Blue Hawk harriers are ready to run

Being in the sweet 16 isn’t necessarily a very good deal in Montana cross country running.

The top 15 place-winners in Montana State high school cross country meets automatically earn All-State status, but the No. 16 placing runner is left out in the cold.

The leader of last season’s Thompson Falls high school harriers as a sophomore, junior Josey Neesvig finished in 16th place in the State B girls meet last fall, one agonizing spot short of earning All-State B honors.

“You bet she remembers that,” Blue Hawk coach Sarah Naegeli said, “and has a goal in mind for this year!”

Along with fellow junior Justin Morgan, who will lead the Hawk boys, Neesvig attended a running camp in Bozeman this summer. And they now look ready to lead both sides of the Thompson Falls cross country program.

Armed with a large turnout of runners – she says 11 girls and 10 boys have showed up for practice – Naegeli is excited to see what the 2019 season brings. Thompson Falls harriers will open the competitive season competing in the Deer Lodge Invitational at Grant Kohrs Ranch Aug. 31.

“Josey and Justin have been putting in the work, they should have really good seasons,” she said. “And we have got a lot of younger runners that could also surprise some people.”

Seniors Shaylynda Walker, Amy Risser and Reagan Hanks, juniors Megan Baxter and Siera Hanks, sophomores Roni Hanks and Sarah Clements, and freshmen Ellie Baxter, Tiana Goatley and Hannah Corl complete the Lady Hawks’ current running roster.

Senior Daniel Ryan, juniors Connor Maloney, Hunter Little, Jack Green and Marc Boyd, sophomore Ben Croft and freshmen JJ Fields, Briar Palmer and Isaac Reed fill out the lineup for the Blue Hawk boys.

Naegeli said Ryan has shown marked improvement since last season, and that the addition of several more girls than they had last season, could make the girls squad pretty solid for team scoring purposes.

In her 22nd season as the head coach for Thompson Falls cross country, Naegeli has guided the program to unprecedented success during her tenure. The Blue Hawk boys won the program’s only State B championship back in 2007, took second in 2001 and third in 2013.