By Tiffany L. Rehbein
BOZEMAN Ecstatic.
That was the first word to escape from KG head coach Paul Andersen after the KouGars won the State Class C track title during the weekend.
It was the second-straight title for the KouGars, who accumulated 75 points during the two-day event at Bozeman.
"I was really excited for the boys," Andersen said.
Joey Stuart, a senior, was the only KouGar to capture a first-place finish, something he did on the opening day of the meet.
So the KouGars turned to depth to pull them through to the championship.
"It was just all the different events," Andersen said. The KouGars gathered points in 15 of 17 events. "That's probably the big reason why we won."
Stuart won the long jump with a leap of 20-7 1/2 on Friday. On Saturday, he placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.14. He also placed fourth in the triple jump, leaping 42-6 1/4.
"He had quite a weekend," Andersen said.
On Friday, sophomore distance guru Aaron Smith placed second in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:28.47. The next day, Smith placed second in the 3,200 meters, clocking in at 10:01.64.
"We got big points from him in the distance, finishing second in both," Andersen said.
Teammate Eric Hanson, a senior, placed fourth in the 1,600, clocking in at 4:32.41. On Saturday, Hanson placed fifth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:02.37.
Senior Justin Antonich placed fifth in the javelin with a toss of 169-6 during the opening day. On Saturday, Antonich placed third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.25.
Jared Miller, another senior, placed fourth in the pole vault at a height of 13-0. In the high jump event, Miller placed fourth at six feet.
The KG seniors tallied 30 points for the team at state.
"They gave us a lot of leadership," Andersen said.
After Friday, the KouGars held an 18-point lead over Gardiner, who ended up scoring just six more points throughout the meet. On Saturday, the KouGars overpowered the competition.
"We had the best day we could have," Andersen said. "I can't think of anything that went bad."
Senior Eric Marshall placed fourth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.33. He also collected some points in the 200 meters, clocking in at 23.26 and finishing fourth.
Tel Sterner placed sixth in the discus with a toss of 135-7. The boys also gathered points in both relays, placing third in the 400-meter relay with a time of 44.46. The KouGars placed fourth in the long relay with a time of 3:34.81.
"It was a whole team aspect," Andersen said. "They had a goal and they were able to achieve it, which was fun. It was exciting and kind of surprising."
Park City finished second with 65 points. They were also runner-up placers last season. Northern Division rival Centerville placed third with 42 points.
This state championship equaled three for the season. The KouGars were cross country champions for the fourth-straight season in the fall, and they claimed their second-straight title in football, teamed with Blue Sky, also in the fall.
