Patrick Wolf won't be able to defend two individual state track championships later this month.

The New Town senior's track season ended two weeks ago when he broke his right fibula during an amateur basketball tournament in New Town. The break was severe enough to require surgery. A plate and six pins are holding his lower leg together.

Wolf, who was at the New SalemInvitational in Bismarck on Saturday, said he'll trade in his cast for a boot this week, but it'll be some time before he'll be ready to compete at a high level.

"It's really tough. … I was looking forward to having a good spring," said Wolf, who won Class B state titles in the boys 1,600 and 3,200 last year. "But they're telling me that I probably won't be competing in anything until next spring. What makes it tougher is I had a really good start to the year. I ran in only two meets, but I had good times."

True. Going into Saturday, Wolf still had the state's fastest time in the 3,200 (9:57.7), and the second fastest in the 800 (2:02.54). He was No. 4 in the 1,600 (4:38.54).

Wolf also was a member of the New Town 3,200-meter relay team that posted an 8:18.80 - the best time in the state, thus far.

"I was ahead of where I was last year at the same time," Wolf said. "I was hoping to finish it off in a big way. It just didn't work out."

Wolf said he normally wouldn't play in a basketball tournament during the track season. However, he decided to do so two weeks ago in honor of friend and former teammate Maurice Morsette, who passed away last year.

"I wanted to do it to honor his memory," Wolf said. "I didn't think anything would happen. I've played basketball a long time and never had a serious injury. But that day, one of the guys dove after a loose ball and rolled over my leg. It snapped. It was just one of those things."

Wolf, a two-time Class B cross country champion, has signed a national letter of intent to participate in basketball, cross country and track next year at Dickinson State University. In all likelihood, he'll sit out the cross country and basketball seasons.

"That's the way it's looking right now," he said. "It was a bad break. It's going to take time to heal."

The thought of being idle that long doesn't sit well with Wolf.

"I run or play basketball all year long. … It's hard to stand by and watch everybody else," he said. "I'm used to being active."