Jefferson High athletes will be very busy this week in post-season competitions. Doubles pair Leah and Latrice “T” Vossler will be at the divisional tennis tournament in Missoula, having taken second at the divisional tournament. Josh Eckmann will have an amazingly busy week of sports, having qualified for the state golf tournament held Monday and Tuesday and earning spots in three events at the divisional track meet at the end of the week. Roughly a dozen other JHS athletes will be joining him at divisional track in Laurel Thursday.
TENNIS The Vossler sisters won their first two matches in the divisional tennis tournament in Big Sky to secure a state tournament berth. They defeated Poulsen/Miller of Lone Peak in their first match and beat Nelson/Schritz in their second match. That guaranteed them a state slot this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Missoula. In the championship round of the divisional the Vossler were overpowered by Saltzman/Olsen of Townsend. The two pairs could well meet again in Missoula.
GOLF Josh Eckmann finished 12th in divisional golf May 8, locking up a spot at the state competition in Shelby May 15 and 16. He shot an 83 at the divisional.
TRACK Eckmann rounded out his week at the District 5B Track Meet in Bozeman Friday and Saturday and continued his winning ways there. The JHS junior took first in the high jump at 5’ 10”, first in the triple jump at 39’ 7 1/2”, and second in the 300 hurdles at 43.09.
Avery Stiles was close on the heels of his teammate, coming in second in the high jump at 5’ 10”, second in the triple jump at 39’ 3” and sixth in the 300 hurdles in 44.75. Both Eckmann and Stiles had already earned state meet berths in the high jump with strong performances earlier in the season.
As a team, the Panthers finished in fourth with 89 points behind Townsend with 147, Manhattan with 99 and Whitehall with 90. Fifth and sixth went to Sweetgrass County in Big Timber with 65 and Three Forks with 34.
Eckmann was not alone in taking an event title. Dalton Rykal won the shot put with a throw of 40’ 8 1/2” and added a fifth in the javelin at 129’ 10” to his performance at the district meet. Noah Fader recorded a personal best in the javelin of 149’ 10” which was good enough for second and a divisional slot. Other Panthers who earned spots on the divisional team: Mead Blake 5th in the 400 in 54.25; Hunter Henschel 6th in the 400 in 54.66; Carter McCauley 6th in the 110 hurdles in 18.25; Eric Lufkin 4th in the pole vault at 9’6”; the 4X400 relay team 2nd in 3:43.29; the 4X100 relay team 4th in 47.6; Coen Guisti 6th in the shot put at 33’5”; Drake Schake took 6th in the discus at 107’ 4”; and Chance Hecht 5th in the high jump at 5’ 6”.
The Lady Panthers also sewed up a number of divisional slots. Emma Stout qualified in four individual events: fifth in the 100 in 13.83, fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.45, fourth in the 300 hurdles in 55.11 and third in the pole vault at 6’ 6”. As a team, the JHS girls were fifth with 44 points, trailing Three Forks with 147.5, Manhattan with 146, Townsend with 97 and Whitehall with 49. Sweetgrass County compiled 37.5 points.
The relay teams both qualified for divisional, with the 4×100 taking second in 54.56 and the 4×400 winning that event in 4:32.40. Aubrey McMaster took fourth in the javelin at 91’ 1”, Simonie Mendenhall took fourth in the high jump at 4’4” and fourth in the triple jump at 30’ 11”, and Ashley Pankratz took fourth in the triple jump at 30’ 11”. The top eight placers at divisional qualify for the state meet to be held May 26-27 in Butte. Congratulations to all the JHS athletes and good luck this week.
