On a hot and sunny Thursday afternoon that made every mile feel a little more difficult a mile above sea level, Helena High cross country delivered another impressive collective effort at the Butte Invitational.
With both varsity squads competing without their usual top seven who are racing Saturday at the Bob Firman Invitational in Spokane, the Bengals relied on depth, grit, and exceptional team support to produce standout results across all four races.
The girls finished second in the varsity team race, while the JV girls kept their perfect record intact with a fifth victory in as many races. The varsity boys placed seventh with 193 points, just six shy of Hellgate’s 187, and the JV boys were runner-up to CM Russell. Hellgate and Bozeman were also competing without their usual top seven in both varsity races; otherwise, teams had their full complement of runners.
Girls Varsity
Helena surged to second with 102 points, edging Billings West (103) by a single point, while Gallatin pulled away for the victory with 66.
Senior Mary Clement (17th, 20:26.0) led the Bengals out with a courageous early effort, setting the tone in the opening two miles. Just behind her, sophomore Mary Guzynski (16th, 20:25.3) put together an incredibly strong second half, catching 10 runners in the final 2.5 kilometers and finishing with a confident kick to the finish to pace Helena across the line.
Sophomore Wynona Schmidt (27th, 20:56.2) and junior Harper Johnson (28th, 20:59.7), meanwhile, ran steady and reliable races in the middle of the pack, and freshman Haddie Dailey (30th, 21:02.8) posted a personal best to lock down Helena’s scoring.
Helena’s depth made the difference in the team standings as Ivy Kyle (37th, 21:27.6) and Ellie Coburn (41st, 21:30.1) both finished ahead of West’s fifth runner, which provided the margin needed to secure the Bengals’ narrow second‑place finish.
Guzynski, Clement, and Schmidt all posted season‑best times.
Skyview sophomore Kallie Clayton won the race in 18:26.9, followed by Big Sky sophomores Avery Young in 18:42.9 and Cecelia Huckeby in 18:59.3.
Boys Varsity
Despite losing their third runner to injury about two miles in, the Bengals still battled to seventh place with 193 points, narrowly trailing Hellgate’s 187. CM Russell won with 50 points, while Billings Senior (74) and Billings Skyview (114) finished second and third.
Junior Ander Svingen (23rd, 17:44.6) led Helena through the first half, while freshman Hank Coburn (25th, 17:45.6) and sophomore Milo Sealey (52nd, 18:29.0) both moved up significantly in the second half with Coburn climbing four spots and Sealey 10 to stabilize the Bengals’ scoring.
Junior Graham Coleman (58th, 18:43.7) and senior Titus Wetzel (65th, 18:52.9) rounded out the scoring five, while Apollo Althoff (67th, 18:54.4) was Helena’s sixth runner. Junior Ben Blanksma, who was running strong as the Bengals’ third runner, was forced to step off the course after suffering an injury.
Svingen’s time was a season best and Coburn’s was a personal best.
Preston sophomore Alex Scott won in 16:09.2, followed by Billings Senior junior Quindell Yellowtail in 16:27.2 and senior Oliver Brown in 16:28.1.
JV Girls
The JV girls kept their perfect record intact, winning their fifth straight race with a dominant 34 points. Gallatin was second with 81 and Hellgate third with 105.
Junior Alexa Pipinich (2nd, 21:51.8) led the way, putting pressure on eventual winner Myla Flaten of Gallatin (21:44) throughout the race. Senior Aven Baker (3rd, 22:24.7) and junior Malea Radley (5th, 22:38.8) had breakthrough races to earn spots in the top five and leave the meet with big, well-earned smiles.
Senior Kumari Leland (11th, 23:15.1) was Helena’s fourth scorer, freshman Grace Williams (13th, 23:22.8) closed out the scoring five with a strong finish, and freshman Mara Wirth (16th, 23:25.9) wasn’t far behind. Sophomore Iris McClain (32nd, 24:06.8) delivered a big kick to finish as Helena’s seventh runner.
The JV girls produced a wave of improvements. Season bests came from Baker, Radley, Leland, and seniors Ellie Zipfel (24:52.4), Ava Irey (25:02.1), and Astoria Holzer (25:39.8). Personal bests were run by Wirth, McClain, freshman Leah Melton (25:41.2), sophomore Charlotte Crowley (25:43.8), freshman Nara Kauffman (25:45.3), junior Maizy Parrett (25:47.0), freshman Mary Dietz (25:48.9), sophomore Abby Fries (25:52.4), junior Margherita Giuliani (26:01.3), and sophomore Imara Lane (26:04.7).
JV Boys
The JV boys put together a strong team performance to finish second with 55 points, trailing only CM Russell (20). A pair of up-and-coming newcomers paced Helena.
Freshman Drake Nelson, running his first race as a Bengal, dug incredibly deep in the second half. And in the closing stretch, he unleashed a fierce kick to run down a pack of CMR runners and finish second overall in 18:36.6.
Freshman Grey Haladay (8th, 18:58.9) ran a brave race of his own, going out with the top five and nearly holding his position to the finish. Junior Sean Carney (14th, 19:10.3), sophomore Levi Johnson (18th, 19:23.8), and freshman Abe Loveland (19th, 19:33.2) rounded out Helena’s scoring five, with Cole Harris (25th, 19:50.5) and Brice Beutelschies (34th, 20:11.3) closing as Helena’s sixth and seventh runners.
Season bests came from Carney, senior Dane Moser (20:42.2), and sophomore Ben Cupino (22:14.8). Personal bests were recorded by Haladay, Beutelschies, junior Carlo Gonzales (20:21.5), freshman Kroy Bermingham (20:33.2), freshman Samuel Royal (21:31.0), senior Thomas Peres (21:33.8), freshman Clinton Stops (21:55.8), senior Ronin Downing (35:51.5), sophomore Gabe Waits (22:38.1), and junior Santi Arguelles (24:57.4).
Next Up
As noted at the top, Helena’s top seven boys and girls will compete Saturday in the elite division at the Bob Firman Invitational in Spokane. The meet will feature some of the top-ranked teams and individuals in the country and will provide an exciting challenge for the Bengals. Live results and a live broadcast will be available, although the video feed does require a fee.