BOZEMAN — If you've been to a track and field meet that the Jefferson boys were at this season, you likely saw senior Luke Oxarart all over the place.
The Montana State football commit has taken on a sizable workload this season, competing in the 100, 200, javelin, shot put, the 400-meter relay and the 1,600-meter relay. That's certainly a full plate, but there's a very unselfish reason for taking it all on.
"It's all about the team at Jefferson," said Oxarart while at the John Tomich Invitational in Butte. "We all do events that we may not like but it's all about the team at the end of the day."
That team-first mentality has paid dividends for the Panthers who have won the past four State B team championship titles and will be looking to complete a five-peat at the Class B-C meet in Missoula.
Oxarart, who has qualified for state in all six of his events, has never known anything other than his team taking first and wanting to keep it that way has provided plenty of motivation as the postseason meets approach.
"It's pretty awesome, all the guys work super hard so it pushes everyone at practice," said Oxarart. "And at the end of the day we're all pretty good."
Oxarart is slated to join the Bobcats this fall as a safety, and the believes the skills he's honing on the track will translate to success in college.
"It makes you so much more speed dominant which at the next level is what truly matters," said Oxarart.
The Panthers have accomplished a lot these past seasons, but there's one thing Oxarart would like to cross off his bucket list before concluding his high school career — earning an individual state title.
"Yeah I'd definitely like one for myself," he said. "It would mean a lot."
