MISSOULA — During the Class C track and field season, three boys high jumpers — Brant Ligameri of Cascade, Dreyden Anderson of Box Elder and Ricky Williams of Noxon — had cleared the bar set at 6 feet, 7 inches.
At the state meet Friday at Missoula County Public Schools Stadium, competing against Ligameri and Anderson brought out the best in Williams. He won the event when both Ligameri and Anderson were eliminated after clearing 6-4. Then Williams kept raising the bar, ultimately setting the new Class C state record when he cleared 6-9¼.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CLASS C STATE TRACK AND FIELD MEET:
"It makes this a lot easier for me to go up high," Williams said of the added competition. "It's hard in Noxon because we have a grass, high jump mat, so I never get to practice, really."
Williams hit his previous personal-best height of 6-8 in early May. He had struggled since, only clearing 6-0 and 6-2 at the District 13C and Western C divisional meets.
But that 6-8 mark lingered in his mind and gave him the confidence something special could be in store this weekend.
"I got 6-8 just out of nowhere — first PR before that was 6-2 or 6-4 — so then my goal was just to beat the Class C state record, 6-9," he said. "I got (6-9¼) and I'm just hyped. I got all my friends with me."
Williams had a strong group of enthusiastic supporters near the high jump mat, and they burst out in celebration when he cleared the record-breaking height. Williams did a celebratory back flip on the mat before joining his friends, whom Williams credited with helping him clear the bar.
"What they told me, too, on my first attempt (at 6-9¼), I went too much at it," said Williams, who attacks the bar with more speed than his contemporaries. "So I just focused on going up more, and then I cleared it."
Photos: 2025 Class B/C state track and field meet - Day 1
In other boys field events, Power-Dutton-Brady's Tanner Vick won the pole vault (14-0), Johnslee Pierre of Lustre Christian won the long jump (21-11), Dane Grammar of Chester-Joplin-Inverness won the shot put (47-11) and Layne Duncan of Custer-Hysham won the javelin (170-11).
On the track, Valley Christian's Brayden McCoy won the 400-meter dash (49.87) and Shaphan Hubner of Manhattan Christian won the 1,600-meter run (4:35.19).
Manhattan Christian leads the boys team race with 44 points. Cascade is second with 23, and Lustre Christian is third with 18.
Scobey and Savage are tied for the team lead on the girls side with 20 points apiece, and both teams got individual event wins.
For the Warriors, who shared the team championship with Roberts last year, Cambry Conradsen won the 400-meter dash (59.17) and Mylee Reuter won the pole vault (10-6). Scobey, meanwhile, got a win from Kaytie Aanstad in the shot (42-0).
Philipsburg's Montannah Piar took down the Class C record in the long jump, marking a jump of 17-9½ to win the event (Jolee Klempel of Richey-Lambert also jumped 17-9½, but Piar won on jumps). The previous Class C record was 17-7½, set by Alberton's Fran Peterson in 1976 and tied by Superior's Nicole Stroot in 2013.
CJI's Brynn Kammerzell won the high jump, defeating Fort Benton's Angeline Riener and Denton-Geyser-Stanford's Emma Smith on jumps. All three cleared 5-4.
And Shelbi LaBrie added to her collection of state trophies. The Whitewater senior won the 1,600-meter race in a personal-best time of 5:10.02.
"My strategy was to go out faster than what I'm normally used to and then kind of throw them off guard — just, I don't know, try something different because I knew it was going to be a dogfight," LaBrie said. "After the first lap, I was like, 'Oh, let's keep this pace for one more time.' And then after the third I was dying. I was like, OK ...
"But I could still hear someone right behind me, so I knew I had to keep it. ... They were really pushing me, that's what I got to say. I was not running that fast on my own."
The race was tight most of the way, but LaBrie ended up pulling away and winning by more than 10 seconds. She is now a three-time champion in the event and will try to win her second consecutive title in the 3,200 on Saturday.
"I'm going to get some sleep, take a nice bath," LaBrie said of her routine to reset for Saturday's action. "I just relax, take it very easy, I guess, be lazy.
"I don't know, I think my teammates might get annoyed with me because I'm like, 'Alright, lights out, 8 o'clock.' And they're like, 'OK, now.' ... They're looking at me. I'm like, 'I'm sorry, guys. Like, turn the TV down.'"
