Sanders County boy's teams make strides

MISSOULA - The Jim Johnson Invitational hosted by Alberton High School, at the University of Montana’s Dornblaser Field, featured stand out performances form athletes across Sanders County.

At the end of the meet it was Thompson Falls who found themselves in first place.

For the boys, the Bluehawks Track and Field team finished first with 234 points.

Second place went to the Hot Springs Savage Heat with 103 points.

The Plains Horsemen finished in sixth with 66 points and the Noxon Red Devils took eighth with 54 points.   

The boys of Thompson Falls took home first in both relay events.

In the 400-meter relay the team crossed the finish line first with a 45.07. In the 1,600-meter relay Thompson Falls took the top spot with a 3:47.58.

The team also took first in three other events.

Tanner Laws took first in the 3,200-meter event with a 10:59.82.  

Laws also placed third in the 1,600 event with a 4:55.47.

Josh Wulfekuhle placed first in the 110-meter hurdles with a 17.00.

Wulfekuhle also took second in the 300-meter hurdles with a 44.23.

Jake Gascon rounded out the team’s first place finishers with a 12-0 in the pole vault event.

The team also got a number of strong performances in other events.

McKenzie Holt finished second in the 100-meter dash with an 11.21.

Trais Hoisington took second in the 400-meter event with a 54.66.

William VanHuss placed third in the 800-meter event with a 2:16.03

Dan McDonald and Taylor Barker-Thomas placed in the 3,200 event with times of 11:56.53 and 11:57.50, good for fourth and fifth respectively.

Joe Lundberg took fifth in the 300-meter hurdles with a 46.28 and placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a 19.58.

Lundberg also took third in the pole vault event with a 11-0.

Garret Strine and Jacob Simpson also placed in the 300-meter hurdles.

Strine took third with a 45.13 and Simpson took fourth with a 45.45.

Kade VanElswyk took fourth in the Javelin event with a throw of 142-2.

The Hot Springs boys were powered to their second place finish by some first place finishes of their own.

Anthony Byrns of the Savage Heat took first in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.

Byrns won the 100-meter dash with an 11.17 and crossed the finish line first in the 200-meter dash with a 23.68.

Trevor Paro took home first in the long jump and triple jump events.

Paro took the top spot in the long jump event with a jump of 18-10.25 and won the triple jump event with a 40-3.

Hot Springs took second in the 400-meter relay with a 46.49.

Lane Foster placed fifth in the 400-meter event with a 56.81 and Blaine Carr placed sixth in the 1,600-meter event with a 5:08.12.

The Plains Horsemen got a first place finish from senior Russell Kujala who crossed the finish line first in the 1,600-meter event with a 4:48.20.

Kujala also took second in the 800-meter event with a 2:11.64.

“Russ continues to be strong for us,” Plains Head Coach Denise Montgomery said.

Montgomery added Kujala had a PR in the 1,600-meter event.

Plains placed third in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3:54.27.

Branson Krebs of Plains took second in the javelin event with a throw of 155-4.

The Noxon Red Devils took sixth in the 1,600-meter relay with a finishing time of 4:08.63.

Bradley Wilson of Noxon took second in the 1,600-meter event with a 4:53.31 and third in the 400-meter event, crossing the finish line with a 55.06.

Austin Johnson placed third in the 3,200-meter event with a time of 11:33.87.

Zach Osborne tied for second in the high jump with Brandon Managhan of St. Regis and Connor Thorne of Florence. The athletes all recorded a 5-8.

Gary Wadman placed sixth in the shot put event with a throw of 38-9.5.

Next week Thompson Falls and Plains will both head to the Missoula County Invitational in Missoula on Saturday, April 11.

Hot Springs will next compete at the Thompson Falls Invitational on Thursday, April 16.

Noxon will head to Idaho for the Kellogg Invitational on Saturday, April 11.