Jefferson High’s football team made the long trip to Columbus on Sept. 29 for a game played in the best football weather you could ask for in Montana. Unfortunately, perfect autumn conditions don’t win football games — and the Panthers fell to the #3 Cougars, 26-16.
The Panthers kicked off, and Columbus started on their own 8 yard line. The Cougars picked up a first down to the 15 and then another to the 30 — but then the Panther defense clamped down and made some vital stops, forcing a punt.
On its first drive, Jefferson converted a first down on a 4th and 1, but was then forced to punt after a quarterback sack. Columbus was in a great field position, starting on the Panther 30 — and it scored with 4:56 left in the first. A two-point conversion failed, and the score was 6-0.
Jefferson lost both its starting and back-up quarterbacks to injuries, but Tyzer Zody did a great job taking over. Columbus was able to put another 6 points on the board at the end of the first; the PAT failed again, and it was 12-0 at the end of one.
Columbus added another touchdown, and the Panthers blocked the PAT attempt. Jefferson got on the board with 1:17 left in the half on a pass from Zody to Parker Wagner. Its PAT was good, leaving the score 18-7 at the half.
Columbus added another touchdown, and then with a trick play they set up for a kick for the extra point but instead passed for a two-point conversion. A couple of Panther passes set Jefferson up with good field position and Jack Johnson was able to run in for a touchdown. That finished off the scoring, leaving the final 26-16.
This week the Panthers are at home, hosting Sweet Grass at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Volleyball
The Lady Panthers traveled to Ennis on Sept. 28 and came away with a 3-1 win. The Panthers won the first set 25-15, mostly on power hitting from Arena Faler and Cameron Toney. They were up 10-5 before Ennis had a run to tie the game at 10. A sneak kill by MacKenzie Layng put the Panthers up 16-10, then Faler made it 17-10 with a block and the Panthers closed it out.
Ennis started the second with a 5-1 run. An ace gave them a 17-7 lead, and they went on to take the set 25-21. That made it interesting for the fans, who cheered as the Panthers started the third with a 6-3 run and increased their lead to 17-12 on a Toney kill. An ace by Maria Mest made it 22-13, and the Panthers went on to win 25-15.
Three straight kills by Arena Faler gave the Panthers a 19-10 lead in the fourth and they went on to take the set, 25-17, for a 3-1 match win.
On Sept. 30, the volleyball squads traveled to Choteau for a large tournament. The Panther C and JV teams both won their divisions, and the Varsity Panthers took second to Choteau. The Panthers had bested Choteau twice during the day, but lost to them in the championship match.
Jefferson is now in second place, with a 6-1 conference record. On Thursday, the Panther teams will travel to Townsend on Thursday for a conference match-up with first-place Broadwater High, which is 7-0 in conference play. And on Saturday, Oct. 7, the Panthers will host a large tournament featuring several good teams. Come by if you want to see some really good high school volleyball.
Cross Country
The Panther boys cross country team easily took first at Friday’s Headwaters Invitational meet in Three Forks. Jefferson’s 29 points topped Three Forks’ 52 and Manhattan’s 72. Broadwater and Anaconda were 4th and 5th, respectively.
Luke Mest was the top Panther runner, finishing 2nd in 15:54. Logan Hornung placed 4th in 16:39; Dominic Hurlburt 11th in 17:54; Mack Boyd 12th in 18:02; Christian Gillmore 16th in 18:24; Marshall Jensen 16th in 18:45; Dylan Mikesell 26th in 18:54; and Caelum Dunn 28th in 18:59.
The Jefferson girls finished 3rd, with 61 points, trailing Manhattan and Three Forks. Peyton Stearns placed 6th in 20:45; Isabella Warren 12th in 22:00; KK Morris 20th in 23:43; Meredith Rieder 24th in 24:03; and Natalie Russ 28th in 24:06
In the JV boys race, Gavin Phillips placed 3rd in 20:40; Bridger Marks 5th in 20:53; Matt Zelenka 6th in 20:58; Adam Sherlock 7th in 21:00; Colin Gallagher 9th in 21:09; Pierce Ward 11th in 21:51; Lane Phillips 16th in 23:25; and Steele Hansing 19th in 23:50
Among the JV girls, Rebekah Warren finished 3rd in 23:24; Hudsyn Allen 6th in 25:25; and Addie Holman 7th in 28:00.
