Plains girls, T-Falls boys win county track meet

The junior high track season came to an end with the Trotters running away with both seventh and eighth-grade championships and the Bluehawks winning on the boy’s side at the Junior High Sanders County Track Meet Friday in Thompson Falls.

The Plains eighth-grade girls dominated the field, racking up 197 points in the 15 events, 71 more than runner-up Lady Red Devils. Plains had nine first-place finishes in the eighth-grade competition, including two apiece by Nicole Kunzer and Kelsey Beagley. Kunzer’s 27-foot, 6-inch jump gave her first place in the triple jump and she also won the discus with a throw of 90 feet, 9 1/2 inches. Beagley won the long jump with a distance of 13 feet, 11 inches and also ran away with the 100-meter hurdles crown.

Noxon’s Kim Marich won the most individual eighth-grade events, finishing in first in three events. Marich won the 100-meter and the 200-meter dash and also won the shot put with a throw of 29 feet, 5 inches. Lady Devil Cara Stettler finished in first in first in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run. Stettler’s time of two minutes and 50.38 was nearly 18 seconds less than the second place finisher.

The Thompson Falls eighth-grade boys also had a strong showing, finishing with 192 points, 45 more than the second-place Horseman. Hawk Fratzke accounted for all of the Bluehawks five first-place finishes. Fratzke swept the dashes, winning the 100, 200 and 400-meter dash. Fratzke also won the javelin with a throw of 143 feet and the long jump with a distance 16 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Carter Montgomery and Dusty Baker each won two events for Plains. Montgomery finished about eight seconds in front of everybody in the 1,600-meter run and also won the 800-meter. Baker finished in first in the 200-meter hurdles with a time of 30.59 seconds and also won the triple jump with a distance of over 35 feet.

In the seventh-grade girls competition, the Trotters won 11 events and scored 101 points to take the title. Ashley Holmes finished in first in three events for Plains. Holmes was victorious in the 100-meter dash, finishing just one-tenth of the second ahead of Plains’ Jessica Hanson. Holmes also swept the hurdle events, winning both the 100 and 200.

After being edged out in the 100, Hanson went on to win both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Hanson ran the 200 in three minutes and 37 seconds and the 400 in one minute and 11.12 seconds.

The Bluehawk seventh-graders edged out the Horsemen, winning 158-151. The relays proved to be the difference for Thompson Falls, the Bluehawks were able to win both the 400 and the 1,600-meter relay to win the title. Dominique Holt’s victory in the 400 and Devin Hendry’s in the 110 hurdles secured the title for the Bluehawks.

Plains’ Kolby Chisolm won three events, which included the 200 and 400 dashes and the 200 hurdles. Trout Creek’s Jon Carter won four events and controlled all throwing events. Carter won the shot put with a throw of 34 feet, 11 inches, the turbo javelin with a distance of 122 feet, 3 inches and the discus with a throw of 109 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Seven county schools took 127 athletes to the meet, with Plains and Thompson Falls being the largest of the schools. Paradise had the fewest athletes with four. Even with just four athletes, Paradise was able to score 36 points and take third in the seventh-grade girls’ events. Dixon had seven athletes at the event, one girl and six boys. Dixon’s Jocelyn Stevens came in second in the shot put and turbo javelin and third in the discus. Hot Springs took nine athletes to the meet and had one first place finish. Hot Springs’ Alyssa Foster won the turbo javelin with a throw of 83 feet, 5 inches.