Sweet Success: Scottie Boys Stride to Second Place

The Scottie cross country team closed out the 2017 season with heart and hardware. The state meet was held in Helena on Oct. 21, and the Scotties did not disappoint. It was the second time in just a few weeks that Glasgow competed on the same course, and coach Rod Karst felt the team used the experience to their benefit. "Their performance on Saturday was so much stronger than what we showed in Helena two weeks ago," he said. "They learned a lot going to the 7 of 7 meet, and used that to make themselves better. I think they did a great job of representing Glasgow."

"The 2017 season was successful and enjoyable," continued Karst. "We obtained most of our goals with both teams moving up at state, but fell a little bit short in our ultimate goal: Boys taking state and girls earning a trophy at state."

While the girls fell just short of a trophy with their fourth-place finish, the boys earned runner-up honors behind the dynamic Manhattan Tigers. The placing for the boys is the tenth team title in Scottie cross country history.

In addition, Glasgow had three runners that placed high enough to be recognized as all-state athletes. Ellis McKean, Ike Braaten and Wilson Overby all placed in the top 15 to earn the honor. According to Karst, three more runners just missed the mark, with Merlin McKean, Emily Kolstad and Brooke Westby all placing just under the requirement.

With his time of 17:16, E. McKean had the most notable performance of the day. He placed second overall, and made history by tying as the highest-placing runner in Scottie history.

Arguably, the best part about the last meet of the year is that things look even better for next season. Karst said the team is hungry to move up in 2018. "We are a young bunch and will be back in the hunt next year," said Karst of his current roster. "We have some talented eighth graders set to move up and challenge for a spot on the team that will run at State next year. That is exciting because it will make us stronger in the long run."

"As their coach, I am extremely proud of them," he concluded.

Results:

Boys – team scores

1. Manhattan 49

2. Glasgow 59

3. Broadwater 91

4. St Labre Catholic 119

5. Lincoln County 175

6. Shepherd 213

7. Red Lodge 222

8. Colstrip 232

9. Anaconda 238

10. Thompson Falls 248

11. Poplar 294

12. Huntley Project 322

13. Powell County 375

14. Shelby 397

15. Joliet 415

16. Three Forks 427

17. Jefferson 430

18. Loyola-Sacred Heart 447

19. Wolf Point 568

20. Columbus 580

21. Roundup 581

22. Lame Deer 705

2. Ellis McKean, 17:16.2

6. Ike Braaten, 17:40.4

13. Wilson Overby, 17:58.0

17. Merlin McKean, 18:17.6

25. Jacob Meiers, 18:35.1

50. Colin Jamba, 19:17.1

65. Carl Zabrocki, 19:48.8

Girls – Team Scores

1. Manhattan 34

2. Bigfork 85

3. Colstrip 09

4. Glasgow 142

5. Lincoln County 180

6. Huntley Project 186

7. Broadwater 190

8. Red Lodge 201

9. Roundup 226

10. Malta 296

11. Thompson Falls 308

12. Shepherd 312

13. Cut Bank 314

14. Anaconda 358

15. Joliet 404

16. Poplar 404

17. Jefferson 417

18. Loyola-Sacred Heart 456

19. St Labre Catholic 487

17. Emily Kolstad, 21:53.2

18. Brooke Westby, 21:56.9

34. Ali Cunningham, 22:57.3

43. Lauren Padden, 23:28.1

52. Katie Kaiser, 24:04.7

58. Alaina Sallee, 24:10.6

125. Mattea Piersak, 28:14.8