Williams shines at 13C track meet

The inaugural District 13C track and field meet this past weekend in Missoula could have been named the Ricky Williams show.

As in the Noxon senior standout who won three events, placed second in another and was third in a fifth event. 

It was also a good day to be a Hot Springs men’s team member as the Savage Heat finished second in the team standings behind Drummond, which also won the women’s team title. 

And Williams’ epic day propelled Noxon to a fourth-place team finish as members of the now defunct Western 14C, which merged with the 13C to form an enlarged 13C conference this year, had an outstanding meet. 

Alberton also joined in the party behind the efforts of junior Shea Fredette, who almost single-handily helped the Panthers to a seventh-place team finish, while St. Regis was eighth in the team chase. 

Hot Springs’ girls, who were without the normal performance from standout junior Kara Christensen, was seventh in the team standings, Noxon was eighth, tied with the young St. Regis girls. 

Christensen recently suffered a broken leg, which will require surgery this coming week.

"It's heartbreaking for a kid who works so hard every day to be her very best", said Hot Springs track coach Andrew Leichnam.

The injury occurred during hurdling practice this past week.

Williams’ carnage of the individual events was the stuff of legends, perhaps vaulting the senior multi-sport star into GOAT status (greatest of all-time). 

A week after shattering the school high jump record, Williams won the district title with what for him was an energy-saving routine leap of 6-0.  Williams cleared 6-8 the week before, one inch shy of tying the all-time Class C state record of 6-9. 

Chase DePoe, a freshman from Hot Springs was third with a jump of 5-6, tied with Noxon senior Shane Murray. 

Williams added the triple jump crown to his haul with a hop, skip and jump that was one inch better than Fredette.  The Noxon senior recorded a 41-01 while Fredette was second with a jump of 41-0.  St. Regis junior Barrett Bassette was third with a mark of 39-04. 

Fredette won the men’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:03.71. 

Next on the Williams express was a victory in the long jump, where he jumped 19-10 to sew up his third individual title of the meet.  Charlo’s Karson Cox was second (19-03.5) and Hot Springs sophomore Ben Aldridge placed third (19-00.05). 

On to the hurdles where Williams finished second behind event winner David Chapman from Hot Springs, who won the event with a time of 15.57.  Willaims was second (15.96), Hot Springs’ Nick McAllister was third (17.39) and Aldridge came in fourth (17.49).  St. Regis eighth grader Tucker Desoto place sixth (18.65). 

McAllister came back and won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.60, just ahead of Lincoln’s Teagan Riddle (42.40).  Williams was third with a time of 43.55, Aldridge was fifth (44.53) and Noxon senior Chance McDaid placed seventh (45.77). 

Hot Springs also placed second in both the 4X100 and 4X400 meter relays behind the team of McAllister, Chapman, Daniel Slonaker and Aldridge. 

Slonaker earned a second-place medal in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 23.40, while Valley Christian’s Brayden McCoy won the event with a time of 23.06.  Chapman was fifth (24.18) and Noxon’s McDaid was sixth (24.21). 

Chapman placed second in the shot put as part of his impressive day with a throw of 40-02.50.  Drummond’s Chance Dunkerson won the event with a mark of 44-08. McDaid was fifth (37.08), while Cameron Bolen of St. Regis placed sixth (37-05). 

Slonaker was fourth in the 100-meter sprint (12.00), on the heels of McCoy, who won the event with a time of (11.56).  Slonaker also placed fifth in the 400-meter run (54.29). 

Also having a good meet for Hot Springs was senior distance runner Wesley Adams, who was third in the 3200-meter run, fourth in the 1600, and seventh in the 800-meter event.  Teammate Wyatt Campbell was fourth in the 3200 and sixth in the 1600. 

In the men’s javelin Noxon’s Murray was fourth with a throw of 131-07.  Seeley’s Derrick Brovold won the event with a toss of 165-05.  St. Regis senior Hunter Stolla was fifth (129-05). 

In the women’s competition, the old 14C conference did not fare as well, particularly with two standouts, Kara Christensen of Hot Springs, and Jamie Cleveland not competing for unspecified reasons. 

But several athletes had good days for the ladies, paced by Hot Springs’ senior Georgia Uski and sophomore Lanet Jakabosky finished in the top six in several events. 

Athletes who finished in the top six, in both the men’s and women’s competitions, move on to this week's Western Divisional in Missoula. 

Jakabosky was second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.00, while Drummond’s Danice Yakos won the event, crossing the finish line at the 17.40 mark.  Noxon sophomore Sandy Bonnery was fourth (18.17, personal best) and St. Regis eighth grader Cielee Mitchell was fifth (18.39). 

Jakabosy also had a pair of fifth-place showings in the 100-meter run (14.12) and Mitchell was fourth (13.83) in the event, which was won by Granite’s Montannah Piar (13.03). 

Jakabosky also added a fifth-place medal in the long jump, while Bonney was fourth and Mitchell was sixth.  The event was won by Piar with a leap of 17-05.50. The Lady Heat also got fifth place in the high jump from Jakabosky, who cleared 4-4.  Lincoln’s Jordyn Zarske won the high jump, clearing the bar at 5-0.   

Uski, meanwhile, placed second in the discus for Hot Springs with a throw of 115-06, while Seeley’s Lillian Boyd won the event with a personal record throw of 149-06. 

Uski also picked up a fourth-place medal in the shot put with a heave of 30-08, just behind teammate Lilia Sapanel, a French exchange student (30-11.50).  Erica Cannon of Hot Springs was ninth (27.04-50). 

In the women’s javelin, Noxon’s Sandy Bonney had the winning throw of 110-01, while St. Regis’ Kyla Bush was sixth at 86-00. 

St. Regis’ Mitchell was second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 49.19, just behind winner Yakos of Drummond (48.78).  Noxon sophomore Abby Yoder was fifth and Bonney was sixth for the Lady Devils. 

Mitchell added a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter sprint, and St. Regis junior Lilly Sansome was fifth in the 1600-meter run. Sansom was also seventh in the 800-meter event, and eighth in the triple jump. 

Next up for the qualifiers is the Western Divisional meet this Friday and Saturday (May 16-17) at Missoula County Public Schools stadium in Missoula.