Author: grizmiler

The 2019 state meet is shaping up to be a great weekend, and you deserve it after putting in so much hard work for that past five months – ranging from summer runs in the dreadful August heat to chilly outings in the snow this fall. We couldn’t be more excited for this amazing group of Bengals. Believe and be positive!

“You must expect great things from yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

• Friday evening reminders:
  • Relax and smile, tomorrow will be fun
  • Check that your spikes are all tightly screwed in
  • Special note for the girls: Color in any logos or writing (Ex: “NIKE PRO”) on your shorts (other than the small swoosh logo) so they meet MHSA uniform requirements
  • Pack for the meet and check your bag twice to ensure you have everything you need (uniform, spikes, team warmup gear, snacks, hydration and clothing for all weather conditions; also bring money for a team meal)
  • Eat a dinner you know your body handles well (this is not a good time to change things up)
  • Do something to calm your nerves like watching a movie (comedies work great) or by reading a book
  • Smile again, remember what got you here, know how proud we all are of you, and most importantly get a good night of sleep

• Bus leave time: 9 a.m. Saturday (Athletes, arrive 15 minutes early so we’re settled and ready to roll.)
• Meet Schedule
  • 11:00 am: B-Boys; At conclusion, B Boys’ individual awards
  • 11:30 am: C-Boys; At conclusion, C Boys’ individual awards
  • 12:00 pm: B-Girls; At conclusion, B Girls’ individual awards and B boys’/girls’ team trophies
  • 12:35 pm: C-Girls; At conclusion, C Girls’ individual awards and C boys’/girls’ team trophies
  • 1:10 pm: AA-Boys; At conclusion, AA Boys’ individual awards
  • 1:40 pm: A-Boys; At conclusion, A Boys’ individual awards
  • 2:10 pm: AA-Girls; At conclusion, AA Girls’ individual awards and AA boys’/girls’ team trophies
  • 2:45 pm: A-Girls; At conclusion, A Girls’ individual awards and A boys’/girls’ team trophies
• Morning reminder: Eat a balanced breakfast you know your stomach can handle to ensure your body is fueled and ready to go for the race.

GO BENGALS! Run hard, be strong, think big.

Believe it or not, Crosstown is here. This will mark the end of the official high school season for our Junior Varsity runners and a send-off to state for the Varsity squads. The meet is Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Bill Roberts Golf Course, and begins at 3 p.m. with the middle school boys and girls race. Please arrive early to cheer on the future Bengals and Bruins, as our programs owe a lot to the work our middle school coaches and athletes put in. We will also spend some time before the races to recognize seniors from both Helena schools.

SENIOR DAY: The senior recognition ceremony will take place immediately after the middle school race. Senior runners and parents are asked to assemble near the arch with balloons by 3:30 pm. We’ve been asked to line up in alphabetical order (last name). Capital runners will go first followed by Helena High.

MEET INFO: Below, you’ll find meet information, including the school release time and other important details. At the bottom of this email, I will provide information about this week’s spaghetti feed when available.

Important Athlete Information

• Runners will be released from school at 1:45 p.m. and must find their own ride to Bill Roberts Golf Course. Try to arrive at the Golf Course by 2 p.m.
• Runners are required to stay at the golf course for the duration of the meet.
• Eat and hydrate properly throughout the day to ensure you’re not running on empty before the race.
• Dress appropriately for the weather and bring extra layers to ensure you’re not shivering or wet at the start of the race. Pack two trash bags – one to put over your backpack in the event of rain, and another to clean up after the meet.
• Wear your team gear (T-shirts and sweatshirts) throughout the meet to exhibit your school spirit and team pride.
• Pack your uniform and racing spikes or flats. This course consists of mostly grass with small sections of dirt trail. Spikes are recommended.

The meet schedule is posted below, so please review it and plan your eating and hydration accordingly.

Meet schedule:

• 3 p.m. – Middle School Boys and Girls
• 4:15 p.m. – High School Girls
• 4:45 p.m. – High School Boys

Spaghetti Feed

The spaghetti feed is hosted by the McNamara’s – the address is 16 Bitterroot Mnt Rd in Mt. City. Take the MT City exit and turn left over the freeway then the first right (Johns St by Papa Rays) proceed about a mile up the mountain and take a right on Bitterroot Mnt Rd – the house is at the end of the road – it’s gray with maroon trim.

The 7 vs. 7 meet has been canceled because of weather conditions. The Fishers still are hosting a spaghetti feed after Wednesday’s practice to bring the kids together for some good food at 720 E. 6th Avenue.

I intended to write this much earlier, so I apologize for being so late. – Coach Zentz

Meet Photos

As expected, the Mountain West Classic was full of thrills – starting with a snowy adventure driving over McDonald Pass en route to UM Golf Course in Missoula.

Sophomore Kylie Hartnett highlighted the Bengals’ strong showing with a championship in the girls division, racing to the finish line in 18:08 to best her nearest competition by 24 seconds. Her victory paced the girls to a fifth-place finish and third among Montana teams. Hartnett led from start to finish and added distance to her lead throughout the race.

Sophomore’s Odessa Zentz and Rylie Schoenfeld picked off several runners late in the race finished near even for the second consecutive week. This time, the duo posted times of 19:58 in 24th and 26th, respectively, in a race that featured 42 complete teams and 321 athletes. Sophomore Carly Ryan was next for Helena in 41st (20:24) and senior Alyssa Plant rounded out the team’s scoring in 59th (20:40). Sophomore Kylee Wetzel placed 87th in 21:12 and freshman Lexi Erdahl was 131st in 21:56.

The Bengals finished with 138 points, while the Bozeman juggernaut rolled to an impressive 40 points, and was followed by Hellgate (78), Post Falls, Idaho (125) and Lewis and Clark of Spokane, Wash. (127).

Click here for complete girls varsity results.

On the boys side, senior Jonah Fisher led the charge for the seventh-place Bengals (fourth among Montana teams) with a time of 16:47 in 30th place. Trystan Brewer wasn’t too far behind Fisher in 36th (16:56) and senior Clayton Ryerson posted a strong effort in 43rd with a time of 17:02. Helena’s fourth scoring runners was Sam Sullivan in 85th (17:41) and junior Robert Wagner put together a strong varsity debut as the Bengals’ sixth runner in 93rd with a finish in 17:47.

Sixth for HHS was senior Grayson Bonilla in 133rd (18:10), and senior Kaden Jenkins placed 195th in 18:43.

Bozeman picked up the team victory with 65 points and was followed by Hellgate (94), Lewis and Clark (149), Central Valley, Spokane (154), Gonzaga Prep, Spokane (167), Sentinel (257) and Helena (276).

The boys individual race was dominated by Lewis and Clark’s Wil Smith, who claimed the championship for the second consecutive year, this time winning in 15:35. Glacier’s Simon Hill was the top Montanan in 16:03. The boys race included 53 full teams and 376 runners.

Click here for complete boys varsity results.

In junior varsity competition, Helena’s girls finished seventh and were led by sophomores Olivia Huber (22:58) and Breanna Brewer (23:03) in 53rd and 55th. Also scoring for the Bengals were sophomore Grace Oelkers (81st, 23:36), sophomore Hannah Romney (93rd, 23:47) and sophomore Olivia Coburn (94th, 23:47). Sophomore Naomi Sweeney (105th, 23:59) and senior Tatum McNamara (115th, 24:09) rounded out the top seven.

The Bengals finished with 227 points, while Bozeman (21), Lewis and Clark (55) and Central Valley (71) claimed the top three spots.

Click here for complete girls JV results.

On the boys side, Helena placed ninth with 282 points, while Bozeman (32), Lewis and Clark (63) and Gonzaga Prep (72) finished first through third.

Junior Dallin Christensen paced the Bengals with a 31st-place finish in 18:31. Fellow junior Ethan Nelson followed him across the line in 18:36, good enough for 38th, while senior Roy Rindal was 60th (18:56) and freshmen Mason Roush (19:25) and Adam Ryland-Davis (19:33) placed 100th and 110th, respectively. Helena’s sixth and seventh finishers were sophomore Evan Stefaniak (195th, 20:24) and freshman Taylor Parisot (207th, 20:31).

Click here for complete boys JV results.

Meet No. 6 is the Butte Invitational, being held Saturday, Oct. 5 at Stodden Park in Butte. Below, you’ll find meet information, including the schedule, bus leave time and other important details.

At the bottom of this email, I will provide information about this week’s spaghetti feed, when it’s made available.

Spaghetti Feed

Friday’s spaghetti feed is being hosted by the Cunningham’s. The address is 26 Sidewinder Loop, Clancy. Food will be ready to be served at 4:30 p.m.

Important Athlete Information

1. Bus leaves Helena High School at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, which means athletes need to be at the high school no later than 9:15 a.m.
2. Pack a lunch, and also bring snacks, water/sports drink, and money for a meal on the return trip.
3. Wear your team gear (T-shirts and sweatshirts) on the bus and throughout the meet to exhibit your school spirit and team pride.
4. Pack your running shoes, uniform and racing spikes. This course is entirely on grass. DO NOT FORGET!
5. The forecast looks good, but bring rain gear, and pack two trash bags – one to put over your backpack in the event of rain, and another to clean up after the meet.
6. The meet schedule is posted below, so please review it and plan your eating and hydration accordingly.

Meet schedule:

• 11:00 a.m. Walk-through
• 12:00 p.m. JV Girls
• 12:40 p.m. JV Boys
• 1:15 p.m. Varsity Girls
• 1:45 p.m. Varsity Boys
• 2:15 p.m. Middle School (2 mile)
• 2:30 p.m. Grade School (1 mile)

Course Map

I say it often to our team, but there is no better recovery tool than your bed. As we venture into the second half of the 2019 cross country season, it is important to remember the value of sleep to a young athlete’s ability to recover properly.

We all know too well the varied commitments our student-athletes face, whether it’s school, homework, practice, family, time with friends … the list goes on. With that in mind, I just want to re-emphasize the importance of sleep, and this is an area where parents can help. Proper sleep benefits their performance in the classroom and on the field of play, and it reduces the chance of developing injuries or succumbing to illness.

Please take a moment to read this article, by clicking here.

From the article: The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teens get 9 ¼ hours of sleep per night. But most teens don’t get that much sleep, “One study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on school nights.” (Teens and Sleep, 2013) Without proper sleep, teens will have a harder time concentrating on their studies and their athletic performance will suffer.”

To prepare and budget for a trip to Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) on Nov. 14-17 in Boise, Idaho, please complete this quick form whether you intend to participate or not to allow me to solidify a roster as soon as possible. For more information about the meet itself, visit this link: https://nxrnw.runnerspace.com/

Nike Cross Regionals Sign-Up

Cost: My goal is to keep the cost under $200 per athlete, which is low considering the duration of the trip (Current estimate is about $160-190 per athlete). That cost would include transportation, lodging for three nights, meet registration and possibly a team party after the meet at a family fun event center in Boise. Athletes would be responsible for food, personal spending money and additional entertainment during the trip. We will pursue sponsors, and encourage athletes to assist, to reduce the cost as much as possible. The cost will include:

• Transportation to Boise, Idaho
• Lodging from Nov. 14-17 — three nights
• Meet Registration
• Team celebration at a family fun center or restaurant in Boise (securing bids to see if this is an affordable add-on)

Eligibility: Anyone can attend the trip, but if you intend to participate, you must attend postseason practices, which will be shared as soon as that plan is prepared.

This event presents and incredible opportunity for our student-athletes with an opportunity to participate in one of the top meets in the country, from a competition standpoint and from a presentation standpoint. Last year, we had a team of 12 athletes make the trip and would like to see that number grow.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Because this meet is not affiliated with Helena High School, as it is a post-season event, we will compete under the name Helena Novas – HHS and competition singlets will be loaned to all participants. Athletes will be asked to supply their own shorts (more on that after we get commitments).

While this event can be highly competitive at the championship level, there are multiple races that allow us to place teams with appropriate competition. This opportunity is open to all runners, both JV and varsity. Once we have a list of confirmed participants, we will place teams in appropriate races.

Once we have a confirmed list of athletes, coach Zentz will host a pizza/movie party for athletes to share important information and finalize plans for the trip.

Pictures from last year’s trip:

Meet No. 5 is the Mountain West Classic, being held Saturday, September 28 at the University of Montana Golf Course in Missoula. Below, you’ll find meet information, including the schedule, bus leave time and other important details. This should be a fantastic and very competitive meet.

At the bottom of this email, I will provide information about this week’s spaghetti feed, when it becomes available.

Important Athlete Information

1. Buses leaves Helena High School at 6 a.m. Saturday. SET YOUR ALARM AND DON’T BE LATE! It is imperative that we leave for Missoula on time.
2. Pack a lunch, and also bring snacks, water/sports drink, and money for a meal on the return trip.
3. Wear your team gear on the bus and throughout the meet to exhibit your school spirit and team pride.
4. Pack your uniform and racing spikes or flats. This course consists of mostly grass with small sections of dirt trail. The course is moderate in difficulty with gradual incline/declines and one substantial hill. The altitude is 3,100 feet.
5. The forecast looks cool and wet, so bring rain gear, a hat and gloves, and pack two trash bags – one to put over your backpack in the event of rain, and another to clean up after the meet.
6. The meet schedule is posted below, so please review it and plan your eating and hydration accordingly.

Meet schedule:

• 9:30 am – JV Girls
• 10:15 am – JV Boys
• 11:00 am – Varsity Boys
• 11:45 am – Varsity Girls
• 12:20 pm – Middle School Boys (Race 1.3 miles)
• 12:45 pm – Middle School Girls (Race 1.3 miles)

Spaghetti Feed

This week’s spaghetti feed is being sponsored by Christine Roberts at 811 Lode St.

Meet Photos

Heading into the Great Falls Invitational on Friday, Sept. 20, we emphasized the importance of the Bengals having a positive experience they could draw upon when they return to the Electric City on Oct. 26.

Safe to say it was mission accomplished as Helena High’s boys and girls approached the meet with a positive mindset and left the meet with positive vibes.

The varsity girls ran with confidence and poise en route to a team win and featured four girls under the 20-minute mark with another two incredibly close. Sophomore Kylie Hartnett picked up another solid victory, winning in 18:00, her second fastest time.

Placing seventh and eight were sophomores Odessa Zentz and Rylie Schoenfeld, who ran nearly the entire second half of the race shoulder to shoulder, and finished that way with times of 19:23, a personal best for both runners. Sophomore Kylee Wetzel was Helena’s fourth runner across the line in 16th with a lifetime best of 19:51, and sophomore Carly Ryan rounded out the team scoring for the Bengals in 21st with a 40-second improvement at 20:04.

Also running well for the Helena girls were senior Alyssa Plant in 30th (20:14) and freshman Lexi Erdahl in 64th (21:22). Their performances gave the Bengals great confidence moving forward with a solid demonstration of growing depth.

Helena finished with 47 points and reigning Class A champion Hardin was second with 129. Flathead was the second AA team in third with 131. Bozeman and Hellgate did not compete with their varsity teams. Complete girls varsity results are available by clicking here.

In JV competition, senior Jordynn Greve ran to an inspiring runner-up finish in 21:16, a 36 second improvement on her personal best. That effort led the JV girls to third place with 89 points, trailing West (50) and Flathead (81). The remaining scorers for Helena were sophomore Breanna Brewer in 9th (22:00), sophomore Olivia Huber in 12th (22:16), senior Tatum McNamara in 30th (23:19), and sophomore Grace Oelkers in 39th (23:32). Complete girls JV results are available by clicking here.

On the boys side, Helena’s varsity squad ran determined against tough competition from Missoula Sentinel and Billings West, and the top three runners posted personal bests to lead the Bengals to third place, just eight points shy of Sentinel in first and one point shy of West in second.

Senior Jonah Fisher led the charge in sixth place with a time of 16:12 (a 5-second improvement), junior Trystan Brewer placed 10th in 16:28 (a 6-second improvement) and senior Clayton Ryerson was 19th in 16:47 (a 6-second PR). Helena’s fourth runner was senior Sam Sullivan in 41st (17:17) and senior Kaden Jenkins completed the team’s scoring as the fifth runner across the line in 65th (17:48). Senior Grayson Bonilla placed 76th in 17:56 and junior Dallin Christensen finished 87th in 18:05.

Helena proved it’s ready for a fight against teams like Sentinel and West, but the boys know it will require a strong race on Oct. 26 when they return to Great Falls if they hope to challenge them for a shot at the podium.

Complete boys varsity results are available by clicking here.

In the boys junior varsity ran, junior Robert Wagner put together an incredibly strong performance to finish second with a time of 17:40 – a massive 46-second improvement over his previous best, established in Bozeman a week prior. Wagner’s performance paced the JV boys to a third-place finish with 92 points, behind West (30 points) and Sentinel (65).

Also scoring for the JV team was junior Ethan Nelson in 12th with a lifetime best of 18:08, senior Roy Rindal in 19th (18:29), freshman Adam Ryland-Davis in 26th (18:42, a 20-second PR) and freshman Mason Roush in 41st (19:06). Complete boys JV results are available by clicking here.

Meet No. 4 is Friday, September 20 in Great Falls at Eagle Falls Golf Course, and below you’ll find meet information, including the schedule, bus leave time and other important details.

Spaghetti Feed

This week’s spaghetti feed is Thursday. Amy Omang is hosting. Here is the address:  5575 Autumn Wind Ct (Hauser Lake). This is the same place that hosted the team-building event in August. If you have volunteered to bring food, please allow extra travel time to get out there by 4:30.

Athletes

1. Bus leaves Helena High School at 11 a.m. Friday. You will be released from class at 10:30 a.m. Please stay on campus after release to change and get loaded on the bus in a timely fashion.
2. Pack a lunch, and also bring snacks, water/sports drink, and money for a meal on the return trip.
3. Wear your team gear (Warmups, T-shirts and sweatshirts) on the bus and throughout the meet to exhibit your school spirit and team pride.
4. Pack your uniform and racing spikes or flats. This course is almost entirely on grass
5. The forecast looks good, but bring rain gear, and pack two trash bags – one to put over your backpack in the event of rain, and another to clean up after the meet. There is a small chance of rain in the forecast.
6. The meet schedule is posted below, so please review it and plan your eating and hydration accordingly. As you may notice, the varsity girls and boys race more than 6 hours after we depart Helena.

Schedule for the 2019 Great Falls Invite:

• 1:00 p.m. – Course Walk thru
• 2:45 p.m. – Girls AA JV
• 3:30 p.m. – Boys AA JV
• 4:00 p.m. – Girls B&C JV&Varsity
• 4:45 p.m. – Boys B&C JV&Varsity
• 5:15 p.m. – Girls A JV&Varsity and AA Varsity
• 5:45 p.m. – Boys A JV&Varsity and AA Varsity

Course Map

This is a two-lap course, which runners will navigate counter-clockwise.