Pony girls run to a trophy

It is hard to believe it has come and gone so quickly, but the Havre High boys and girls cross country seasons are now over.

But fortunately for the Central A Ponies, the season wasn't over without a great performance at the state meet in Missoula over the weekend. And while at the state meet, the HHS girls brought home a state trophy with a No. 3 finish, while the HHS boys grabbed a No. 11 finish in a very tough field of competitors.

"It was that moment where you hope the kids will peak and it's what we trained for all season long," Havre High head coach Kyle Fisher said. "The kids came out and were excited and all ran as well as they could. This weekend was just a very exciting one for Havre High cross country all the way through."

The Havre High girls corss country team poses with their third-place trophy Saturday at the Class A State Cross Country Championships in Missoula.

The Pony girls showed signs of greatness all season long. They were able to grab top finishes throughout the season and were loaded with individual talent.

And coming off of a conference title last weekend, the Ponies were able to put together another weekend when it mattered most. Earning a No. 3 finish, Jess Wiken, Trisha Kinsella, Katie Christianson, Larissa Price, Ashlyn VanVoast, Chanel Standing Rock and Mikell Kinsella all stepped up big time. And after the Ponies finished fourth in the conference and No. 15 at state two years ago, they gave the Havre program a huge boost on Saturday.

"It was very exciting and a great weekend with those girls finally being able to trophy at state," Fisher said. They put together a great year and it just finalized what a great season they had. As coaches this was our first trophy at state and it just shows how hard they worked. They came into the season with a goal. They wanted to win a conference title and they wanted to trophy at state. In all eyes they accomplished their goal and it took every single one of them to do it."

Jess Wiken was the leader once again, claiming All-State honors with a time of 19:35.10 (No.8 overall). But Ashlynn Van Voast stepped up huge and was the second Pony finisher with a time of 20:27.74 (No. 29 overall). VanVoast has consistently been the third or fourth runner for the Ponies but saved her best race for the one that mattered. Katie Christianson finished in a time of 20:31.86 (No. 31 overall), while Larissa Price finished in 20:34.12 (No. 33 overall), Trisha Kinsella finished in a time of 20:40.32 (No. 37 overall), Mikell Kinsella finished in a time 21:31.15 (No. 59 overall) and Chanelle Standing Rock finished in a time of 21:55.60 (No. 71 overall).

"Everything they have done throughout the summer and throughout the season was them coming together as a team," Fisher said. "They did a nice job and ran as a pack and helped each other through the race."

The boys also ran well and competed hard. They came out of a very tough conference field and things got even tougher at the state level. But even with the competition they were facing, they still put together a solid team performance.

"That was rewarding for them this weekend," Fisher said. "Garrett Aguillard was an All-Stater and Marc Klimas was just two spots out. It was just a good weekend for all of them together. The effort was there and we were happy with them all the way through."

Aguillard was the top Pony finisher and grabbed a final time of 16:20.72 for a No. 8 finish. Klimas was the No. 17 finisher and just missed out on All-State honors with his time of 16:30.70. Dylan Stuart also finished with a time of 18:01.36 (No. 8 overall), Derek VanDessel finished in a time of 18:07.03 (No. 82 overall), Dolan Tuss finished in a time of 18:07.26 (No. 83 overall), Desmond Fialkosky finished in a time of 18:22.14 (No. 92 overall) and Dillon Seely finished in a time of 19:09.76 (No. 110 overall).

Corvallis swept the team titles. The Blue Devil boys finished first with 121 points, while Belgrade was second and Hamilton third. The Corvallis girls dominated the field with 79 points, while Glendive scored 111 and the Ponies had 142.

Class A State Meet

at UM Golf Course

BOYS

Team scores

Corvallis 121, Belgrade 132, Hamilton 136, Livingston 155, Laurel 166, Glendive 189, Browning 195, Polson 213, Lewistown 227, Whitefish 250, Havre 268, Columbia Falls 273, Dillon 278, Hardin 343, Anaconda 366, Frenchtown 376, Libby 427, Billings Central 463, Miles City 534.

Top 30 individuals

1, Derrick Williams, CF, 15:30.76; 2, Chase Stoker, Cor, 15:39.22; 3, Emerson Connelly, Brwn, 15:44.38; 4, Layne Lantis, Gle, 15:56.73; 5, Monte Cole, Liv, 15:59.32; 6, Colby Henderson, Cor, 16:03.51; 7, Easton Albert, Ham, 16:13.96; 8, Garrett Aguillard, Hav, 16:20.72; 9, Fischer Gangemi, Wf, 16:21.67; 10, Chris Allen, Bel, 16:23.09; 11, Anthony Schmalz, Ham, 16:23.98; 12, Charles Vance, Liv, 16:24.64; 13, Colton Hegdal, Bel, 16:25.14; 14, Aiden Theard, Ana, 16:26.26; 15, Matt Keltgen, Gle, 16:26.65. 16, Michael Marstaeller, Lau, 16:28.03; 17, Marc Klimas, Hav, 16:30.70; 18, Jacob Thomas, Lib, 16:32.41; 19, Jace Kalbfleisch, Wf, 16:32.67; 20, Brandon Kanta, Lau, 16:33.15; 21, Morly Jessop, Cor, 16:33.85; 22, Trei Bulluck, Lew, 16:36.83; 23, Levi Fox, BiC, 16:39.31; 24, Logan Widler, Lau, 16:41.30; 25, Sage Schoonen, Dil, 16:42.09; 26, Nathan Snow, Liv, 16:44.22; 27, Teran Alears, Lew, 16:45.60; 28, Karill Apedaile, Ham, 16:46.74; 29, Kurt RedCrow, Brwn, 16:47.48; 30, Morgan Larson, Dil, 16:53.28.

Havre Individual Finishers

1. Garrett Aguillard 16:20.72; 2. marc klimas 16:30.70; 3. Dylan Stuart 18:01.36; 4. Derek VanDessel 18:07.03;5. Dolan Tuss 18:07.26; 6. Desmond Fialkosky 18:22.14; 7. Dillon Seely 19:09.76.

GIRLS

Team scores

Corvallis 79, Glendive 111, Havre 142, Columbia Falls 158, Lewistown 165, Billings Central 203, Whitefish 206, Polson 214, Belgrade 250, Browning 251, Hamilton 253, Hardin 286, Dillon 301, Livingston 334, Miles City 349, Laurel 394, Frenchtown 481, Sidney 510.

Top 30 individuals

1, Sadi Henderson, Cor, 18:30.26; 2, Alexa Horrell, BiC, 18:47.29; 3, Claudia Hewston, Pol, 18:47.72; 4, Isabella Pape, Cor, 18:51.94; 5, Paitton Herbst, Gle, 18:56.86; 6, Olivia Wood, Ana, 19:11.77; 7, Dalainy Tedesco, Lew, 19:19.05; 8, Kaycie Stewart, Cor, 19:24.15; 9, Tegan Bauer, Pol, 19:25.00; 10, Rio Frame, Gle, 19:25.47; 11, Jinise Osborne, CF, 19:34.10; 12, Jessica Wiken, Hav, 19:35.10; 13, Abbi Morgan, Dil, 19:39.53; 14, Nicole Brist, Wf, 19:46.16; 15, Jael Birdinground, Har, 19:47.56. 16, Sadie Reddick, Bel, 19:48.05; 17, Courtney Juneau, Brwn, 19:48.65; 18, Kaitlyn Poss, Lew, 20:03.46; 19, Molly Hammond, BiC, 20:05.61; 20, Samantha Mundel, CF, 20:05.83; 21, Maya Gordon, Wf, 20:06.14; 22, Madi Silvernagel, BiC, 20:08.79; 23, Makell Meyle, Bel, 20:09.13; 24, Lakyn Connors, Cor, 20:10.35; 25, Caitlin Lantis, Gle, 20:12.13; 26, Melissa Lynn, Gle, 20:20.82; 27, Reba Pierson, MC, 20:24.94; 28, Jenny Smith, Ham, 20:25.14; 29, Ashlyn VanVoast, Hav, 20:27.74; 30, Sara Amish, Ham, 20:30.87.

Havre Individual Finishers

1. Jessica Wiken, Hav, 19:35.10; 2. Ashlynn VanVoast, Hav, 20:27.74; 3. Katie Christianson 20:31.86; 4. Larissa Price 20:34.12; 5. Trisha Kinsella 20:40.32; 6. Mikell Kinsella 21:31.15; 7. Chanelle Standing Rock 21:55.60.