Whitman breaks junior school record

Led by record-breaking junior Shawn Whitman, the Columbia Falls cross country teams had their best outing of the season at the Thompson Falls Invitational last Thursday.

The Wildkat girls finished third behind Class A state favorite Whitefish and Thompson Falls, a contender for Class B honors.

"I was pleased with our team grouping," CFHS coach Stephen Gasche said. "We had five girls in the top 20 and they finished only 38 seconds apart, which is the best we've done all season." All five ran their fastest times.

Leesa Benner was 10th in 20:51 with Madison Stolte 11th in 20:53. Alexas Young was 16th (21:20), Dannah Turner 17th (21.28) and Jinise Osborne 18th (21:28).

"I am incredibly proud of the girls varsity team performance," Gasche said.

Also running season-best times were Dezi Brunz (24:01), and Laura Burgess (25:51) and LE McDaniel (25:51).

Whitman set a new junior class record with a time of 16:14 in what Gasche called a "gutsy" effort, and he became the fourth fastest runner in school history. While placing second, Whitman broke the junior mark of 16:22 set by Camas Key in 1995.

Patric Jessat placed fifth in 17:09 with a strong run. Freshman Justin Whitman was sixth with a season-best 17:24.

"Justin is now showing he has the ability to compete with some of the best runners in the state," Gasche said.

Pascal Jessat had his career-best time of 17:41. Tim Chopper had a 17:44 and Michael Kruse 17:45, both career bests. Joe Gross had a season best 17:52.

"We now have eight boys who have broken the 18-minute mark, which will make us very competitive in upcoming weeks," Gasche said.

Gasche believes the Wildcat boys finished second to Frenchtown by four points, 38-42. The meet official dropped the tags of the varsity runners and the correct order of finish was lost, Gasche said.

Other Cats who ran season-best times were Kodiak Gimbel (18:28) and Ben Burgess (25:06).

"This may very well have been one of the best competitive efforts I have witnessed from our boys and girls in my career," Gasche said. "I am excited about our post-season prospects as we get closer."

CFHS closes out the regular season Saturday at Whitefish High School, a triangular meet against WHS and Libby. The junior high boys and girls run their final race of the season at 10:30 a.m. The high school boys race starts at 11 a.m. and the girls race at 11:40 a.m.

Lineberry qualifies for state golf tournament

The Columbia Falls High School golf teams rolled through three tournaments including the Northwest "A" Divisional during a busy end of the regular season.

Last Thursday, junior Tanner Lineberry carded a 90 on the par-72 Eagle Bend course — earning him 12th place in the division and a trip to the state tournament at Polson this Friday and Saturday. The Wildcats as a team did not fare as well, finishing with a 388 and a fifth-place finish. Whitefish took the divisional title with a 327, while host Bigfork at 358 and Polson at 361 claimed the other two state berths. Rounding out the scoring for the Wildcats were Mike Cotton at 98, Jordan Mueller 99, Nolan Emerson 101 and Ian Gordon 112.

The divisional title for the girls also went to Whitefish with a 351 followed by Polson at 367 and Bigfork at 409. Wildkat junior Kelsey DeWit posted a personal best of 108, but her 16th place was one spot shy of qualifying for state. Courtney Tamburelli shot 127, Olivia Williams had a 129 and Devon Goe 139.

On Tuesday before the divisional, the Wildcats dueled the Bigfork Vikings in an 18-hole battle, also at Eagle Bend. Bigfork came out on top 365-374, with Bigfork's Stephen Schuster edging Lineberry by three strokes for medallist honors.

The annual Flatfish Tournament capped off the regular golf season on Friday and Saturday at Whitefish South, Village Greens and Buffalo Hills. The Wildcats posted a two-day total of 809, led by sophomore Cotton's 95-86. Emerson and Taylor Hopkins finished their senior season by shooting 100-102 and 112-105, respectively, while freshman Brian Marcille posted a 114-107. Courtney Tamburelli was the lone competitor for the Kats shooting a two-day total of 238.