Hot Springs girls, T-Falls boys win county track meet

The Savage Heat girls slipped by the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks to take first place in the Sanders County Track Meet Thursday at Plains.

Hot Springs placed 25 times, including five first places at the near five-hour track meet, where all four high schools competed. In two events, Hot Springs took four of five places and in one they placed two of three.

In the long jump, the Savage Heat athletes finished all but second place, which was taken by Noxon Lady Red Devil Karlynn Therrian. And in the triple jump, Hot Springs took the first four places, leaving fifth for Therrian. First went to Devon White, who went 31 feet, 5 inches. Teammate Lindsey Salmi took second with a jump of 29-5; third went to Riley Pavlich five inches shorter; and Matea DePoe, who went to the state finals in the triple jump last year, finished Thursday with 28 feet, 10 inches. DePoe also nabbed first in the shot put with a throw of 30 feet, 11 inches, out throwing Plains Trotter Emma Ehret by six inches.

Hot Springs’ Randi Arnold captured the long jump with a leap of 14 feet, 7 1/2 inches. The high jump also went to Hot Springs with Richelle Flagen reaching a height of 4 feet, 5 inches. And the Savage Heat 1,600-meter relay team finished with a first just ahead of Thompson Falls at 56.60. Hot Springs took nine girls to the meet.

The Lady Hawks walked off the field with five firsts, six seconds, five thirds, three fourths, and seven fifths. They took all three places in the pole vault, but were the only school to compete in that event, where Rheanna Padden took first at 7 feet, 1 inch. Beca Gunderson of T-Falls took first in the 800- and the 1,600-meter runs. Mariah Naegeli, also of the Lady Hawks, took first place in the 3,200-meter run, crossing the finish line at 15:20.02, just ahead of Pavlich.

The most individual first places, however, went to Kimmy Moore, a senior from Noxon, who finished at the head of the group in the 100 and 300 hurdles, and the 100, 200, and 400 dash. Moore was one of three girls from Noxon at the competition.

The Lady Red Devils, the team with 15 girls, finished the meet in third place with 43 points, three points ahead of Plains. Therrian took first place with a 86-foot, 1-inch discus throw, four inches further than DePoe and just over four inches more than Ehret.

Trotter Ashton Vulles, who competed at state with the javelin last year, threw the stick for 125 feet, 2 inches for Plains’ only first place, beating out Padden’s 117-foot, 6-inch throw. Ehret and Trotter Lacey Hermiston finished in the top five in the javelin, as did Selma Pabst of Thompson Falls. Ehret, a junior, placed in three events, matched only by freshman Abbie Starkey, who took fifth in the 100, third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 200 dash.

The Trotters had eight girls at the meet, which also took two second places, six thirds, three fourths, and three fifths. Roselyn Sheehan, Zoe Banovich and Liz Proano of Plains also placed in two events apiece, while Lacey Hermiston place in one.

In the boys competition, Thompson Falls blasted away for 159 points for first place with 33 athletes, including all five places of the pole vault with Brian Schenavar at the top with a vault of 13 feet, 9 inches. Schenavar, a senior, hopes to hit 15 feet this year. He also took first with a 110-meter hurdle finish of 16.93 and first at the 300 hurdles, crossing the finish line at 45.03.

Thompson Falls chalked up first in 13 of 17 events. The Bluehawks also picked up 11 second places, six thirds, seven fourths, and five fifths. Shane Donaldson finished with a 5:00.25 first place in the 1,600-meter run and at 11:14.09 in the 3,200 run for first. Bluehawk Hayden Cristaldi took the 100-meter dash at 12.13, just in front of Noxon’s Chance Walters at 12.81. Cristaldi also took first in the 200 dash, finishing at 26.41.

The second place Hot Springs team, with only nine boys, had only one first place — Nick Pavelich with a 37-foot, 3 1/2-inch triple jump, beating teammate Reiley Winebrenner by just under two feet. Pavelich also placed third with a 58.69 400-meter dash finish. Winebrenner, however, also took second with a 300 hurdle finish at 45.61, third in the 110-meter hurdles at 18.56, and third in the 800-meter run at 2:21.47.

The highlight of the meet, according to Plains athletic director Orin Kendall was Trent Thompson’s first place 151-foot, 8-inch discus throw, which was drawing close to his older brother Brandon Thompson’s school record of 164 feet. Eugene Benesch of Thompson Falls was nearly 20 feet behind for second place.

Trent Thompson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, also took second place at the shot put with a 43-foot, 6-inch throw, behind a 49-foot, 11-inch throw by Bluehawk Jason Shaw, a personal best for the Thompson Falls senior. Thompson took third with a javelin throw of 159 feet, 9 inches, which was in front of Mitch Thompson, a junior and Trent’s older brother, which threw for 153 feet. In first place in the javelin was Bluehawk Will Dalby at 175 feet, followed by his teammate, Jason Flemmer, less than two inches shy.

For the Plains boys, Dillon Fryxell finished with a first at the high jump, reaching 5 feet, 10 inches, four more inches than number two spot Flemmer. Fryxell took the 400-meter dash at 57.75.

The Horsemen finished in third place with 40 points. Noxon took fourth with 23 points.

Hot Springs and Noxon are scheduled to attend the Thompson Falls Invite Thursday. Plains will head to Missoula Saturday. Hot Springs will host the Dave Tripp Memorial Track Meet Thursday, April 24.