9C track glory on the line Wednesday

It’s hard to believe, but track and field’s postseason arrives Wednesday. And it comes to the Havre Middle School Track.

Wednesday morning, the likes of North Star, Fort Benton, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Box Elder, Big Sandy, Chinook, Turner and Hays-Lodge Pole will all battle for boys and girls team titles and spots in the Northern C Divisional next week at the 2017 District 9C track meet. Field events begin at 9 a.m.

The 9C meet should be an exciting one this season, as it is every year. But it won’t just be exciting, it’s also going to be a showcase for some of the best Class C track athletes in the state, especially on the girls side.

The girls meet, which has been dominated by North Star recently, will be one to watch this year, mainly because Fort Benton and Chinook are so strong. The Longhorns have Top 10 Class C stars in Coya Nack, who is second in the shot put in Class C, second in the discus and fourth in the javelin. Senior Kaitlin Bird is bridesmaid in the 800. Maddie Thompson is second in the long jump and fifth in the 100-meter dash, and Leah Gannon is first in the long jump and fourth in the 400 at this point in the season. Fort Benton has even more depth, and the Longhorns could really push the 9C record for points on Wednesday.

However, the Sugarbeeters will have something to say in the 9C meet as well. Sophomore Megan Molyneaux is one of the top sprinters in all of Class C this season, while Rochelle Chaffin, Kourtney Hanson and Brooke Elliot are among the many Beeters who have been scoring big points all year long.

North Star, which has been a force in the 9C for many years, may not have the depth to keep up with Chinook, but Sheridan Spicher, Hali Kapperud and Mystic Farinas will try and help the Knights keep pace. Big Sandy could also make some noise, as the likes of Bailey Gasvoda, Jessica Roth and several others could score plenty of points.

While the girls meet is likely a two-team race in the 9C, points may be much more spread out in the boys meet.

Chinook and North Star come in as perhaps a slight favorite, but in reality, the meet is pretty wide open. Chinook has excellent distance runners in Kyler Johnson and Trajan Hannum while Cord and Wade Schneider are excelling in the jumps and throws. North Star will look to star Dylan Miller and Devon Miller to score a lot of points in the meet as well.

But while the Knights and Beeters might have the edge, watch out for Turner, CJI and Box Elder too. Eddie Harmon and Cody Welsch are top point-getters for the Tornadoes, while Cory Richter has had a huge season for the Hawks. For Box Elder, Trey Henderson leads a deep and athletic team, capable of making a run at the team title Wednesday.

Of course, team titles aren’t the only thing up for grabs Wednesday in Havre. Every 9C athlete competing is trying to extend his or her season. The top six finishers in each even will qualify for next Thursday’s Northern C Divisional meet in Great Falls, and the top six from there advance to the Class C state meet later this month in Laurel.

The District 9C meet gets underway with field events Wednesday morning at the Havre Middle School Track.