The fall sports season has officially started at Jefferson High, and the results of the first week indicate another great year ahead: Three days, three competitions – and three convincing wins.
Volleyball
The lady Panther volleyball team kicked things off Thursday with a trip to Columbus. Columbus always mounts a strong team, and this was a close match, but the Panthers were able to pull out the win in four sets.
Jefferson took the first game, 25-21, and the second, 25-9, but ran into trouble in the third, dropping it by 21-25. They rebounded to win the fourth game and the match, 25-23. Maddy Averill led the Panthers with 5 aces, while Emma McCauley 12 kills, and Arena Faler and Clara Genger two blocks each. McKenzie Layng made 18 assists, and McCauley led in digs.
The Panthers hosted Three Forks on Tuesday this week and will be at a tournament in Manhattan on Saturday.
Football
The football squad traveled to Lockwood to take on Baker last week, and they came home with a nice first-game win, overpowering the Spartans, 35-0.
This was the first time the two teams had met in many years, a function of the 500-plus miles separating their schools. Fortunately Lockwood, a Class A school with a beautiful sports facility, let the game be played on its turf field.
The Panthers received the ball to start, but fumbled on their first set of downs, turning possession over to Baker. A tough Jefferson defense forced Baker to punt, and then a great block by Zach Zody provided a nice hole for Dylan Root to run through and into the end zone for the first points of the game. Root’s PAT was good and the Panthers were quickly up 7-0.
The ensuing Panther kickoff was fumbled, so Jefferson got the ball back. A 32-yard pass from Luke Oxarrt to Brady Armstrong put the Panthers on the Baker 10-yard line, and soon enough, the Panthers were back in the end zone, padding their lead to 14-0.
Jefferson’s lines were doing a great job, Taven McMaster opened a nice hole with a big block to let Jace Oxarart pick up a first down, and the Panthers took a commanding 21-0 lead at the end of one. Both teams struggled in the second quarter to find the end zone, leaving the score 21-0 at the half.
The Panthers added a touchdown in the third on a Jack Johnson run to go up 28-0, and then lots of subs took over for both teams. Johnson added another touchdown in the fourth, and Root’s kick was again good, capping the 35-0 win.
This week the Panthers host Bigfork on Friday night. Bigfork, like Jefferson, was a Class B semifinalist last year, so this should be a great game.
Cross Country
Jefferson’s cross country teams hosted the first meet of the year in Boulder on Saturday, starting near the Veterans Park on Main Street. Three Forks, Whitehall and Broadwater joined in to launch the fall running season.
The Panther boys won the team competition with 26 points, edging Three Forks with 31. Broadwater was third with 65. The lady Panthers did not have enough varsity girls running for a team score; Broadwater took first with 24 points, and Three Forks was second with 31.
Luke Mest was the first Panther to cross the finish line, taking second in 18:01. A year ago in this meet, running in the JV race, Mest clocked 20:32. Dominic Hurlbert was fourth in 18:13, likewise cutting two minutes off his year-ago time. Logan Hornung placed fifth in 18:31, Christian Gillmore seventh in 19:44, and Dylan Mikesell ninth in 19:49.
Renae Parker dominated the girls with a great first-meet time of 18:58. This was her personal best in competition, shaving more than half a minute off her time at last year’s state championship, where she finished second, and more than a minute from her time at last year’s Boulder meet. Izzy Morris placed 11th in 25:56, nearly three minutes faster than last year.
The cross country teams will be running in Belgrade meet this Friday.
