On to State! Jefferson High School’s track and field teams turned in impressive performances at the Southern B Divisional meet last week in Laurel, with the boys team capturing the team title and the girls squad delivering several standout individual finishes. Both teams now head to Missoula with a good chance of bringing home more hardware at the state meet on Friday and Saturday.
The Panther boys, seeking their fifth straight state title, clinched the Southern B crown with 89.5 total points, outpacing Columbus (75) and Joliet (71). Manhattan (65) and Sweet Grass County (57) rounded out the top five.
Luke Oxarart led the charge, placing second in both the 100 meters (11.6 seconds) and 200 (23.61), and adding a gold medal in the shot put with a throw of 50’9”. He also claimed silver in the javelin (172’6”).
As usual, the boys shone in the field events. Brady Armstrong won the discus with a throw of 144’8” and placed eighth in shot put (45’1”). Teammates Dylan Stevens (47’3”), Tavin Charlton (46’7”), and Kaynen Martin (46’6”) helped Jefferson dominate that event with four top-six finishers. Charlton also finished 6th in the discus (136’8”) and Tyler Frydenlund and Marshal Jensen added points in the javelin.
John Quigley and Colten Thornock went 1-2 in the high jump, both clearing 6’2”, while Cooper Mikesell soared to second in the pole vault at 12’6”.
Mikal Richard placed fourth in the 100 (11.82) and seventh in the 200 (24.08). The relay team of Gary Sorenson, McKenon Boyd, Jensen and Thornock finished fourth in the 4×400 (3:36.05), and Boyd added points in the 800 (5th, 2:10.03) and triple jump (8th, 37’11.5”). Sorenson was 4th in the 400, and Caelum Dunn 7th in the 3200.
The Panther girls finished with 52 points, trailing only Huntley Project (114), Broadwater (75), and Shepherd (53).
Peyton Stearns led the Panthers on the track, finishing second in the 800 meters (2:26.67) and third in the 1600 (5:33.23). Josie Oxarart also had a busy day, placing sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and eighth in the shot put, and helping both the 4×100 (with Maddy Averill, Allie Muffick, and Mckinleigh Doherty, 4th place) and 4×400 (Parker Layng, Karsyn Dolezal, and Stearns, 10th) relay teams score points.
Joslyn Buckley earned gold in the discus with a throw of 116’2” and added a ninth-place finish in the javelin. London Ostby also placed in the discus (3rd, 106’3”), while Muffick took third in javelin (112’2”) and fifth in the shot put (32’1”).
In the sprints, Doherty (4th), Muffick (11th), and Averill (13th) finished strong in the 100 meter race. Doherty also placed third in long jump (15’11.5”) and sixth in high jump (4’10”), matching teammate Allison Zawacki.
TENNIS
Three Panther singles players and three doubles teams advanced from last weekend’s divisional tournament in Butte to qualify for the State Class B championship this week in Missoula.
Junior Bailee Silvonen took the divisional singles title, while Clara Yap beat Nancy Leatherberry of Red Lodge in her first day’s match then lost twice on Friday. Lainey Wilson lost to Malia Eriksson, beat teammate Myle O’Neill, then lost to Leatherberry. O’Neill also lost to Amanda Wilcox of Three Forks.
In doubles play, freshmen Teagan Silvonen and Evelyn Hansen took third. Holly Keough and Addi Coates lost to O’Dell/Flynn of Townsend and Cutler/Lear of Three Forks.
For the boys, Hudson Hill defeated Wyant of Anaconda, then lost to Thurman of Valley Christian and Frossard of Anaconda. Kale Strozewski also lost to Frossard, and dropped a match to teammate Austin Lachney, who placed fifth. Izaak Luhrsen, (Junior), and Hunter Heintz (Sophomore) took third in boys doubles.
That means that Bailee Silvonen and Lachney will compete at state in singles, while the teams of Teagan Silvonen and Hansen and Luhrse and Heintz will enter the doubles brackets.
Congratulations to the Panther athletes—and good luck at State!
This article was edited with assistance from ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence product.
