The next-one-up approach is often talked about in traditional team sports like basketball, football, and volleyball, but Helena High cross country has embraced a version of the philosophy built on readiness, reliability, poise, and a team-first mentality to navigate a busy stretch of travel and competition.
With runners who competed in the Bob Firman Invitational still recovering from the long trip, intense competition, and shorter turnaround, Helena’s next runners up assumed varsity responsibilities at the Great Falls Invitational and delivered a girls victory and boys runner-up finish, respectively. Their junior varsity peers matched that high level of performance with a victory and runner-up finish of their own.
JV Girls
The junior varsity girls ran first, and freshman Mara Wirth led the way in her debut scoring performance for the Bengals, placing second on Anaconda Hills Golf Course’s constant ascents, descents, and hairpin turns. Wirth was Helena’s fourth runner and about ninth overall through one mile, but she steadily moved past those in front of her and looked incredibly strong through the always‑difficult middle mile. She was the fastest runner on the final major ascent and used that advantage to secure her runner-up finish behind Harlem’s J’Lynn Morgan, who won in 23:09. Wirth crossed in 23:44.
Next for Helena were senior Aven Baker in 5th (24:06), freshman Grace Williams in 6th (24:12), junior Malea Radley in 7th (24:12), and junior Kenley Higgins in 14th (25:27) to complete the scoring. Helena’s sixth and seventh runners were sophomore Iris McClain in 16th (26:07) and freshman Leah Melton in 20th (27:05).
Additional highlights from the girls JV race included junior Ava Reynolds’ debut in a Bengal uniform as she placed 27th, sandwiched between teammates Charlotte Crowley and Brigitt Bryce; freshman Asa Davant’s return to competition after missing a couple recent meets; sophomore Imara Lane’s personal record of 32:19 on arguably the most demanding course on the schedule; and fierce kicks to the finish from senior Elsie Munson and junior Erin McNeil to overtake late competition.
The JV girls remained unbeaten with 33 points, while CM Russell (71), Havre (77), and Harlem (82) secured the next three spots in a close battle for second.
JV Boys
The junior varsity boys raced second and were guided to a runner-up finish by junior Apollo Althoff in 10th (19:33) and freshman Grey Haladay in 14th (19:38). The trio of freshman Drake Nelsen, junior Sean Carney, and junior Reid Hayes rolled across the finish line next for the Bengals in 17th, 18th, and 19th to complete the scoring.
In a race featuring nine teams, CM Russell dominated with 27 points. Helena was second with 74, and Great Falls placed third with 94.
Junior Ravin Bury ran a strong race to place 24th (20:11) as Helena’s sixth runner, while sophomore Levi Johnson (20:14.4) was 27th and senior Cole Harris (20:14.9) placed 28th in a friendly fight for Helena’s seventh spot.
Varsity Girls
In varsity girls competition, Big Sky sophomore Avery Young stormed to a dominant victory in 19:21, but Helena’s pack of sophomore Mary Guzynski, junior Harper Johnson, senior Mary Clement, freshman Haddie Dailey, and sophomore Wynona Schmidt guided the Bengals to a clear team win.
Those five started the race against Big Sky and CMR a little more reserved than usual but used their strength and determination to collectively climb through the rankings over the winding final two miles. Guzynski, who also paced the varsity squad at the Butte Invitational, eventually broke away from her teammates to lead the Helena pack across the line in 5th (21:19). Despite a time that wasn’t a personal best because of the course’s difficulty, it was her strongest race of the season and arguably her grittiest performance in a Bengal uniform.
Next for the Bengals was Johnson, who continued her reliable run of results in 6th (21:25); Clement with another strong effort in 7th (21:29); Dailey with her strongest race yet in 8th (21:48); and Schmidt, who delivered the kick of the day to move past three runners in the final 100 meters and place 9th (21:52). Helena’s sixth and seventh runners were sophomore Ivy Kyle in 14th (22:23) and senior Ellie Coburn in 16th (22:23).
Helena finished with 30 points, while Big Sky posted 46 and CMR finished with 53.
After representing the Bengals in back-to-back varsity competitions, those seven standouts for the girls will provide a potent pack to lead the junior varsity team at next week’s Tracy Logan 7 of 7, regarded by many as the JV state championship.
Varsity Boys
Helena’s boys matched up against Great Falls and Big Sky and came up just four points shy of the win, as the Bison finished with 29 to Helena’s 33. Big Sky was third with 71.
Great Falls’ Ryland Crane ran a strong race up front to win in 17:47, while Bengal junior Ander Svingen and freshman Hank Coburn completed the top three with times of 18:18 and 18:21. Also finishing in the top 10 for Helena was sophomore Milo Sealey, who put together one of his strongest performances in seventh place with a time of 18:47. Junior Foster Warner was next for the Bengals in 12th (19:11), and junior Graham Coleman completed the scoring in 15th (19:19). Helena’s sixth and seventh runners were junior Ben Blanksma (16th, 19:21) and senior Titus Wetzel (17th, 19:23).
Next Up
As noted above, the Bengals return to action on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Tracy Logan 7 of 7 at Bill Roberts Golf Course. It will be their first of two home meets before state. Competition begins at 12 p.m. with JV races, followed by seven varsity races featuring the No. 7 runners, No. 6 runners, No. 5 runners, and so on. The unique format makes for a fun and unique competition.