The top 2016 high school sports storylines in the Northland

The Star takes a look back at the top five high storylines in the Northland from the 2016 calendar year:

1. Park Hill's Christopher Nilsen shatters pole vault record

After setting a state-meet record as a junior, Park Hill pole vaulter Christopher Nilsen upped the ante last spring.

He set a national high school record when he successfully completed a vault of 18 feet, 4 3/4 inches at the sectional meet in May.

But he wasn't finished. A week later, he repeated as the Missouri Class 5 state champion.

Earlier in his senior season, Nilsen broke a 36-year-old record at the Kansas Relays when he cleared the bar at 17 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

2. The emotional week for Platte County wrestler Ethan Karsten

Six days after his older brother died unexpectedly, Platte County senior Ethan Karsten won his third consecutive Missouri Class 3 wrestling state championship.

An emotional Karsten kissed his index finger and pointed it toward the sky after pinning his opponent in the championship match at Mizzou Arena.

It was a particularly impressive showing from Karsten, who later said of his brother Jourdan, "I hope he was watching."

Among the 56 champions crowned at the state meet, Karsten was the only one to pin his way through the entire bracket. He finished his senior season 51-1.

3. Staley senior Julian Ross takes home football honors

The most dominant football season in the Kansas City metro came from Staley senior tailback Julian Ross, who won the Thomas A. Simone Award and The Star's All-Metro football player of the year honor in the same week.

Ross made a point to transform his game from a speed back to a workhorse power back during his senior campaign, and it resulted in 2,257 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns for the Falcons, who reached the Missouri Class 5 state semifinals.

4. Liberty's Morgan Fleming wins DiRenna Award

After three of her older siblings were past nominees for the DiRenna Award, Liberty basketball player Morgan Fleming was the first in her family to win the honor.

In leading the Blue Jays to a second straight Missouri Class 5 Final Four appearance, she became Liberty's all-time leading scorer, finishing her career with 1,642 points.

She averaged 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in her senior season and was also named The Star's All-Metro girls basketball player of the year.

5. The Park Hill wrestling dynasty extends another year

The Trojans seem to encounter a new top challenger every February, but the final result never changes. For the fourth straight season, they won the Missouri Class 4 wrestling team state championship.

There were several contributors, including Sean Hosford, who won the 145-pound title, the third individual championship of his career. Kelvin Eblen won his first title in the 106-pound division.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "The top 2016 high school sports storylines in the Northland."