Flathead, Glacier thinclads chasing trophies
May 24—It's been a while since Flathead has been soaring this high or running this fast around the track and field oval.
The next test for the Braves and Bravettes is the State AA championships Friday and Saturday in Great Falls. A sweep of last week's Western A Divisional — that hasn't happened since 2012 — has both teams walking a little taller, though you shouldn't clear trophy space quite yet.
"As you know, I'm not a predictor," Flathead boys coach Dan Hodge said this week. "I don't like to boast, 'The kids are going to do this and this and this.' The biggest thing I like to do is take the kids there and have them believe they're going to have fun and do their best."
Hodge, whose boys last won a divisional title in 2014 (it's been since 2013 for the Bravettes), is taking 13 athletes to state. Four of them will have at least five events: Ben Bliven, Brody Thorrnsberry, Jacob Dolezal and William Hollensteiner.
The quartet in particular bolsters the relays, covers the sprints (Bliven and Hollensteiner), the jumps (Thornsberry and Dolezal) and hurdles (Dolezal)
Add in Lane Chivers in the hurdles, 400 and long relay) and there are some serious points. Of course Glacier can score big, as can Gallatin and Bozeman from the Eastern AA.
The Wolfpack boys are led by junior Evan Barnes in the hurdles — his matchup with Gallatin's Nash Coley are can't-miss — and senior thrower Aiden Krause. That's a lot of scoring, right there.
Sprinter Kash Goicoechea, hurdlers Evan Barnes and Mark Ahner and throwers Henry Sellards and Ben Winters aren't to be overlooked, nor can Owen Thiel in the distances.
"We have a chance to have a pretty special weekend," Glacier coach Connor Fuller said. "There's a lot of factors there. We have to perform at our peak, and hopefully things will go our way. Flathead is really athletic, and having a pretty special year. Gallatin, too, and Bozeman High, and Great Falls High."
Krause, who already owns the longest discus throw on record for a Montana high schooler, won't throw it until late Saturday. His other event, the shot put (he's broken 60 feet), kicks off at 9 a.m. Friday.
"It's a long wait," Fuller said. "Once again, he's got to re-peak at the right time of the season. I think he's ready to leave it all out there, and have fun doing it."
Glacier girls coach Hollis May is taking 22 to state, led by throwers Kai Johnson and Rylee Bigelow but also included scoring threats like Breanna Barnes in the pole vault and Lauren Bissen in the 1,600.
Bigelow is a freshman, and Johnson is a senior and defending shot put state champ.
"They've been working with each other, but also competing with each other, and it's got them to where they are now," May said. "It's awesome to see some freshmen doing the things they are, and it's something we can build on the next three years."
Kaylee Fox is taking 14 Bravettes to Great Falls, led by the hurdles trio of junior Alivia Rinehart, sophomore Bristol Lenz and junior Zoey Bortz.
Especially Rinehart. Her sophomore season showed promise, and now she's ready to push Helena's Logan Todorovich in the 100 hurdles, and Madilyn Todorovich in the 300 hurdles and 200.
"She worked really hard on in the offseason and came in, really in mid-season form," Fox said. "Her speed and her turnover is really improved this season, which is why you've seen her take off in some of these sprints."
Helena, the two-time defending state champion, obviously still has the goods. The Bravettes can make a run, though.
"We'd have to have some things go right," Fox said. "We're outside the money in some of our events, but that's why you compete, that's why you run State. We've got some kids that are running their best right now. We're hoping that they can have another great weekend."
