Charlo leads Class C teams in Frenchtown meet
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FRENCHTOWN – The sun was out at the Frenchtown TNT meet Saturday and the Charlo track team shined, with both the Vikings and Lady Vikings finishing in fifth place and leading all Class C teams at the event.
Sophomores Deondra Brown and Dawn Blevins placed in three individual events to help the Lady Vikings score 40 points and finish just three points shy of fourth-place Corvallis. In his first meet of the season, Stephen Delaney also placed in three individual events to help the Vikings score 54 points and finish 38 points ahead of Hot Springs, the nearest Class C competitors.
Deondra Brown finished fourth in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the 200 and 400. Brown shaved nearly two seconds off her 400 time from last week, finishing in 1:07.27.
Competing in her first meet of the season, Blevins finished in fourth in the javelin and 800-meter run and fifth in the 1,600. Blevins, who finished in sixth in the javelin at last year’s divisional, had a personal best throw of 105 feet, 7 inches.
Blevins and Brown also ran a leg on Charlo’s third-place 1,600-meter relay team. Along with Brittany Shaver and Rachel Hoyt, the four finished in 4:32.8, nearly 12 seconds faster than last week and they still have room to improve, according to Charlo coach Bret Thompson.
Charlo hurdler Schaelyn Fell looked more like herself in the high hurdles. After finishing in sixth last week with a time of 18.88 seconds, last year’s divisional winner finished in third with a time of 17.63 seconds.
Senior Stephanie Maughan finished in third in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 8 feet, 3 inches and Alex Esterby finished in sixth in the discus with a throw of 91 feet, 3 1/2 inches.
Delaney came out of the gates strong for the Vikings. He finished in third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.23 seconds. Delaney just missed out of competing at state in the 110 hurdles last year, but he did compete in 300 hurdles and Saturday he finished in fifth with a time of 46.27 seconds.
Delaney finished in sixth in the triple jump with a personal best 38-feet, 4.25-inch jump. Thompson said if he stays healthy, the triple jump is something Delaney can excel at.
“He’s (Delaney) faster than last year. I think that’s really going to help him,” Thompson said.
Delaney, taking the place of Austin Bauer, ran a leg on the Vikings’ 4x100 relay team, which finished in fourth. Delaney, Chico Stipe, Chance Firestone and Tra Ludeman finished in 46.35 seconds. Charlo’s mile relay team finished in third with a time of 3:41.03.
Stipe finished fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.71 seconds and fifth in the high jump, clearing the bar set at 5 feet, 6 inches. Stipe’s time in the 100 was a little slower than last week, but Thompson said any time less than 12 seconds this time of the year is good and there are a lot of little things Stipe can improve on.
After scratching in the long jump last week, Firestone finished in second with a mark of 19 feet, 5 inches. One inch further than his fifth-place jump at divisionals last year. Firestone also finished in third in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 6 inches – a foot less than his vault to finish third in the state last year. Jame Petersen cleared 12 feet to finish the second.
Thompson said both Petersen and Firestone have been vaulting higher in practice than where they finished Saturday, “But hopefully that will make them come back and work even harder.”
In his first meet of the season, Viking senior Houston Blevins finished in third in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 2 inches.
The Vikings could have overtaken Thompson Falls for fourth-place if Ludeman, a freshman, would’ve competed in the varsity events. Ludeman won both freshmen hurdle events with times quick enough to place in the varsity races.
Charlo will compete in the Thompson Falls Invitational Thursday.
