The firsts are slowing starting to add up for Thunder Mountain High School and on Saturday the young Falcons claimed an historic track and field team title at the Region V championships on their home turf. It is the first Region V championship in any sport for the Falcons since becoming certified by the Alaska Scholastic Activities Association three years ago.

Coaches at Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain all agree that the team championship at this weekend’s Region V Track & Field Championships is going to be a matter of inches or seconds.

“Overall it is going to be a competitive meet,” JDHS distance coach Greg Frank said. “One of the reasons for that is because the 4A meet is scored as a Tri-Meet. Calculating it out, it’s very close between Ketchikan, JDHS and TMHS for the boys. So close in fact that one DQ, slip up, great or poor race can decide the region title. It becomes more about top athletes than depth.”

The rain and cold did not hurt the Juneau-Douglas High School girl’s softball team’s batting styles in a two game series against the visiting Colony Knights this weekend.

The Melvin Park fences couldn’t hold in the stroke from Randi Held on Friday night as she pasted a pitch over the left field chain links with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

“It is my first grand slam ever,” Held said. “I just didn’t try to kill it. I just relaxed. It sure feels really good.”

Thunder Mountain freshman Maddie Hall was all smiles as she ran. And she has something to smile about.

It is not her wins in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs this weekend at the Capital City Invitational track and field meet at Falcons Field. It is not setting a few personal records or accounting for 30 team points.

Even though she did those things on Saturday, that smile is something else.

“It’s a secret,” Hall said on Saturday. “I do like running. Just new goals to make and new times to reach.”