It's all on the line in Havre

When it comes to the District 9C track meet, few teams prioritize it like the North Star Knights do and that's why when the competition is held again Wednesday at the Havre Middle School track, the North Star boys will come in as the five-time reigning champs.

However, North Star isn't the only team with multiple titles recently, as the Fort Benton girls are also two-time defending champs and just as they did last season, both teams will look to successfully defend their titles when the 9C track meet begins Wednesday at 10 a.m.

"As usual the field for the 9C is really strong," North Star head coach Brian Campbell said. "Both of the team titles will have to go through Fort Benton - they currently have more numbers than the other teams and they also have as much talent as any of the teams in the state. Year in and year out the 9C has some of the best track athletes in the state and this year is no exception. The competition should be fierce and the marks should be strong."

One thing that has helped both the Knights and the Longhorns over the years has been depth. North Star head coach Brian Campbell has been successful in getting kids out for track and it has paid off in recent years.

Yet, with two key figures, Dylan Miller and Devon Miller, gone from last season's team, which captured both the district and Northern C Divisional championships, the Knights are going to have their hands full against the Fort Benton boys, a team that features a bunch of reliable point scorers such as Garrett Diekhans, Damon Bird, Nick Marais and Connor Schnabel, who are each projected by the website Montana Track to score points at the Class C state track meet

North Star is the only other 9C team to have any boys projected to score points at state and those are expected to come from senior Caden Rettig, who has been a key contributor the past few seasons. He is strongest in the 200-meter dash and the pole vault, although he will likely compete in at least five events Wednesday.

Last year, Rettig placed in five different events, finishing in the top five in both the 100 and 200, while also winning the long jump, taking second in the pole vault and getting third in the triple jump. Jaden Sargent, who is fresh off a first-place finish in the 800 over the weekend at the Havre Invite, is another key point-getter in the 800 and 1,600. Hayden Massar in the hurdles and Daniel Nerat in the throws are others to watch.

Individually, there will be mostly new district champions in the boys events as the only other returning champion is Turner's Cody Welsh, who won the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump last season. Spencer Richter will lead the way for Chester-Joplin-Inverness. Big Sandy, led by Brock Proulx, Parker Proulx and Ryan Roth could be another trophy contender.

"If the Fort Benton girls win it will be their third title in a row," Campbell said. "The two (Fort Benton) Longhorn teams will also be strong competitors at the (Northern C) divisional next week. The North Star boys are trying to win their sixth team title in a row, but it will be difficult because of numbers and lack of depth."

Fort Benton, which is looking for its third straight title, is the favorite to win the district title again, yet other teams such as CJI and Chinook should also figure into the mix. Leah Gannon, Allie Wallace and Abby Clark are three of the leading individual performers for the Longhorns, who stand out in the running events, the hurdles, the jumps and in the relays.

When it comes to CJI, the Hawks will have one of the contenders for top overall point scorer in Tatum Hull, a freshman who has put together a spectacular season. Hull has competed in five different events this year, the 100, 200, 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. The only one she hasn't won at least once is the 200.

Chinook, which has finished second the last two years to Fort Benton, will be led by sprinter Megan Molyneaux, who won both the 100 and 200 at last year's district meet. Kourtney Hanson, a distance runner should also help the Sugarbeeters in the 800, while Raynee Hasler, the defending district champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 will also be competing.

"Individually, senior girl's like Megan Molyneaux from Chinook, Leah Gannon from Fort Benton, and Janae West from North Star are looking for big meets in their swan songs," Campbell said. "I think that the two relay teams for the Fort Benton boys are possible record breakers. Possibly, Tatum Hull from Chester-Joplin-Inverness taking a run at the long-jump and triple-jump records."

While the team competition is certainly a focus for every team in the district, the other goal is sending as many kids to the Northern C Divisional as possible and in order to do that, athletes need to place in the top five. Field events start at 10 a.m. Wednesday with running events kicking off at 11 a.m.