After 31 years, cross country brings home state title

Jefferson High’s boys cross country team made Panther history in Kalispell on Oct 21, bringing the Class B championship title home to Boulder for the first time since 1992.

The Panthers secured the team title with 79 points, comfortably topping second-place Columbus’ 137 and Manhattan’s 148. Senior Luke Mest led the squad with a second-place individual finish, and two of his teammates also landed in the top 15 to All State recognition: senior Logan Hornung finished seventh, while junior Dominic Hurlbert took 11th.

After a season of impressive performances, the Panthers clearly were the team to beat. For their part, they targeted Columbus, their closest rival all season. Sure enough, the Cougars came out the gates hot, their top five runners crossing the mile one mark ahead of the Panthers’ top five. But Head Coach Karson Klass said the boys stuck with their strategy and knew what to do. “That was really fun, to see them pick Columbus off,” Klass recalled. “In the end, our top seven came in before any of Columbus’ top five.”