FHS boys and girls track teams opened their regular season on Thursday April 8, against C.M.R. in Great Falls, with second and first place finishes. “The kids we expected to do well came through,” said girls’ coach Joe McKay of his team. “What we would like to see happen is to improve week to week and meet to meet.” “We were competitive,” said boys coach Dan Hodge. “If we want to become a competitor (on the state level) we still have a ways to go.” After sporting a one-win season last year, the FHS softball team hopes that its fortunes will look up this season. “I think we’ll do pretty good this year,” said junior Jennifer Turner. “We’ve got a lot of experience and now we’re working more on hitting.” The softball team opened its season last Thursday with two losses to Missoula Big Sky, 0-2 and 1-5, despite improved hitting by the Bravettes. “Hey, they played well,” said head coach Gene Boyle. “We really hit the ball well. It was good to see the kids rewarded for their good work.” FHS boys tennis has had a longstanding tradition of excellence, winning state championships in ‘95 and ‘96. This year, however, the team has only one returning state player, senior Paul Wilson, and lacks experience that FHS boys tennis has relied on in previous years. The girls team is led by sophomores Tana Strand and Anne Iwerson, the top returning finishers of last year. The girls look to improve and to place during the state tournament this year. “The girls are going to be a lot better then last year,” said Strand. “We’re going to have very good competition.” The girls team fared better in its first meet of the season against Missoula Hellgate than the boys did, winning 6-1. The boys lost 2-5 despite strong performances by senior Jose Bustamante and doubles players senior Dennis Meridith and sophomore Scott Kinniburgh, who were the only victors for the Braves. “The girls really had a great first showing,” said head coach Dave Parker. “Although the boys went down, they played some very good tennis. We had a lot of close matches.” The golf team opens its season tomorrow in Missoula and plays again on April 18. Both meets begin at 8 a.m. |
