Caleb Tomac takes fourth at state cross country meet

This past weekend, the season came to an end for the Havre High cross country teams. On Saturday, the Blue Ponies competed in the Class A state cross country championship meet at the University of Montana Golf Course in Missoula. Several runners for the Ponies ran well as the HHS girls team finished sixth in its race while the HHS boys team took ninth in its meet.

"Overall, we did right about where I thought we'd end up at state this year," HHS head coach Erin Lynch said. "It all shook down how I figured it would on both the boys and girls side. We had some really strong final performances for the season from a lot of our individual runners so I was really proud of them for that."

The HHS boys team scored 277 points to finish ninth in its race. Livingston won the boys race with a score of 78 while Whitefish came in second and Corvallis took third. In the final race of the season, several runners for the HHS boys team put their best foot forward.

Caleb Tomac has had a strong year for the Ponies and he capped it off at state with a fourth-place finish with a time of 16:39.32. The race caps off a season for Tomac where he finished in the top five in six of his eight races. While he dealt with sickness early in the year, Lynch liked how he recovered to end the season.

"He really put together a great final race for the season and I think he was pretty happy with where he finished," Lynch said.

The next best-finish for the Ponies was Zack May, who took 52nd with a time of 18:14.87. Right behind him was Brody Henry in 53rd, who posted a time of 18:17.22 in his final race as a Pony.

Ezra Goldhahn took 71st in the race with a time of 18:51.27 and Mason Gregoire took 97th with a time of 19:34.60. Coming up in the rear for the Ponies was Dylan Kunz in 130th place and Koby Preputin in 142nd place.

The HHS girls team scored 211 points to take sixth in its meet. Hardin won the girls race with a score of 37 while Corvallis finished second and Columbia Falls took third. In their final race of the year, many Ponies for the girls team ran well.

At the end of a stellar season, Hailey Gingery finished 16th in the race with a time of 20:38.15. In six of her nine races this fall, Gingery had a top-10 finish for the Ponies. Gingery will have another few years for the Ponies, so Lynch liked how Gingery progressed over the course of her sophomore season.

"Overall this season, Hailey came on really strong and just stuck with it," Lynch said.

The next best runner for the Ponies was Jayla Meldrum who finished 37th with a time of 21:38.69. In the middle of the pack were several runners for the Ponies. Paige Anderson finished 51st with a time of 22:35.61 and Gracie Shandorf took 53rd with a time of 22:39.40. Just behind her in 54th was Clara Haslem with a time of 22:39.51. Rounding out the pack for the Ponies were Ariel Ost in 75th and Hannah Kinsella in 94th.

The Ponies were not the only runners from the Hi-Line to compete in Missoula this past weekend. Along with the Class A races, the Class AA, the Class B and the Class C championship races also took place at the UM Golf Course.

Other schools from the Hi-Line that also competed at meets in Missoula include Fort Benton, Chinook, Harlem and Rocky Boy. Anna Terry from Chinook took seventh place in the Class C girls race with a time of 20:51.4.

The Ponies are set up well moving forward. Runners such as Tomac and Gingery will return, so both HHS cross country teams have strong runners leading the way. Along with the younger runners in the program, Lynch believes the Ponies are in a good position moving forward.

"We're in a team that's in that building process. We have a lot of younger runners who are vying for some varsity positions for next year," Lynch said. "I think they have big plans to put in some time outside the season and start the season even stronger so that we can build it into something even better."

Boys Individuals

Caleb Tomac, 4th, 16:39.32; Zack May, 52nd, 18:14.87; Brody Henry, 53rd, 18:17.22; Ezra Goldhahn, 71st, 18:51.27; Mason Gregoire, 97th, 19:34.60; Dylan Kunz, 130th, 20:52.55; Koby Preputin, 142nd, 22:21.42.

Girls Individuals

Hailey Gingery, 16th, 20:38.15; Jayla Meldrum, 37th, 21:38.69; Paige Anderson, 51st, 22:35.61; Gracie Shandorf, 53rd, 22:39.40; Clara Haslem, 54th, 22:39.51; Ariel Ost, 75th, 23:31.41; Hannah Kinsella, 94th, 24:10.36.