By Tina Kitt
    The Wauneta Breeze
    
     In 2004, sporting events grabbed statewide headlines as well as those locally.
     Over the holidays Nebraskans cheered the Cornhusker football team to a 17-3 win over Michigan State at the Alamo Bowl as the Huskers wrapped up their 10-3 season amid the turmoil of the recent firing of Coach Frank Solich. Bo Pellini was interim coach for the bowl game, but in January, Bill Callahan was hired as the Huskers' new coach.
     As 2004 rolled in, both the Bronco boys and girls basketball teams continued to roll strong. Both teams posted big wins over Banner County and Rushville to claim team titles at the Bronco Holiday Tourney. This marked the second straight tourney title for the Bronco boys and the first-ever for the Bronco girls.
     The Bronco basketball teams also repeated a double-championship performance at the GPAC tourney, with both the boys and girls taking first place.
     Bronco basketball players and wrestlers had black patches sewn onto their uniforms embroidered with the name "Andrew" in memory of fellow student-athlete Andrew Sandman who was killed in a New Year's Eve car wreck. The WP athletes wore the patches in remembrance of Sandman throughout the remainder of their seasons.
     After defeating Banner County and Rushville, both state ranked in the Omaha World-Herald standings, the Bronco girls basketball team, then 7-0, held a brief stint as the No. 1 team in Class D1. A few weeks later the Broncs suffered their first loss at Dundy County. The girls were defeated by Paxton later in regular season to carry an 18-2 record into subdistricts. There they avenged their loss to Dundy County, but could not get the win over Paxton the second time around. They closed their season at 19-3 and finished rated No. 7 in the state in the World-Herald's final rankings.
     After opening the season with three losses, the Bronco boys basketball team posted a 13 game winning-streak before falling to Sutherland. After losing to Dundy County in the regular season, the Broncs went on to defeat them in subdistricts, but were edged by Leyton in a heartbreaker at the district finals, forfeiting a repeat trip to the state tournament. The boys closed their season with a 17-6 record and as the No. 10 in Class D1 in the postseason rankings.
     All-conference recognition in basketball went to Staci Alberts, Melissa Long, Ashley Kitt, Stephanie Padilla, Kiane Alberts, Joe Humphrey, Matt Klima, and Andrew Isom.
     On the wrestling mat the Broncs had a standout season with six members of the team qualifying for state - Jess Vapenik, Dirk Vapenik, Jesse West, Peter Barger, Hondo Fanning and Jacob Rundback. Jess Vapenik, a senior, was the lone medalist among the Bronco contingent, bringing home a fifth-place medal at 130 pounds in Class D.
     The Bronco golf team had one of their best seasons in decades. They captured the team titles at GPAC, Chase County High School and Cheylin meets. As a team they took third at districts to qualify for the state meet, with Matt Klima leading the way with a second place finish. At state, Klima captured a third place medal.
     Later in the summer, Klima shot a hole in one on the No. 7 hole at Enders Golf Course.
     The Bronco boys and girls track teams claimed a double-team title at the GPAC meet for the second straight year. Wauneta-Palisade qualified 10 track team members for the state meet - Staci Alberts, Kiane Alberts, Travis Rotter, Ryan Stepler, Cory Flaig, Melissa Long, Cassy Smith, Ashley Kitt, Stephanie Padilla, and Betsy Anderjaska.
     Stepler finished third at state in the triple jump and set a new school record with a jump of 43 feet, 1.5 inches. Staci Alberts took second in the high jump and Kiane Alberts placed sixth. Earlier in the season S. Alberts set a new school record with a jump of 5 feet, 5.25 inches.
     In summer baseball action, the Wauneta B Team and Palisade A Team baseball boys both took first place during league tournaments held in Wauneta.
     In rodeo action, Chase Nichols, Hondo Fanning and Tyler Kerchal all qualified for the Nebraska High School Rodeo Finals.
     Jay Bartels had a good season on the bulldogging circuit, finishing at or near the top at several rodeos throughout the region.
     Recreational activities at Enders Lake came to a halt in mid-July after toxic algae was discovered in areas of the lake.
     A new walking club, dubbed "Hiking to Hawaii," formed in Wauneta during the summer of 2004, allowing area residents a fun way to take advantage of the new walking path.
     In adult coed softball action this summer, the Good Times Bar team took second place in the Imperial League tourney, after entering the tourney as the top seed with a 10-0 record.
     Despite lifelong battles with cystic fibrosis, sisters Amanda Roe and Laura Blomstedt competed along with their dad, James Roe, in the Hotter Than Hell 100k bicycle race in Wichita Falls, Texas, in August.
     The Bronco volleyball and football teams both posted outstanding seasons in 2004.
     The volleyball girls won the championship at the Maxwell Tournament for the first time ever as well as the GPAC conference title for the first time in over a decade. They closed their season at 18-4 after suffering a disappointing loss to Dundy County at subdistricts.
     The Bronco football team clinched their first district title and hosted an opening round playoff game after closing their regular season at 6-2. They fell to Elm Creek in their playoff contest for a final record of 6-3.
     Several Bronco athletes received postseason honors, including being named to the All-District and All-Conference teams.
     Taylor Dixon, Hondo Fanning, Cory Flaig and Jake Smith were named to the All-District team, with Travis Rotter and Jake Rundback receiving honorable mentions.
     Kiane Alberts and Stephanie Padilla were named to the GPAC All-Conference first team; Janae Harris was named to the second team; and Betsy Anderjaska and Jenna Britten received honorable mentions.
     This fall, Wauneta native Alvin Christensen, now of Allen, Nebr., captured several national awards in black powder rifle and cornhusking competitions.
     The Bronco boys and girls basketball teams and wrestling team all kicked off the winter sports season in top form, with both the boys and girls basketball teams entering the holiday break with records of 5-1.
     A Bronco wrestling squad short on numbers started the season with big results, with four wrestlers taking first place at Alma as the team finished second overall.