Anyone running into Ethan Gaschler immediately after last year’s State Outdoors Track and Field Championships might never have known that he had just captured the first state title of his career.
 
Instead, they would have encountered a man on a mission.
 
“You would not believe how much extra I was doing last summer,” Gaschler said. “All summer, it was like the state track meet was the next day how hard I was working. It was intense.”
 
The source of Gaschler’s motivation? The fact that he wasn’t a double champion at the 2024 state meet.
 
The Palco standout easily claimed his first state championship in the Class 1A shot put, throwing four and a half feet farther than his next closest competitor. Which was about the same margin he had on the field going into the state meet.
 
Similarly, Gaschler was far and away the 1A leader in the discus as well a year ago, his regular-season best of 176-0 nearly 15 feet better than any other 1A thrower.
 
But that’s where the source of consternation was for Gaschler at state a year ago. Despite being the heavy favorite to add that title as well, he came up short. Well short.
 
Gaschler only threw 160-9 at the state meet and not only did he not win, he didn’t even get second, taking third behind Quinter’s Lakin Getz (162-11) and Frankfort’s Ole Save (161-1).
 
“I was pretty disappointed last year,” Gaschler said. “I came in seeded high and had a great opportunity to sweep and just didn’t perform.”
 
After his “intense” offseason, Gaschler once again went to state this year as the heavy favorite to sweep the 1A titles in the shot put and discus. And this time, he left no doubt in getting the sweep he desired.
 
Gaschler threw 58-8.75 to defend his shot put title by nearly four feet. In the discus, he threw a career-best 187-4 to win by more than 16 feet.
 

 
A 6-foot-4, 235-pound behemoth, Gaschler has the prototypical body to be a great thrower as well as a dominant lineman in football. But in order to ensure his throwing career stays on track – he’s headed to Northwest Missouri -- Gaschler opted not to play football and only also played basketball for Logan-Palco.
 
“It’s a good way for me to not get hurt and with my career and where I want to go with this sport, getting a fractured leg or tearing my ACL or anything like that would not be good,” Gaschler said of his sport choices. “I just like basketball enough to go out and play it.”
 
After maxing out just under 57 feet a year ago in the shot put, Gaschler’s offseason work helped him climb over the 60-foot plateau this season, hitting a 60-6 at regionals. That put him in position to take down the 1A meet record of 59-4.75 set by Madison’s Casey Helm in 2022.
 
Gaschler couldn’t quite duplicate his regional performance and topped out at the state meet with his 58-8.75, that throw coming on his first attempt of finals.
 
“It felt fantastic (to hit 60) – I’ve been chasing that goal for years,” Gaschler said. “Ever since my sophomore year, I wanted 60. And then learning about the 1A record, I wanted that too. I couldn’t get it to come on the day and that’s what happens and the risk you run putting yourself out there. It’s a game of inches and I didn’t have the inches on my side this time.”
 
After having not ever thrown farther than 181-10 in the discus in his career, Gaschler saw all four of his counting throws at state this year sail beyond that mark – perhaps driven by last year’s state shortcomings. He opened with a 186-10 and then topped that with his 187-4 on his final attempt.
 
Even though Gaschler dominated both events for his title sweep, he was still stoked by the level of competition he had to beat.
 
“The far throws and average throws for 1A has been ridiculous,” he said. “It’s exploded and I’m here for it and I like it. … We had three guys over 50 in shot put and four or five over 160 in discus, which is unheard of in 1A. I’m pretty proud of my competitors and I’m excited to see what they do next year.”
 

HOLCOMB'S DENISTON LEADS LONGHORNS TO SECOND STRAIGHT 3A TITLE 

Brody Deniston led a loaded Holcomb team to a successful Class 3A title defense. 

The junior distance standout turned in a tremendous overall meet, highlighted by a first-place finish in the 800. 

Deniston also anchored Holcomb’s 3,200 relay team that ran a blistering 7:47.42 for a 3A meet record. That time is the fourth fastest in Kansas history. 

He added runner-up finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200, recording personal bests in those races. 

Deniston’s 800 title marked his first individual state title. He ran a 1:56.23 as the Longhorns went 1-2, with teammate Landon Leonard finishing right behind Leonard at 1:56.97. 

Wichita Trinity’s Caleb Tofteland was the 1,600 (4:12.77) and 3,200 champion (9:09.62). Deniston ran a 4:16.05 in the 1,600 and a 9:13.50 in the 3,200. 

As a sophomore last year, Deniston was runner-up in the 800 and 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600. 
 

Holcomb had another individual state champion in senior Hawk Vainerere, who won the pole vault with a 13-6. 

Vainerere made a big leap from his junior to senior year after not qualifying for state in 2024. He was the regional champion this year with a personal-best 14-6. 

Holcomb finished with 84 points to win the 3A title by 18 points over second-place Lakin. 

Leonard added a third-place finish in the 400 to go with his runner-up effort in the 800. Baker took fourth in the 800 and fifth in the 1,600. 

Standout freshman Cooper Cranston was runner-up in the 110 hurdles (14.63) to Goodland’s Linkon Cure (14.36). 

The Longhorns’ 1,600 relay team took third place. Jareht Harrell added an eighth-place showing in the javelin.  

PHILLIPSBURG'S HORINEK SWEEPS HURDLES TITLES IN 2A 

Phillipsburg’s Tanner Horinek capped a breakthrough season with a sweep of the 2A hurdles. 

After seeing his sophomore season cut short in 2024, Horinek flourished this season as a junior and shined at state. 

He clocked a 14.68 in the 110 hurdles to edge Sublette’s Caleb Friesen (14.89). In the 300 hurdles, Horinek ran a 38.70 with Sterling’s Zane Farney taking second in 39.26. 

Horinek also ran a leg on the Panthers’ 400 relay that finished sixth, and he took 10th in the long jump. 

His 300 hurdles time at state was a personal record. His top 110 hurdles time is a 14.45 he ran at the Mid-Continent League meet.  

 

ULYSSES PUTS TOGETHER STRONG MEET 

Ulysses made noise with two individual champs and a relay title, placing fourth in 4A as a team. 

Tiger senior Aden Alvarado won the long jump championship while sophomore Gaige McGaughey won a tight race in the 200. 

Both Alvarado and McGaughey ran legs on Ulysses’ 400 relay team that won with a 42.80. 

Alvarado went  22-7.75 to take the long lump title with Bishop Miege’s Liam Tesmer taking second with a mark of 21-10. 

The 200 went down to the wire with McGaughey nipping Clay Center’s Jace Weller at the line. McGaughey ran a 22.20 to Weller’s 22.24. 

McGaughey was runner-up in the 100, recording a 10.95. Labette County’s Jamaal Jackson won with a 10.65. 

Alvarado and McGaughey joined Julian Meraz and Parker Browning on the champion 400 relay team that won by 0.03 seconds over Andale. 
OTHER WESTERN KANSAS BOYS STATE CHAMPIONS 
 

 

• Goodland star Linkon Cure closed out his decorated high school career with another state title in the 110 hurdles, notching a 3A meet record with a 14.36. Cure was also runner-up in the 300 hurdles to Colby’s Jordan Jones, running a 38.54 to Jones’ 38.52. Cure is now headed off to Kansas State for football. He finished his track career with four state titles – two in the 110 hurdles and two in the 300 hurdles.

 

 

• Colby’s Jordan Jones captured the Class 3A 300 hurdles state champion, denying Goodland’s Linkon Cure a sweep of the hurdles titles. Jones clocked a 38.52 to nip Cure’s 38.54. Jones peaked at the right time down the stretch of his junior season. His personal-best 38.27 at the regional meet marked his first win in the 300 hurdles this season.

 

 

• Ingalls senior RJ Allen was the Class 1A 400-meter run champion with a 49.42. Axtell’s Brandon Schmelzle was second in 50.31. Allen added a fifth-place finish in the 200.

 

 

• Ness City junior Broxton Gall won a dramatic Class 1A 1,600, edging out Lebo’s Caleb Durst in a photo finish. Gall clocked a 4:29.51 to barely beat the 800 champion Durst (4:29.55) at the line. He took fourth place in the 1,600 last year. Gall also helped Ness City’s 3,200 relay team take second in the 3,200-meter relay with a school-record 8:13.48.

 

 

• Scott City’s 1,600 relay team broke a 3A meet record with a 3:20.82. The team is comprised of Peyton Bergner, Alex Tarango, Martin Purma and Camden Vulgamore.

 

 

• Beloit-St. John’s Edward Horinek secured the Class 1A triple jump title with a mark of 45-9.50. Golden Plains’ Josh Rath was runner-up with a 44-4.50. Horinek won the triple jump in all but one of his meets this year. His personal best is 46-0.75.

 

•  Great Bend sophomore Cooper Ohnmacht defended his championship in the 5A triple jump with a mark of 47-1.25. Bonner Springs’ Corey Rolfe was second with a 45-7. Ohnmacht went undefeated in the triple jump this season. His personal best came at regionals with a 48-3. He also placed third at state in the long jump (22-4.5).

 

• Hill City junior Vincent Zohner won the 2A discus title with a personal-best throw of 161-3. He topped the runner-up throw from Plainville’s Tucker Rudman by more than six feet. It was the first discus win of the season for Zohner. He added a seventh-place finish in javelin.

 

 

• South Central junior Jack Herd capped his first season competing in track and field with a Class 1A javelin state title. Herd’s winning throw traveled 196 feet, 5 inches. Northern Valley’s Gavin Thalheim took second with a 170-4. After taking second in his debut meet at Meade, Herd won javelin in the rest of his meets this season.