Page 61 - Flathead Beacon // 4.1.15

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SPORTS
APRIL 1, 2015 | 61
LEFT: Glacier players celebrate the game-winning run in the first game of a doubleheader against Flathead last year.
RIGHT: Flathead High School track coach Dan Hodge, right, runs starts with students during a team practice at Legends Stadium. BEACON FILE PHOTOS
TENNIS TEAMS QUICKLY PREP FOR STATE
The high school tennis season is a short one in Montana, with players only given barely two months before postseason action. In the Class B ranks, Adam Jordt and Isaac Martel are back as the third- place doubles team in the state. In the AA ranks, Glacier’s Spencer Johnson, now a junior, is searching for a new part- ner after Greg Jones graduated from the fourth-place state doubles duo. In Class A, Emily Getts, a junior, is hoping to build on last season, when she placed fourth at state in singles. Whitefish’s Heather Luedke, a senior, is searching for a doubles partner after placing fifth at state in doubles alongside Caroline Carbo, who has graduated.
TRUEBLOOD AND THE WILDCAT SOFTBALL TEAM
Senior ace Ashley Trueblood is back in the circle for the Columbia Falls softball team. Last season Trueblood earned first team all-conference as the Wild- kats’ ace, notching 236 strikeouts in 17 games. The Wildkats narrowly missed out on the state tournament, going 8-12- 1 overall and 2-6 in the highly competi- tive Northwestern A conference. With a solid core of players back, Columbia Falls has its eyes on the state tourna- ment. Carlee Brown, an all-conference outfielder is back along with Winter Kemppainen, an all-conference infield- er. As always, the Wildkats will have stiff competition in the conference schedule. Frenchtown won the Class A champion- ship last season and finished 23-1 over- all. Polson, another perennial state con- tender, finished 18-5. Libby picked up the third seed in the conference, going 19-7 with an impressive lineup. Every
NWA game should be competitive this season and definitely worth watching. The Class A state tournament is May 21- 23 in Anaconda.
FLATHEAD’S HODGE TO BE
coach and long distance coach Paul Jor- gensen, who was inducted in 2001, and former girls track and field coach Joe McKay, who was inducted in 2001.
CLASS B QUALIFYING STANDARDS
Class B athletes can now qualify for the state meet during the season instead of waiting until the divisional meet. New qualifying standards have been estab- lished creating marks for each event. If an athlete surpasses a mark, they’re au- tomatically entered into state. For ex- ample, if a male sprinter runs 11.50 in a regular-season meet with proper tim- ing equipment, he earns a trip to Ka- lispell’s state meet. Individuals can still qualify at the divisional meet, too. Class B joined Class AA and Class A by adding the qualifying standards. •
INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL
GATES TAKES OVER
HALL OF FAME
BRAVETTES SOFTBALL
Longtime Flathead coach Dan Hodge will be inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame on June 19 in Minnesota. Hodge is entering his 39th season as head coach of the Braves track team and 43rd overall in Kalispell. Under Hodge, the Braves have won six state champi- onships, tying him for fourth most in state history, and 16 divisional titles. His teams have also placed second at state seven times and second at divisionals 10 times. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 2013. He was in- ducted into the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998. He will be the third Flathead coach inducted into the na- tional hall of fame, joining cross country
PROGRAM
Tasia Gates is back at her alma mater hoping to rebuild her former team, the Flathead Bravettes. The former stand- out shortstop for the Bravettes who graduated in 2004 is the team’s new head coach, replacing Ashley Fusaro, who stepped down after three seasons. Gates is inspired to help Flathead regain its winning ways on the softball field and has Abbie O’Brien, an all-conference honorable mention selection a year ago, back leading Flathead, which finished 5-15 last season.
TRACK & FIELD STATE QUALIFYING STANDARDS
BOYS
EVENT AA A B
GIRLS
EVENT AA A B
100 11.30 11.50 200 22.80 23.40 400 51.20 51.50 800 2:01 2:00 1600 4:34 4:36 3200 10:04 10:15 110 HURDLES 15.70 16.30 300 HURDLES 40.40 41.80 SHOT PUT 49-0 48-0 DISCUS 148-0 142-0 JAVELIN 173-0 166-0 HIGH JUMP 6-3 6-0 LONG JUMP 20-9 20-5 TRIPLE JUMP 42-3 41-8 POLE VAULT 13-6 13-0 400 RELAY 43.80 44.60 1600 RELAY 3:30 3:32
11.60 23.30 52.00 2:02.4 4:41 10:27 16.20 40.90 46-9 138-0 167-0 5-11 19-11 40-9 12-0 45.30 3:34
100 13.0 200 26.70 400 1:01.01 800 2:24 1600 5:28 3200 12:06 100 HURDLES 16.30 300 HURDLES 47.48 SHOT PUT 35-3 DISCUS 113-0 JAVELIN 115-0 HIGH JUMP 5-1 LONG JUMP 16-6 TRIPLE JUMP 34-0 POLE VAULT 10-6 400 RELAY 50.60 1600 RELAY 4:12
13.20 13.30 27.0 27.0 1:01.00 1:01.70 2:26 2:26 5:31 5:34 12:13 12:22 16.50 16.80 47.60 48.80 34-10 34-6 107-0 108-0 114-0 115-6 5-0 4-10 15-10 15-5 34-1 33-4 9-6 9-0 51.40 52.30 4:14 4:20