Boys 3rd, girls 4th at Bozeman Invite

Complete results | Team pictures | Helena IR story

Boys Varsity Roundup

Junior Jonah Fisher placed seventh in a lifetime 5-kilometer best of 16:19, and led the Helena High boys to a third-place finish at the Bozeman Invitational — only 7 points behind perennial power Hellgate, but just a point ahead of upstart Billings Senior. Ten-time defending state champion Bozeman won the team battle.

Playing a big role in Helena’s team performance was the impressive move by sophomore Trystan Brewer. The Bengals’ blond bullet shaved 40 seconds off his personal record (PR) to finish as the team’s No. 2 runner in 17th place with a time of 16:46.

Buoying his effort were junior Clayton Ryerson in a PR 16:53 in 20th, senior Zane Roush in a PR 17:10 in 29th, and junior Sam Sullivan in a PR 17:42 in 48th to round out the scoring five runners. Junior Nick Pida ran a PR 18:00 in 66th and senior Eric Carlson was 93rd in 18:47.

After posting a 1-5 gap of 1:41 in their first meet in Billings on August 31, the Bengals trimmed that difference to 1:23 in Bozeman.

Hellgate’s Ian Curtis won the individual crown in 16:10, while Bozeman placed four runners in the top six.

Next up, the Bengals will test their strength on Friday, September 14 when they travel to Great Falls Invitational at Anaconda Hills Golf Course. The course will be the first this season that offers up a full dose of hills.

Girls Varsity Roundup

Freshman Kylie Hartnett continued her fast start to her Bengal career with a 17th-place finish in 20:01 to lead Helena to a fourth-place finish behind Hellgate, Bozeman and Billings Senior. Senior Katelyn McKay, meanwhile, wasn’t too far behind her teammate in 19th place with a time of 20:16.

The movers and shakers for Helena were another pair of freshman — Rylie Schoenfeld in 23rd and Kylie Wetzel in in 26th — who joined senior Jasmine Wilkerson in 25th. That group of three rounded out Helena’s scoring with determined group running. Schoenfeld ran a personal record of 20:30, Wilkerson finished in 20:32, and Wetzel trimmed nearly a minute off her personal record with a time of 20:34.

Rounding out Helena’s varsity squad were junior Alyssa Plant in 52nd (21:42), senior Paige Aasved in 62nd (22:19), sophomore Maddy Murgel in 68th (22:30) and senior Payton Aasved in 82nd (23:26).

The Bengals posted a 1-5 gap of 1:07 in Billings, and trimmed that to an impressive 33 seconds in Bozeman.

Senior Tiahna Vladic, of Billings Senior, picked up her second victory this season in 17:44, while team champion Hellgate finished with six runners in the top 12 to overcome Bozeman’s top three finishing third, fourth and fifth.