Blue Devils lead way; boys’ team race is tight

LAUREL — Olivia Lewis still has serious wheels and the Whitefish girls have some work to do.

Lewis, the best of a powerful Corvallis squad, ran a personal-record 400 Friday at the State A track and field meet, winning in 55.52 seconds.

She’d only run the race once this season, clocking 57.98 five weeks ago. Apparently Whitefish’s Brooke Zetooney (second, 57.14) and Rachael Wilmot (57.14) bring out the best in her.

The defending champion Blue Devils have 40.5 points after the first day of competition, and Hamilton is a close second at 40. Hardin sits third at 29.

Whitefish (16.5 points) and Columbia Falls (14) are sixth and seventh.

The Bulldogs can make up some ground in the 100 and 200 Saturday, though Zetooney had a false start in the 100 trials before running the fastest 200 heat of the day (25.43, with Wilmot right behind at 25.63).

The Wildkats got all their points from Soli Bullemer (11 feet, a PR) and Emma McAllister, who finished 2-3 in the pole vault.

Libby’s Capri Farmer was fifth in the 3,200; teammate Bergen Fortner was third in the long jump, which Ella Varner of Corvallis won at 17-6.25.

The Bulldogs got depth points from Hailey Ells, who tied for sixth in the high jump, and Bailey Smith, who was fifth in the javelin.

Corvallis also leads a tight boys team race with 26.8 points; Hamilton has 25, and Columbia Falls and Whitefish are tied for third at 20.

The Wildcats got a win from Banyan Johnston in the high jump — the freshman was one of three to clear 6-0, and won on criteria over Tristan Anderson of Libby and Noah Butterfly of Browning.

Columbia Falls’ Jack Phelps provided a fourth in the 400, and teammate Lane Voermans was fourth in the shot put. The Cats’ Oliver Kress was fifth in the pole vault.

Malaki Simpson clocked the fastest trial times in both the 100 (11.08) and 200 (22.39) Friday.

The Bulldogs’ Carson Krack was third in a tight 400 meters, running a PR of 49.78 — the Blue Devils’ Derek Criddle won in 49.23 — and was also second in the long jump to Glendive’s Kohbe Smith.

Bigfork’s Jack Jensen followed up his 2023 State B title in the 800 with another Friday at the State A: he won in 1:54.52, a PR.

Whitefish junior Simon Douglas had his PR (1:55.89) in that race as well, finishing third.

Polson’s Astin Brown took fourth in the shot put, throwing 53-0.

Full results can be found at athletic.net.