Sports

Sports Plus

by Dan Sturdevant

DANI WARREN SOARS TO STATE POLE VAULT TITLE

Jefferson High senior Dani Warren closed out her high school career in a big way this week, flying to another state pole vault title on Friday and speaking as the salutatorian of the Class of 2008 on Sunday.

Warren defended her pole vault title Friday at the State Class B Track and Field Meet in Bozeman. The wet weather made conditions difficult, to say the least, and the pole vaulting event was moved indoors to MSU. It was late Friday night before the event finished.

Warren’s vault of 9' 6" wasn't as high as expected – she cleared 10' earlier this year – but it was good enough to earn her the title for the second year in a row. Congratulations, Dani, and thanks for your years at JHS.

Brittany Johnson took sixth place in the 3200 meter run with a very good time of 12:17.31 in the heavy rain. Johnson and Warren were the only Panther ladies to score.

Glasgow won the girls’ title with 49 points, followed by Malta with 46.75, Cascade 42, Florence-Charlton 36, Three Forks 32, Townsend 29.75, Cut Bank 28, Whitehall 28, Roundup 26, Red Lodge 24, Huntley Project 23, Seeley-Swan 20, Darby 18, Choteau 17, Colstrip 13, Manhattan 12, Big Timber 11.75, Columbus 11, Jefferson 11, Plentywood 11, Loyola 8, Shelby 8, Thompson Falls 7, Manhattan Christian 6, Plains 4, Eureka 2.75, and Deer Lodge 2.

The boys had some hard luck at the state meet. The 4x100 relay team lost the baton in one of the hand-offs and it went flying into the air. Had this not happened, the team would certainly have placed in the event.

Cody George, one of the top sprinters in the state, was called for a very questionable false start and eliminated in the 100. He came back in the 200 with an excellent run of 22.57 to take second place. Tyzer Cady of Colstrip won with a time of 22.24. Cady also experienced some hard luck at the meet. The Colstrip runner had the fastest time in the state for the 100 heading into the state meet, but his blocks slipped at the start and he took fourth place.

Jonathan Olsen came in sixth in a very fast group of 800 runners. His time of 2:02.05 was just .04 behind fifth place and .48 behind fourth place. There were only 2.15 seconds between first and sixth place in the tight race.

Saturday, the relay team of Cody George, Kohl Jones, John Towle and Jonathan Olsen took sixth place in the 4x400, even though they won their heat. The Panthers had to run in the slow heat and they took first in the heat with a time of 3:37.34.

Manhattan won the boys’ title with 62 points, followed by Huntley Project with 58, Thompson Falls 44, Cascade 40, Colstrip 33, Three Forks 31, Eureka 28, Troy 26, Manhattan Christian 22, Darby 21, Fairfield 20, Deer Lodge 20, Columbus 15, Malta 15, Glasgow 12, Harlem 10, Jefferson 10, Fort Benton 9, Plains 8, Red Lodge 7, Loyola 6, Broadus 6, Shelby 6, Baker 4, Seeley-Swan 4, Townsend 2, Plentywood 2, Roundup 2, Shepherd 2, and Conrad 1.

The top three in Class C boys were Hinsdale/Saco 66, Ennis 60, Sheridan 56. In Class C girls, the top three were Big Sandy 88 (their third straight), North Star 36, and Absarokee 28.5.

In Class AA boys: Billings West 120, Bozeman 53, Capital 52. AA girls: Big Sky 105, Billings West 97, Bozeman 70.

In Class A boys: Whitefish 59, Corvallis 56, Laurel 44. Class A girls: Polson 75, Belgrade 66, Corvallis 43.

The state track meet officially ended the 2007-2008 high school sporting season. It's been a lot of fun this year following the Panthers and I look forward to the 2008-2009 school year. Good luck to all you seniors, and thanks for all you have done at Jefferson High.

BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL CAMPS ARE ON THE HORIZON

Sports camps at Jefferson High and Boulder and Clancy grade schools are fast approaching.

Volleyball camp for 8-12th grade girls will be held June 3-5 at JHS. The camp is put on by the Montana Tech Oredigger volleyball coaches. Sessions are 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. daily. The cost is $90 and includes a t-shirt.

Volleyball camp for 3rd-5th graders will be held June 11-13, from 9 a.m.-noon at the Boulder Elementary gym, and camp for 6th-8th grade girls will be at the Clancy Elementary gym from 1-4 p.m. The cost is $20 and will be put on by the Jefferson High volleyball coaches and high school players. For sign-up sheets and information, contact Melanie Seifert at 461-3725 or 225-3317.

Girls basketball camp put on by Montana State Northern Skylights will be held June 9-11 at Jefferson High, with Skylight coaches and players providing instruction to girls entering K-12. Grades K-5, 10 a.m.-noon; grades 6-12, 1-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Cost is $50 and applications are due by May 31. Housing is available. Contact Gretchen Garwood at 406-723-8848 for applications and information.

Panther hoop camp for incoming boys and girls grades 3-5, and 6-8th grade boys will be held June 9-11 at the Boulder Elementary gym. Instruction will be provided by Coach Don Olsen and JHS players. The cost is $30 and includes a t-shirt if an application is submitted by May 30.

Sessions are 1-2:30 p.m. for 3rd-5th grade boys and girls, and 3-5 p.m. for 6-8th grade boys. Contact Coach Olsen at 225-9281 for registration and information.

These are great camps that will better each individual in volleyball and basketball.

Sports

Friday, May 30, 2008