Williams wins conference crown
<p>Photo by Alixabeth Bronsdon - Derrick Williams, in blue, is chased by the pack at the Northwest A divisional championship last week. Williams went on to win the race.</p>
Wildcat senior Derrick Williams continued his winning streak last week, taking the Northwest A conference crown. Williams clocked 16:43 to outpace Fischer Gangemi of Whitefish by 21 seconds at the course in Polson on Oct. 14.
Sophomore James Ratzlaff took 10th with a time of 17:55 as the boys team claimed third place.
Polson edged the girls by one point to take the conference title.
"It was pretty heartbreaking," coach Richard Menicke said. "The girls ran a hard race. We have five all-conference athletes and that's great."
The Wildkats were led by Jinise Osborne, who took fourth with a time of 20:45. Meredith Stolte, Samantha Mundel, Cami Casazza, Tori Price and Carlee Browne finished 7th through 11th respectively.
If they can run in a tight pack like that at the state meet in Missoula this Saturday, Menicke said, there's a good chance they can bring home some hardware.
Williams should be the favorite at the state meet.
"This is his time," Menicke said. "(But) there are some good runners out there who will make him work hard."
Menicke said Williams just needs to be patient and run his race. He's one of the best finishers in Class A this year.
The state meet is run on the same course as the Missoula Invitational held earlier this season, so the runners are familiar with the course and like it, Menicke said. Times at Polson were higher than they have been because the course is hilly.
Boys
Team scores: Whitefish 52, Polson 59, Columbia Falls 63, Frenchtown 76, Libby 103
Top-15 - 1, Derrick Williams, CF, 16:43; 2, Fischer Gangemi, WF, 17:04; 3, Jacob Thomas, Lib, 17:06; 4, Jace Kalbfleisch, WF, 17:08; 5, Gunnar Nabozney, Ftn, 17:29; 6, Alex Nystrom, Pol, 17:39; 7, Carson Wabaunsee, Ftn, 17:44; 8, Travis Hayes, Pol, 17:47; 9, Colton Crismore, Lib, 17:50; 10, James Ratzlaff, CF, 17:55; 11, Zayne Brunz, CF, 17:58; 12, Will Holdhusen, WF, 17:59; 13, Jimmy Bjorge, Pol, 18:01; 14, Blake Normand, Ftn, 18:04; 15, Jared Rubel, Pol, 18:06.
Girls
Team scores: Polson 37, Columbia Falls 38, Whitefish 55, Frenchtown 100. Also competing: Libby.
Top-15 - 1, Claudia Hewston, Pol, 19:28; 2, Aja Starkey, Pol, 20:15; 3, Tegan Bauer, Pol, 20:24; 4, Jinise Osborne, CF, 20:45; 5, Nicole Brist, WF, 21:09; 6, Maya Gordon, WF, 21:14; 7, Meredith Stolte, CF, 21:22; 8, Samantha Mundel, CF, 21:34; 9, Cami Casazza, CF, 21:57; 10, Tori Price, CF, 22:07; 11, Carlee Brown, CF, 22:08; 12, Maja Holmquist, Ftn, 22:15; 13, Peyton Twete, WF, 22:23; 14, Hallie Hovenkotter, Pol, 22:26; 15, Emma Marchetti, WF, 22:33.