Cats Champs! Wildcats defeat Blue Devils to win state

This time, the tables were turned. In a total team effort, the Columbia Falls boys track team won its first ever state A title last weekend downing Corvallis 98-72 in Missoula. It was payback to the Blue Devils, who beat the Wildcats last year by 11 points.

And the victory couldn't have been sweeter.

"I'm so proud of the team," coach Jamie Heinz said. "Everyone played a part in the championship."

"We were counting the points, and once we learned we had the points, the team went crazy," senior Nathan Thompson said. "To be a senior and to go out on top, that's all you can ask for."

Thompson won the triple jump with a leap of 44-6. On Friday, Derrick Williams won the 1,600 with a time of 4:19.50, edging Chris Jessop, of Corvallis, who ran a 4:22.81. Last year, Jessop beat Williams by just a few hundredths of a second.

"I was still worried he was going to catch me," Williams said. "I didn't want it to come down to that again."

On Saturday, Williams won the 800 with a time of 1:55.17, but Jessop edged him in the 3,200 by a little more than seven seconds.

The Cats also won the 1,600 relay. Daniel Jones, Williams, Justin Whitman and Anthony Correa clocked a 3:25.89 to outdistance Billings Central.

Correa also won the 400 meters on Friday, edging Charles Old Chief, of Browning, by just two-hundredths of a second. Correa said he knew he had the win.

"I had the lean," he said.

Correa said he doesn't really enjoy running.

"I do it to stay in shape for basketball," he said.

But judging from his smile, he sure enjoys winning.

The Cats also had great performances from several other athletes, Heinz noted. Freshman Josiah Osborne took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.47.

"A freshman placing in the 100 meters at state is unheard of," Heinz said.

Correa also took third in the 200 with a time of 23.36, and Justin Whitman was third in the 800 with a 1:58.20. Thompson also took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 20-3 and second in the javelin with a throw of 181-9.

Kodiak Gimbel was sixth in the 300 hurdles with a 41.26 and third in the triple jump with a leap of 42-7. He was also in a three-way tie for third in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet even. The boys also took third in the 400 relay with a time of 43.84.

Heinz said the future looks bright.

"Our goal is to become a dominant track program in the state of Montana," he said.

The team gave him a golden shovel with the words "Dig, Dig, Dig" on it. It was a phrase he used continually throughout the season. The girls team didn't have an athlete place at the meet.