The Cal Wearley is finally back

It's been a long wait, but the annual Cal Wearley Invitational track meet is finally back.

First, the 2020 meet was part of the canceled spring sports season due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Then, earlier this month, the 2021 meet was postponed due to some logistical issues. So it's been a long time coming, but the meet will finally take place Tuesday at the Havre Middle School Track.

Of course, the annual Cal Wearley is one of the biggest regular season track meets hosted by a Class C school, as the North Star Knights are the official host of the event. And, while it will also feature Class A Havre and plenty of Class B schools, it's also a showcase event for the District 9C and other north central Montana programs.

"It is fantastic to be back out on the track," North Star head coach Brian Campbell said earlier in the spring. "Track and field in the Northern C is just unlike anything else, tough competition and intense battles for the top spots. It should be a great season."

According to Campbell, one District 9C school that everyone should look out for is Fort Benton. One event that he expects the Longhorns to perform well in are the sprints as they have good sprinters in Billy Ullery, Nick Marias and Hayden Axtman. On the girls side, Fort Benton has top runners in Allie Wallace, Aspen Giese and Emerson Giese.

The Longhorns should have athletes dominate other events, as well. Marias is one of the better jumpers in the 9C and Jace Thompson should be a top pole vaulter. Abby Clark will be a top hurdler for the Longhorns and Cloe Kalanick and Maci Molinario will compete in throwing events.

"They have had the most recent success and they have more athletes out for the teams than anyone else," Campbell said. "They have to be favorites."

However, there are other athletes throughout the Hi-Line who can compete including members of Campbell's North Star squad that he believes can have success this season.

"The Knights outlook has to be pretty strong; we have good numbers out on both the boys and girls teams," Campbell said. "North Star has a rich track history and we look forward to working towards the end of the season meets and seeing where we can go."

On the boys side, Campbell believes that Jaden Sargent can have a strong season as a long distance runner for the Knights. On the girls side, Kenidee Wolery will compete in throwing events and Laynie Sattoriva will run mid-distance for the Knights.

Campbell believes there are many other athletes across the Hi-Line that can have a strong season. Toby Niederegger should have a good season as a runner for the Chinook boys team. He has already won some events this year taking first place in the 100 meters, 200 meters and high jump at the Cut Bank Booster Invitational this past Saturday.

Kade Strutz will compete for Big Sandy in the shot put and discus events. There is also Jayden Miller and Kinley Hamilton, who will compete in throwing events for the Chinook girls team.

The track and field season is now more than a month old, with many schools competing at meets like Havre and Glasgow in recent weeks. Now though, the Cal Wearley will bring the entire area back to the HMS Track one more time before the postseason hits.

The Cal Wearley Invite is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the HMS Track. The track will also host the upcoming District 9C Track Meet, which is scheduled for May 12.