A relay good time this spring

Adi Fahrnbruch and Gage Friesen will never brag about themselves or their accomplishments. 
That’s what they have me for. 
The Aurora and HPC senior duo have already made a huge stamp on the area sports scene this school year and there’s plenty more to chase over the final two-plus months of the athletic campaign.
Fahrnbruch is defending her 2023-24 ANR female athlete of the year honor in a big way so far. 
During the softball season, Fahrnbruch couldn’t miss. Looking at one point in the second half of the season, Fahrnbruch’s batting average was top five in Nebraska and top 50 in the country.
She finished the softball season with a .545 batting average, including an on-base percentage of .586. 
Fahrnbruch collected 55 hits with 38 singles, eight triples, 31 RBIs and 49 runs scored. She also belted seven home runs, a new school record for homers in a season. 
It could be pretty hard to draw up a better senior season than what Friesen has accomplished to date. The Storm senior was the featured tailback for HPC’s football team, rushing for 1,529 yards and 24 touchdowns. In nine of HPC’s 10 games this fall, Friesen crossed the 100-yard plateau, averaging 153 per game. High Plains won a playoff game for the first time in a decade and very nearly won a second on the road.
You think that was it? Gotta play both ways in 8-man ball and Friesen was HPC’s best defensive player, tallying 113 total tackles, 43 of those solo.
He was credited with five interceptions on the season while causing three fumbles and recovering two.
That was just the beginning, though.
Friesen tackled the competition all winter, eventually earning a state title at 150 pounds in Class D, giving HPC another long-awaited state champion wrestler.
For all the success both Fahrnbruch and Friesen have had during their senior year, what about track? 
Glad you asked.
Fahrnbruch has had a ton of success in both the long and triple jump the past couple seasons, earning multiple state medals and rocketing up the Aurora all-time list. 
She’s second all-time for the Huskies in the triple jump and is third all-time in the long jump. 
Her success isn’t limited to how far she can jump, though. Fahrnbruch has also been a key component to Aurora’s relay success, running legs on both the 400 and 1600 events throughout the years.
Speaking of relays, Friesen is a wizard when it comes to running the baton. Some kids just have a knack for running those team races and Friesen fits that bill.
He has been a key component on HPC’s 400 and 1600 relay teams in the past, both of which were top four finishers at last year’s state track meet.
It’s also been mentioned Friesen may take a leg on the defending champion 3200 relay team that already features three returners.
Heck, he said he’s going to give pole vault a whirl this spring, too. I mean, what can’t this kid do?
Those two will garner a lot of attention over the next couple of months, but the area is really set up to have a stellar track and field season. 
There are a ton of solid athletes from all four area schools who have either already had success at Omaha Burke or certainly have a case to make noise this spring. 
Not only that, but the Aurora golf team features a very experienced lineup that, coupled with the new district serpentine, could very well qualify a van load for a western trip just before June. 
The Aurora boys and girls soccer teams have an abundance of talent with well over 70 kids combined between the two teams. It’s awesome to see so many kids involved between these teams.
Don’t forget the baseball team, either, that will begin its second season with a big group of freshmen who are truly excited about America’s past time.
Let’s hope for shorts and backwards cap weather now, shall we! 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.