph’s defense held Ponca scoreless in the second frame, while the offense produced one more run to take a 4-2 lead.

Adam Tunink reached base on a throwing error on Ponca’s third baseman. He then moved to second and came home on Austin Backer’s RBI single.

Ponca cut into the Randolph lead in the next frame when Josh Block scored thanks to two walks, a sacrifice bunt and a single.

Randolph chased Ponca starter Tyler Rasmussen from the mound in the third frame, roughing him up for four runs on three hits and an error to take an 8-3 lead after three.

T.J. Lackas singled to get Randolph’s offense started in the third frame. Danno Kyles then walked and Chris Leiting reached on an error to load the bases. Adam Tunink’s RBI single drove in Lackas and Jon Gubbels drew a walk to drive in Kyles. Clint Lackas then smacked a two RBI single past the defense for Randolph’s final two runs of the frame.

Ponca plated a pair of runner in the next two frames, but Randolph responded with a four-run fifth-inning to take control with a 12-5 lead.

Randolph picked up runs in the fifth from Clint Lackas, Chris Rohde, Michael Kint and Austin Backer.

Randolph changed pitchers in the sixth. Michael Kint took the mound, but was unable to record an out and he was quickly replaced by Austin Backer. Ponca managed to string together six runs in the frame on two hits and four walks to take a 13-12 lead.

The Ponca lead was short-lived, though, as the Big Red came back with two more runs in their half of the inning to claim the 14-13 lead.

Clint Lackas scored after reaching on a dropped ball by the Ponca left fielder and Adam Tunink scored after reaching base by being hit by a pitch.

Randolph’s win pits them against the winner of the Wakefield-Hartington game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Ponca         2  0  1  1  1  6  0-  13

Randolph   3  1  4  0  4  2  x- 14

HARTINGTON — Top-seeded Stanton survived a scare from eighth-seeded Laurel-Coleridge in Friday’s opening game of the Area 2 American Legion Senior District baseball tournament at Felber Park.

Stanton built a 2-0 early lead, but saw that lead disappear with a four-run L-C rally in the fifth inning.

The Laurel-Coleridge offense took off when Kyle Kardell singled and Nate Anderson reached on a walk. Benn Hoffart then loaded the bases with a walk and Scott Pippitt drove in a pair of runs on a Stanton fielding error.

Travis Nelson continued the L-C barrage when he blasted a double past the outfield defense, driving in two more runs to give the underdog L-C team a two-run lead.

The barrage chased Stanton pitcher Kalin Koch from the mound. He was replaced by Stanton firethrower Justin Astrike.

A Pat Campbell triple to lead off Stanton’s half of the inning resulted in another score for the Orange and White.

Stanton then regained the lead in the sixth frame with some timely hitting and smart base-running.

Laurel       0  0  0  0  4 0   1 – 5

Stanton    0  2   0  0  1  3  x  - 6

Hartington is Area 2 runner-up for second straight year

By Joel Janecek

WISNER — Hits were at a premium on Tuesday, July 20 as Pender’s Eric Browning threw a no-hitter, leading them to a 10-0 victory over Hartington in the Class C area 2 championship.

Despite the loss, Hartington was able to clinch a spot in the Class C state legion tournament, since Pender is the host team and they have an automatic bid.

In his stellar pitching performance, Browning was able to strike out twelve batters while allowing only two walks.

“We knew he was one of their quality pitchers,” Hartington head coach Tim Loberg said. “Unfortunately our guys weren’t able to make the adjustments they needed to earn hits.”

Knowing they had a spot in the state tournament already, Hartington went with a different lineup in order to get each of their dedicated players more time on the field.

“We wanted to get all our guys some quality experience,” Loberg said. “It was a deserving spot for the kids that hung with us all year.”

Pender only scored runs in the second and fourth innings, but they did so in bunches, putting up three in the second and seven in the fourth.

Offensively for Pender, Josh Wegner had a double, single and two RBIs, Browning and Levi Beutler each had two singles and an RBI, Brody Vandeberg, Austin Weborg, Anthony Bonneau and Trey Bonneau each had a single and an RBI. Zack Johnson also had a single.

For Hartington, Kellyn Dump drew a walk and reached on an error, Zach Wuebben drew a walk, while Steve Herbolsheimer, Cody Lammers and Danny Lecker each reached on an error.

Trent Jansen claimed the loss for Hartington as he went three complete innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits, two hits batters, a walk and a wild pitch. He also recorded three strikeouts.

Eric Kruse pitched the fourth inning, allowing three runs on three hits while walking one, striking out one and throwing one wild pitch.

Devon Lammers closed out the game surrendering one hit and striking out one.

With the loss, Hartington’s record moved to 20-5 on the year and is likely one of the best in the state.

The loss proves to be bittersweet for Hartington though as they advanced to the state tournament.

“We’re really excited to be there,” Loberg said. “We have good pitching and if we hit the ball well I think we’ll be able to hold on and win some games.”

Hartington’s first opponent is one they know fairly well as they draw Crofton in the first round. Along with a few familiar faces, Hartington will face competition that they haven’t seen all year as teams from all over the state will be competing in the tournament.

“It will be nice to play some teams we haven’t seen before,” Loberg said. “We’re just going to go down there and make the best of it.”

Her services are pending at the Wintz funeral Home, Crofton.

Hartington, 20-5, owns two wins over Crofton this season. Here is a look at the 2010 Class C State schedule.

Juniors state tournament

Dave Nitzschke Field, Pender
Saturday, July 24
Noon — Game 1: Valparaiso vs. Davenport-Edgar
2:30 p.m. — Game 4: Hartington vs. Crofton
5 p.m. — Game 2: Mt. Michael vs. DCB
7:30 p.m. — Game 3: Pender vs. Overton.

Sunday, July 25
Noon — Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3
2:30 p.m. — Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4
5 p.m. — Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3
7 p.m. — Game 8: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4

Monday, July 26
2:30 p.m. — Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7
5 p.m. — Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8
7:30 p.m. — Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8

Tuesday, July 27
5 p.m. — Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11
7:30 p.m. — Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11

HARTINGTON —  It was a perfect night for racing on Sunday as a large crowd packed the stands at the Cedar County Raceway for the annual Cummins Stock Car races at the Cedar County Fair.

After several heats of preliminary competition, the four-cylinder feature race brought forth an improbable winner.

Fourteen-year-old Chase Osborne emerged from the pack victorious and was able to claim is first-ever feature win.

“I just wanted to go in with a lot of confidence and do my best,” Osborne said. “I kept telling myself not to crash — it helped.”

Osborne’s confidence proved to help as he had to beat the 29 other cars in the four-cylinder division in order to earn the win.

Next up were the hobby stock races. Jeremy Brabec claimed the win in decisive fashion after a flat tire ousted competitor Jeremy Nolan, who was neck-and-neck with Brabec for most of the final race.

“I probably wouldn’t have won if Jeremy Nolan hadn’t gotten a flat,” Brabec said.

A factor that had much to do with the flat tire, as well as many spins and botched turns, was the wet track conditions.

“The track was very wet tonight, especially turn two,” Brabec said. “It made the race tough, but it went pretty good for us.”

Eric Haase took home the win in the street stock A Main, capping off a busy week for him and his pit crew.

“This was the fourth night we’ve raced this week,” Haase said. “Tonight’s win was a great way to finish it off.”

Haase also commented on the conditions of the track, noting the turns caused some trouble for him, as well.

“Turns three and four gave me the most trouble tonight,” Haase said. “They seemed to be the wettest on the track.”

The final event of the evening was the Grand National races. This event featured local favorite Nick Opfer, along with 10 other competitors.

Chris Johnson went on to win the A Grand National A Feature, beating who he described to be the best competition.

“When you race against the best, you have to go out and do your best,” Johnson said. “The race was filled with good drivers. I’m glad I was able to drive such a good race.”

Each winner from the night’s races went on to recognize the importance of support from family and friends, as well as their pit crew.

“I’ve had a lot of good help,” Johnson said. “I especially want to thank my family.”

“I really have to thank my mom,” Osborne said. “She’s always supported me.”

The Cummins races proved to be successful once again and they were the perfect finish to another Cedar County Fair.

Visitation will be July 21, 5-8 p.m., with family present 5-7 p.m., at the Hasemann Funeral Home, Laurel

Services will be 10:30 a.m., July 22, at United Lutheran Church, Laurel.

Interment, with Military services, will be at Laurel Cemetery, Laurel.

Arrangements are under the direction of Hasemann Funeral Home, Laurel.

Memorials may be directed to United Lutheran Church, Laurel.

WISNER — The Hartington American Legion Junior baseball team is headed to the State Tournament.
This marks just the third time in recent history that a Hartington American Legion team has advanced to the State Tournament.
The last time a local Legion team made it this far was in 2005.
Except for a two-inning letdown on Saturday, the Hartington team played near-perfect baseball during the Class C Area 2 District Tournament.

The local team won all of its games with the aid of the mercy rule, ten-running Laurel, Battle Creek and Ponca.

Unfortunately, Hartington suffered a one-run extra-inning setback to Pender in Saturday’s semifinals.
Hartington easily prevailed in the face of elimination Monday night as they defeated Ponca 13-3 in five innings in the second semifinal game of the tournament.
The win set up a title game rematch Tuesday against Pender. The local team could only win the District title by defeating Pender twice on Tuesday, however. Check hartington.net for an update on that game and next week’s Cedar County News for complete game coverage. Check page 10 for more on the upcoming state tourney.
In Monday’s game, Hartington surged offensively in the rebound win over Ponca.
“I was expecting this kind of performance from us,” Hartington head coach Tim Loberg said. “I knew Ponca’s pitching was down and that we would hit the ball well.”
Hartington scored first as they put up one run in the first inning by way of a Cody Stappert RBI single.
They went on to add four runs in the top of the third inning, leading 5-0.
Ponca answered back in the bottom half of the inning as Josh Block hit a two-run home run. Shane Husen followed suit as he hit a solo homer right after Block, making the score 5-3.
Hartington would take control after that as they piled on three runs in the fourth inning, including a two-RBI single by Stappert. They added five more runs in the fifth inning, making the score 13-3.
Offensively for Hartington, Stappert had two singles and three RBIs, Frank Herbolsheimer had two singles and an RBI, Eric Kruse had a single and three RBIs, Ty Uhing had a single and two RBIs, Keenan Sudbeck and Zach Wuebben each had a single.

For Ponca, Block had a homerun and two RBIs, Husen had a homerun, Zach Kvidera, Nathan Gill and Cody Peterson each had a single.
Block claimed the loss for Ponca as he went three complete innings, allowing eight runs on four hits, two walks and four hit batters.
Shane Husen pitched the final two innings, allowing five runs on four hits, one walk, and two hit batters. He also struck out two.
Ross Hegge picked up the win for Hartington as he pitched a complete game and gave up only three runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter. The most noticeable stat for Hegge was the 11 strikeouts he recorded throughout the game.
Hegge struck out at least one batter in every inning. He also struck out the side in the second.
“Ross pitched a great game tonight,” Loberg said. “He has only allowed about a dozen runs or so all year, and he only gave up a few again tonight.”
With the big victory, Hartington moved to the Area 2 championship game Tuesday against Pender. The same two teams squared off in last year’s District final, as well.
Because Pender is hosting the Class C state tournament and because Hartington advanced to the final round, they were able to clinch a spot in the state tournament.

“We said back around Easter when we started playing ball that our goal was to make the state tournament,” Loberg said. “Because Pender is the tournament host, we were able to do so.”

Though a District championship would certainly be nice, regardless of the outcome, Hartington still has more baseball to play.

Hartington 1 0 4 3 5 – 13
Ponca 0 0 3 0 0 – 3

Paul is survived by his wife, Wilma, Hartington; a brother, John Phelps, Grand Island; five nieces and nephews; 17 great-nieces and great-nephews; 24 great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews; and one great-great-great-niece.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Frank and Robert Phelps.

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