Ryan Divish
Havre Daily News Sports Editor
rdivish@havredailynews.com
The Montana high school track and field postseason is in full swing and nowhere was it more evident than the Central A divisional in Butte.
For the Havre High boys and girls track teams, success was moderate. The Blue Pony girls finished third and the HHS boys finished fifth.
But Havre High had a plethora of individual champions and placers in both the girls and boys meets, meaning the Ponies will be well represented on Friday when the Class A state meet gets under way in Great Falls.
For the HHS girls, Saturday was the first time in three years that the Blue Ponies did not hoist the Central A team title at the end of the meet. Havre was part of a trio of teams that dominated the meet.
Unfortunately, the Ponies' 93 points were only good enough for third place. The multi-talented Belgrade Panthers finished first with a whopping 167 points, while Livingston was second with 127 points.
"Belgrade and Livingston were just too deep and too talented for us to catch," said HHS head coach Mark West. "Going into the meet we knew that Belgrade was talented, but we had no idea they were as good as they were.
"Our kids performed well and I am happy with where we finished, considering how good the other two teams were," West added.
While the HHS girls didn't find the ultimate team success in Butte this weekend, they still had a great two days individually.
As expected Blue Pony sophomores Lena Suek and Carmen Neuens paved the way to the medal stand with individual titles. Suek captured the discus title with a toss of 119-0. She doubled up titles with a win in the javelin. Suek's best throw in that event was 122-9. She also helped Havre's team efforts out with a solid second-place finish in the shot put.
"Lena had a great meet," West said. "She did everything we thought she could do and she will do very well this week at the state meet."
Neuens was also outstanding this weekend. She captured the long jump title with a leap of 16-3. She was also third in the triple jump. Neuens nearly had a second title in the high jump, but she was edged out by teammate Casea Pollington, who won the meet with a jump of 5-2. It was the second straight season that Pollington has won the Central A high jump gold medal.
"Carmen performed really well this weekend," West said. "And Casea Pollington did a great job in the high jump. For her to come back and win that event again after being hurt most of the season was really nice."
The Ponies also got a lift, as expected, from sophomore Kelsey West in the sprints. West finished fourth in the 200-meter final with a time of 27.81. She added a fifth in the 100 meters. She also managed a sixth-place finish in the 400 meters.
Havre's relay teams also finished a solid third in the 400-meter relay and fourth in the 1,600-meter relay. The Ponies also got a fourth-place finish from Jessica Nolan in the pole vault and a fourth-place finish from freshman Amy Marshall in the 100 meter hurdles.
One area where Havre did not have as a good a day as expected was the distance races. While Darci Briere did finish fifth in both the mile and two-mile races, it will be the first time in recent memory that Havre won't be sending multiple distance runners to the state meet. West said it definitely hurt his team in the overall standings.
"For whatever reason, our distance kids struggled a little bit in Butte," West said. "It might be the altitude or something else, but our distance kids just haven't performed as well there as they have in other places."
And while the Ponies could not pull off the Central A three-peat that they were striving for, West was still happy with the results of his team this weekend, and the potential success of those athletes this week in Great Falls.
"I can't be disappointed with how our girls team performed this weekend," West said. "All of our kids did really well. But we just didn't have the depth to keep up with Belgrade and Livingston. Still, I think the girls we're taking to state can do very well individually."
On the boys side, Havre also had a tough day in the team competition. The Ponies scored 63 points, which was only good enough for fifth place. Belgrade won the meet with 133 points, while defending Class A state champion Butte Central finished second with 110 points. But the surprise of the meet was Browning, which came in third with 106 points, including 30 team points in the two-mile final.
"Belgrade was very talented and so is Butte Central," West said. "Again, we just didn't have the depth to keep up with those teams. And Browning was amazing this weekend. They have never scored 100 points at this meet before.
"Still, our boys did a great job of competing hard this weekend," he added. "We won some events, but we just didn't get enough place points to be in the hunt at the end of the meet."
The Ponies did get a great divisional meet from senior standout Scott Robinson. Robinson captured the 200-meter championship with a time of 23.29. He backed that performance up with a win in the 400 meters with a time of 52.32.
Derek Verploegen was fourth in the 400-meter race and Kyle Finneman added a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters. The trio of sprinters also gave Havre a win in the 400-meter relay race along with senior Tom Knudson. Knudson will also be headed to the state meet in the 110 meter hurdles.
"Scott Robinson had a great divisional meet," West said. "He really ran great races and he was really in top form all weekend.
"I think our sprinters had a pretty good day," he added. "Especially because of how good the competition was."
Havre's long relay team nearly made it two-for-two in the relay races, but came up just short, finishing second. The Ponies will be sending Ryan Horne back to the state meet in the high jump after he finished fourth. Cody McLean will also be headed to the state meet in the pole vault after he finished second with a vault of 11-6.
Havre also had a strong day in the shot put where Rick Houim finished third and sophomore Matt Schnittgen finished fifth.
But like the girls team, the Ponies didn't get enough from the distance runners to be a serious threat in the team competition.
"I am really happy for Ricky Houim and Matt Schnittgen," West said. "They both performed really well and they both can do a nice job for us at state.
"But the same thing happened to our distance runners as it did in the girls meet," he added. "They just didn't have a good day at all. That is usually an area where we are pretty strong and where we can get some good place points."
Havre's approach to the state meet will change a little now that the Ponies will likely not be a challenger for a team trophy. West said that that approach will focus more on individual accomplishments rather than worrying about team points.
"We aren't taking that many boys to state, so now we will focus on getting those kids on the medal stand," West said. "Even though we won't have much of a chance in the team competition, we still have some boys going down there that can do some great things this weekend."
The 2005 Class A state track meet will get under way with preliminary heats and trials on Friday afternoon. The finals will be on Saturday and all of the action will take place at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls.
Central A divisional
BOYS
Team scores
Belgrade 133.4, Butte Central 110.4, Browning 106.4, Lewistown 80, Havre 63.4, Livingston 33.4.
Individual Results
100 - 1, Mychal McNamee, Liv, 11.73; 2, Brad Peterson, Bro, 11.76; 3, Roger Madplume, Bro, 11.90; 4, Steve Beery, Bel, 11.94; 5, Kyle Finneman, H, 11.97; 6, Jeremy Olsen, Lew, 12.07.
200 - 1, Scott Robinson, H, 23.29; 2, Steve Beery, Bel, 23.36; 3, Brad Peterson Bro, 23.81; 4, Jeremy Olsen, Lew, 24.56; 5, Mike Benvenga, Liv, 24.59; 6, Roger Madplume, Bro, 24.69.
800 - 1, Sean Peterson, BC, 2:03.56; 2, Logan Mossey, Lew, 2:03.91; 3, George Madman, Bro, 2:04.15; 4, Derek Erickson, Bel, 2:04.64; 5, Kevin O'Leary, BC, 2:06.68; 6, Colin O'Neill, BC, 2:10.90.
3,200 - 1, Marlin Blackwolf, Bro, 10:12.58; 2, Terran Guardipee, Bro, 10:19.95; 3, Edwin Creemedicine, Bro, 10:42.00; 4, Matthew Bullchild, Bro, 10:44.60; 5, Josh Tailfeathers, Bro, 10:45.70; 6, Trevor Jallings, Bel, 10:48.01.
300 hurdles - 1, Steve Beery, Bel, 41.14; 2, Johnny Marks, Bel, 42.54; 3, Jaceson Stokken, Lew, 42.98; 4, Brett Kamrud, BC, 43.34; 5, Derek Erickson, Bel, 43.48; 6, Kameron Pearson, Lew, 43.91.
400 relay - 1, Havre (Scott Robinson, Kyle Finneman, Derek Verploegen, Tom Knudson), 45.10; 2, Browning, 45.24; 3, Livingston, 45.30; 4, Butte Central, 45.90; 5, Belgrade, 46.80; 6, Lewistown, 47.17.
1,600 relay - 1, Belgrade (David Beery, Steve Beery, Derek Erickson, Presten Swenson), 3:34.14; 2, Havre, 3:40.58; 3, Browning, 3:44.22; 4, Lewistown, 3:47.79; 5, Butte Central, 3:29.06; 6, Livingston, 3:51.49.
Pole vault - 1, Jaceson Stokken, Lew, 12-6; 2, Evan Stokken, Lew, 12-0; 3, Cody McLean, H, 11-6; 4, Steve Beery, Bel, 11-0; 5, Rusty Jones, Bel, 11-0; 6, D.J. Wilson, Lew, 10-6.
Triple jump - 1, Derek Erickson, Bel, 42-3; 2, Brad Westmoreland, Bel, 41-10; 3, Jake Stagnoli, BC, 41-7; 4, J.T. McIntyre, BC, 19-7; 5, Roger Madplume, Bro, 40-9; 6, Evan Stokken, 40-9.
Shot put - 1, Matt Crowe, BC, 51-9; 2, Dan Trammel, Bel, 48-4; 3, Ricky Houim, H, 46-10; 4, Tyler Samuelson, Bel, 39-5; 5, Matt Schnittgen, H, 39-1; 6, Adam Larsen, Bel, 38-9.
Javelin - 1, J.T. McIntyre, BC, 162-1; 2, Jake Stagnoli, BC, 155-8; 3, Mike Mayernik, Lew, 151-8; 4, Rusty Jones, Bel, 149-7; 5, Joe Castro, Bel 143-9; 6, Ryan Hitchcock, BC, 141-8.
400 - 1, Scott Robinson, H, 52.32; 2, David Beery, Bel, 52.59; 3, Logan Mossey, Lew, 52.66; 4, Derek Verploegen, H, 52.99; 5, Mike Benvenga, Liv, 53.49; 6, Presten Swenson, Bel, 53.59.
1,600 - 1, Marlin Blackwolf, Bro, 4:39.67; 2, Terran Guardipee, Bro, 4:41.82; 3, Edwin Creemedicine, Bro, 4:46.64; 4, Ryan Kepler, Lew, 4:48.07; 5, Josh Tailfeathers, Bro, 4:50.98; 6, Trevor Jallings, Bel, 4:51.30.
110 hurdles - 1, Johnny Marks, Bel, 15.88; 2, Evan Stokken, Lew, 16.55; 3, J.T. McIntyre, BC, 16.61; 4, Tom Knudsen, H, 16.78; 5, Kameron Pearson, Lew, 17.01; 6, D.J. Wilson, Lew, 18.52.
High jump - 1, Kevin O'Leary, BC, 6-0; 2, J.T. McIntyre, BC, 5-10; 3, Brad Westmoreland, Bel, 5-8; 4t, Ryan Horne, H, 5-6; 4t, Jake Stagnoli, BC, 5-6; 4t, Johnny Marks, Bel, 5-6; 4t, Ryan Wolfe, Liv, 5-6; 4t, Ryan Augare, Bro, 5-6.
Long jump - 1, Mike Benvenga, Liv, 20-2; 2, Jaceson Stokken, Lew, 20-0; 3, J.T. McIntyre, BC, 19-7; 4, Roger Madplume, Bro, 19-6; 5, Jake Stagnoli, BC, 19-4; 6, Brett Kamrud, BC, 19-2.
Discus - 1, Matt Crowe, BC, 137-00; 2, Dan Trammell, Bel, 133-11; 3, Brad Westmoreland, Bel, 132-8; 4, Ryan Hitchcock, BC, 127-9; 5, Chris Higgins, Bro, 126-5; 6, Willy Burns, Liv, 125-5.
GIRLS
Team scores
Belgrade 167, Livingston 127, Havre 93, Butte Central 57, Lewistown 55, Browning 27.
Individual Results
100 - 1, Olivis Rider, Liv, 12.92; 2, Brianna Ackerman, Liv, 12.95; 3, Jillian Hoblitt, Bel, 13.02; 4, Sperry Desrosier, Bro, 13.03; 5, Kelsey West, H, 13.49; 6, Tara Cecrle, Lew, 13.75.
200 - 1, Olivia Rider, Liv, 26.04; 2, Jillian Hoblitt, Bel, 26.07; 3, Brianna Ackerman, Liv, 26.24; 4, Kelsey West, H, 27.81; 5, Isabelle Nelson, 28.67; 6, Shelby Duncan, Lew, 28.71.
1,600 - 1, Heather Haug, Liv, 5:39.02; 2, Kathy Runningcrane, Bro, 5:41.64; 3, Jonna VanDaveer, BC, 5:43.29; 4, Alexis DiGiovine, BC, 5:44.95; 5, Darci Briere, H, 5:48.25; 6, Kierra McNelis, 12:53.08.
300 hurdles - 1, Jessie Greany, Bel, 48.68; 2, Elizabeth Coughlin, Bel, 50.28; 3, Jamie Descheemaeker, Lew, 51.48; 4, Tara Cecrla, Lew, 51.55; 5, Arica Allen, Lew, 53.28; 6, Amy Marshall, H, 55.02.
400 relay - 1, Livingston (Brianna Ackerman, Isabelle Nelson, Olivia Rider, Heidi Skattum), 50.40; 2, Belgrade, 51.74; 3, Havre 52.74; 4, Browning, 53.44; 5, Butte Central 55.01; 6, Lewistown, 55.57.
1,600 relay - 1, Belgrade (Elizabeth Coughlin, Amy Bolen, Meghan Kiegley, Jillian Hoblitt), 4:06.34; 2, Livingston, 4:16.46; 3, Browning, 4:26.40; 4, Havre, 4:32.55; 5, Butte Central, 4:34.64; 6, Lewistown, 4:36.08.
High jump - 1, Casea Pollington, H, 5-2; 2, Carmen Neuens, H, 5-0; 3, Kelsey Estabrook, BC, 5-0; 4, Jessie Greany, Bel, 4-10; 5, Jordan Fine, BC, 4-8; 6, Brailey Williams, Bel, 4-8.
Triple jump - 1, Britney Brophy, BC, 34-4; 2, Jillian Hoblitt, Bel, 34-3; 3, Carmen Neuens, H, 33-2; 4, Hannah Benson, Bel, 33-0; 5, Lindy Musick, Lew, 32-1; 6, Kelsey Estabrook, BC, BC, 32-1.
Discus - 1, Lena Suek, H, 119-0; 2, Brittney Harvey, Bel, 113-8; 3, Kelsey Joronen, Liv, 109-8; 4, Shannon Bosley, Liv, 104-7; 5, Brianna Stillwagon, BC, 98-8; 6, Amanda Suhr, Bel, 95-8.
400 - 1, Elizabeth Coughlin, Bel, 59.70; 2, Olivia Rider, Liv, 1:01.52; 3, Meghan Kiegley, Bel, 1:01.59; 4, Heidi Skattum, Liv, 1:01.85; 5, Amy Bolen, Bel, 1:02.35; 6, Kelsey West, H, 1:05.26.
800 - 1, Meghan Kiegley, Bel, 2:21.64; 2, Tessa Boehnke, Bel, 2:21.75; 3, Heather Haug, Liv, 2:30.11; 4, Melissa Finkbeiner, Bel, 2:31.04; 5, Alexis DiGiovine, BC, 2:32.00; 6, Kathy Runningcrane, Bro, 2:32.12.
3,200 - 1, Heather Haug, Liv, 12:15.92; 2, Jonna VanDaveer, BC, 12:17.10; 3, Alexis DiGiovine, BC, 12:34.32; 4, Kathy Runningcrane, Bro, 12:39.19; 5, Darcy Briere, H, 12:45.68; 6, Kierra McNelis, Bel, 12:53.
100 hurdles - 1, Jessie Greany, Bel, 16.03; 2, Tara Cecrle, Lew, 17.70; 3, Jamie Descheemaker, Lew, 18.30; 4, Amy Marshall, H, 18.46; 5, Megan Wiltshire, Liv, 19.53.
Pole vault - 1, Tammy Burt, Bel, 9-0; 2, Heidi Rettig, Lew, 8-0; 3, Shelby Hill, Bel, 7-6; 4, Jessica Nolan, H, 7-6; 5t, Hope Hardaway, Bel, 7-0; 5t, Amanda Reinke, H, 7-0; 5t, Kayreen Harding, Bel, 7-0.
Shot put - 1, Shannon Bosley, Liv, 32-9; 2, Lena Suek, H, 32-8; 3, Kaycee Mantooth, Lew, 31-0; 4, Kaitlyn Margheim, Bel, 31-0; 5, Jaylene Spannring, B, 29-10; 6, Brittany Harvey, B, 29-5.
Javelin - 1, Lena Suek, H, 122-9; 2, Kaycee Mantooth, Lew, 105-9; 3, Amanda Suhr, Bel, 102-1; 4, Hannah Benson, Bel, 98-3; 5, Amy Bolen, Bel, 98-2; 6, Baily Goodwine, Liv, 83-6.
Long jump - 1, Carmen Neuens, H, 16-3; 2, Heidi Skattum, Liv, 16-3; 3, Britney Brophy, BC, 16-1; 4, Brianna Ackerman, Liv, 16-0; 5, Elizabeth Coughlin, Bel, 14-10; 6, Tara Cecrla, Lew, 14-10.
