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  • 29 Jun 2013

    Missoula's Riley King starting out in Arizona League

    It was about three weeks ago now that the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball snatched up Missoulian Riley King in the 2013 MLB first-year player draft. The 19-year-old outfielder quickly chose baseball over returning to the hoops program at Carroll College, signing to play in the Royals' minor league system and jetting off to Arizona and Kansas City's extended spring training facility in Surprise. That was the last time we'd heard from the Missoula Sentinel graduate. Well now an update: King will remain in Arizona, at least for now, with the Royals' rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona League this season. King boarded a plane for the southwest on June 11, two days after finishing his pro paperwork. All of the recently signed draftees from the organization would be there before getting divvied up along the minor-league ladder. When the Arizona Royals opened their season on June 20, the 24th-rounder from Missoula was in the starting lineup batting fifth. He hasn't had the success that fans of the Missoula Mavericks had come to expect on a daily basis, but then again this isn't exactly Montana American Legion pitching he's facing either. King has a .208 batting average through six games and is still looking for his first extra base hit. Still, he's nothing if not consistent. King opened the season on a three-game hitting streak and has hits in five of the Royals' first six games. He's also one of only seven position players on the team who hasn't committed an error yet. None of the other six has played in more than five games either. We'll keep you up to speed on any happenings related to Missoula's recently drafted baseball star throughout the summer. Should King get the call up to advanced rookie, one step up in the minor league system, his destination will be Idaho Falls and the Chukars of the Pioneer League. Missoula plays two series against the Chukars this summer, once at home July 13-15 and once on the road July 20-23. King will have to play some inspired ball in Arizona to make the jump in the next two weeks for a trip back to Missoula. Until that call finally comes, he'll have to start trying to enjoy that broiling Arizona sunshine.

  • 13 Jul 2013

    Hellgate hoops star Tinkle gets offer from Utah

    He may have only finished two years of high school this spring, but Missoula Hellgate basketball forward Tres Tinkle has already caught the eye of recruiters at the college level. The University of Utah became the first program to offer Tinkle a scholarship and a spot on its roster, both being for the 2015-16 season. The Utes likely won't be the last to show their interest in the rising Montana star, though. Mountain West Hoops first reported the offer Saturday morning. The basketball site ranks Tinkle, a 6-foot-6 small forward for the Knights, as its No. 1 player prospect in the region for the class of 2015. Tinkle, the son of current University of Montana head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle, helped Hellgate win a State AA basketball title this spring. On the way to the school's fifth state championship, Tinkle averaged a hair under 20 points per game (19.9) to go with 8.3 rebounds per game and a .567 shooting percentage. The Tinkles do have a connection to Utah. Missoula native Larry Krystowiak is the current coach of the Pac-12 squad and a former head man of the men's program at UM. Wayne Tinkle succeeded Krystowiak as Griz head coach seven years ago in 2006 after serving as an assistant for five seasons, two under Krystowiak's regime. Tinkle, an all-stater as a sophomore, still has two years of eligibility left as a high school player before he has the chance to move on to the college ranks. That means two more seasons to improve and mature as an all-around player. Should he continue along the path he's forged so far, quite a few more letters of interest should be showing up at the Tinkle doorstep.

  • 13 Jan 2015

    Sims nearing college choice, visits to MSU, UM planned

    Back in early December, Corvallis prospect Jesse Sims de-committed from Oregon State, University where he had planned to play college football, after head coach Mike Riley left for Nebraska. Almost six weeks later, he's coming closer to making a decision -- again -- to where he will take his football talents. But not quite yet. "There's honestly not a whole lot new since then," Sims said Monday evening after a Corvallis basketball practice. "Still just waiting to see what kind of coaching staff they'll put in." The "they" in that statement is of course Oregon State, where Sims said he'd still like to play. An NCAA Division-I program in the Pac-12 Conference, the Beavers were Sims's first choice when he committed back in August and they'd still be now. But Sims wants to play tight end and he needs to make sure the Beavers still want him. New head coach Gary Anderson runs a different offense and Sims is uneasy about the role -- or possible lack thereof -- that tight ends might play in the system. In the meantime Pac-12 schools like USC and Arizona State are courting the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder, as well as Nebraska. But he's keeping his options open, too. Sims will make official recruiting visits to Montana's two D-I FCS programs this month. He visits Montana State this coming weekend, Jan. 16-17. He'll be in Missoula the next weekend, Jan. 23-24, to see the program at Montana and new head football coach Bob Stitt. Could the locals pull off the coup and snag this once promising Pac-12 prospect? We should know soon enough. National signing day is right around the corner, Feb. 4.

  • 05 Feb 2014

    UPDATED: National signing day 2014's list of western Montana football commits

    UPDATED: It's been a little over two months since college football had its big signing day. We brought you this list at that point, but it's gotten quite a bit longer since then -- up to 39 area signees.

    It's national signing day 2014 and the National Letters of Intent are flying around this morning with local athletes securing their spots for the future with college football programs. We'll keep you updated with the area players who have made their commitments known throughout the day. Here's a quick look at what we have so far, both in signings and other forms of commitment. Don't forget this is just a bare bones list right now and it will be updated often. Don't see your name or your kid listed here? Leave it in the comments, or get in contact with us at anthony.mazzolini@missoulian.com or on twitter (@ajmazzolini). With out further ado: MONTANA (6) Tristen Clark, WR, Deer Lodge Evan Epperly, S, Glacier Sean Foley, WR, Whitefish Carson King, LB, Dillon Tyler Richtmyer, LB, Sentinel Kole Swartz, DE/TE, Hellgate MONTANA STATE (2) Hunter Mahlum, S, Hellgate Noah James, RB, Glacier CARROLL COLLEGE (5) Pat Kosena, WR/DE, Loyola Sacred Heart Tony Madsen, RB/DB, Loyola Sacred Heart Matt McHugh, QB/DB, Loyola Sacred Heart Andy Nemec, Athl, Hellgate Andrew Weltz, QB, Polson MONTANA TECH (8) Axel Bladholm, OL/DL, Flathead Zach Dennehy, OL, Glacier James Foote, OL/DL, Big Sky Zach Gavlak, DE, Stevensville Coleman Katen, WB/DB, Florence Cameron Nissen, TE/DE, Bigfork Mick Paffhausen, WR/S, Dillon Ethan Reich, RB/LB, Anaconda ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE (3) Kyle Behner, RB, Stevensville Keenan Hendrickson, OL/DL, Florence Brady Pickering, QB, Florence MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN (4) Connor Benn, QB/CB, Ronan Jeremy Eisenmann, OL/DL, Sentinel Kagen Khameneh, TE, Sentinel Rob Johnson, OL, Stevensville MONTANA-WESTERN (10) Josh Bauder, QB/DB, Hamilton Chris Bergman, WR, Stevensville Teague Blome, WR/DB, Hamilton Kris Cleveland, WR, Hamilton Donovan Hucke, OL, Dillon Wyatt Jenson, OL/DL, Polson Jake McElroy, OL/DL, Loyola Sacred Heart M.J. Simkins, DB, Dillon Calub Thilmony, LB, Whitefish Matthew Turley, LB, Hamilton DICKINSON STATE (1) Bryce Wigert, OL/DL, Anaconda Special thanks to Slim Kimmel over at the Billings Gazette and all you folks sending in your signings for helping fill in some blanks too.

  • 03 Feb 2015

    UPDATED: 2015 national signing day's western Montana football commits

    UPDATED: With fall camps just around the corner, the list of western Montana natives in the Missoulian's coverage area has swelled near 50. Take a look:

      It’s national signing day 2015 and the National Letters of Intent were flying around this morning with local athletes securing their spots with college football programs. We’ll keep you updated with the area players who have made their commitments known throughout the day. Here’s a quick look at what we have so far. Don’t forget this is just a bare bones list right now and it will be updated often. Don’t see your name or your kid listed here? Leave it in the comments, or get in contact with us at ajmazzolini@missoulian.com or on twitter (@ajmazzolini).   MONTANA (4) TE Colin Bingham, Missoula Big Sky DE Andrew Harris, Kalispell Glacier S Josh Sandry, Bigfork DE Jesse Sims, Corvallis MONTANA STATE (5) LB Josh Hill, Kalispell Glacier LB Tanner Hoff, Hot Springs WR Logan Jones, Kalispell Glaicer QB Brady McChesney, Kalispell Glacier DE Byron Rollins, Missoula Sentinel EASTERN WASHINGTON (1) TE Jayce Gilder, Corvallis NORTH DAKOTA (1) TE Brock Shaide, Missoula Big Sky CARROLL COLLEGE (1) WR Paul Wilson, Missoula Hellgate MONTANA TECH (9) WR/RB Nate Gray, Hot Springs RB Jackson King, Missoula Sentinel WR/RB Danny Mannix, Flint Creek WR Sam McCamley, Kalispell Glacier WR Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls OL Matt Murphy, Missoula Big Sky OL Truman Pisk, Kalispell Glacier DB Tucker Rauthe, Kalispell Glacier LB Ike Schweikert, Columbia Falls MONTANA WESTERN (12) OL Zach Brown, Hamilton RB/LB Joe Caicedo, Darby WR Devin Cochran, Kalispell Glacier RB Cory Diaz, Missoula Big Sky RB/LB Jason Ferris, Dillon QB/S J.D. Ferris, Dillon WR/DB Justin Ferris, Dillon QB/DB Bo Hughs, Loyola Sacred Heart (transfer) RB/LB Raymond Matt, St. Ignatius LB Connor McKillop, Missoula Sentinel WR/DB Austin Ray, Corvallis OL Spencer Ross, Columbia Falls MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN (6) RB Zach Crace, Libby LB Travis Crawford, Missoula Big Sky FB Lane Foster, Hot Springs DL Trevor Frandsen, Missoula Big Sky MLB Jonathan Gragg, Missoula Hellgate OL Ryan Handley, Missoula Hellgate ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE (3) LB Joe Gallatin, Polson DE Jesse Grabowska, Florence RB Marty Pigeon, Loyola Sacred Heart DICKINSON STATE (1) DB Cain Boschee, Kalispell Glacier LEHIGH (1) OL Harrison Kauffman, Kalispell Glacier MACALESTER COLLEGE (1) WR Jack Streibich, Whitefish

  • 18 Feb 2014

    One-legged Huntley LB earns walk-on spot at MSU

    A year and a half ago Koni Dole's life -- let alone his football future -- took a devastating turn when an on-field injury forced the amputation of his right leg just below the knee. Monday afternoon, Dole continued one of the great comeback stories not just in Montana, but anywhere in prep sports by earning a preferred walk-on spot with the Montana State Bobcats to play football next fall. Dole, a two-way player for Class B Huntley Project, suffered a nasty compound fraction in the final game of Huntley's regular season in 2012 when Dole was a junior. He'd be back wrestling for the Red Devils before the end of that school year though and was back on the football field with the aid of a prosthetic the next fall. His story and his performance continued to impress MSU football coach Rob Ash, who'd had the Huntley Project player on his radar before his battle to get back started grabbing headlines. "Koni Dole is probably one of the toughest and most courageous young men that I've ever known," Ash said Monday when the Cats announced five walk-on players to wrap up their offseason recruiting. "But I want to point out we're offering him this spot not out of any feeling good or sympathy or anything like that. He's a good player. He came to our camp last June and performed extremely well. He's incredibly strong, very tough. A great weight room guy, an extremely instinctive player." Dole committed to the Cats last fall but the school didn't announce his status with the football program until this week. As a preferred walk-on, Dole will compete for a roster spot at Montana State and one of the coveted athletic scholarships for the future.

  • 04 Apr 2014

    Latest Loyola golf stars ready to continue run

    Following Tommy Tirrell's tie-breaking chip-off victory Friday that earned him second place at the Loyola Sacred Heart Invitational golf tournament, he carried his iron off the 18th green to talk to a waiting reporter. They introduced themselves, having never met before. Tirrell didn't garner too many interviews in his sophomore or freshman seasons golfing at Loyola. "You probably talked to Tom last year," Tirrell said, no hint of animosity in his statement of fact, just an observation. Tom Swanson, and with him Maggie Crippen on the girls' side, dominated the action for the Rams and Breakers golf teams over the past few seasons. Each are gone now onto NCAA Division I programs, but the Loyola golf legacy still has some sheen on it. The Loyola teams flashed it at their home invitational this week, the season opener for action without their multi-medalist leaders in camp. Swanson and Crippen were each three-time State B individual champions in their last three seasons of high school golf before graduating last spring. Swanson headed off to Michigan to swing for the Wolverines while Crippen is now on the links with North Dakota State. In their place is a new crew that isn't really very new at all. The top two girls and boys each played important roles in the past few seasons, though as sidekicks to their well-known superhero teammates. "And I think that even we didn't know how far along they had come," Loyola head golf coach Julia Jones said following the conclusion of this week's Loyola Invite. Tirrell and Jared Geer, who battled it out for second place Friday, were both top 10 finishers at state last year. So were Sadie Crippen and Brooke Bezanson on the girls' side, Crippen nearly knocking off her older sister before finishing second in the state meet. They seem to be stepping into the empty shoes with gusto as Loyola looks to continue its half decade of sheer state dominance. The boys are five-time defending champs, tied for the most consecutive wins at any boys' level with the 1993-97  Columbus team, while the Breakers have five straight state-trophy winning seasons with top-three finishes. Right there in the middle in 2011 is the program's only championship. "I think the expectation that they have is that if they work hard enough that it will continue," "And we've got good leadership. Jared Geer is our only senior, so they're young, but they're pretty well seasoned." Other players like Tom Sellman and Bryan Swanson for the boys and Madison Purdy, Julia Downing and Rosie McCormack for the girls will keep pushing those top pairs as the Rams and Breakers continue their march on Class B golf.

  • 07 Jun 2013

    Lacrosse sticks for summer

    Missoula Sentinel students Alvin Adams and Sean McCoy will get the chance to play lacrosse this summer thanks to the generosity of a local lacrosse enthusiast and their Life Skills Department teacher. The Sentinel duo, who finished their freshman year of high school Friday, received hand-made custom lacrosse sticks from Tucker Sargent, University of Montana club lacrosse coach, after he was contacted by para-educator Christian Bitterauf. The sticks were part of a "graduation" celebration for the students who successfully finished another school year. The wooden sticks, which also have the boys' names engraved in them, came from Sargent's new business, Sargent Sticks. The Life Skills department at Sentinel serves students with mild to moderate cognitive and physical disabilities.

  • 18 Jan 2014

    Sentinel's Jaydn Wilson narrowly misses Jug Beck 3-peat

    It's been a long time since Missoula Sentinel wrestler Jaydn Wilson had lost a match at his Spartans' home tournament, the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic. That's three years to be exact. As he won his way into the semifinals of the 2014 addition of the tournament this weekend, the 37th such holding at Sentinel High School, he'd come to the spot where a freshman Wilson had been knocked off the championship path. In between were more than 15 wins. But that streak came to an end in Saturday's semifinals.Wrestling Clarkston (WA) big man Dylan Beeler at 220 pounds, Wilson owned a 3-1 advantage with moments left in the third and final period. Beeler got the upper hand and scored a two-point takedown to tie things up with five seconds remaining in the period. The boys battled to a stalemate through the first minute-long overtime and went to a second. With Beeler starting from the down position, he pulled away for an escape and even scored another takedown in that 30 seconds to go up 6-3. During Wilson's turn in the down position in the second 30-second section, he failed to make up the ground and was even caught for what looked like a near-fall. Beeler could have tallied three more points with the near-fall as time expired but the match finished with that score and Wilson's first loss in three years of Jug Beck matches. But the Sentinel senior didn't let it get him down. He followed his two Jug Beck championships with a bronze in this year's event. He pinned Helena Capital's Dillon Coffman in the consolation semis and then beat Mead's Mason Ju 7-2 in the consolation championship. The Spartans' most dominant wrestler improved his record to 27-2 in matches held at the Classic.

  • 12 Feb 2015

    Entry to Montana wrestling's Four-Timers Club just got tougher

    Winning four straight state wrestling titles is hard enough, but the reclassification of weight classes in Montana that began this year will likely make the feat decidedly more difficult. When the Montana High Schools Association shifted from 15 to 13 wrestling classes, it eliminated the weight at which many four-timers wrestled as freshmen. The 98 and 105 weights were combined -- as were 195 and 220 on the upper end -- to form a new hybrid weight of 103 that will leave fewer holes in brackets and dual lineups. But it also adds new competition for the lightest weight, the one typically housing freshmen, by doubling the participants. "It's going to be interesting with the weight changes," said Columbia Falls wrestling coach Jesse Schaeffer, who has a senior in his wrestling room chasing state title No. 4 this week in Shonn Roberts. "I think that's going to maybe reduce that." Twenty-three Montana wrestlers have completed their four-peats and 11 of those started at 98 pounds of lower -- Gene Davis of Missoula County High, the state's first four-timer, won his freshman year at 95 pounds in 1960 before a similar weight shift later in the decade. Add in Roberts, who will compete at 138 pounds when state action begins Friday in Billings but won at 98 in 2012, and that's exactly half. "It's kind of weird since that's what I wrestled at as a freshman," Roberts began, "but 103, the 98-105 mix, I think that's reasonable. It'll make things a little bit tougher." That's hardly the thinking behind merging weights, though. At either extreme ends of the weight scale (195 and 220 became the 205 class) fewer teams -- especially at lower classifications -- could field a full lineup. Many times, too few entrants there led to a state bracket marred by automatic byes and regular season duals that might as well skip on to 105 pounds anyway. The unintended consequence is that 2015 may be near the last time wrestling fans will get a trio of four-time possibles all on the mats at the same time. Sidney's Gresh Jones joins Roberts in the Class A tournament this week at 126 pounds searching for his fourth, while Forsyth's Matt Weber will be the talk of Class B-C with a potential fourth title. Both boys won their first -- and lightest -- at 112 pounds, though.

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Western Montana all-conference girls' basketball 2014-15

The following is a list of western Montana all-conference girls’ basketball teams as released following the 2014-15 season.

The list will be updated as new information is provided.

You can find a full list of Montana all-state girls’ basketball teams here.

Continue reading →

Japanese wrestlers making stop at Missoula Big Sky

When most people think of Japanese wrestling, Sumo is the first discipline that comes to mind.

The island nation from Asia will have a chance to make Missoulians think twice next month when a team of 14 high-school aged wrestlers from Japan visit Big Sky High School on a wrestling cultural exchange trip.

Continue reading →

2014 Montana all-conference volleyball teams

The following is a full list of western Montana all-conference volleyball teams from the Missoulian’s coverage area. The list will be updated as new information is provided.

All-state teams from all classifications in Montana are also available here:

Continue reading →

UPDATED: 2014 Missoula high school football radio schedule

Cherry Creek Radio will be carrying nearly all Class AA Missoula football games this fall on one of its two AM radio stations — 1450 KGRZ and 1340 KYLT.

That includes several away games with the only exceptions when Missoula’s three teams (Big Sky, Hellgate and Sentinel) play simultaneously.

Cherry Creek Sports Director Bill Schwanke will handle the calls along with Chris Stratton.

Continue reading →

Wintry weather cuts into Saturday's sports schedule

After a week of 50- and 60-degree weather throughout Montana, Saturday’s storms struck with vengeance leading to a slew of spring sporting event cancellations across the state.

The following is a (growing) list of athletic endeavors with western Montana interest that were called off or shortened because of snow, rain, cold or some combination thereof:

Continue reading →

Updated: Sifting through Montana high school enrollments and reclassification

UPDATED: Libby voted this week to move from Class A to B.

The recent news that Southwestern A school Anaconda is, like its enrollment, dropping to Class B for athletics has generated a bit of discussion ’round these parts.

What are the enrollment restrictions for classifications in Montana? Who’s close to those limits and who could be on the move next?

Several other schools are on the verge, though not all have decided to pack their bags and move yet. Let’s take a look at the tape:

Continue reading →

Latest Loyola golf stars ready to continue run

Latest Loyola golf stars ready to continue run

Following Tommy Tirrell’s tie-breaking chip-off victory Friday that earned him second place at the Loyola Sacred Heart Invitational golf tournament, he carried his iron off the 18th green to talk to a waiting reporter.

They introduced themselves, having never met before. Tirrell didn’t garner too many interviews in his sophomore or freshman seasons golfing at Loyola.

“You probably talked to Tom last year,” Tirrell said, no hint of animosity in his statement of fact, just an observation.

Tom Swanson, and with him Maggie Crippen on the girls’ side, dominated the action for the Rams and Breakers golf teams over the past few seasons. Each are gone now onto NCAA Division I programs, but the Loyola golf legacy still has some sheen on it.

Continue reading →

Hamilton co-op gives Darby girls swing at softball

Some sports are available to students no matter which Montana high school they attend. Others, like softball, can generally be found only at the larger classifications, Class B and up.

That leaves a void for many at smaller schools. Darby is filling one of those holes this spring for its diamond cravers, co-oping with Hamilton for spring girls’ softball.

Continue reading →

Winter academic all-team winners for 2013-14

The MHSA/Army National Guard Academic All-Team Award winners were announced Monday for the winter sports seasons.

The awards are given to the top three teams that exhibit outstanding academic achievement during the school year’s second quarter of play for each respective activity in each of the MHSA schools’ classification (AA, A, B and C). Member schools calculate their students’ accumulative grade point average for the award.

This season’s varsity winners with cumulative team GPA:

Continue reading →

Western Montana all-conference girls’ basketball 2013-14

The following is a list of western Montana all-conference girls’ basketball teams as released following the 2013-14 season.

The list will be updated as new information is provided.

A full compilation of all-state girls’ basketball teams from Montana can be found here.

Continue reading →

Recent Posts

  • 03 Feb 2015

    UPDATED: 2015 national signing day's western Montana football commits
    UPDATED: With fall camps just around the corner, the list of western Montana natives in the Missoulian's coverage area has swelled near 50. Take a look:
      It’s national signing day 2015 and the National Letters of Intent were flying around this morning with local athletes securing their spots with college football programs. We’ll keep you updated with the area players who have made their commitments known throughout the day. Here’s a quick look at what we have so far. Don’t forget this is just a bare bones list right now and it will be updated often. Don’t see your name or your kid listed here? Leave it in the comments, or get in contact with us at ajmazzolini@missoulian.com or on twitter (@ajmazzolini).   MONTANA (4) TE Colin Bingham, Missoula Big Sky DE Andrew Harris, Kalispell Glacier S Josh Sandry, Bigfork DE Jesse Sims, Corvallis MONTANA STATE (5) LB Josh Hill, Kalispell Glacier LB Tanner Hoff, Hot Springs WR Logan Jones, Kalispell Glaicer QB Brady McChesney, Kalispell Glacier DE Byron Rollins, Missoula Sentinel EASTERN WASHINGTON (1) TE Jayce Gilder, Corvallis NORTH DAKOTA (1) TE Brock Shaide, Missoula Big Sky CARROLL COLLEGE (1) WR Paul Wilson, Missoula Hellgate MONTANA TECH (9) WR/RB Nate Gray, Hot Springs RB Jackson King, Missoula Sentinel WR/RB Danny Mannix, Flint Creek WR Sam McCamley, Kalispell Glacier WR Ty Morgan, Columbia Falls OL Matt Murphy, Missoula Big Sky OL Truman Pisk, Kalispell Glacier DB Tucker Rauthe, Kalispell Glacier LB Ike Schweikert, Columbia Falls MONTANA WESTERN (12) OL Zach Brown, Hamilton RB/LB Joe Caicedo, Darby WR Devin Cochran, Kalispell Glacier RB Cory Diaz, Missoula Big Sky RB/LB Jason Ferris, Dillon QB/S J.D. Ferris, Dillon WR/DB Justin Ferris, Dillon QB/DB Bo Hughs, Loyola Sacred Heart (transfer) RB/LB Raymond Matt, St. Ignatius LB Connor McKillop, Missoula Sentinel WR/DB Austin Ray, Corvallis OL Spencer Ross, Columbia Falls MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN (6) RB Zach Crace, Libby LB Travis Crawford, Missoula Big Sky FB Lane Foster, Hot Springs DL Trevor Frandsen, Missoula Big Sky MLB Jonathan Gragg, Missoula Hellgate OL Ryan Handley, Missoula Hellgate ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE (3) LB Joe Gallatin, Polson DE Jesse Grabowska, Florence RB Marty Pigeon, Loyola Sacred Heart DICKINSON STATE (1) DB Cain Boschee, Kalispell Glacier LEHIGH (1) OL Harrison Kauffman, Kalispell Glacier MACALESTER COLLEGE (1) WR Jack Streibich, Whitefish
  • 23 May 2014

    Makena Morley gets creative to fund trip to track nationals
    Ever wanted an autographed photo of one of Montana's all-time record-breaking prep runners? Now's your chance. Bigfork High School junior and State B champion of champions Makena Morley is raising money through technology and grass roots to help her reach the New Balance Outdoor High School Track & Field Nationals meet in Greensboro, North Carolina in mid June. And any donors of $25 or more through the fundraising website IndieGoGo.com receive a Morley original complete with signature.  As of this posting, Morley is about 75 percent of the way to her goal of $2,300 for travel and lodging costs for her and her father to the national meet. Events run June 13-15. Morley isn't new to the national running scene, but she appears to be getting create in funding her trips there. She won the West Regional of the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships back in December and then finished eighth in the ensuing national race. "As a junior I have been to 4 national championship races (three in cross country and one for indoor track) but I have never won a national title, so this one is very important to me because I would love for this to be the year for me to win," Morley wrote on her IndieGoGo.com fundraising page. "It is an important year for my college recruiting process, because this is the year when all colleges are looking at you and at what you have accomplished!" IndieGoGo is a kind of online kickstarter to raise money for a cause or idea. It's "the world’s most established crowdfunding platform," according to the organization's website. Crowdfunding is the process of pooling money from many different people for a cause. Morley, a three-time winner of the State B cross country title and Gatorade Runner of the Year for Montana, plans to run the 5,000 meters at the New Balance Nationals along with either the one or two mile. For more about her trip to nationals, or to donate, you can visit her page here.

  • 12 Feb 2015

    Entry to Montana wrestling's Four-Timers Club just got tougher
    Winning four straight state wrestling titles is hard enough, but the reclassification of weight classes in Montana that began this year will likely make the feat decidedly more difficult. When the Montana High Schools Association shifted from 15 to 13 wrestling classes, it eliminated the weight at which many four-timers wrestled as freshmen. The 98 and 105 weights were combined -- as were 195 and 220 on the upper end -- to form a new hybrid weight of 103 that will leave fewer holes in brackets and dual lineups. But it also adds new competition for the lightest weight, the one typically housing freshmen, by doubling the participants. "It's going to be interesting with the weight changes," said Columbia Falls wrestling coach Jesse Schaeffer, who has a senior in his wrestling room chasing state title No. 4 this week in Shonn Roberts. "I think that's going to maybe reduce that." Twenty-three Montana wrestlers have completed their four-peats and 11 of those started at 98 pounds of lower -- Gene Davis of Missoula County High, the state's first four-timer, won his freshman year at 95 pounds in 1960 before a similar weight shift later in the decade. Add in Roberts, who will compete at 138 pounds when state action begins Friday in Billings but won at 98 in 2012, and that's exactly half. "It's kind of weird since that's what I wrestled at as a freshman," Roberts began, "but 103, the 98-105 mix, I think that's reasonable. It'll make things a little bit tougher." That's hardly the thinking behind merging weights, though. At either extreme ends of the weight scale (195 and 220 became the 205 class) fewer teams -- especially at lower classifications -- could field a full lineup. Many times, too few entrants there led to a state bracket marred by automatic byes and regular season duals that might as well skip on to 105 pounds anyway. The unintended consequence is that 2015 may be near the last time wrestling fans will get a trio of four-time possibles all on the mats at the same time. Sidney's Gresh Jones joins Roberts in the Class A tournament this week at 126 pounds searching for his fourth, while Forsyth's Matt Weber will be the talk of Class B-C with a potential fourth title. Both boys won their first -- and lightest -- at 112 pounds, though.