Plains boys, Superior girls win 7B titles

Fueled by some strong individual performances from their top athletes, teams from Plains and Superior reigned supreme at the 2025 Western 7B District track and field meet this past weekend in Eureka.

The Plains men accumulated 116 team points to nose out host Eureka 116-115 in the battle for the men’s team title, while the Superior women eeked out a 147-143 team victory over Plains.  Eureka (Lincoln County) was third in the women’s competition with 117 points, while Superior’s men placed third (105) in that team chase. 

Thompson Falls was fourth in both the men’s and women’s team standings, while Troy’s women and St. Ignatius’s men were fifth. 

In the razor thin win over Eureka for the men’s title, Plains youth movement led the way with sophomore Cody West and freshman John Jermyn racking up big team points with their performances. 

West swept the 110 and 300-meter hurdles events, winning the 110-meter event with a personal best time of 16.33, giving him a close win over Superior sophomore Landon Richards, who crossed the finish line at 16.53.  Plains’ Cooper Meredith was third at 17.41. 

West also won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.14, while Richards was second with a time of 46.04.  Meredith placed third at 46.96, while Superior sophomore Conrad Talbot was fifth with a time of 51.27. 

Meanwhile, freshman distance standout John Jermyn won the 1,600-meter run for the Horsemen with a time of 4:35.17, a new personal best.  Teammate Cord Greer was third (4:39.18) and Plains’ Jack Cockrell was sixth (5:01.02).  Thompson Falls freshman Weston Block was seventh at 5:03.44. 

Jermyn was third in the 800-meter event for the Horsemen’s strong distance running contingent, while teammates Greer, Mike Reistroffer, Kalem Ercanbrack, and Cockrell occupied the fourth through seventh spots in the event. 

Plains added a win in the 4X400 relay, two seconds ahead of second place Eureka.  Superior was third. 

Thompson Falls owned the weight events, paced by senior Braedon Ferris’ first place discus throw of 161-10, more than 30-feet better than runnerup Ryan Sharbono of St. Ignatius.  T Falls’ Zach Ames was third and Plains senior Caleb Lakko was fifth.  Gabe Hutton of T Falls was sixth. 

Thompson Falls swept the top three places in the shot put, which was won by Hutton with a throw of 43-04, four inches better than Ames’ second place toss. Ferris was third with a throw of 42-04. 

The Blue Hawks also placed 2-3 in the javelin, which was won by Eureka’s Jesse Day, who chucked the spear 179-02.  Ian Myers was second for T Falls (176-05) and Brylon VanElswyk took third (156-00.5). Fourth place went to Plains senior Darren Standeford, while Superior’s Tyler Mellen was fifth. 

Thompson Falls’ Block was second in the 3200-meter run, which was won by Marlon Leishman of St. Ignatius (11:02-31.  Plains’ Reistroffer was fourth and teammate Remington Ryan placed fifth. 

Superior sprinter Trizten Avila was top dog in the sprints, winning the 100-meter run with a time of 11.36, just ahead of Plains junior Luciano Ferranti (11.57). Plains’ West and Greg Tatum placed seventh, while Superior sophomore Gannon Quinlan was eighth, just ahead of Talbot. 

Avila also won the 200-meter run with a time of 22.82, outsprinting Eureka’s Josh Lambertson (23.66), while Ferranit was third (23.71).  Plains’ Standeford was fourth with a time of 24.01, a new personal best.  Myers from T Falls was sixth. 

In the 400-meter run, Lambertson nosed out Avila by less than a second, while Standeford was fourth and Myers finished fifth. 

Avila also ran the anchor leg on Superior’s first-place 4X100 meter relay team, which featured Quinlan, Talbot, George Hanson and Avila.  Thompson Falls was third in the relay. 

Superior’s jumpers also had a good meet, with Richards winning the high jump at 6-4.  Myers from T Falls was third at 5-8, and Plains’ Meredith was fourth with a jump of 5-4. 

Bobcats Hansen and Quinlan were second and third in the pole vault, which was won by Lambertson who cleared the bar at 11-09.  Hanson and Quilan both cleared 11-03, while T Falls’ Hank Stone was sixth. 

St. Ignatius junior Lex LaFrombois won the triple jump with a hop, skip and jump of 39-06.  Superior’s Talbot was third (37-11.5) and Meredith placed fifth for the Horsemen (39-00.50). 

LaFrombois added the long jump title to his day’s work, winning the event with a leap of 18-11.50.  Hanson and Quinlan placed third and fourth, while Plains’ Tristan Allen was fifth. 

In the women’s competition, Superior and Plains each had multiple event winners in their team title battle, with Superior senior Braelyn Mangold leading the way with three individual victories to go with the anchor leg on the Lady Bobcats first-place 4X100 relay. 

Mangold won the 200-meter sprint with a time of 27.09, just ahead of Superior teammate Ava White (27.74).  Plains’ Hayden Rice placed third (28.03) and Lexi Franck of T Falls was fifth.  The Lady Hawks’ Addyson Deal was seventh (29.39). 

Braelyn then added the 400-meter title to her medal count, winning the event with a time of 1:00.33, while Plains Kali Tuma was second (1:04.24) and Franck took third.  

Mangold also won the triple jump with a leap of 32.00.50.  Teammate Deal was third (30-02.00) and Plains Jayden Cook finished fourth (29-05.50). 

In the two hurdles events, Superior’s White won both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles, while Tuma from Plains was second in both events.  White won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.20, and the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.01.  Plains’ Hayden Rice was third in both races for the Trotters. 

Tuma was also third in the 100-meter sprint for Plains, while fourth and fifth went to Superior runners Maggie Haworth and Makenzie Reum respectively. 

Superior’s girls also won the 4X100 relay, with the team of Haworth, Reum, White and Mangold breaking the tape at the 52.33 mark. 

The Trotters got the expected double wins from senior Alexis Deming in the shot put (35-04) and the discus, where the two-time Class B defending discus champ unleashed a throw of 129-11, well ahead of second-place Juliette Evans of Superior (113-07). Evans was also second in the shot put, while Lady Bobcats Reum and Mangold were fifth and sixth.  Ashely Ferlan of Plains placed fifth with a throw of 77-06. 

Plains also got another pair of expected wins from sophomore Marina Tulloch, the defending state Class B cross-country champion.  Tulloch won the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:53.38.  T Falls sophomore Evy Edwards was third. 

Tulloch added the 1600-meter title to her daily haul with a time of 5:41.92, while Plains’ Annika Ercanbrack was second at 6:11.94.  Edwards was third for T Falls, while Superior sophomore Rainier Acher was fourth. 

Plains 4X400-meter relay team of Tuma, Ercanbrack, Rice and Katelyn Subatch won the event with a time of 4:32.78, well ahead of second-place Superior (4:59.18) and third-place T Falls (5:08.94). 

Subatch also won the women’s high jump with a leap of 4-07.  Superior’s Miekolani Rutherford was third. 

Superior’s Maryisa Swope was second in three events, the long jump, pole vault and javelin. 

Deal from T Falls won the javelin throw with a mark of 116-03, while Swope was second at 110-04. Rice and Ferlan from Plains placed third and fourth respectively. 

Swope was also second in the long jump (14-03), won by Karli Campbell of Eureka (15-01.50).  Rutherford was fourth, Subatch was fifth and Deal was seventh in the event. 

Campbell also won the pole vault for Eureka with a jump of 9-09, while Swope was second at 9-03, and White was third.  Deal placed fourth for T Falls. 

Ercanbrack was third in the 800-meter run for Plains, while Troy’s Jaylee Meyers won the event (2:45.56). 

The top six in each event advance to the Divisional round, which is this Friday and Saturday (May 16-17) at MCPS Stadium in Missoula. 

    Plains sophomore Marina Tulloch, the defending Class B cross-country champ this past season, looks to stretch her lead at the District 7B track meet this past week.  (Photo by Sarah Naegeli)
  

    Members of the Plains 2025 track and field team display their hardware following this past weekend's District 7B meet in Eureka.  (Photo by Sarah Naegeli)