Local boys earn trip to State B-C track meet

All eyes were on the shot put pit Saturday at Frenchtown High as the two top shot putters in the state squared off in the finals of the Montana Western Divisional B-C track tournament.

As the first field event of the day got underway, Walker McDonald of Seeley-Swan and Cade VanVleet went through their warm up procedures as a crowd of onlookers gathered nearby.

McDonald and VanVleet have staged an informal duel all year, with VanVleet leading the way with throws in the 48-foot range, just ahead of McDonald’s best. Toward the end of the season, McDonald took the lead with a huge throw of 55-feet, on the same day VanVleet threw more than 51 feet to temporarily claim the lead.

Not only was a Divisional title at stake, it also meant a top seed in this weekend’s B-C State finals in Great Falls. Both competitors had already clinched spots in the field with their earlier throws.

On this day, McDonald came out on top with a throw of 54-425, while VanVleet unleashed a toss of 51-1. The two will be well-watched this weekend also.

Third place in the event went to Hot Springs’ Garth Parker, who threw the iron ball 43-0.25.

McDonald would then take second in the discus, an event he was heavily favored to win thanks to regular throws in the 170-foot range. VanVleet took fourth with a personal record throw of 144-6, while Tyler Gann of Valley Christian won the top prize with a heave of 152-2.

McDonald’s win in the shot put helped lead Seeley to the Class C team title as the Blackhawks finished well ahead of second place Manhattan and third place Valley Christian.

VanVleet’s performance in the weights, couple with an outstanding day in the jumping events by teammate Ricky Williams propelled the Red Devils to a surprising fourth place team finish, best among Sanders and Mineral county schools.

In the boys Class B competition, which was won by the team from Bigfork with 77 points, Thompson Falls will send six athletes for State, including four who qualified in multiple events. They racked up 26 points on a cool, cloudy morning that gave way to some welcome warm sunshine in the early afternoon before a sizable crowd of spectators.

Among the Blue Hawks who qualified for the State finals was Ryan Butcher, who picked up a third place medal in the 400 meters run, another third as a member of the 4X100 meters relay, and a fifth place finish in the 4X400 relay event.

In addition, Jesse Claridge qualified with a fourth place in the men’s Class B long jump and was a member of both the qualifying T Falls relay teams.

Blue Hawks long distance runner Will Hyatt qualified in both endurance runs, coming home fourth in the 3200 and sixth in the 1600. Teammate Breck Ferris qualified in with a bronze medal in the long jump and was a member of both relay teams.

He will be joined by Braxton Dorscher in the 4X100 relay, and Kevin Kauffman in the 4X400 event.

Seventh place finishers for T Falls included Claridge in the 200 meters, Ferris in the high jump and Kauffman in the 800 meters run.

For Plains High, hurdling specialist Mason Elliot earned a trip to Great Falls with his third place finish in the men’s 300 meters hurdles, and a sixth in the men’s 110 meters hurdles. Horseman teammate Joseph Martin was eighth in the 800 meters run.

Noxon also picked up points in the Class C high jump when Williams finished fifth with a jump of 5-8. He added to his medal total with a third place showing in the triple jump when he hop, skipped and jumped 39-8, a new personal record.

Hot Springs meanwhile, got a third place finish in the Class C pole vault from Kyle Lawson, who qualified for state with a sixth place finish in the 300 meters hurdles. Teammate Quincy Styles-Depoe took ninth in the 300 meters hurdles.

Superior’s Lucas Kovalsky took home second place in the Class C pole vault, clearing the bar at 11-6 and punching his ticket for Great Falls.

The State finals begin this coming Friday and run through Saturday in the Electric City.