Darby coach Steve Gideon may have worn out a calculator at the State Class C track meet in Butte on Saturday and Sunday. As he was figuring and figuring again, the team scores as each event unfolded, the Tigers, who were the State B champions last year, were scoring points. The only problem was that Charlo was also doing the same thing.
As is traditional, the last event of the meet is the 4×400 relay. That event determined the championship. Doug Raymer, who had won the 800 and 3,200 on Friday before tying up in the 400 meter race, came back to win the 1,600 on Saturday. Even though the savvy senior won that race, he did by just enough to win, so he would have some reserves for the final relay. Jeremy Campbell also ran the mile and placed third in that race and then had to come back for the relay. When the gun sounded in the relay, Tyler Morris took off and ran his best 400 meters ever. Raymer had the second leg and was thinking he would have to make up some ground but Morris’ performance allowed Raymer to extend the lead. Campbell had the third leg and held his own. Cougan Kidd had the final leg and held off the late charging Charlo Vikings.
“Cougan had an awesome run,” said Gideon. “He kept the lead and that got us enough points to tie with Charlo for the championship.”
Darby and Charlo will both be listed as Class C champions, not co-champs according to Gideon. They each earned 63 points.
Raymer’s three individual wins were the foundation for the title but it was the rest of the team that made the championship. Campbell took second in the 800 and fourth in the high jump in addition to the third place in the 1,600. Colton Johnston finished fourth in the discus. The 4×100 relay team finished fifth as well.
Victor finished right behind the Tigers in third place. Tyler Coorough blasted off in the long jump and won with a leap of 20’5”. Teammate Kyle Ball was only a half an inch behind him with a leap of 20’4 ½”. Ball won the triple jump with a hop, skip and jump of 42’8”. He was sixth in the javelin behind Kurt Manely’s third place effort of 163’3”. The three man team finished with 41 points for third.
Darby’s Keely Ehmann had a good meet. The freshman finished fifth in the girls’ 200-meter race and was sixth in the 300 hurdles.
The Florence boys finished in third place at the State B meet in Bozeman behind Manhattan and Loyola. Dylan Reynolds was second in the 300 hurdles, second in the long jump, fourth in the 400 and fourth in the triple jump. Brady Blomquist was fourth in the 200. Madison Bolton finished second in the 1,600. The 4×400 relay team finished second behind Manhattan.
