The post-season has arrived, and Jefferson High’s track and field teams are pretty much picking up where they left off last year. With many athletes have already qualified for the State meet in Laurel on May 24-25, their teammates are filling in and proving strong competitors.
At the District 5B meet in Belgrade on May 9, the Panther boys won another title in convincing fashion, their 191 team points besting second place Manhattan by nearly 70. Three Forks took third.
Jefferson’s girls totalled 118 points, finished second to Broadwater’s 141. Manhattan and Three Forks tied for third.
In the boys’ track events, Mikael Richard took 4th in the 100, at 12:17; Zeke Dove was 11th, 12:47, Jed Williams 12th, 12:55, and Caleb Morris 14th, 12:67. Richard took 8th in the 200, in 24.98, with Colten Thornock 9th, 25.24, Williams 11th, 25.42, and Morris 14th, 25.86.
Aaron French won the 400 in 52.14; Jack Johnson was 5th, 54.72, Tyler Frydenlund 9th, 57.31, and Dylan Mikesell 10th, 57.31. McKenon Boyd won the 800, 2:05.15, with Mikesell 8th, 2:16.47, and Caelum Dunn 14th, 2:29.43.
Luke Mest won anther 1600, this one in 4:29.28; Logan Hornung was 6th, 4:46.28 and Marshall Jensen 9th, 5:09.34. Luke also took the 3200, in 9:40.42, with Dominic Hurlbert 3rd, 10:11.31, Hornung 6th, 10:34.27, Christian Gillmore 9th, 11:49.72, and Dunn 10th, 11:50.48.
Luke Mondloch placed 7th in the 110 hurdles, in 20.26. Luke Strizich was 2nd in the 300 hurdles, in 43:89, with Parker Wagner 3rd, 44:97, and Mondloch 7th, 47.45. The boys 4×100 relay team of Morris, Dove, Richard and Mondloch took 4th, and the 4×400 relay team of French, Boyd, Johnson and Hurlbert placed 2nd, in 3:39.20,
Jefferson’s throwers dominated, taking four of the top five spots in both the shot put and the discuss. Dalton Noble won the shot put at 52’ 8.50”, with Tavan McMaster 2nd, 48’ 8.75”, Luke Oxarart 3rd, 44’ 9”, and Dylan Stevens 4th, 43’ 6.75”. Noble also won the discus throw at 147’ 3”; McMaster again was 2nd, 139’ 4”, Tavin Charlton 4th, 117’ 3”, Brady Armstrong 5th, 115’ 2”, and Kaynen Martin 8th, 110’ 11”.
Luke Oxarart won the javelin throw, with 149’ 3”; Williams was 4th, 132’ 8”, Martin 12th, 115’ 5”, and Charlton 15th, 106’ 2”. Colten Thornock won the high jump at 5’ 10”, with Zachary Anderson 3rd, 5’ 8”, and Tyler Frydenlund 4th, 5’ 8”. Cooper Mikesell took 3rd in the pole vault, with 10’ 6”. Strizich was 4th in the long jump, 18’ 9.25”, with Thornock 8th, 18’ 8.50”. And Tyler Frydenlund was 7th in the triple jump, 36’ 11”.
For the girls, Clare Ronayne took 3rd in the 100, in 13.59, with Arena Faler 4th, 13.59, Maddy Averill 9th, 14:16, MacKenzie Layng 10th, 14.24, and Jaida Jurenka 16th, 14:77. Ronayne also finished 2nd in the 200, in 27:85, with Layng 8th, 28.97, Averill 11th, 29.85, and Jurenka 17th, 31:09. In the 400, Ronayne finished 4th in 1:03.42; Allison Zawacki was 14th, 1:12.07. Nevayah Weninger was 5th in the 100 hurdles, 18.52, and 8th in the 300 hurdles, 55.13.
Peyton Stearns finished 4th in the 800, in 2:36.32, with Maria Mest 10th, 2:56.61, Stearns also won the 1600, in 5:39.82; Hannah Stevens was 11th, 6:74.03, and Addie Holman 17th, 8:14.90. Holman was 10th in the 3200, 17:51.06.
The team of Averill, Ronayne, Layng and Faler won the 4×100 relay in 52:28. And Ronayne, Erica Shields, Faler and Layng won the 4×400 relay, in 4:23.42,
In the field, Allie Muffick took 3rd in the shot put, at 28’ 1/2”, with Brianna Layng 6th, 26’ 4’25”, and Katie Maus 10th, 23’ 4.25”. Joslyn Buckley won the discus throw, with 115’ 10”; Katie Mills was 4th, 83’ 6”, London Ostby 12th, 61’ 8”, and Brianna Layng 17th, 51’ 1”. MacKenzie Layng won the javelin throw, at 117’2”, with Muffick 4th, 96’, Buckley 5th, 95’ 5”, Brianna Layng 8th, 82’ 2”, and Shields 11th, 75’2”,
Averill placed 4th in the long jump, at 15’ 1”, with Zawacki 5th, 14’ 9.75”, Shields 9th, 14’ 4”, Weninger 18th, 12’ 8”, and Ada Strauss 21st, 12’ 5.75”. In the high jump, Zawacki placed 4th, at 4’8”, with Strauss 11th, 4’ 2”.
The Southern Division meet is this Thursday in Laurel. Good luck, Panthers!
Golf
By the time you read this, the Panther boys’ golf team will be playing for the Class B state championship in Shelby; that competition was scheduled for May 13-15, so we’ll have the results next week.
At the Southern Division tournament in Anaconda May 6-7, the boys ran away with the title, shooting a great team score of +41. Not bad for a team that doesn’t have a home course and practices on a football field. Anaconda was well behind at +67; Missoula Loyola finished third, Florence fourth, and Eureka fifth.
Ben Werner took first place individually with a score of 77. His teammate Marcus Lee tied for 5th with 83, while Tyson Lee was 8th, at 84, Keyan Coate, 9th, at 85, and Carter Lee 127th, at 97.
Three Forks took the girls title at +136, with Jefferson finishing 7th. Shae Jones Moore was the top lady Panther with a score of 108; Maryah Lindsay scored 112, Eryn Lindsay 125, and Mia Henrich 145.
Tennis
Bailee Silvonen won the girls’ singles draw at Jefferson High’s Panther Invitational tournament, held May 11 at Lockey Park in Helena.
Silvonen, won all four matches in straight sets on her way to the title, defeating Chester-Joplin-Inverness (CJI), 6-2, 6-3, and then three Choteau players in a row, 6-2, 6-2; 6-2, 6-2; and 6-2, 6-4 in the final round.
Hunter Heinitz won his first-round singles match, 6-2, 6-2, then fell to Choteau, 6-2, 6-4. He faced fellow Panther Izaak Luhrsen in the consolation bracket after Lurhsen defeated Simms, 6-2, 6-2.
Holly Keough and Clara Yap dropped their girls’ doubles match to Superior, 6-2, 6-3, beat their teammates Addy Leary and Addie Coates, then lost to Choteau, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). In boys’ doubles, Luhrsen and Cole Christoferson won their opening match over Choteau, 6-3, 6-3, before falling in the second round. Heinitz and Gabe Day dropped their match to CJI, 6-2, 6-4.
