Still flying forth for more track and field conquests, Thompson Falls teams won second and third place in team scoring at the District 7B meet in Eureka Saturday and qualifying Blue Hawk athletes now wing on to Missoula for the Western B divisional meet at MCPS Friday and Saturday.

A placing effort in Missoula would then propel each of those worthy, battle-tested Hawks on to the State B meet, also to be held at MCPS May 29-30.

Since the State B is where everyone ultimately wants to be, registering a placing effort at the 7B meet was the first step in the process of making the way back to Missoula, and many a Blue Hawk, especially with the boys, took that first step with their performances in Eureka.

Eureka won the boys 7B meet with 146.5 points, Thompson Falls was second with 131.5, Plains third at 128, Mission fourth 79 and Troy fifth at 32.

Plains claimed the 7B girls crown with 155 points, Eureka (145) took second, the Hawks (82) third, Mission (75) fourth and Troy (55) fifth.

With 17 of her 23 boys earning placing spots and berths into the Western B, coach Trenna Ferris was understandably pleased. “We have good numbers on the boys side and that plays a part,” she said. “We were able to score in the events that we thought we could and then snuck in and got some places that we thought were a possibility. That was fun!”

“We are very happy and proud of the kids who really stepped up and competed to get out of Districts. We had some right on the bubble and they knew they had to perform to knock someone out of the competition,” she added. “It is fun to be taking several freshmen. I love when they get to experience postseason events.”

Ferris was also impressed with her Hawk girls in Eureka. Addy Deal, Aubrey Baxter, Lexi Franck and Matea Keefe scored all 82 team points for Thompson Falls.

Both among the best all-around sports athletes in the Montana high school ranks in any class, Deal and Baxter were particularly productive busy bodies for the Hawks in the 7B meet. Deal won the javelin and discus throws, placed second in the pole vault and third in

the long jump, while Baxter won second place to Deal in the discus, second in the long jump, second in the 200 meter dash and third in the 400 meters.

In her spare time last week, Baxter won ninth place in the Western B golf tournament in Anaconda and qualified for the State B tournament in Billings this week.

Back on track, Franck continued her outstanding sophomore season by placing in four events, winning second in the 100 meters, fourth in the 200, fifth in the 400, and another fifth in the long jump.

Keefe claimed sixth place in the high jump.

Freshman flash Alex Newman also continued his outstanding spring in leading the boys, winning second place in all three of the sprints – the 100, 200 and 400 – and in the long jump, besides running anchor on the third place 400 meter relay.

Junior Brylon Van-Elswyk won the javelin with a throw of 144-8 and sophomore Weston Block won the 3200 meters (in 11:06.47) for the Hawk boys’ other individual event wins in Eureka. Block also placed fourth in the pole vault with a personal best mark of 9-3.

Jacobe Wood threw the discus a season-best 111-9.5 to win second in the discus, Thomas Pate pitched the shot put 37-3.5 for second place, Hank Stone won third place in the pole vault and fifth in the 200 meters, Chase Helvey took third in the 400 meters and sixth in the 200, and Evan Lofthus won fourth place in the triple jump and sixth in the 400.

Dean Williams won third place in the high jump and sixth place in the javelin, Teagan Dorscher placed fifth in the long jump, Kolter Marjerrison tied for fourth in the high jump, Carson Kenney cleared a personal best 8-9 to tie for fifth in the pole vault, and Easton Deal won fourth place in the javelin.

Nathan Baxter tied Marjerrison for fourth in the high jump and placed sixth in the 1600 meter run and the triple jump, Toby Susic won fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus, and Wyatt Brotherton took fifth place in the discus.

The 400 meter relay of Stone, Dorscher, Kenney and Newman won third place, and the 1600 meter relay quartet of Helvey, Block, Deal and Brogan Anderson placed fourth in that race.