Lady Blackhawks win Class C State Championship

With temperatures hovering just below the 30 degree mark and snow on the course, the Seeley-Swan High School Lady Blackhawks flew to victory at the Class C State Cross Country meet in Great Falls, Oct. 26. They beat the two-time Class C State Champion West Yellowstone by six points after taking four of the top 10 places.

This is the fifth State Championship title for SSHS in Cross Country after it became a sanctioned sport in 1971. The Lady Blackhawks took the championship in 1973 and 1978. The Blackhawks were state champions in 1973 and 1981. The distance in 1973 was 1.5 miles. From 1976-1985, it was a two-mile race. In 1986 they extended the distance to a three-mile course until 2017 when the distance became 3.1 miles, a full 5-kilometer race.

The girls really started putting in the extra miles the last couple of weeks before state. Head Coach Zelda Haines had them running a lot of one kilometers, 800 meters and band work for finishing kicks. The team went to Condon and ran some long hills. The three dual athletes Sariah Maughan, Kyla Conley and Jayla Kauffman would practice volleyball from 4-6 p.m. each day and then mothers Dana Conley and Lisa Maughan would take them out and run.

While they each had personal goals, which many of them met, the team's goal from the beginning of the season was to win State.

"Zelda really helped a lot with focusing our team in but the want was definitely there in everyone. I think that really helped us connect," said sophomore Hannah Ayers.

When the team arrived Friday, Oct. 25 the temperature was in the upper 60s but windy. That night Haines gave each of the girls someone they needed to beat. If they were going to prevent West Yellowstone from winning their third Championship in a row, they each had to beat someone from West Yellowstone. She knew the Champion would be determined by just a couple of points.

Sariah beat West Yellowstone's Averi Parker last year for the first place individual finish. But due to being injured during the season, Sariah wasn't sure if she could catch Parker again this year.

Saturday morning they woke up to snow on the ground and temperatures well below freezing. They donned their hats and mittens and prepared as best they could for the race since there was no good place to warm up without getting their feet wet in the snow.

"Running in snow is not something you do every day," said Hannah. "We are more used to it because we are from Seeley but I think a lot of it was mentally preparing for that."

"I told them, whatever you do today, I want to see you sprinting out at the start," said Coach Haines. "And they did."

The course had a long gradual hill that runners had to do twice before a downhill stretch to the finish. Everyone agreed the second time was really tough.

"People were falling and it just wasn't a very good day for running," said Kauffman who added it was so cold.

West Yellowstone's Averi Parker took first with a 20:11.16 finish in a field of 98 Class C girls. Plentywood's Annie Kaul came in second in 20:23.29 followed by West Yellowstone's Julia Everest in third, 20:24.69.

Sariah led the Ladies across the finish line. She finished with a time of 21:18.46 for fourth place.

Sariah said she was listening to the crowd in the final stretch. She heard Emily and Kyla's name and Ava.

"I thought well I can't let [Ava] beat me because I didn't know where she was from. But she ended up being from Manhattan Christian. I was like 'I'm almost done, I can't let Emily pass me,'" said Sariah who hadn't finished ahead of her sister all season.

Emily was right behind her and took fifth with a time of 21:19.51.

"I hugged Sariah and told her she is such a competitor. She had been hurt and we couldn't run her," said Haines. "And Emily, she ran one meet and then she was off [until the last two races before state]. She had very limited racing and she did very well."

Next was Conley who was only two seconds behind Emily. She finished in sixth place with a time of 21:21.50, a new personal record.

"Kyla ran beautifully," said Haines. "She even fell down...it was slick out there."

"It made it all worth it," said Kyla. "All those times we had to run in the dark, in the rain and snow. To finish and win and PR, it just felt all worth it."

Ayers was ahead of Darby's Gracie Lang for the first two and half miles. Lang passed her with a half mile left.

"I just kind of just paced her after that because I didn't want to get beat by her," said Ayers.

Ayers stayed with Lang to the top of the second long hill and passed her at the top.

"On that long incline I told her to stay strong," said Haines. "I know she's got stronger legs and a longer stride. I told her, 'You just keep on it and you go down that hill. Sprint it for all your worth' and she did."

Ayers spirited out and beat Lang by nearly three seconds finishing in ninth place with a time of 21:33.83, her season's best.

Senior Jayla Kauffman finished her last cross country race in 54th place in a time of 26:20.9. While she was a little disappointed that she didn't beat her personal record of 25.21.8 set at the 2018 State Meet, it was her season's best.

"It was my second best time," said Kauffman and smiled.

"We needed her to compete against B schools and she was such a part of our team," said Coach Haines. "She has always been right there and she went to as many meets as she could."

Coach Haines said that Kauffman ran with Maughan and Conley after volleyball practice.

"She had an improvement of one minute and 37 seconds," said Coach Haines. "That is an amazing improvement."

Coach Haines said she was concerned when the girls didn't finish in the top three.

"But when I saw them come in as a pack, that is what I've been trying to get through to them all year is run up together and try and stay as close together as you can. That was thrilling for me to see them come in four, five, six. It was just beautiful," said Coach Haines. "And to see four of them in the top 15. That is tremendous."

Haines' son Michael was counting and told her he thought they won but they weren't sure. During the award ceremony they called up Belt, SSHS and West Yellowstone as the top three teams. They announced Belt-Centerville in third with 40 points and West Yellowstone with 21 points as second. The Lady Blackhawks won with 15 points.

"We all started jumping up and screaming because we realized we got first," said Ayers. "It's crazy that we were able to achieve it. Everyone worked really hard for it."

"To win State is pretty exciting," said Conley. "We gave up a lot for it and it felt super cool. Especially to win a state championship as a freshman."

Conley added they gave up weekends for meets, volleyball team breakfasts, football games "all just to run and compete."

Sariah added, "We didn't take first and second but at least we won as a team."

Coach Haines has been coaching for the past six seasons and this is her first State title.

"I stressed to them that they were a team out there, today. [I told them] how important each of them was on our team and they proved it," said Haines who couldn't quit smiling. "Winning a state trophy doesn't come around but once and a while so you have to enjoy it."

While the boys only had two runners this year and couldn't post a team score, Coach Haines felt that senior Levi Reinitz and sophomore Chase Haines played a very important role in developing the girls and contributing to their success.

"They loved beating them any chance they could," said Coach Haines and laughed.

The boys raced before the girls and it was colder. The boys were slipping and sliding and the snow would ball up on their spikes.

Coach Haines said Reinitz and Haines were both on pace for their first two 1Ks. The second climb of the long hill slowed them down

Haines finished 44th out of the field of 96 boys in 21:13.16. Reinitz finished in 64th with a time of 22:48.52.

"Levi came in really strong," said Coach Haines. "I am really going to miss him."

Coach Haines added, "I was so proud of all of them."