SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW: BFHS track and field expects to be competitive in all events

This season, 64 athletes will suit up for the Bonners Ferry High School Track and Field team, including a few record-breakers, district champions and state competitors from last season.

“We have a really good group, and the work ethic is high,” said head coach Travis Hinthorn, class of 1990 Badger alum, who is starting his 21st season as the varsity track and field coach. “We have less than the 85 kids we had last year, but we are more experienced, and we have good balance. We’ve got all the events covered.”

The teams’ strength is predominately in field events, particularly the girls' throwers, Hinthorn said. Senior Helene Rae, who took third at state in shot put last year at 41-10.25, recently committed to throwing at College of Idaho next year. The girls’ throwers also have great depth with many strong athletes. 

But the team is also coming off a strong track season, finishing with the best boys’ 4x200m time in the district at 1:35.66 a season ago, as well as the best girls’ 4x100m relay in the district at 51.00. 

Three of the four in the girls' relay are returning this season, including Makenna Baisden, who took second at state last year in the 400m with a personal record time of 59.15, a half-second off the school record. 

“We’re experienced; we have a lot of coachable and smart athletes, and we’re fairly fast,” Hinthorn said. “But it’s not all sprinters and traditional events. We’ve been stronger in our field events, and that has a lot to do with our coaching staff, because not a lot of schools have as many coaches as we do.” 

The Badgers have five paid track coaches, including Paul Bonell, who has coached various sports for BFHS since the early 2000s. The newest full-time coach is Morgan Burt, a class of 2022 Badger alum who was crowned state champion for pole vaulting three seasons ago. The Badgers also have four volunteer coaches, including school resource officer Jason Trujillo. 

Hinthorn, who began coaching in 2000, was involved in the fundraising effort the year he started to flatten the terrain and construct a new track, as well as fundraising for equipment, the equipment shed and the concession stand in 2002. 

“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “A lot of these sports facilities are here through fundraising that goes on for them. The baseball and softball fields, the new bleachers on the football field, that was all donated.” 

BFHS will host a duel on March 20 and a 13-team invite on Saturday, March 22. In previous years, the March invite has surprisingly been some of the best weather of the season. 

Beyond that, the Badgers will not host any other meets, but the invite in nearby Spirit Lake late this season is a good barometer of how the Badgers will compete come playoff time. 

“The Timberlake invite is always nice because it’s right before districts,” Hinthorn said. “You get an idea of where you’re going to be at the end of the season. We’ll go up against about 30 schools.”