Area teams gear up for annual 9C meet

George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor [email protected]

With the District 9C track meet set for Wednesday in Havre, several area teams got one last warm-up meet this past weekend. On Saturday in Rudyard, North Star played host to the annual Jason Groseclose Memorial track meet, and the competition was as fierce as ever as the postseason draws near. On the boys side, the Chinook Sugarbeeters dominated the meet by scoring 176 points, while the Knights finished second with 136 points. Turner and Rocky Boy were a distant third and fourth, respectively. The girls meet saw the host Knights capture first place with 163 points, one point better than Chinook, which finished second. Rocky Boy was third and Turner was fourth. The regular season is now at an end for Class C teams, and the races in the 9C appear to be extremely tight. Three-time defending Class C state champion Big Sandy is still the team to beat in the girls meet Wednesday, but the Knights and Sugarbeeters are also in the mix for a district championship. North Star and Chinook appear to be the favorites on the boys side, but Big Sandy and Turner also have strong teams as well. The 2009 District 9C track meet gets under way Wednesday morning at the Havre Middle School Track.