THOMPSON FALLS – The Archie Roe Invitational put the Bluehawks and Lady Hawks to the test on Saturday, May 10, seeing what they were truly made of.

After the friendly competition at the county track meet, the teams faced tough opposition in Kalispell, where Thompson Falls saw a variety of teams they had yet to see. With a handful of AA schools in the mix, the number of athletes on the field skyrocketed compared to many of the smaller meets.

In this meet, Thompson Falls was able to spread their athletes out differently in a one of a kind opportunity. In the only meet of its kind in the season, the team was able to divide out their kids in varsity level, junior varsity and freshman categories. 

“We had our kids pretty spread out. It’s kind of a good meet for us in that respect,” explained Head Coach Randy Symon. “Our younger kids don’t have to compete with our older kids. They did pretty well that way.”

Overall in the varsity competition, the boys of Thompson Falls took eighth place with 17 points, behind schools like Kalispell Flathead, Kalispell Glacier and Missoula Hellgate.

Dylan Vaught took third place in the 100 meter with 11.50, while the boys relay team was able to secure second place in the 400 relay with a time of 44.68.

In the throwing events, Dietrich House placed fourth place with a length of 45-5.75.

The girls were able to bring in 26 points in the varsity competition, rounding out the meet in seventh place. 

Lady Hawk Autrey Hannum secured first place in the high jump with a height of 5-5, matching her score at the county meet where she beat the Thompson Falls’ school record. Shey Hannum came in second with 5-1. Autrey was also able to bring in second place in the triple jump with a length of 34-8.75.

In the distance portion of the meet, Tanner Laws, Kyle Kennick and Logan Naegeli all placed personal bests, something Coach Symon was proud of. 

The freshman category showed a strong future for Thompson Falls as multiple kids placed in the competitions.

McKenzie Holt won the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the shot put and also took second in the discus.

“That’s great as a freshman and it was a pretty big meet,” Coach Symon said. “There are a lot of AA schools. He did real well.”

Kade Vanelswyck took both the javelin and discus competition, while Garrett Strine won the freshman 300 hurdles.

For the girls, freshman Autrey Hannum competed in the different divisions available at the tournament. She won the varsity division of the high jump, an impressive feat, also breaking the school record with her height of 5-5. Coach Symons also said she took third in the triple jump competition. 

In the freshman category, Autrey won the 200 meter and the long jump, while Angela Padden won the JV division of the 300 hurdles. 

After such a strong performance, the team is gearing up for districts in Bigfork, although Coach Symon said the team still has some things to work on. Not only are they working on last minute adjustments, but they are working on getting their team back to full strength. 

“We have two or three kids with sore muscles and injuries. Hopefully we can rest them up and heal them up,” Coach Symon said. 

Vaught hurt his knee during the Archie Roe meet and sat out for some events he would have otherwise taken part in. The goal was to not risk it and rest him up for the meets that matter most. 

The top five in each category will compete at the district tournament. If predictions are on point, Thompson Falls girls could end up in third, while the boys have a decent shot at taking the title. 

From there, the top six will go on to divisionals where they will battle it out before the state meet.

“They are ready to compete. It’s the beginning of their move for the state tournament,” Symon explained. “Most of them are trying to qualify so they can move on to divisional.”

With the regular season over, its time for the athletes to crack down harder than ever to ensure they are ready to compete.