Photo Gallery (Thank you Emily Davidson and Marie Matthews)
A trio of Helena High boys collected All-State finishes Saturday at the state cross country meet, but a strong meet for the Bengals wasn’t quite enough as Bozeman put together an impressive collective effort of their own to claim the title.
The Hawks finished with 56 points, Helena was second with 71, and Hellgate claimed third with 115.
Sophomore Milo Kauffman charged to the front in a gutsy move with about 1 kilometer remaining in the 5K race at UM Golf Course in Missoula and held on for fourth place in 15:49 as senior teammate Henry Sund charged to the finish line in fifth in 15:55. Senior Elliot Stimpson (16:04) claimed the third all-state finish (top 15) for the Bengals in 10th, an impressive showing considering the Bengal veteran “felt off” early in the race but managed to construct his best showing at the state meet after he placed 11th last fall.
Kauffman has now opened his career with back-to-back All-State finishes after placing 10th in 2023. For Sund, it was a welcome return to the podium. He placed 14th in 2022 and missed out on all-state in 2023 when he finished 19th and the Bengals placed third.
Finishing fourth for Helena on Saturday was junior Dylan Hill who matched his 25th-place finished from a year ago. Junior Garrett Hinderman fought hard on every inch of the demanding course en route to 27th in a lifetime best breakthrough of 16:43. Seniors Eli Highness (41st, 16:55) and Jake Matthews (42nd, 16:57) were Helena’s sixth and seventh finishers, capping off a strong season for the duo.
The top three individual places were occupied by Belgrade junior Wilson Schmidt, who stormed past the leaders in the final stretch to place first in a personal record of 15:38. Bozeman sophomore Taylor Neil was second in a PR of 15:42 and Glacier junior Owen Theil was third in 15:45.
Helena Girls Rise to the Occasion
Sophomore Isabel Ward ran a full minute faster than she’d completed a race this season and bettered her personal best by about 20 seconds in 16th – just one spot off the All-State podium – and guided the Helena girls to fifth place.
It was an exceptional performance for Ward, who suffered an unfortunate injury early this season and was confined to cross-training for three weeks and was forced to miss the first two meets. She remained positive and persevered, then put together her best race of the season when the team needed her most.
Entering the meet, the Bengals were projected to finish sixth based on season bests, but because of a strong collective effort by all seven runners they posted 154 points, just one shy of Glacier in fourth place with 153. Gallatin (52 points) won the state championship over Bozeman (68), and Hellgate (129) finished third.
Helena’s 2, 3, 4, and 5 runners finished in a flurry with only 6 seconds separating the four of them, led by senior Solveig Mohr in a PR of 20:14 for 32nd place. Freshman Lily Combs ran a PR of 20:17 in 34th, senior Ella Irey capped and impressive career that included four trips to the state meet with a PR of 20:18 in 35th, and junior Kate Lee continued an incredibly strong season in 20:20 for 37th place.
Sophomore Emmie Bermingham was Helena’s sixth runner across the line in a PR of 20:42 for 45th place and senior Hadyn Garza completed the Bengals drive to the finish line in 52nd with a time of 20:51.
Bengals On the Up
The meet exhibited the Bengals’ incredible commitment and resolve and marked another step in a positive direction. Helena’s boys placed 13th in 2021, were fifth in 2022, and finished third last season, making the runner-up finish the team’s best since winning the state title in 2003. The girls placed fourth in 2021 and bid farewell to a historic senior class, then finished 10th in 2022, climbed to sixth in 2023, and finished fifth to cap this season with a strong core of hungry Bengals returning next fall.
Next Up
In three weeks, 58 Helena High runners will travel to Boise to compete in the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships against the top runners from seven states – Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Wyoming, and Hawaii. The meet will be Saturday, Nov. 16 at Eagle Island State Park.
Helena High Cross Country 