Jefferson High’s volleyball squad traveled to Townsend last Thursday, Oct. 5, for a showdown between two of state’s volleyball powers. Broadwater came in undefeated in district play so far this season; the Lady Panthers sat in second place, their only loss coming to the Bulldogs. It was a great moment to pick up this longstanding rivalry.
It turned out to be an exciting match, each set a joy to watch, as the teams fought for each point. But the Bulldogs prevailed in the end, 3-2, to keep their winless streak going and stay atop the district standings.
On Oct. 7, Jefferson hosted a big tournament in Boulder, with teams from Broadwater, Choteau, Huntley Project, Florence, Colstrip, Shelby and Fairfield — all strong teams who traditionally either make it to State or come close.
The Panthers made a strong showing — topping Broadwater this time — and at the end of the day, they faced off against Huntley Project for the title. The teams split their two championship matches, but Huntley won the tie-breaker on total points. The Panthers can be very proud of their play and look forward to the State tournament in Bozeman, Nov. 9-11.
Football
The Panthers ran all over Sweet Grass County last Friday night on the Panther field in front of a large crowd. The final: 69-7. I’m not sure if 69 points is a school record — but if not, it certainly has to be close.
The mercy rule took effect at the half, meaning the game clock kept running between plays, and Jefferson’s reserves saw a lot of action. Sweet Grass scored its only touchdown late in the game, when all the Panther starters were on the sidelines cheering their younger teammates.
This Friday is senior night, as the Panthers host Manhattan — a great game to watch. Jefferson closes out the regular season on Oct. 20 at Townsend, and the playoffs start Oct. 28.
Cross Country
The Panther “hoofers” made a strong showing at the Capital City 7 of 7 meet on Oct. 7. This event has a distinctive format: The top seven runners on each team compete in separate races against their equivalently ranked peers — so, the number-one runners race against each other, the number-two runners face off, and so on.
Jefferson’s boys squad finished 10th in the team standings — by far the strongest showing among Class B schools, and a hopeful hint as to what could happen at the state championship meet in Kalispell on Oct. 21.
Luke Mest finished 9th among the number-one runners, at 16:05. Logan Hornung was 8th among No. 2 runners, at 16:46. Dominic Hurlbert was 13th in the No. 3 slot, at 17:37; Mack Boyd 10th at No. 4, 17:55; Christian Gilmore 20th at No. 5, 18:48; Marshall Jensen 14th at No. 6, 18:44; and Dylan Myksell 19th at No. 7, 19:23.
Among the Panther girls, Peyton Stearns finished 24th in the top spot, at 21:22; Isabella Warren was 25th at No. 2, 22:10; KK Morris was 32nd at No. 3, 25:31; Meredith Rieder 33rd at No. 4, 25:57; Lily Oelkers 23rd at No. 5, 24:04; Natalie Russ 22nd at No. 6, 24:24; and Rebekah Warren 22nd at No. 7, 24:17.
For the JV girls, Addie Holman finished at 28:40. Among the JV boys, it was Caelum Dunn at 19:16, Colin Gallagher at 21:10, Adam Sherlock at 21:16, Gavin Phillips at 21:34, Matt Zelenka at 22:01, Pierce Ward at 22:07, Lane Phillips at 22:53, and Steele Lansing at 23:32.
The Panthers race this Saturday at Townsend’s Old Baldy golf course, as they warm up for State.
