The Class 2 girls team title came down to the last race at the MSHSAA Class 2 Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.
The 4x400-meter relay -- the final race of the two-day meet -- was essentially a winner take all, times two.
Win the race, win the title.
North Platte, the defending Class 2 champions, entered the final race with 76 points - one more than Father Tolton Catholic. That meant, whoever placed higher in the final race would win the title.
North Platte built an early lead from Graci Williams and then Lindsay Ramsey, Kalli Schuster and Olivia Rogers followed.
Rogers, a Missouri State signee, crossed the finish line to give the Panthers a time of 4:03.22 and the state championship to go with the 4x400-meter relay title.
"We put a lot of stock in all of our events, but we put a lot of work in our relays," North Platte coach Brendan Cary said. "But that is one of our centerpieces... that is one of our things. We felt confident going in our kids did the job all day long and we they would do it. They showed out in that race. What a way for it to come down to the finish."
North Platte finished with 86 points, while Father Tolton's runner-up finish gave them 83 points.
"Hats off to Tolton, they had big point jumps and we knew that would happen," Cary said. "Coming down to the last event, that helps make the sport fun for the kids and for the fans. It was a different route for us than last year but Tolton did a heck of a job."
The championship is the second straight team title for the school from Dearborn.
The Class 2 girls team title came down to the last race at the MSHSAA Class 2 Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.
The 4x400-meter relay -- the final race of the two-day meet -- was essentially a winner take all, times two.
Win the race, win the title.
