When the Columbia Falls boys won the 2018 cross country title earlier this month, there was one Boulder observer filled with pride. And when the Townsend boys took first and the girls took third in the state, surpassing past performances for the school, that same observer was once again overjoyed.
That observer? Sam Samson, long-time Jefferson High cross country coach, who coached the winning coaches for the Columbia Falls boys and the Townsend girls when those coaches were in high school.
For six straight years, from 1987 to 1992, Samson coached his JHS boys team to the Class B championship, and Jim Peacock was one of the top runners. Peacock now coaches at Columbia Falls. In 1987, 1989 and 1990 the JHS girls, including Brooke Rieder, took Class B crowns. She now coaches at Broadwater High.
Though Samson has been retired for years, clearly his influence continues to make a difference for student athletes in Montana.
