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In the end, the plan has come to pass.

All season long, Noxon coach Matt Havens has been aiming his track and field team towards the post season, the time of year that means the most. And, lo and behold, his Red Devil boys and girls saved some of their best efforts of the season for the best time – the District 14C meet in Missoula last week, the first level of post season competition.

“Great efforts all the way around, all the kids had to really work to place at districts,” Havens said, “and the boys end up winning second and the girls third. We are super proud of all of them for what they did last week.”

Paced by Montana’s top prep triple jumper this spring in Levi Brubaker – who won the triple jump (with a fine effort of 44 feet, .25 inches) and long jump (with a season-best leap of 21-0.75), besides running a leg on the winning 1600 meter relay, and on the second place 400 meter relay, and taking second place in the 100 meters – the Noxon boys scored 146 points to finish a solid second to Charlo, who racked up 156.

Arlee was a distant third with 67 points, Hot Springs was fourth with 53, St. Regis fifth with 52 and Plains sixth with 36.

On the girls side, senior Delaney Weltz won the discus and the javelin with season-best, State C-qualifying throws and placed second in the discus to pace the Lady Red Devils, who finished with 69 points to finish third behind Charlo (208) and St. Regis (73). Plains (59) took fourth, Hot Springs (39) fifth and Arlee (29) sixth.

Elizabeth Lampshire won the 3200 meters and took second in the 1600 to add important points to the Lady Devils’ team total.

Although Brubaker was the undeniable star of the show for the Noxon boys as he has been for the past two years, several other Noxon athletes contributed to an outstanding team performance by the entire Red Devil squad.

Delaney Weltz’s little big brother, junior Rylan Weltz won the discus (133-1), and took second in the javelin (149-10.5) and the shot put (41-1), in addition to running down fourth place in the 200 meters.

Freshman Cade Van Vleet enjoyed his finest meet of the season, winning the shot put with a monster heave of 42 feet, 5.5 inches and claiming second in the discus with a fine throw of 123-2.

Cade’s senior brother Edison VanVleet also scored big, winning the 400 meters (in 55.72 seconds), placing third in the 110 meter hurdles (17.13) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (44.10).

Edison also joined Brubaker, Jared Webley and Josh Baldwin to win the 1600 meter relay in 3:48.80, and place second in the 400 meter relay in 47 seconds flat.

Webley also won second in the 200 meters, fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 400, and Baldwin collected fifth place points in the 200.

Michael Antonich won fourth in the 3200 meters and fourth in the discus, Andy Koonce won fifth in the 3200 and Shane Reishus fifth in the 1600.

Delaney Weltz and Lampshire paced the Lady Red Devils. Weltz marked her State C-qualifying throws of 109-0 in the discus and 121-4.5 in the javelin to win those events and finished second in the shot put with a best put of 33-11.5.

Lampshire cruised to victory in the 3200 meters in a time of 14 minutes, 13.53 seconds and won second in the 1600 in 6:21.68.

Freshman Riley Richter scored points in the sprints, winning third in the 200 and 400 meters and claiming fifth place in the 100, besides winning fourth in the long jump with a personal best mark of 13 feet, 9 inches, and fellow frosh Gabby Stough won fifth in the 800.

Angel Hammel won fifth place in the 300 meter hurdles and Jaedyn Murray took sixth in the shot put for the Lady Dveils’ final placing points in the 14C meet.

Although it usually takes a top six finish at the divisional level to earn a State C bid, Havens said that the top seven placers will move on this year due to the high number of schools in the Western C division. He is totally optimistic about what this weekend in Missoula might bring.

“The kids are peaking at just the right time, mentally and physically,” he said. “That old saying holds true for sure: ‘Hard work pays off in the end.’”