James brothers: Same sports, different schools

This weekend at the Western AA divisional track meet in Missoula, two Kalispell runners will compete for more than just a spot at the upcoming state meet.

Brothers Nick and Noah James will challenge each other in the 110-meter hurdles, where they’ve been running neck and neck all season. Unlike most siblings, they’ve been doing it for different schools.

Nick, a senior at Flathead, has been one of the top hurdlers in the state this spring.

Noah, a sophomore at Glacier, has been hot on the heels of his older brother.

“It’s complicated,” father Morgan James said. “It’s hard, it’s really torn.

“Both their mom and I have decided to just root for whoever is playing that play. We’ve been pretty lucky that they only go against each other in track.”

The two were separated when they each transferred from Whitefish for academics.

Nick chose Flathead before his sophomore year to enroll in the International Baccalaureate program. A year later, Noah went to Glacier to take part in its advanced placement classes.

While both have excelled in the classroom, they’ve only been able to compete head to head in the spring.

They played varsity football this year, but on offense, never having to meet each other on the field.

In basketball, Nick was one of the key reserves on the Braves’ state runner-up squad while Noah played JV. It wasn’t until track season that they were able to compete.

“We usually try to choose lanes separate so you know you don’t have your brother to your right side or your left side,” Nick said.

“It’s fun to have my little bro right behind me.”

The two competed last season as well, but it wasn’t until this year that Noah has been able to catch his older brother.

“I’ve ran in the same heat with him enough times I don’t think about it anymore,” Noah said. “The first time I ran against my brother last year, I just did terrible.

“I just really wanted to beat him. I think I kind of went too hard and got tensed up.”

So far, Nick has been able to stay ahead of his little brother, beating him in the 110 hurdles all but one time.

“At the (Swede) Dahlberg (in Butte) I made finals,” Noah said.

“Nick ran a better time in the prelims, but in the finals he was just clocking hurdles, hitting them really hard.”

“I took a forearm to the chest going over the fifth hurdle,” Nick said.

“I shouldn’t let it affect me but it did. I ended up hitting back to back numbers 6 and 7.”

“I felt pretty good,” Noah said.

“I ran a personal best by .1 second. He ended up getting sixth.

“I really didn’t think about (beating Nick) as much as I probably should’ve. At that point I just felt bad for Nick because I knew he had a bad race and I know what that feels like. I just wanted to cheer him up more than tear him down.”

That good will, however, goes out the window in the team sports, where each has seen their school get the better of the other.

“They’re both strong supporters of their own schools,” their father said. “So, there’s a lot of talk that goes on. There’s some pretty serious jawing that goes on, but it never gets too heated.”

This weekend the brothers say they’ll be supportive of each other.

“We both push each other and want the other to do good,” Nick said.

“When we’re seeded in seperate heats at bigger invites, I’m always gunning for Noah. So what he goes to Glacier. I’m always gunning for him to do well and if it’s a finals race, I love to have him in it.”