Karis Brightwings-Pease leads Hardin cross country after accident disrupted track and field goals

https://www.montanasports.com/high-school/more-high-school/karis-brightwings-pease-leads-hardin-cross-country-after-accident-disrupted-track-and-field-goals

The Hardin Bulldogs won the Class A girls cross country championship Oct. 22, 2022 in Missoula.

Class A

The surprise isn’t that Browning’s boys are good, it’s that it’s been this long (2007) without a state championship. That year they won their 22nd.

“Browning has the winningest school program in history, all classes, going back to the early 70s,” said Columbia Falls coach Jim Peacock, who was running for Boulder in Class B while Browning was winding down a run of 18 state titles (three in Class B) in 18 years from 1974-91. “It’s been a couple years since they’ve been a powerhouse and it’s really neat to see the coach they’ve had the last couple years (Roy McNabb) bring the winning culture back to that program.”

Jerdan Crawford, Preston Iron Heart and River Racine lead Browning, and have a habit of sticking together.

Columbia Falls, meanwhile, has River Blazewski, Oliver Kress, Logan Peterson and Lucas Peterson tightly bunched.

“We’ve got a little bit better depth. But right now they’ve been able to sneak ahead of us with those first couple runners,” Peacock said. “I think we compete with them really well. If the kids do what they’ve done all year, they’ll give themselves a chance. If Browning does what they’ve done all year, it will be a really good battle.

“We’ll see who has the best day and either way walk away pretty happy about having a great team that put in some great times.”

Not far behind is Whitefish, where first-year cross country runner Simon Douglas has surged and given the Bulldogs a strong core of four along with Mason Genovese, Deneb Linton and Ethan Amick.

“Browning is really tough. They’re dynamite,” Whitefish coach Richard Menicke said. “Columbia falls has the same thing Browning has — a strong group of guys that runs in a nice tight group. “We’d be extremely happy to come home in third because there are a couple of excellent teams (Hardin and Corvallis) right on our heels.

Hardin seems a lock to win its second straight girls title and fifth in seven years. The Bulldogs have four runners — Karis Brightwings-Pease, Mariah Aragon, Zoey Real Bird and Dierra Takes Enemy — ranked in the top 10 in Class A, so Corvallis and Columbia Falls can battle for second place.

“Corvallis has been edging us the last few meets but we’ve been missing the girl that led us most of the year,” said Peacock, referring to Ashley Andrews. “She should be back and healthy this weekend.”

Whitefish might make a run at the state trophy, and like the Wildkats welcomes back an injured runner in Maeve Inglefinger.

“Our girls have beena surprising team, and young,” Menicke said of the Bulldogs. “I’m interested to see how (Inglefinger’s return) changes our team results.”

Among the local athletes that could get top 15 All-State honors are Bigfork’s Jack Jensen and Polson freshman Jackson Bontadelli for the boys, and Polson freshman Morgan Delaney for the girls.

“It’s great to have this meet in our backyard,” Peacock said. “As a local coach, I’m hopeful to see some good local representation and spectating. There are a lot of good local individuals and teams competing this weekend.”

'One more day': Kimberly Peacock is back on course after leukemia battle

Earlier this month, Kimberly Peacock ran and hiked her way to Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park, where she stood looking out over the water.

“It felt really good to finally get to the lake and look at everything and reflect on where I was the last time I had climbed that trail,” Peacock said. “It was really cool.”

You see, the last time she had been there, she was a healthy teenager with her entire high school career at Columbia Falls ahead of her

As the runner-up at the Class A state cross country meet as a freshman in the fall of 2016, Peacock showed promise. But after a good spring track season turned to summer, she received a leukemia diagnosis.

Now, after two years, Peacock is back climbing mountains in her backyard with her father and running cross country with her teammates, all with a new perspective and different expectations.

Kimberly Peacock got to Avalanche Lake this fall for the first time after being diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

Contributed by Jim Peacock

As she looked out over Avalanche Lake's frigid water, she said she thought about how far she’s come and the different versions of herself from then and now.

But to really understand where she is, you have to understand how far her journey has taken her.

The hospitals

Jim Peacock recalls taking his daughter to the doctor thinking that maybe she had mono. Instead, the trip turned into an immediate trip to the Kalispell ER, where an oncologist broke the news to Jim and his wife, Heather, that Kimberly had leukemia.

As they sat in the hospital that night before falling asleep, Jim told his daughter, “One more day.”

“One more day,” she replied.

It’s a ritual they continued through their medical flight two days later to Denver Children’s Hospital, where Kimberly underwent a month of chemotherapy. 

There, she had such a severe reaction to the combination of drugs that her pancreas shut down. She lost 11 pounds of muscle nearly overnight before being readmitted to the hospital with insulin numbers near a diabetic coma.

They continued chemo after she returned home and struggled to walk around their neighborhood. She nevertheless managed to work her way up to walking in a junior varsity race to be with her teammates.

Kimberly Peacock, center with hat, walks with her teammates in the 2017 divisional cross country meet in Frenchtown. 

Courtesy Peacock family

Then, within weeks they were told Kimberly had to go for more treatment.

“One more day,” they told each other while they spent months at Stanford Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California, as Kimberly underwent a trial treatment at the end of 2017.

And they continued after they returned to the Flathead Valley in the spring of 2018 to discover that the Car-T treatment had successfully stopped the cancer -- but had left her with no remaining immunity if it returned.

A bone marrow transplant was the only option. They returned to Denver for more months in the hospital to receive the transplant and endure more complications.

As they did, they continued their mantra: One more day.

“A little over a year ago, we didn’t know, honestly, I mean we didn’t know if she was going to make it through the summer with that bone marrow transplant just with some of the things that were going on and the trips in and out of the ICU and it was really touch and go,” Jim said. “So just over a year ago, we just didn’t know what the future was.”

In addition to the sickness brought on by radiation, her pancreas shut down again, secondary infections developed -- including a persistent respiratory infection that required inserting chest tubes-- and a brain infection paralyzed the left side of her body.

“We had a couple days there where the doctors couldn’t tell us if she was going to spend life with a permanent paralysis or if she was even going to walk again,” Jim said after describing the phone call he had to make to Heather, who had been working back in Columbia Falls, telling her she needed to get on a flight to Denver immediately because the doctors weren’t sure Kimberly would make it through the night.

“She kept getting things thrown at her and she kept finding ways to pull through.”

After a few days, her feeling started to come back. The residual effects are minimal.

“She was in really rough condition when they allowed her to go home, but they let her go home and she had a really long, hard fall,” Jim said.

Kimberly Peacock, a student-athlete from Columbia Falls, poses for a picture with her nurses at Denver Children's Hospital on Friday after being discharged from the hospital. 

Courtesy Peacock family

In August 2018, Kimberly returned home but doctors would not allow her to return to school. It wasn’t until the first day of school this year that she walked back through the doors of Columbia Falls High School as a student.

“I felt like a sophomore, because I only technically really only went my freshman year, so it was kind of strange to walk back into that building as a student again and become a high school student again. It was weird,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t think many people get that experience. It’s like being a freshman twice. It’s an interesting feeling.”

Each night, they continued their "one more day" ritual while she studied to keep up with her schoolwork at home and worked on regaining her strength.

The court

Through her recovery last fall, Kimberly also sought a return to sports. Her doctors cleared her to start working out with her basketball team, so a year ago she went to her first open gym.

“I probably would have been in a much darker place for a much longer time if I didn’t have that community to kind of fall back on, but sports have also helped keep my mind off of things and given me something to look forward to and goals to strive for and to meet and I think that’s pretty crucial in recovery,” she said. “You have to have goals and a place you want to get so you know you can work to get there.”

The first time she attempted a shot, she stood right under the basket and was unable to push the ball high enough to reach the net. But as she steadily worked and reached milestones they celebrated.

“There was a point right before basketball season where I jumped probably the height of a piece of paper, but I jumped and that was really exciting,” Kimberly remembered. “Just those small baby steps were huge for me and slowly building back up to what a normal teenager would be expected to do.”

By the end of the season, she was playing a few minutes here and there, including in the Class A state tournament.

The course

This season she’s been back on the cross country course with her teammates, albeit in a different role than the one the former all-state runner remembers.

Columbia Falls' Kimberly Peacock stands between her two teammates, Kara Mohr (left) and Emma Upton (right) after finishing the final cross country race of her career.  “A year ago I couldn’t have done this," Peacock said. "It’s all that I could ask for to be able to run again.”

KYLE HOUGHTALING 406mtsports.com

“She’s not back where she was as a runner and an athlete yet, but holy cow she’s with us and she’s strong and she’s getting stronger and she’s doing normal kid things and she’s getting on with her life,” Jim said.

Kimberly ran on the junior varsity squad this season with the exception of one varsity race in Polson. But part of her new perspective has also allowed her to treat herself and her performance with a bit more grace as she worked to increase her endurance and lung capacity again.

“I’ve had to accept that my body has been through a lot and it’s not just necessarily going to bounce back from chemo and radiation and losing all of my muscles so I had to lower my expectations a little bit and know that I wasn’t going to go out and blow everybody out of the water,” Kimberly said.

“I’m pretty proud of the progress I’ve made.”

Columbia Falls runner Kimberly Peacock spent the past two years dealing with and recovering from leukemia. When asked what advice she'd give others from her experience, she says, “I’d probably tell them just to keep your focus forward and have confidence in yourself and everything will play out. You just kind of have to stick with it. It feels like you have no control, but you do have control over how you react to things and I think that’s a big part of it."

Contributed by Heather Peacock

She’s shaved her time by three minutes throughout the season and will be at the state cross country meet in Great Falls as an alternate for the Wildkats.

“I’ve had to learn that being a JV runner is just as valuable as being a varsity runner. Your accomplishments are just as big. It doesn’t matter if one of the varsity runners is projected to be an all-state runner, your PRs are just as important as theirs,” Kimberly said. “It’s just been really enlightening for me and I get to look at everything from a slightly different perspective which is kind of cool.”

The future

The Peacocks are all grateful for where they are now.

“So much of it was not even looking forward past the day you were in. In some cases, it wasn’t even looking past the minute you were in, it was just let’s get through right now,” Jim said. “The best we could ever do was take it one day at a time and the worst we were doing was taking it one second or one minute at a time.

“We’re looking into the future. We’re not just looking at one more day right now and that’s a really nice place to be at after the last few years.”

Columbia Falls' Kimberly Peacock (2597) closes in on the finish line at the Hamilton Golf Club Saturday. “I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally. It’s really hard to run your last race and know that you’re running your last race, so it’s super, super emotional for me," Peacock said.

KYLE HOUGHTALING 406mtsports.com

For the first time in years, they can look months in the future to the follow-up appointments and to the approaching milestones most teenagers reach.

“I’m really looking forward to graduation with my friends,” Kimberly said. “That was a milestone I wasn’t sure I was going to get a few years ago and I think that will be really emotional and really powerful for me to get that point of ‘Hey, I made it to this point and my whole entire life is ahead of me.’ I’m just really looking forward to finishing out my senior year with the people that I love and care about.”

She plans to attend the University of Montana and she is buoyed by optimism of recent follow-ups recently where her doctors asked to see prom pictures and talked less about her medical conditions. 

She can look back now and when thinking about others in similar situations says, “I’d probably tell them just to keep your focus forward and have confidence in yourself and everything will play out. You just kind of have to stick with it. It feels like you have no control, but you do have control over how you react to things and I think that’s a big part of it."

“Her life for the last couple of years was just one giant list of checking one thing off at a time,” Jim recalled.

Now that list has expanded past just one more day and she has an eye on both the future and the past, much like her reflections on the shore of Avalanche Lake.

“I think about how clueless I was before everything happened. ...I like to think about that girl before the diagnosis and kind of think about what I liked about her and what has grown better because of cancer. It’s just kind of interesting to compare two different versions of yourself,” Kimberly said.

“I liked how optimistic I was all the time. I mean I was just living life and having a great time, but I’ve definitely matured a lot. I feel like I’ve grown into myself and I’m proud of myself for who I’ve become. I feel like I’m a much tougher person because of what I’ve been through and I’m just really excited for my future.”

Stronger Together

Columbia Falls boasts some of the fastest cross country runners in the state, but it’s the Wildcats’ depth that sets them apart

BY ANDY VIANO // OCT 2, 2019

These are heady times to be a cross country runner at Columbia Falls High School.

The Wildcats are the reigning state champions, taking home the hardware in 2018 despite being led by three sophomores and a junior, and the team is arguably even stronger this year. What’s more, the Wildcats are the standard-bearers for boys sports at the school this fall since the football team is undergoing a rebuild and the soccer program is operating in the shadow of a behemoth in Whitefish.

Still, cross country runners are not the prototypical in-school celebrities, especially this bunch. They are slim and silly, with pink headbands, wild hair and goofy traditions like their annual celebration of International Take Your Mustache for a Run Day, a holiday that seems to have roots nowhere but in Columbia Falls (it’s Sept. 20, by the way, if you’re marking your calendar for next year). They relish their coach’s relentless positivity and shrug off any intimation that intra-squad competitiveness creates internal conflict, even with a roster that includes at least four potential all-state runners.

No, these boys insist, the most important thing is the Columbia Falls team, and so far this season the Wildcats have been exceptional. They’ve finished as the top Class A team at all but two races in 2019, and as they round into top form ahead of the Oct. 26 state meet, a repeat championship is within their reach thanks, they say, to their teammates.

“It comes down to the obligation you have to each other to do your best,” junior Aidan Jarvis, the team’s top finisher in all but one race this year, said. “You’re not out there running for yourself … It’s, ‘Can I do the best I can for my team so my team does well.’”

Those words will no doubt put a smile on the face of Head Coach Jim Peacock, who summed up his team’s philosophy before the season in similar fashion, saying, “The better the team does, the better the individual does. The better the individual does, the more individuals benefit from the team.”

“Running is such a painful, agonizing thing to put yourself through,” he continued. “In a race experience, you’re motivated to run harder and put yourself through more … if you feel like you’re running for someone.”

Peacock won the Class A Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year award last season, and the longtime boys and girls coach at Columbia Falls has created a strong program year-in and year-out that is built on more than just teamwork. His three rules, his runners say, are “have fun, improve, and have fun.”

“After every race, as opposed to asking what could have gone better,” junior Bailey Sjostrom said, “he’s always focused on the positive, like what did you do (well)? What are you happy about in this race and what can you take on to the next race?”

Peacock’s sunny motivational tactics are not lost on senior Joe Lamb, who was third in the state a year ago with a blistering 5K time of 16:42.20. Lamb has run behind Jarvis most of this year but still owns the ninth-fastest time in Class A (16:43.93) in 2019 and is a serious threat to once again crack the top five at state.

“Positive motivation makes it easier and more enjoyable for us to work hard,” Lamb said. “If (Peacock)’s asking us what we did right, what we’re doing good, and he’s telling us we’re doing a good job, it makes us want to keep getting better and continue to blow away expectations.”

Jarvis has done more expectation busting than any of the Wildcats. As a sophomore, he was 20th at the state meet, far from disappointing but only fourth-best among his teammates. Then came the track season, when Jarvis delivered an exceptional sophomore campaign. He was ninth in the 1,600 meters at state and sixth in the 3,200, both tops on the Wildcats, and in cross country this fall, Jarvis has been a regular in the lead pack. He won the Libby Invitational on Aug. 31 and has four other top-four placements, at the Mike Reynolds Time Trials in Cut Bank (second), Flathead Invitational at Rebecca Farm (third), Thompson Falls Invitational (fourth) and Whitefish Classic (second). He has run under 16:30 twice, including a 16:15.89 in Cut Bank, the second-fastest time in Class A this year.

The only runner faster than Jarvis has been Lewistown senior Sam Fulbright, who is the favorite to win the individual state title, and he and his teammates pose the biggest threat to Columbia Falls’ dreams of a repeat. The Golden Eagles finished ahead of the Wildcats at the Great Falls Invitational at Eagle Falls Golf Course — the site of this year’s state meet — and last weekend’s Mountain West Classic in Missoula. Lewistown is deep, too, and senior-laden, with a quartet of fourth-year runners in the running for top 12, all-state finishes.

The Columbia Falls core may be younger, but they don’t lack experience. Juniors James Role and Seth Umbriaco are both running well again after all-state efforts a year ago, and sophomore Jimmy James Petersen ran a personal-best 17:25.2 in Great Falls. Sjostrom holds down the sixth position — only the top five finishers’ placements count toward the team total at state — but even he has a pair of top-15 performances this year and has shaved nearly 15 seconds off his personal best. And senior T.J. Jacobi has risen to the varsity roster for the first time this year after making a big leap forward from his junior season.

“(The depth) is a big benefit,” Peacock said. “When you have one or two standout runners or you have a couple of guys who can’t train with each other, they sort out a pecking order and have a hard time challenging each other … Any one of them by themselves doesn’t do as well, but when they’re all out there it’s a lift for everybody.”

The Wildcats are usually identifiable by their position near the front of the field, but they stick out for a couple other reasons, too. All seven varsity runners have some variation of shaggy hair, since they believe an in-season haircut is bad luck, a superstition that is accompanied by the uncomfortable challenge of running with a face full of sweaty, bobbing hair. To solve that problem, the boys recruited the Columbia Falls girls team and junior Alyssa Blankenship, who went out and bought seven pink headbands for them, and the Wildcats now wear them with pride in competition.

And while a bunch of shaggy-haired runners with pink headbands, the occasional absurd mustache, and a coach driven to do nothing more than put a smile on their face might not be exactly what comes to mind when conjuring a mental image of a high school sports powerhouse, it’s a look that fits these speedy Wildcats to perfection.

andy@flatheadbeacon.com

BOYS

https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Division/List.aspx?DivID=46881

GIRLS

https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Division/List.aspx?DivID=46881#women

It is with great pleasure that the National High School Athletic Coaches Association announces the

advancement of MARK ALBERT from HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL as a finalist for the National High School

Athletic Coaches Association national coach of the year in the sport of BOYS CROSS COUNTRY. Eight

finalists from across the nation will be honored during The National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet

which will take place at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s national convention at

the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, IL on the evening of June 21, 2017. The highlight of the banquet will

be the naming of the NHSACA national coach of the year in nineteen recognized sports categories.

Coach MARK ALBERT was selected for this national honor by their state’s high school coaches’

association. This selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors,

championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists are evaluated by experts in the

field of coaching using a sport-specific rubrics to assign points in each category. The National High

School Athletic Coaches Association is the oldest coaches association in the nation formed by coaches,

for coaches, and has been recognizing national coaches of the year since 1978.  

Central A Divisional

(at Gallatin County Regional Park, Bozeman)

Boys

Team scores: 1. Fergus 30; 2. Belgrade 43; 3. Havre 74; Browning 95; Park 135.

Individuals: 1. Sawyer Degen, Bel, 16:08.4; 2. Jacob Grinwis, Bel, 16:10.0; 3. Noah Majerus, Fer, 16:30.5; 4. Phillip Sun Rhoades, Bro, 16:41.3; 5. Drake Henson, Fer, 16:41.0; 6. Sam Fulbright, Fer, 16:52.2; 7. Kai Krumwiede, Fer, 17:01.8; 8. Austin Jones, Hav, 17:08.3; 9. Ryker Melton, Fer, 17:17.0; 10. Jakob Keller, Hav, 17:34.5; 11. Danyon Rice, Fer, 17:35.6; 12. Isaac Gilbertson, Bel, 17:35.8; 13. Jackson Thorn, Bel, 17:42.3; 14. Trevor Williams, Hav, 17:48.2; 15. Aidan Steinbach, Bel, 17:49.2; 16. Caden Chisholm, Bel, 18:11.6; 17. Quinn Reno, Hav, 18:12.0; 18. Sam Saarel, Park, 18:15.4; 19. Chance Miller, Fer, 18:18.8; 20. Ty Running Fisher, Bro, 18:24.5; 21. Steven Sarvis, Bel, 18:25.2; 22. Weston Mad Plume, Bro, 18:31.3; 23. Elijah Webber, Bro, 18:31.6; 24. Jonathan Noble, Park, 18:37.3; 25. Barrettt Kilgore, Hav, 18:40.0; 26. Hayden Campos, Bro, 18:45.6; 27. Cameron Pleninger, Hav, 18:46.8; 28. Conor Pierson, Park, 18:52.0; 29. Preston Tatsey, Bro, 19:04.3; 30. Noah Azure, Hav, 19:20.2; 31. Preston Racine, Bro, 19:22.5; 32. David Duran, Park, 19:24.1; 33. Victor Howieson, Park, 19:55.6.

Girls

Team scores: 1. Belgrade 44; 2. Park 62; 3. Havre 63; 4. Fergus 79; 5. Browning 85.

Individuals: 1. Pipi Eitel, Bel, 18:08.1; 2. Kendyl Pierson, Park, 19:30.6; 3. Kadia Miller, Hav, 19:36.0; 4. Lizzie Vosler, Bel, 20:14.6; 5. Larissa Saarel, Park, 20:45.0; 6. Kaylee Nystrom, Fer, 21:01.6; 7. Kaitln Lodahl, Fer, 21:09.4; 8. Vandree Old Person, Bro, 21;16.5; 9. Ashley Brand, Fer, 21:20.2; 10. Jayden McGowen, Bel, 21:23.4; 11. Lauren Hansen, Bel, 21:24.6; 12. Amelia Miller, Hav, 21:37.2; 13. Nicole Parsons, 21:40.8; 14. Ashley Bear Child, Bro, 21:46.5; 15. Sylvie Schoenen, Park, 21:48.8; 16. Kaylie Palmer, Park, 21:51.6; 17. Madison Rogers, Fer, 21:53.2; 18. Hanna Stokke, Bel, 21:56.6; 19. Erika Mad Plume, Bro, 22:04.7; 20. Emily Smith, Fer, 22:16.1; 21. Wakiyawin Shawl, Bro, 22:17.5; 22. Marissa Giese, Bel, 22:24.7; 23. Veronica Reed, Bro, 22:47.2; 24. Jerrica Martin, Park, 22:55.1; 25. Samantha Reed, Bro, 23:03.4; 26. Ivy Southworth, Fer, 23:13.8; 27. Ryley Ritchey, Fer, 23:14.4; 28. Taylor Haugen, Fer, 23:16.6; 29. Melanie Jones, Hav, 23:34.7; 30. Jaida Bynum, Bro, 23:43.6; 31. Lilly Taly, Hav, 23:47.6; 32. Lynne Otto, Bel, 23:57.3; 33. Meggy Zook, Hav, 24:52.4.

Western A Divisional

Fairmont Hot Springs

Boys

Team

1, Corvallis 35; 2, Frenchtown 45; 3, Columbia Falls 92; 4, Whitefish 115; 5, Hamilton 126; 6, Polson 143; 7, Dillon 163. No score: Butte Central, Stevensville.

Top 15

1, Sage Wanner, CF, 16:24.1; 2, Carson Jessop, Cor, 16:31.1; 3, Brock Rugg, Ftwn, 16:43.0; 4, Matt Wilson, Ham, 16:46.2; 5, Jaiden Rowe, Ftwn, 16:51.7; 6, Andrew Jessop, Cor, 16:51.7; 7, Anders Watt, Cor, 17:01.2; 8, Joren Nabozney, Ftwn, 17:05.5; 9, Joel Haas, Cor, 17:15.6; 10, Quin Stewart, Pol, 17:23.8; 11, Jake Jessop, Cor, 17:28.3; 12, Gabe Knudsen, CF, 17:34.8; 13, Ethan Potthoff, Wfsh, 17:36.5; 14, Frank Dean, Ftwn, 17:37.9; 15, Casey Jones, Ftwn, 17:43.2.

Girls

Team

1, Whitefish 51; 2, Corvallis 65; 3, Columbia Falls 78; 4, Hamilton 96; 5, Polson 114; 6, Dillon 117; 7, Frenchtown 167; 8, Stevensville 205. No score: Butte Central.

Top 15

1, Jaycie Schmalz, Ham, 19:25.4; 2, Kimberly Peacock, CF, 19:28.8; 3, Sarah Passey, Ham, 19:34.0; 4, Bree Lewis, Cor, 20:22.8; 5, Molly Sitter, Pol, 20:23.2; 6, Albany Jessop, Cor, 20:35.6; 7, Ella Greenberg, Wfsh, 20:43.0; 8, Braya Hobson, Wfsh, 20:44.8; 9, Jessica Henson, Wfsh, 20:46.3; 10, Ti’el Lochridge, Dillon, 20:57.0; 11, Heidi Nisly, Cor, 20:57.6; 12, Sarah Griffin, Dillon, 21:02.0; 13, Josephine Vardell, Wfsh, 21:06.6; 14, Jessica McCoy, Wfsh, 21:10.4; 15, Genevieve Delorme, CF, 21:10.5.

Sage Wanner's star turn

Overshadowed Wildcats speedster ready to step into spotlight this fall

Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake

Columbia Falls senior Sage Wanner

 

COLUMBIA FALLS senior Sage Wanner has his sights set on the Class A state cross country championship. The second-year Wildcat finished eighth at the state meet last fall before winning a state title in the 3,200-meters at the state track meet. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)

 

Posted: Wednesday, September 7, 2016 11:30 pm | Updated: 11:49 pm, Wed Sep 7, 2016.

By ANDY VIANO/The Daily Inter Lake | 0 comments

Class A

BOYS: The Hamilton boys have stood atop the podium the past two years. ... Last year's  champion, Jonathan Eastwood of Belgrade, has graduated. ... Hamilton senior Cameron Miekle was third last year and won the Western A Divisional. ... Corvallis senior Ronald Venema was fourth at state and second at the Western A. ... Hardin, fourth at state last year, won the Eastern A Classic as Jalen Two Leggins was first and Anton Rides Horse second. 

GIRLS: The past four state trophies have been won by Corvallis. ... Samantha Mundel of Columbia Falls paced the field last year, but has since graduated. ... Last year's top three runners were all seniors. ... Hamilton junior Jaycie Schmalz finished fourth last season and captured the Western A Divisional. ... Corvallis sophomore Albany Jessop was fifth and also fifth at the Western A. ... Hardin, fifth at state last year, ran to victory at the Eastern A. ... Laurel senior Courtney Hallock won the Eastern A Classic.

Bulldog, Maroon runners head to State meet

Mountain West poses new challenge

CLASS A

Billings Central Rams

• 2014 at state: Girls 12th, Boys 15th

• Head coach: Randy Chase (2nd season)

• Key runners: Girls -- Cierra LaVe', Jr.; Sarah Gibb, Sr.; Valerie Jennings, Jr. Boys -- Tate Thompson, So.; Michael Chase, Jr.; Will Hammond, Jr.; Alex Vermeulen, Jr.

• Coach says: "We have a young, motivated team, that is focused on improving each week. I love their effort and willingness to put the mileage in. We are a young team and I am excited to see the kids new to varsity this year step up each week." 

• Etc.: Thompson was 18th and LaVe' 17th at the 2014 State A Meet. 

Dillon Beavers

• 2014 at state: Girls 14th, Boys 9th

• Head coach: Betty Iverson (10th season)

• Key runners: Girls -- Kathleen Tatarka, Jr.; Mariah Mosher, So. Boys -- Isaiah Girard, Sr.; Sam Telling, So.; Bryer Anderson, Sr.; Colton Buckmaster, Sr.; Bradley Harvey, So.

• Coach says: "We have 24 girls and 18 boys out. Both teams have put in a strong summer of running and it will be interesting to see who steps up and in." 

• Etc.: Iverson is looking forward to watching the team, with numerous freshmen and sophomores, develop as the season goes. 

Hamilton Broncs

• 2014 at state: Girls 3rd, Boys were State A champs

• Head coach: Mark Albert (14th season) 

• Key runners: Girls -- Jaycie Schmalz, Jr., 4th at state. Boys -- Cameron Meikle, Sr., 3rd at state; Matt Wilson, So.

• Coach says: "We are not nearly as deep considering we lost so many strong runners from the previous two state-title teams, but we might have a chance to place. The girls will be down a bit after our third-place finish last year." 

• Etc.: Hamilton is the two-time defending State A boys champ. 

Laurel Locomotives

• 2014 at state: Girls 8th, Boys 6th

• Head coach: Lisa Condon (16th season) 

• Key runners: Girls -- Courtney Hallock, Sr. Boys -- Myles Stricker, Sr.; Tag Myhre, Sr.; Ben Longbottom, Jr.; RJ Gill, Jr.; Hunter Speiehinger, Jr. 

• Coach says: "The majority of the team has an awesome base -- they've ran a lot this summer. We are able to get right to speed work and getting ready for our first race. it's nice to not have to work up their mileage and then work on racing." 

• Etc.: Speiehinger is a transfer student from Missouri. ... Hallock placed at state as a freshman and was injured the last two years and Condon is excited to see her back healthy. ... The girls team is young with only one experienced runner. ... Condon said the boys team has a lot of depth and experience. 

Lewistown Eagles

• 2014 at state: Girls 7th, Boys 5th

• Head coach: Suzie Flentie (17th season)

• Key runners: Girls — Mandy Parsons, Sr.; Agape Setu, Sr.; Brooke Gardiner, Sr.; Hayden Brewer, Sr.; Madison Rodgers, Jr.; Kaitlyn Lodahl, Jr. Boys — Hayes Majerus, Sr.; Dylan Sipe Sr.; Ty Parsons, Sr.; Austin Brand, Sr.; Thomas Helm, Sr.

• Coach says: “Both our gboys and girls teams are running strong and excited about the season ahead. The boys finished fifth in the state last year and didn’t lose any seniors out of the top seven. Our girls team was very young and inexperienced last year but still finished seventh.”

Sidney Eagles

• 2014 at state: Girls did not place, Boys 19th

• Head coaches: Justin and Stacey Collins (1st season for both)

• Key runners: Girls -- Tessa Hill, Jr.; Tes Ler, Sr.; Ashley Ray, Sr. Boys -- Blaine Nelson, Sr.; Sean Loftus, Sr.; Zach Sommerfeld, Jr.

• Coach says: "We have a talented group of young athletes, along with strong leadership from our upperclassmen. We feel that this team has the potential to do well in both the division and state."

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/sports/high-school/cross-country/capsules-previews-cross-country/article_448d6934-fff9-5322-bc78-0338501b94db.html#ixzz3jySD4tdP

COLUMBIA FALLS

Cross-country team has good numbers, youth

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Off and running

Jenny DeLorme, center, in gray shirt, runs drills during cross country practice last week.

Posted: Wednesday, August 19, 2015 8:58 am

By CHRIS PETERSON Hungry Horse News | 0 comments

The Columbia Falls cross-country team has an excellent field of runners this year, said coach Richard Menicke.

"We have a lot of kids out, we should have a roster of about 30 runners," he said last week.

While they don't have standout athletes like all-state runner Samantha Mundel, Menicke said he expects this team to grow and get better as the season progresses.

Mundel graduated and will run for Carroll College this fall.

"We just want to improve on our times all season," Menicke said.

On the girls' side, Menicke is counting on youth. Raina Crowell and Jenny DeLorme have been training most of the summer, he said. Crowell is a sophomore, DeLorme a freshman.

On the boys' side, Winfield West is their top runner, with brothers Bryce and Brendan Bennett right in there.

But it will take a few meets for the team to shake out, Menicke noted.

"It's wide open," he said. Menicke is in his 20th year with the program and this is his seventh year as head coach.

This year the conference includes all of the western Montana schools, as Northwest A and Southwest A have merged into one.

Menicke said Corvallis is the team to beat for a conference title, Whitefish will be the top contender from the Northwest. The team's first meet is in Libby Aug. 29.

Belgrade Cross Country

The biggest news in cross country this season is the change of venue for the All-Class State Meet. For the first time in more than a decade it will not be held in Helena or Missoula. This year’s event has been moved to Eagle Falls Golf Course in Great Falls.

“I think the idea is to move it around the state and not keep it in one spot. Think of how hard it is on those teams up east having to travel to the west side of the state all the time,” said Phillips. “I think in fairness MHSA (the Montana High School Association) is trying to move everything around.”

Outside of that change of venue things are pretty much status-quo for 2015. However, there are a few schedule changes for Belgrade.

This year the Panthers will not compete in the annual Park High Invitational to kick off the fall season on Aug. 28. In addition, the program’s annual home meet at Bohart Ranch in September has been shelved, at least for this season.

“We scratched that this year. Just visiting with the coaches they just thought we needed to take a break from that,” said Phillips. “The meet had dwindled. It used to be one of the biggest meets in the state back in the turn of the century. And it’s become a much smaller meet, it’s a tough meet. It’s a lot of work to it. So we just thought let’s take a break and rest ourselves for a year and not put on a meet.”

SIDNEY

Leadership remains solid for fall runners

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Ashleigh Fox | Sidney Herald

Cool down

A group of cross country runners cool down after their first day of practice. 

Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2015 9:52 am

Ashleigh Fox | Sidney Herald

After their first few practices as the new coaches of Sidney cross country, Justin and Stacey Collins are pleased with the turnout and have confidence in the leadership of their upperclassmen runners. Serving as team captains for the cross country team are seniors Tess Ler and Blaine Nelson and juniors Tessa Hill and Zach Sommerfeld.

“We’re looking to those guys to be the leaders on our team, be our captains and show the younger kids, we have a lot of freshman out, so take them under their wing and show them what it’s all about,” coach Justin Collins said. “They’re a good group of kids, and we look forward to seeing what they can do with the season.”

All four team captains have gotten a taste of success, each participating in the state meet in Helena last year. The hard work put in during the summer helped some of the kids with the transition into the season, while others are just beginning and learning what the sport is all about, Justin said. Even with hours put in during the summer months, the Collins’ guarantee a challenging season, with tough competition and courses to face each week.

“We’re excited. It’s a good start, but now the real work begins.”

— Justin Collins, coach

The full team came together for the first time on Monday and looks to continue working hard in preparation for their first meet in Glendive on Aug. 28.

“We’re planning to really ramp it up this week,” Justin said. “We have to get going. We have a long way to go in a short amount of time.”

With a large group of middle and high school runners, they look to build on the foundation that has been set and as previously mentioned when discussing their coaching strategies, will have the athletes in shape by focusing on training. As new coaches, they look to keep adjusting their methods in order to reach success.

Please text or email us your scores as soon as the game/match is complete so I can put them on our website, twitter and facebook pages. Text number is 406-471-2263.  Email is tjw@centurytel.net

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Thanks.