The Helena High boys and girls claimed strong finishes at the Mountain West Classic on Saturday in Missoula – in both varsity and junior varsity competition.
Helena’s varsity boys posted their best collective performance of the year and it showed up in the results as they placed fourth in a field of 62 complete teams, trailing only nationally ranked Coeur d’Alene (Idaho), Bozeman, and Billings West, and finishing ahead of Great Falls for the first time this season.
Coeur d’Alene placed all five scoring runners in the top 16 to run away with the victory with 45 points, while Bozeman posted 75 and West finished with 158. The Bengals, however, were nipping at the Bears’ heels, just 14 points farther back with a total of 172.
Returning all-state finisher and junior Henry Sund led the Bengals across the finish in 16:15, which was good enough for 21st place, while freshman Milo Kauffman and junior Elliot Stimpson again finished in quick succession, posting times of 16:27 in 30th and 31st. Sophomore Dylan Hill battled to 49th in 16:47 and junior Jake Matthews locked down the team’s scoring five with a personal best of 16:56 in 57th place. Also running strong for the Bengals were senior Trey Schlepp (17:10, 78th) and sophomore Garrett Hinderman (17:18, 88th). Helena’s top five finished with an impressive 40-second spread.
In girls varsity competition, Helena improved five places from their 2022 finish and claimed 13th (fifth among Montana AA schools) to continue what’s been a strong 2023 campaign. Gallatin (123) won a close battle for first against Bozeman (131), while Hardin (136) was third.
The Bengals posted 431 points – 20 points ahead of 14th place Glacier and 39 points behind 12th-place Corvallis – in a field that included 365 finishers and 48 complete scoring teams from Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
Senior Bria Plant once again led the way for Helena, this time in 69th place with a time of 20:53, while fellow senior Sofia Hinderman followed close behind in 75th with a time of 21:00. Juniors Margaret McDonald (21:20) and Hadyn Garza (21:21) crossed the finish line next for Helena in 93rd and 97th, and had it not been for a root getting in the way and a hard fall near the finish line, sophomore Kate Lee would have finished alongside them. But despite spraining her wrist, Lee quickly dusted herself off and ran the final 100 meters to secure 123rd in 21:39, which helped the Bengals hold of Glacier. The top five Bengals were separated by only 46 seconds.
Also running for Helena were freshman Mary Clement (21:53, 148th), who performed admirably in her first varsity competition, and junior Solveig Mohr (21:58, 153rd).
In JV competition, the girls flexed their depth and finished fourth as a team behind a fourth-place individual finish by junior Ella Irey, who improved on her season best by more than a minute to finish in 21:20. Next across the line for the Bengals was junior Margot Muszkiewicz, who ran a lifetime best of 21:54. About 40 seconds later, a pack of Bengals crossed in quick succession: senior Alivia Thunstrom (22:33, 24th), sophomore Wren Clum (22:34, 25th), sophomore Gabbi LaVoie (22:35, 26th), sophomore Adela Sund (22:37, 27th), sophomore Emily Davidson (22:39, 28th), and sophomore Cooper Judd (22:41, 33rd). For Judd, that was a lifetime best and it meant the Bengals claimed one fifth of the top 40 places. And freshman Ellie Coburn (23:06, 45th), and juniors Mia Carrell (23:11, 51st) and Caoimhe Gallgher (23:15, 52nd) trailed close behind, as well.
The Bengals 1-5 team spread was 1:14 which helped them stay close in the team chase, which saw the first four teams finish within 22 points of each other. Bozeman won with 69, Preston (Idaho) was second with 71, Hellgate posted 81, and Helena finished with 91. Those four teams were so dominant, fifth place Lewis and Clark (Idaho) was nearly 100 points farther back with 188.
In the boys JV race, the Bengals put two runners in the top 10 and four in the top 20 to secure a runner-up finish behind Coeur d’Alene.
Junior Eli Highness led the charge with a personal best of 17:24 to place third and junior Chris Jenemann ran to a strong 17:38 finish in sixth place. Third and fourth for the Bengals were senior Ian Rasmann (18:01, 16th) and sophomore Ed Coleman (18:18, 19th). Locking down the scoring for the Bengals was freshman Joel Melton, who ran 18:45 in 34th place, and he was followed closely by senior Ryan Maus in 42nd with a time of 18:56. Helena’s seventh man was freshman Dan Williams with a time of 19:11 in 59th.
All told the Bengal boys finished with eight personal bests and additional two season bests. The Helena girls, meanwhile, registered seven personal bests and four season bests.
But it wasn’t the times that impressed most. It was the way the Bengals competed, supported each other, and represented their school and the Helena community with character.
Next Up
After competing in four consecutive large invitationals, the Bengals head to Great Falls on Friday, Sept. 29 for the Great Falls Invite, which uses a unique format, placing teams in quads with three other opponents. After that, the Bengals return home for the Capital City 7 vs. 7 on Thursday, Oct. 5 at Bill Roberts Golf Course.
Helena High Cross Country 