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Standout performances on the track at State B meet

by CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press | May 28, 2025 12:00 AM

The 2025 Class B boys track and field championships quickly became the Trizten Avila show.

To say Avila dominated the men’s sprints could be the understatement of the sports year. 

Avila won the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter sprints this past Friday and Saturday at Missoula County Public Schools stadium and set a new Class B state record along the way. 

With a packed house looking on, Avila broke the existing 200-meter record of 22.03 when the Superior senior broke the tape at the 21.993 mark. He raised his arms over his head in triumph as he crossed the finish line ahead of second-place Buck Prather of Columbus, who had a time of 22.20. 

Earlier Saturday, Avila posted a close win over Florence-Carlton senior Issac Bates, beating the runner-up by .14 seconds.  Avila’s winning time was 11.24. Prather was third. 

Friday, Avila cruised to a win in the 400-meter event, crossing the finish line with a time of 50.05.  Ledger Martin of Conrad was second with a time of 50.19. 

Avila’s heroics helped the Bobcats place fourth in the men’s Class B team standings, behind first-place Loyola Sacred Heart, while second place went to Florence-Carlton. 

In the women’s team competition, Loyola made it a team sweep with a 24-point margin of victory of runner-up Scobey. Hot Springs’ girls were the top local (Sanders/Mineral County) team, finishing twenty-second, while Noxon was twenty-eighth. 

Helping Avila and the Superior crew was sophomore Landon Richards, who won the high jump with a personal best leap of 6-6.  Richards added seventh place in the 110-meter hurdles and a 15th in the 300-meter hurdles to his daily haul. 

The Bobcats also got an eleventh-place finish in the pole vault from junior George Hanson (11-6), while teammate Gannon Quinlan placed fourteenth (11-0). 

Thompson Falls, which finished eighteenth in the team standings was led by senior Braedon Ferris, who was second in the discus with a throw of 165-05, just one inch shy of first-place Ryan Sharbono of St. Ignatius (165-06).  Ferris also placed sixteenth in the shot put. 

Blue Hawks teammate Gabe Hutton was sixth in the shot put (47-01) while Jefferson High’s Luke Oxarat won the event with a put of 48-07.50. 

Plains was led by freshman distance standout John Jermyn, who was fifth in the 3200-meter run (9:50.81) and ninth in the 1600-meter event (4:37.73). Horsemen freshman Cord Greer was tenth in the 3200-meter event. 

Plains senior Darren Standeford was fourteenth in the men’s javelin with a toss of 152-03.  The javelin was won by Eureka’s Jesse Day, who uncorked a throw of 180-11, one inch better than runner-up Kesston Thomas of Choteau. 

In the women’s competition, Plains senior Alexis Deming won her third straight Class B discus championship with a winning throw of 128-09, more than five feet better than second-place Joslyn Buckley of Jefferson (123-08). Superior’s Juliette Evans (105-11) was eighth. 

Deming lost out on a weight double when she finished second in the shot put, less than four inches behind the winning heave by Malta junior Denvry Tuss (37.08.25).  Superior’s Evan was sixteenth. 

Plains sophomore distance runner Marina Tulloch, the defending Class B cross country champion, was fourth in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:02.34, while Broadwater (Townsend) High’s Kyla Meissner won the 3200 with a time of 11:19.17).  Evy Edwards of Thompson Falls finished eighteenth. 

Tulloch was tenth in the 1600-meter run, while teammate Annika Ercanbrack placed seventeenth.  Natie Hodgskiss of Choteau won the 1600 with a time of 5:08.68. 

Thompson Falls sophomore Addyson Deal won the women’s javelin event with a throw of 125-10, six inches better than runner-up Allie Muffick of Jefferson.  Plains’ Hayden Rice was seventh (111-10) and Superior junior Maryisa Swope was thirteenth (101-00). 

Ava White had fourth place in the 300-meter hurdles, fifth in the 100-meter hurdles and tied for seventh in the pole vault for the Lady Hawks. 

Plains’ Rice was fourteenth in the 300-meter hurdles, while teammate Kali Tuma was seventh.  Tuma was also fifteenth in the 400-meter run. 

Superior senior Braelynn Mangold was fourth in the 400-meter event, while T Falls’ Lexi Franck placed nineteenth. 

    Bobcats' sophomore Landon Ricards points to his 6-6 personal best jump mark that propelled him to the state Class B high jump championship this past weekend in Missoula. (Superior staff courtesy photo)
 
 
    Superior senior Trizten Avila raises his arms in victory as he wins the 200-meter sprint in a new state record time during this past weekend's Class B State track and field meet in Missoula.  (Superior staff courtesy photo)