Pack boys, Bravettes tracking upwards

Glacier coach Arron Deck likes track and field, and not just for the relays and records.

Take a couple years ago, when he was teaching a PE class.

“I was taking attendance one day and a ball rolled by,” he said. “And Tate Kauffman picked it up and dunked it.”

Which is how Deck decided maybe Kauffman, a distance runner for the Wolfpack, might be good in the jumps. As a junior Kauffman marked 42 feet, 8 inches to place second to Butte Senior Christian Hansen in last year’s State AA triple jump.

“That’s the beautiful thing about track,” Deck said. “There’s always a couple surprises. Kids come out, sometimes without a track background, and you try to expose them to as many events as you can.”

On paper the Glacier boys have the brightest outlook of the Kalispell programs this spring. The Wolfpack took fourth at last year’s State AA meet and returned a bit of talent, including Kauffman.

Sam Ells made huge strides last spring in the distances; Caleb Bernhardt was second in the 300 hurdles as a junior; the relays return mostly intact, though Kole Johnson has missed time with illness and fellow sophomore Sean Goichoechea is recovering from shoulder surgery.

“Sam (Ells) will kind of anchor our distance crew,” said Deck, who has 100 boys out. “He could jump into that four-by-four (1,600 relay) as well. He’s excited to provide some leadership to that distance crew.”

The crew includes junior Tyler Avery, a distance runner.

Meanwhile Jake Rendina and John Pyron, seniors better known for their football and soccer exploits, are out. More seniors are vaulters Jackson Barney and Joe Limberis and JakeTurner in the sprints.

Speaking of which, junior Jeff Lillard is a threat to score big in the sprints.

Deck likes his field events: Trey Roo in the pole vault, Erik Junk and Reuben Hornby in the javelin and sophomore throwers Henry Sellards, Tyler Vanorny and Aiden Krause.

Bernhardt, Deck added, “had a nice offseason and put some time in, in the weight room. Hopefully he can move up a couple places at the state meet. I know that’s his goal.”

It’s the goal of the Pack, who start the season Friday with a home dual against Helena Capital, as well.

“We’re definitely shooting for (a state trophy),” Deck said. “We want to be at our best mid-May and on. We had a great state meet last year and everybody’s back. Hopefully we can improve and get some good marks.”

Flathead’s girls were sixth at state last may with 37 points, and also return legions of talent.

“We have a lot of kids returning,” said Kaylee Fox, in her first year as head coach of the Bravettes after nine seasons as a track assistant. “Lilli Rumsey Eash will push hard at state, and I think in some of the field events we’ll start making up some ground, too. And hopefully our relays are consistent again.”

Rumsey Eash, a sophomore, is a talented distance runner. Peyton Walker, a junior, is a great in the high jump and 400. And Fox likes a short relay that includes juniors Akilah Kubi and Kelsey Copping and senior Rylee Barnes. Walker might take over for the graduated Skye Thompson.

“We were fourth last year, which was pretty cool because we didn’t have anybody in the 100 finals but our relay was competitive,” Fox said.

The long relay is pretty wide open, though Kubi was an alternate last season and Walker returns. Meanwhile Kubi could score big in the long jump, and Kennedy Moore and Walker give the Bravettes threats in the high jump.

Sophomores Mia Stephan and Afton Wride lead the triple jump, and senior Hania Halverson is a top pole vaulter. Senior Alliyah Stevens leads the way in the discus and shot put and junior Tali Miller does the same in the javelin.

A lot of these athletes helped Flathead take third in basketball and first in wrestling in March and February.

“Kind of the same as with basketball, we had that good group of sophomores and now they’re juniors,” Fox said. “We’re excited to see what they can do.”

Flathead begins its season Thursday with an unscored meet with Whitefish and Eureka, at Legends Stadium.

Glacier’s girls also have a new head coach in Hollis May, who inherits a team that is mostly youngsters behind senior hurdler Sidney Gulick.

The Pack was ninth at last year’s State AA meet, and returns a bunch of talented sophomores: Bailey Gable, Reagan Brisendine, Kiera Sullivan and Noah Fincher made up the short relay, for example.

Gulick could sub in for Brisendine in the long relay, and Brisendine is good in the long jump. Sullivan can score in the 400 and jumps, Gable is capable in the hurdles and May is impressed with Fincher’s work in the technique-heavy javelin.

“We have a huge group of freshmen and sophomores out,” May said. “They all seem to be really motivated and very coachable. They’re young, but they’ve all had some good success in their other athletic endeavors this year. So hopefully we can keep transferring that to track.”

The good news for Flathead’s boys is the numbers: 92 are out for track and field. The bad news is thus far just 48 have their 10 practices in.

Veteran coach Dan Hodge will know more in the coming week or so about his team, which scored just five points at last year’s state meet. Still, there are some solid returnees: Senior Nate Prieto in the sprints, and senior Dylan Zink, who was fourth in the triple jump, lead the way.

Prieto, sophomore Brody Thornsberry and junior Trevor Burke ran on the short relay, and Hodge feels Odin Erickson, previously a member of the Lakers American Legion team, can fill in capably.

After that, questions: Juniors Jackson and Robert Walker and seniors Gabe Felton and Grant Gauthier all ran on the long relay last year, but both Walkers got hurt in football, and Gauthier graduated early from Flathead.

Seventeen seniors and 14 juniors give way to 52 underclassmen.

“Those seniors will get all they can handle,” Hodge said. “But those other classes, with their numbers and talent, will come along and push those kids.”