Crosstown time for track

The crosstown frenzy continues.

Following tennis, softball and boxing matchups the last two weeks between Glacier and Flathead, today they square off on the track at Glacier High School.

Competition begins at 3 p.m.

Flathead swept last year’s track dual at Legends Stadium, giving its boys and girls 4-1 series marks versus Glacier.

This will also be perhaps the busiest stretch of the season for both schools. Flathead has a triangular meet with Hellgate and Sentinel in Missoula on Thursday, then the A.R.M. Invitational in Whitefish on Saturday.

That’s four meets in eight days for the Braves and Bravettes.

Glacier, following the crosstown, is off until the A.R.M.

“They have some kids hurting and I have some kids (hurting),” Flathead boys track coach Dan Hodge said.

“We were both down in Butte (on Saturday). Three days later we have a pressure meet (in the crosstown). That’s tough on the athletes to go hard in their events (in Butte) and then come right back and compete at a peak level (for the crosstown). They need a little R and R.”

The athletes, and coaches, would also like some cooperation from Mother Nature.

“We need nice weather for the athletes to loosen up and have fun,” Hodge said.

“Track hasn’t been fun the last week or so for their kids and my kids because of the weather. I hope it’s 10, 20 degrees warmer (today).”

The Glacier boys finished third in Butte and Flathead was fourth.

Flathead’s Zach Perrin, 800 and 1,600, and Matthew Tokarz, long and triple jump, were double event winners in the Mining City.

Glacier’s Kyle Griffith finished second to Tokarz in the jumps in Butte.

Perrin and Glacier’s Troy Fraley are AA’s top distance runners. Fraley was 3 1/2 seconds behind Perrin in the 1,600 and five seconds back in the 800 in Butte. Fraley finished second and fourth, respectively, in those events.

If those four athletes do go head-to-head today, it could make for some exciting performances.

The triple jump on the girls side will also showcase two of the state’s best in Flathead’s Kwyn Johnson and Glacier’s Leah Cook.

“They bring out the best in each other,” Glacier girls track coach Jerry Boschee said.

“It should be fun to watch.”

Johnson won the Great Falls Optimist Invitational last Saturday with a distance of 37-1/4 inches. Cook was second at 36-7 3/4.

Flathead finished fourth at that meet while Glacier was 10th.

“Flathead’s strengths are in the jumps and sprints,” Boschee said.

“Ours are more in the distance events and throws. It will balance out. It should make for a close meet overall.”

But Boschee said if the outcome comes down to the relays “we’re in trouble.”

Four of the meetings with Flathead have been decided by eight points or less. One year the outcome came down to the final event.

Boschee is also concerned about the health of his team.

“We’re the walking wounded right now,” he said.

Anna Deleray, a senior who missed all of last year and first month of this season, saw her first action last week in a triangular. She finished second in the 800 with a time of 2:21.87. She was fourth in Great Falls in 2:21.55.

“It was exciting to see her perform again,” Boschee said.

“She’s one of those kids you love to root for. It will be fun to watch her (against Flathead).”

Deleray, who had a stress fracture in her foot, will run the 400 today.