The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

All four Blaine County track and field teams were in action this week. Chinook, Turner and Hays/Lodgepole were in Great Falls Thursday and Friday while Harlem was in Great Falls on Saturday. The 'Beeter girls pulled out a one point win to claim the Northern C Divisional Title while the boys finished second.

The 'Beeters were paced by senior Anna Terry with wins in the 1,600 Meters (5:34.18), 3,200 Meters (12:19.38) and a fourth in the 800 Meters. Junior Hallie Neibauer set a new school record in winning the 800 meter run with a time of 2:24.24. Neibauer added a fifth in the 400 meter race. Sophomore Alexis added a third in the 800 Meters and a third in the 1,600 meter run scoring valuable points. Sophomore Hannah Schoen had a big day in the field finishing third in the shot put (32'11") and sixth in the Javelin. Senior Bell Elliott cleared 4'10" in the high jump to finish fifth. The 4x100 relay also qualified following a fourth place finish.

Senior Brendan Fetter stole the spotlight once again capturing gold in both the 100 meter dash (:11.50) and the 200 meter dash :23.13. Fetter added second place finishes in both the long and triple jumps. Senior Levi Jensen took second in the high jump (6'0"), second in the 110 meter hurdles (:15.90) and fourth in the 300 meter hurdles. Senior Braxton Inman qualified for state in the 200 meter dash and the 300 meter hurdles. Sophomore Carson Nissen finished fifth in the 100 meters and sixth in the long jump. Sophomore Oliver Standiford will head to State in the high jump after finishing fourteenth.

The 4x100 Meter relay team consisting of Fetter, Nissen, Inman and senior Tyler Schoen finished first with a time of :44.80. The 4x400 relay team of Beck, Inman, junior Danny Makenzie and freshman Noah Pomeroy finished fifth rounding out the Beeters state participants.

Chinook Head Coach Kendall Harwood had plenty to say after such a successful weekend, "The girls had a historic day at memorial stadium. It has been a long time since the lady Beeters have won the divisional title, and a decade since both the boys and girls teams have brought home two trophies. Hannah started the team out strong with a personal record in the shot placing her third. The girls distance team had many gutsy performances. We put 3 on the podium in the 800. Anna and Neva rocked the 3200. And we brought home a ton of points in the mile. The distance has has really been their bread and butter in the post season. This group of girls is really something special."

The girls team race was a nailbiter, "The meet came down to the mile relay. The girls knew they had to put on a massive performance, and they stepped up to the occasion. The girls ran a 17 second season best time to put them into position to win. I can't say enough about their work ethic. These girls put in the extra effort. We expect some great things out of them at the state meet," exclaimed Harwood.

Harwood raved about the boys as well, "Our boys performed at an elite level in all of their events. We have a lot of jumpers going through to state. Fetter settled with his one safety mark in triple jump to settle for second. He had 3 events going at the same time and we decided to wait for state for his best effort to beat the class C record. The team was elevated by Levi Jensens performance in the 110 hurdles. He took second by two one hundredths of a second to the top performer in the state. He will be working on his finish this week."

Harwood added, "Landen Beck beat his personal best in the 800 by 3 seconds to secure himself a 3rd place finish. He has more in the tank and expect him to be a few seconds faster in Laurel. Braxton Inman showed his strength in the 300m hurdles getting back into the 43's. Our 4x100 relay team keeps cutting time. That's going to be a fun one to watch at state."

The Turner Tornado track and field team had a pair of athletes really excel at the Northern C divisional. Junior Ryan Doyle took home gold in the 800-meter run with a two-lap time of 2:01.82. Doyle also finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of :52.18. Freshman Bridgett Reed qualified for the state C in four events. Reed earned a second place finish in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of :16.79. Reed finished fourth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of :48.06 and a fifth in the 100 meter hurdles to go along with a third in the 400 meter dash.

Turner Head Coach Shawna Billmayer had plenty of positive things to say at the end of the day, "It has been a pleasure coaching these two as well as the rest of the track team. Ryan and Bridget have both put forth so much effort and determination. Each of them bettering their times and performances at almost every meet. I'm excited to see what they can do this week at the State Meet when they are up against the best of the best. They both have so much heart, athleticism and drive. As a freshman, Bridget has been amazing, already breaking 5 school records. She's such a humble, coachable athlete who loves the sport. That makes coaching her so much fun. With Ryan's competitive drive, I believe the 800 Class C champion title is well within his reach this coming weekend. It's going to be fun."

The Harlem Wildcats and Lady Cats performed well at the Northern B Divisional track and field meet at Memorial stadium in Great Falls this past Saturday, Harlem qualified 5 girls and two boys for the state Meet in Great Falls this weekend.

Eighth grader Branlin Foote had already met the qualifying mark in the 3,200 meter run and did not run it on Saturday, instead he focused on qualifying in the 1,600 meter run, Foote did just that completing the four lap race in 4:53.47 to finish fourth in the event. Senior Landen Grey also punched his ticket to state with a third place finish in the High Jump, clearing 5'6".

Head Coach Kim Faulkinberry was thrilled with her teams effort, "We had a great day!!! The girls relay team consisting of Keonna Medicine Bear, Kaitlyn Johnson, Desiree Smith and Raelynne Briere broke the school record and placed 4th. The girls ran so well and their handoffs were spot on!!! We had to place Desiree in the third leg at the last moment and she came through for the team. They had to run in the slower heat. We told them they had to run a flawless race and cave against time because they really didn't have a team to push them in that heat"

Faulkinberry was thrilled to see others set new personal records who saw their season end Saturday, "Isaac Cuts The Rope ran the 3200m. He PR'ed but just missed placing in the top 6. He is one of our 8th graders that did very well for us. Erik Snell just missed the finals in the discus. For his first year out for track he has come a long way, especially in the discus."

Junior Kaitlyn Johnson had her best meet of the season qualifying for the state B in four events. Johnson finished fourth in the 200 meter dash with a time of :29.68. Johnson added a fifth-place finish in the 100 meter hurdles (:18.09), she concluded her individual events with a third place finish in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of :48.54. Johnson then joined teammates senior Keonna Medicine Bear, junior Desiree Smith and junior Raelynn Brierre on the 4x100 meter relay that finished fourth with a time of 53.94. Medicine Bear added a second in the high jump with a cleared height of 4'10".