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DEC. 16th-17th December 20th January 6th-7th January 12th January 13th-14th January 17th January 22nd January 20th-21st January 21st January 28th February 4th February 10th-11th
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Coeur d' Alene, Idaho ~ Idaho CMR ~ Havre 5:00/6:00 p.m. Cut Bank Invite ~ Cut Bank Great Falls High ~ Great Falls 4:00/5:00 p.m. Missoula Invite ~ Missoula Sidney ~ Havre 5:30 p.m. Chinook (JV) ~ Chinook 3:30 p.m. Class "A" Duals ~ Belgrade 1:00 p.m. Harlem (JV) ~ Harlem Malta ~ Malta Divisionals ~ Glendive State ~ Billings
Pony matmen poised for more dominance
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Parker Filius, top, and the Havre High wrestling team is chasing history this winter. The Blue Ponies are gunning for a fifth straight Class A state title, while Filius looks to become a four-time individual state champion.
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com It’s hard to truly describe the dominance of the Havre High wrestling program over the past two decades. As another season is set to start this weekend, the Blue Ponies come in having won eight of the last 10 Class A state championships, including the last four. But of all the state championships Havre has won, there are a number of reasons why this year’s could be more historic than ever. Over the last few years, the Ponies have
beaten up on just about everybody they have faced. Yet, that doesn’t mean Havre hasn’t sought out the best competition possible, it has. It’s why Havre wrestles the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Invitational and in tournaments like the Tri-State wrestling tournament in Coeur d’Alene, ID. The Ponies don’t shy away from tournaments like these and this year will be no different and that’s one reason why, according to Filius, his teams have managed to stay hungry despite all the success. “A big reason we have been able to stay hungry, is that we have had a commitment to go out and find great competition and get our
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Blue Pony senior Jase Stokes, right, is looking to become a four-time Class A state champion this winter. Stokes has also helped the Ponies to three consecutive state championships in his time at HHS. Havre will look to make more history at the state tournament, which runs Feb. 10-11 in Billings. kids beat,” Filius said. “If you know you are going to go to the Rocky, if you know you are going to Coeur d’Alene, you know you are going to wrestle the best teams in the state and you have something to look forward to.” While Filius and his team look forward to some of the great competition they will face this season, its opponents may not share his enthusiasm. During his lengthy tenure at Havre High, Filius has had some great teams, but talent wise, this year’s bunch is as good as any, which doesn’t bode well for the competition. Of course it starts with the Ponies’ two three-time state champions, Parker Filius (145) and Jase Stokes (205). Both Filius and Stokes will be seeking to be Havre’s first ever four-time state champions, giving both the chance to make history, a rarity in Havre wrestling. Yet, Stokes and Filius aren’t the only returning state champs. Havre actually has a total of four and the others are junior Tyler Schaub (205), who won last season after finishing third as a freshman, as well as Martin Wilkie (132), who started his path to being a four-timer last season. There is no question that Havre has some elite talent on its roster, however its four state champions are just the beginning. The Ponies also boast Dane Flammond, who has placed twice at state, including a third-place showing last year at 160 pounds, where he will wrestle again this season. HHS also features junior Ryan Stewart, who finished sixth a year ago and will wrestle at 120 pounds
once again. In all, Havre has nine upperclassmen and the other veterans include seniors Jared Laux, who will wrestle at 160 pounds after qualifying for state last season and heavyweight Jared Sienkowski. Juniors JayR Caplette, who will wrestle at 170 pounds and Walter White, who will compete at 182 pounds, should also contribute. But more than anything, coach Filius said he is looking forward to seeing how his young wrestlers perform, a group that includes some highly-touted freshman. “I know what a lot of these older guys are capable of,” Filius said. “And actually. I know what our sophomores are capable of too. So I am looking forward to seeing how these young guys compete. I hope they make the same kind of impact that we have had from freshmen the last couple years.” Joining Willkie in the sophomore class are Lane Paulson (126), Taylor Gopher (170) and Austin Ratliff (205), all of whom are capable of being key contributors. And last but not least, a talented group of freshmen includes Cameron Pleninger (103), Marc Ramirez (113), Quinn Reno (113), Shawn Sullivan (126), Connor Harris (126), Cameron Nelson (132) and Mason Dionne (152). “We have a great group of kids,” Coach Filius said of his team. “We have some great leadership at the top and our youngers kids are following along and that’s made this a fun group to coach.” Havre opened its season at the Havre Invitational.
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December 16th December 17th January 7th January 17th January 20th January 21st January 28th February 10th-11th
Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:30 p.m. Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m. Class "A" Meet ~ Hardin ~ 1:00 p.m. CMR/Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m. Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:00 p.m. Missoula ~ Missoula Havre State ~ Great Falls
Havre High swim teams excited and ready to dive in George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Success has never been an issue for the Havre High swimming program. Year-after-year, the Blue Ponies always seem to be strong in the pool. And, though HHS has a new head coach this winter, the Ponies will most certainly continue their tradition of excellence. William Kilgore, who was Havre’s assistant last season, takes over for Jill Cammon as head coach of the Blue Pony program. And with a number of strong returning swimmers, and good overall numbers, Kilgore says things are looking good once again for HHS. “I think the kids are excited. I know I am,” Kilgore said. “I want this team’s goals to be to get better at every practice, keep raising the bar so to speak. We ended our girl’s season last year with a state championship and I think that is the ultimate benchmark goal every year for the Havre Blue Ponies, but you can’t get there without taking the smaller steps of daily improvement.” The HHS girls did indeed win the Class A state championship a season ago. And, though graduation hit the Pony roster hard, they should still be one of the top teams in the water in Class A this season. “We graduated so much talent from last year’s state championship team,” Kilgore
said. “And we are looking to rebuild that core group. The strength of the girl’s team is that we have a dedicated, hardworking group of young ladies that are up to the challenge. If they continue to work hard and put in the extra effort, I would think a top three finish at the state meet is not unrealistic.” Though Havre did graduate some super star swimmers, the Ponies definitely have one of the best back this season in junior Amelia Miller. A leader in and out of the pool, Miller finished in the Top 5 in the 500-meter freestyle at state a year ago, and will excel in several events this season. Sophomores Ally Padgett and Hannah Lunak are also returning from the state championship team and both will be big contributors this season, while Kilgore also points to first-year swimmers Michelle Rainey, Angela Rhines and Natalie Verploegen as ones who will help the Ponies this winter. Jessica Otto, Kadyn Acor, Aria Pratt, Lacey Huseby and Laura Vance round out the Pony girls’ roster. On the boys side, Havre has been growing strong as a program in recent seasons, and that growth could lead to big things this year as the Ponies return a very experiences group. “The strength of the boy’s team this year is our depth,” Kilgore said. “We might not have a standout top state swimmer, but we have many very, very good swimmers that are working hard to improve. With enough work and a tough mental attitude, I believe we can
Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre's Ethan Lines is part of a strong group of returning swimmers for the Havre High boys this season. The Blue Pony swim teams have a new head coach as well.
get some of our swimmers into the finals at the state meet. If we can make that happen, we’ll be in the hunt for a strong finish.” Leading the Ponies are strong returners like Ethan Lines, Shandon Oberquell, Mason Sandstrom and Clayton Twombly, all of whom have plenty of experience. But, the Ponies also have depth with returners like Noah Gjesdal and Ammon Lines, while newcomers Jacob Miller, Shane Friede and Barrett Kilgore are expected to help make a splash right away. Also competing for the HHS boys this season will be, Caleb Allestad, Emilio Bautista, Kabe Burchard, Riley Kilgore, John Klein, Paxtin McCann, Aylan Pratt, Cody Rennick, Trevor Williams and Logan Twombly. And while Havre is just getting its season started, the Ponies have some exciting goals this season, goals that will lead them to the state meet in February in Great Falls. But overall, Coach Kilgore said his goals for the team are to first and foremost, make sure they enjoy and have fun with the challenges that the sport of high school swimming presents. “My expectations of our swimmers is that they work
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Beeters look to stay on top on the mat Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ally Padgett and the Havre High girls swim team are the defending Class A state champions. The Blue Ponies will be a younger team this season, but still talented. hard, keep a positive attitude, and have more fun in the pool than they thought they would ever have,” he said. “I expect them to look to improve on times and be just a little bit better today than they were yesterday. Swimming is a team sport governed by
performances of individuals competing against themselves. I expect them to challenge themselves, improve themselves, and in so doing, help the team. The wins and losses will take care of themselves, my goal is to develop better young men and women in life as well as the pool.”
For the past two seasons, the Chinook Sugarbeeters have been the kings of Class C wrestling, taking home the state championship in both 2015 and 2016. But in order to keep that title, the Beeters are going to have some work to do between now and February. That’s because while Chinook does return a two-time state champion in Tate Niederegger, the Beeters also lost four wrestlers that placed at the state tournament last season in Kenny Pruttis, Jake Norby and Derek Bell. Like Niederegger, Pruttis won an individual title at 170 pounds, while Norby finished third, Young finished fourth and Bell finished fifth in their respective weight classes. “We are going to be a young team this year,” Chinook head coach Perry Miller said. “We have Tate and he is a spectacular wrestler and will have a great season for us. The rest of the guys really need to come along and get better, but thankfully, we have a couple months to get them where they need to be.” The positive thing for the Beeters is the return of Niederegger, who in addition to winning individual state titles the past two years, finished second at state as a freshman. At 145 pounds, Niederegger will be a heavy favorite to claim a third individual championship and his points alone at state, should be enough to
keep Chinook in contention, it will just be a matter of finding a few other wrestlers that can score some points. “We have three juniors, a couple of sophomores and three freshman,” Miller said. “And right now, they are doing alright. They are still learning and they are going to have a lot of chances to get better. We have some raw talent, but we have a long way to go until February.” Miller expressed hope in the three juniors that he has back for this season with J.J. Colby, Colton Little and Garrett Lohan all back for the Beeters this season. They are joined by sophomore Ross Reed and freshmen J.T. Hauer, Kurtis Hamilton and Reubin Swenson. “We look for good things,” Miller said. “We have a lot of raw talent like I said. We don’t have a lot of kids that have been in the room wrestling since they were four, but we have a few. We have some freshmen that came in and they have been with the program for a while. So we are going to take our lumps early, but come February, we will be ready.” Harlem and Fort Benton/Big Sandy are also excited about the new season. The Wildcats will be young this season, but have two of the top heavyweights in Class B-C. Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Hays-Lodge Pole also have Class C wrestling.
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HHS Boys: Havre has the talent to be successful ■ From Page 9 Senior Nate Korb has started each of the past two seasons for Leeds and he returns, as does Jacob LaBrie, who at 3.6 points per game, is the top scorer back for HHS. Isaac Warp is another player that saw extensive minutes last season and he will be a starter for the Ponies, along with junior Ivar Aageson. Leeds will also rely on other seniors to contribute such as Michael Loftus, Ryan Bakke, Bobby Personett and Jake Sedahl. Junior Jacob Irvin will also see minutes in reserve. “I think that we have a pretty deep team,” Leeds said. “Most years, I usually only play like seven or eight guys and this year I think because we have seven seniors, I am going to be able to play nine guys consistently.” No matter who is in the lineup for HHS, one of the big keys has always been its ability to shoot from 3-point range. Last season, the Ponies finished third in all of Class A in terms of made 3-pointers, with a total of 160 and Leeds said that will be a strength of his once again in 2016-17.
“I think that we are going to have at least four, but maybe five guys out there who can shoot the ball,” Leeds said. “We have some kids that have really worked hard on shooting the ball and if they are going to work on it like that, we are going to take those shots.” With other teams such as Browning and Livingston also reloading, Havre should have a good chance to be among the top teams in the Central A standings again, which will be important for seeding for the Eastern A Divisional at season’s end. “Conference games are re-
Havre Daily News/File Photo HHS head coach Curt Leeds says he is excited and optimistic about his 2016-17 Blue Pony boys basketball; team. ally important with this new format,” Leeds said. “You want to make sure that you are in the top four so you can avoid a play-in game and ideally you want to be in the top two or three so you can have a good seed going in.” Havre opened its season this past weekend in the Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament against Sidney and Laurel.
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Talented T-Birds are HLP girls on the rise ready to fly high Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Hays-Lodge Pole boys basketball team has enjoyed a nice resurgence over the past two seasons and this year, the Thunderbirds are hoping to take that momentum and ride it to the top of the District 9C. After finishing second in the district tournament two years ago and third last season, the T-Birds enter the 2016-17 season with possibly the most experienced and talented team in the 9C. And led by coach Derrick Shambo, who is in his first full season at the helm, HLP is clearly going to be among the teams to beat. For starters, the T-Birds are the only team in the 9C to return an All-State player from a season ago, as Frank Runs Above, who was an AllState selection last season returns. Runs Above was also First-Team All-9C. Joining him on that team was Tyson Shambo, who is also back for his senior season. That gives HLP two of the three FirstTeam All-District players that return. The other is Pernell Morsette of Box Elder. Runs Above earned his AllState pick after scoring more than 17 points per game last season for the T-Birds. But if it wasn’t for an injury that forced him to miss a big chunk of the season, Shambo might have made it too and the combination of those guards should cause plenty of problems for 9C opponents this season. However, the truly scary thing about the T-Birds is that their talent goes well beyond just Runs Above and Tyson Shambo. HLP has some other very skilled players led by fellow senior Jace Sham-
bo, who really increased his level of play at the end of last season. He and Chance Main should both make a big impact inside for the T-Birds, while Elijah Blackcrow, Brian Wing, Tyrus Brockie, Ryle Foote, David Main, Kyle Young and Desmond Shambo round out a deep and talented roster. “Run, run, run,” Derrick Shambo said. “If we can force teams into our style of play, the odds are going to be stacked in our favor.” HLP, which has made it to the semifinals of the Northern C Divisional tournament in each of the past two seasons, will be looking for a third trip to Great Falls, but in order to do that, the T-Birds will need to beat out teams like Box Elder, Chinook, North Star and Chester-Joplin-Inverness, who all look to be contenders in the 9C this season. HLP, which hasn’t made it to the Class C state tour-
Havre Daily News/File Photo Frank Runs Above and the Hays-Lodge Pole boys should be one of the top teams in the 9C, and the Northern C this season. nament since back in 2007, when the T-Birds last captured the state championship and that will be chief among their goals this season after coming up just few wins short each of the past two seasons. Yet, the first step for HLP, is dethroning Box Elder, the four-time champs of the 9C, which will prove to be no easy task. “Hays-Lodge Pole should have a really good team this year,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “They have some very talented players and I think they are going to make it tough on us this year.” HLP opened its season this past weekend at the Native American Classic in Havre.
The 2015-16 girls basketball season was a difficult one for Hays-Lodge Pole. The Thunderbirds were very young and largely, because of that, managed to win just one game a season ago. Yet, with the all of the players from last year’s team back, along with the return of second-year head coach Colette Hawley, the T-Birds should be much improved this season. “We have all our players back from last year, so that will be nice,” Hawley said. “I think that the girls have looked good so far. They are really working hard and working together and I think that we will be a lot better team this year.” Last season, the T-Birds were near the bottom of the District 9C, along with the Big Sandy Pioneers, who also managed to win one game in a league that saw five teams win at least seven games in District play. After finishing seventh in the regular season, the T-Birds were knocked out of the 9C tournament with consecutive losses. This year, with all of her players back, Hawley said she is expecting more wins and that getting a win at the district tournament is a goal her team hopes to achieve. “I think that we have a good chance to be a lot more competitive within the district,” Hawley said. “There are still some good
teams, but we gained a lot of experience and I think with all these girls learning and playing together, that will help. But it would mean a lot for us if we could win at the tournament.” Leading the way to the T-Birds this year will be Tia Zander, Kennessa Shambo, Miquela Perez, Rayleigh Kirkaldie and Latasha Kirkaldie. Other players that will see time on the floor with the varsity team are Tahlia Werk, Heaven Sears, Tori Snell, Aleena Walker and Malia Stiffarm. While HLP will be looking to climb out of the 9C cellar, the league will once again feature a number of talented teams at the top, led by the Box Elder Bears, the Class C state runner-up a season ago. The Lady Bears steamrolled to the district last year, going unbeaten in the regular season and winning the tournament championship. Box Elder returns a number of key players from last year’s team and will be challenged at the top by Chinook, Fort Benton and Chester-Joplin-Inverness. North Star and Turner should have solid teams as well, which will make each game difficult for HLP, which along with Big Sandy, is trying to move up into the middle of the pack. “We are excited about this season,” Hawley said. “The girls have been working really hard. We have been trying to improve our freethrow shooting and our defense. That has been our main focus.” The HLP girls opened their season this past weekend at the Native American Classic in Havre.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Tori Snell and the Hays-Lodge Pole girls are looking forward to the new season. The Thunderbirds have struggled in recent years, but with all of their players back from a season ago, hopes are high for the 2016-17 season.
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Sugarbeeters geared up Chinook girls are a for run at the 9C boys title Hi-Line power, again Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
George Ferguson
cpeterson@havredailynews.com The 2016-17 boys basketball season is one that the Chinook Sugarbeeters are highly anticipating. That’s because after a bit of a down year, the Beeters should have a strong chance to be among the elite teams in the District 9C again. The Beeters, who finished 13-9 last season and finished fourth in both the 9C regularseason standings and in the 9C tournament, return four starters, including two that earned Second-Team All-Conference honors in Isaac Bell and Kord Schneider. Yet, beyond those two sophomores, sixth-year head coach Mike Seymour has plenty of depth and talent, which is why those in Chinook are so optimistic heading into this season. “I am really hoping that we can build off the experiences that we had last season,” Seymour said. “Last year, with the kids being so young, there can be a big difference going from middle school to high school or for some kids, even junior varsity to varsity. So I think that will help us quite a bit and I am hoping it will make a big difference for us.” While Chinook does return four starters, the Beeters will be without their only FirstTeam All-District selection from last year in Ian McIntosh. Yet, with Kyler Johnson and Brandon McMaster also returning, the Beeters look strong. Wade Schneider, who was an important player for the Beeters two years ago, will also be back starting for Chinook after missing all of last season due to a knee injury. And at 6-6. Schneider should add an intimidating presence inside. “Missing him (Schneider) last year will hurt him,” Seymour said. “And it will take him some time to get back to playing the level of basketball we want him to. But two years ago, I thought he played pretty well at the end of the season. And will add a big presence for us inside.” Yet, Wade Schneider isn’t the only player with size on the team as both Bell and Kord Schneider are in the 6-4 range, which gives the Beeters plenty of height, particularly for a team in Class C. But while Wade Schneider
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
is an interior player, both Bell and Kord Schneider are capable of playing on the perimeter and attacking the basket. Bell returns this season after averaging 13 points and eight rebounds as a freshman. “I think that both of those guys are capable of having great seasons,” Seymour said. “I think the big thing for us, is that we are going to need our ball handlers to grow up quickly and with Isaac, he’s going to be at point guard for me, so those two are going to have to do a lot of the ballhandling for us and how we can deal with pressure and things from other teams will be important.” Chinook’s starting lineup appears set, but Seymour said he also likes his depth coming off the bench. Players in that role that should contribute and see minutes for Chinook are Brandon Edwards, James Christenson, Riley Kellaun and Hunter Neibauer. “I really like our depth,” Seymour said. “I think we have a pretty deep team and we have some kids on the
Havre Daily News/File Photo Cord Schneider and the Chinook boys could find themselves among the District 9C elite this season. bench that can come in and play some good minutes for us.” Of course, Chinook’s goal is to get back to the top of the 9C and at the end of the year, and the Beeters are hoping to punch their ticket to Great Falls for the Northern C Divisional. But, as Seymour said, in the 9C, it’s easier said than done. “You see once again that we have the defending state champion in our league,” Seymour said. “And I think that shows just how difficult our league is. Box Elder is going to be good. Hays-Lodge Pole should be good and you can never count out (ChesterJoplin-Inverness). Our league is tough and it’s tough just to get out of the district and into divisionals.” Chinook opened its season this past weekend at the CJI Preseason Tournament.
It’s hard to argue, the Chinook Sugarbeeters have been one of the most consistent Class C girls basketball teams the last decade. Since Chinook joined the District 9C now a full decade ago, the Beeters have played on Saturday night eight times at the District 9C Tournament, and, they’ve become a staple at the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls. The same held true a year ago, where Chinook might not have won the 9C, as the Beeters were beaten Box Elder in the championship game, but, the successful machine that is Chinook basketball tolled on nonetheless. And this winter likely will be no different. Chinook head coach Mollie Rose has a loaded team, as the Beeters lost just one senior from last year’s squad. Brooke Nicholson was an important senior no doubt, a Class C All-State player who will be impossible to replace. Yet, the Beeters’ cupboard is far from bare. This year’s Chinook squad will be senior heavy, which is one of the reason the Beeters have a good chance to reclaim the 9C crown. Kelsey Mathon, Taylor Neibauer and Brooke Elliot are three returning senior starters, and Elliot was All-Conference a season ago. She also gives the Beeters an excellent inside presence. But, the talent and depth Chinook has doesn’t stop with the three returning senior starters. Juniors Abigail Ellison, Sierra Swank and Carrie Hofer are also back after giving the Beeters big minutes
a year ago, while sophomore Kourtney Hanson will also be a key player, and senior Nicole McCracken provides even more depth. The Beeters will also look to an athletic group of sophomores and role players from a year ago to provide them with likely the most depth in all of the District 9C. And winning the 9C is always Chinook’s goal. The loss to Box Elder in the title game a year ago was one of just a handful of games the Beeters dropped. And even after finishing second in the 9C, they still made noise a week later in Great Falls. Now, with a senior-laden group and so much talent, the Beeters are certainly going to be a force in what could be one of the toughest years of 9C girls basketball ever. Box Elder returns a loaded team, while North Star, ChesterJoplin-Inverness and Fort Benton all have plenty of talent. And with Turner on the
Havre Daily News/File Photo Taylor Neibauer and thew Chinook Sugarbeeters will once again be one of the top teams in the District 9C this winter. rise and Hays-Lodge Pole returning all five of its starters from a season ago, and even Big Sandy finally having a veteran squad, this regular season, and the 9C tournament, which takes place Feb. 15-18 in Havre, could be the most exciting one ever. And still, with all those great teams, don’t be surprised to see Chinook once again playing on Saturday night at the HHS gymnasium when the 9C tournament rolls around, and the following week at the Northern C in Great Falls. That’s what Chinook does. That’s what the Beeters have always done. Chinook opened its season at last weekend’s CJI Preseason Tournament in Chester.
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Rocky Boy girls are Stars are ready to Big Sandy boys rising back up in the 9C young, but talented shine bright again Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
The past few seasons have been challenging for the Big Sandy Pioneers. Last year, the Pioneers, who at one time had a rich basketball tradition, failed to win a single game. Marred by youth and inexperience, the Pioneers under the direction of head coach Ronnie Simpson, struggled to stay competitive in the District 9C and were eliminated after two games in the district tournament. Yet, Simpson, who is back for another season with the Pioneers, said he believes that this season is going to be different and that this group of Big Sandy players is going to be much more competitive. “I am excited about this season,” Simpson said. “We are still a pretty young team, but we have a lot of kids back from last year. So I think that we are going to be better than we were. It’s going to be tough and we have a long ways to go, but I think we are going to be a lot better.” Big Sandy was indeed young last season and because of that, the Pi-
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Sean Henry and the Rocky Boy Morning Stars have a team capable of doing big things this season. Still, as talented as the Morning Stars will be under new head coach Cameron McCormick, they play in the always tough District 1B.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Rocky Boy Morning Stars play in arguably the single hardest district in all of Class B girls basketball. And yet, since moving up to Class B, the Morning Stars have had their fair share of success. Now, with a new head coach, and a young team, Rocky Boy enters the 201617 season with high hopes. Cameron McCormick takes over a talented Rocky Boy squad, one that had an upand-down regular season a year ago, but made a strong run towards the end of the season. “This group of Stars is sure to make some noise in Class B,” McCormick said.
Rocky Boy has talent at every level, including returning seniors Rosie Parker and Shania Patacsil. Parker was one of the top scorers for the Morning Stars last season. Rocky Boy also returns juniors Adrienne Gopher, Maya Reed, and Sean Henry, all who saw starting time a year ago. Henry was a scoring standout as well. Forward Jaylynn Mitchell, and forward/guard Kiauna Sutherland are also expected to step up this season. A Sophomore who will make her presence known is Forward Rochelle Pease. Rocky Boy will fill out its roster with freshmen, including guard Sasha Coffee, and forwards Jaynah Gopher and Tessa BigKnife. And while Rocky Boy ex-
pects to be talented and strong this season, especially offensively, the Morning Stars will still have to contend with a rigorous nonconference schedule, and the District 1B, which includes powerhouse Fairfield. “As far as District 1B goes, the formidable Fairfield Lady Eagles are yet reigning,” McCormick said. “Even so Choteau, Shelby, Cut Bank and Conrad simply cannot be counted out.” Rocky Boy opened its season with tough games against Box Elder and Arlee at the Native American Classic last weekend in Havre. Rocky Boy will look to battle all the way to the postseason, with the District 1B tournament being held in Cut Bank and the Northern B Divisional in Glasgow in February.
Two years ago, the Rocky Boy boys basketball team earned a third-place trophy at the Class B state tournament. Last season, the Stars, who were plagued by youth, didn’t even make it to the Northern B Divisional. But now, after a season of growing pains, the Stars appear poised to contend again in the District 1B and in the bigger scheme of the things, the Northern B. Helping the Stars in that effort, is the return of all five starters, as well as head coach Adam Demontiney. “Oh yeah, that experience is really going to help us this season,” Demontiney said. “It was tough for us last year, we were so young. But they got a year of playing together and now they are really excited about this season. They have been a lot of work in and we did pretty this summer in different team camps and at the Big Sky state games, so we plan on being a lot more competitive this season.” For Rocky Boy, things start and end with talented sophomore Kendall Windy Boy, who is a legitimate force inside for the Stars standing nearly 6-7. As a freshman, Windy Boy averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds a game, both team highs. He was also selected to the All Hi-Line team selected by the Havre Daily News. But Windy Boy isn’t the only returning starter for Demontiney, who also brings back Chase Corcoran, Jerell Gopher, Kendall Small and Ben Iron Eyes. Having all five starters back is a rare thing in high school basketball and it’s something Demontiney thinks will give his team a distinct advantage this season.
“I think that it helps because we have played so much together,” Demontiney said. “We got better last season as it went along and I think we have really improved since then. It’s really hard to know until you start playing games, but we have definitely come a long way. I think all of our guys are looking a lot better and they have improved from where they were last year.” One thing that could make things difficult for Rocky Boy, even if the Stars are much improved, is the difficulty of the 1B, and the Northern B as a whole. With teams like Choteau, Fairfield, Shelby, Conrad and Cut Bank in their district, even getting to divisionals isn’t a lock. And with non-conference games against Havre, Malta and Box Elder, the Stars are sure to be battled tested by the time the postseason rolls around.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Jerell Gopher and the Rocky Boy Stars return a ton of experience, and appear poised to return to being an elite Class B boys team this season. “The 1B is always really tough,” Demontiney said. “Choteau lost some kids, but they still have some talent. Shelby has almost their whole team back, so they are going to be really tough. Every year it’s tough. We lost at districts to Conrad and they ended up taking Shelby to a challenge game, which was a surprise. So you never really know, but I think we are going to do much better against all those teams, than we did last year.” The Stars opened the season this past weekend at the Native American Classic.
oneers have a number of contributors back from last year’s team. Leading the way will be Laurence Allderdice, who has started the past two seasons for Big Sandy and just completed a football season that saw him receive All-State honors. Yet, in addition to Allderdice, Simpson will have some other experienced players to work with this season such as Ryan Roth, Tevin Haugen and Jordan Schwarzbach. “I think Ryan, who was an eighthgrader for me last year, is going to be a big key for us,” Simpson said. “Jordan Schwarzbach should also be a good player for us, especially down low. And with guys like Laurence, I feel like we have some really good leadership and I think that’s going to be important for us as we are trying to build things.” As always, the Pioneers will battle it out in the difficult 9C, which features not only defending state champion Box Elder, but other talented teams such as Hays-Lodge Pole, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Chinook and North Star. “I think it’s going to be like it has been,” Simpson said. “There are some really good teams at the top, like Box Elder and Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole, and then I think
that it’s pretty wide open. But I really think that we have a chance to open some eyes and surprise some people.” Simpson said his team and his program were still building and that the Pioneers don’t have the numbers that teams like Chinook and Box Elder do, but he said he had a good feeling about the direction of his team and that he was looking forward to getting the season started. “Numbers are really important in basketball,” Simpson said. “And Chinook and Box Elder, they have really good numbers, so that makes it tough. I think this year, our talent level is going to be a lot higher and I think that we are going to win some games this year.” Big Sandy opened its season at the Chester basketball invitational.
Havre Daily News/File Photo After several rough seasons in a row, the Laurence Allderdice and the Big Sandy Pioneers are hoping to be more competitive this season. And head coach Ronnie Simpson thinks the Pioneers can do just that.
Pioneers set to begin a new era in basketball George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The once proud Big Sandy girls basketball program has fallen on hard times. A drop in enrollment and the rise of other powers in the District 9C have caused the program to slip back. And while Big Sandy won just one game last season, the Pioneers look to the future, and a new sea-
Havre Daily News/File Photo Andrea Rutledge, middle, is a key returning player for the Big Sandy girls basketball team. The Pioneers, now under the direction of Ronnie Simpson, are hoping to put past struggles behind them this season , and that's by being competitive in the District 9C.
son brings new hope. Big Sandy boys head coach Ronnie Simpson, a former standout player for the Montana State University-Northern Lights, steps in to take over the girls program as well this season, and, Big Sandy finally has some experience to work with. Jenna Leader, Andrea Rutledge, Jalynn Cline and Jessica Roth form a solid nucleus for the Pioneers, and all have seen extensive varsity time since they were young. "One thing I like about this team," Simpson said. "Is that we have some really good leaders. We only won one game last season, but I think that we have gotten a lot better and I think we could have a chance to be much improved so I am looking forward to it. I think that we will be right there at the
end and that's what you want. The key for us is just going to be keep getting better as the season goes along." Of course, improving some might still mean the Pioneers will have a tough time climbing back up the ranks of the 9C. Yet, Simpson said he feels like his girls team is capable of surprising people come February. "I think that you definitely have you powerhouses in Chinook, Fort Benton and Box Elder," Simpson said. "they are coached well and have good teams. But there are some teams coming up like us and Turner and I think that we have a chance to surprise some people." Big Sandy opened its season at the CJI Preseason Tournament last weekend in Chester.
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Fort Benton girls remain a 9C contender George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Leah Gannon and the Fort Benton girls basketball team has had quick success since joining the District 9C. And the Longhorns have a team built for success again this season.
Success has come quickly for the Fort Benton girls basketball team in the District 9C. In other words, the Longhorns have moved right in and become one of the best teams in the league. And, that doesn’t look like it will change this winter either. Though Fort Benton lost some All-Conference players to graduation, veteran head coach Cassie Pimperton has a strong nucleus to work with, and a team that should once again compete for the 9C championship. “We have a lot of girls back from last season that gained varsity experience,” Pimperton said. Among the top returnees for the Longhorns is senior Coya Nack, a standout forward who is tough in the post. Junior Alia Evans and sophomore Leah Gannon also give the Longhorns an outstanding back court, and will make them a strong offensive team once again. Pimperton also expects many others to step up and play key roles for Fort
Benton in its third season of 9C basketball. “The girls are athletic and work hard,” she said. “If we can put all the little things together we should be competitive.” Being competitive in the 9C isn’t easy. Stalwarts like Box Elder, Chinook and North Star, as well as strong teams this season expected in Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Turner, the 9C is as tough a district as there is in Class C girls basketball, and the Longhorns make it that much tougher. “It will be a competitive year in the 9C,” Pimperton said. “Once again I think Box Elder is the team to beat. They are well coached and have a deep bench along with the state tournament experience, they'll be hungry for success once again. I look for Turner to be competitive with their girls gaining experience. Chinook is always competitive.” Fort Benton opened its season last weekend with home games against Sunburst and Simms. The Longhorns and the rest of the 9C will meet for the district tournament Feb. 15-18 in Havre.
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Hawks ready to build on last year's exciting run
Young Longhorns looking to make some noise George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Fort Benton is still relatively new to District 9C boys basketball. And so far, it’s been hard for the Longhorns to make any noise in the always-tough 9C. However, veteran head coach Tyler Pasha has high hopes for the upcoming season. And while the Longhorns will be a young team this season, Pasha feels the talent he has can carry them a long way. “Our team should be in the mix this year for being able to challenge for a spot to divisionals,” Pasha said. “We are young, but we are talented at all five positions.” The talent for the Longhorns starts with a pair of returning starters. In the post, Ty Hasbrouck is back as a senior, and will be looked upon for scoring, defense and leadership. Junior Andy Giles also returns at the shooting guard position, while Damon Bird, who saw extensive minutes last year, will move into a starting role this season as a sophomore point guard.
Pasha will also rely on a pair of freshmen to make an impact this season. Forward Garret Diekhans and guard Logan Giles will be players that should step right in and help the Longhorns. And while Fort Benton has talent, the Horns are still young and taking the next step in their third year in the 9C won’t be easy, especially with powerhouses like returning state champion Box Elder and an exciting and senior-laden Hays-Lodge Pole squad in the mix this year. “The 9C will be tough again,” Pasha said. “Box Elder and Hays just keep reloading with talent. Chinook and North Star have a lot of young players as well as height and muscle.” Fort Benton opened its season with games at home against Simms and Sunburst. The Longhorns open 9C play this weekend with games against Big Sandy and Turner.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ty Hasbrouck and the Fort Benton boys basketball team has high hopes for the upcoming season. And while the Longhorns are a young team, they have the talent to be a 9C contender.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Chester-Joplin-Inverness' Korrin Harmon is one of the top returning players in District 9C girls basketball. Harmon and the Hawks are hoping to continue the success they built during last year's postseason run, a run that took them all the way to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks were a young girls basketball team a year ago. And yet, under then first-year head coach Jerry Kulpas, the Hawks made a great, lateseason run that took them all the way to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls. Now, the Hawks return, and though they are still young by grade, from an experience standpoint, they are anything but young. Kulpas’ 2016-17 team should be a force in the District 9C, especially with the return of junior Korrin Harmon. As a sophomore, Harmon broke out in the 9C tournament, averaging over 20 points per game, and she will be one of the top players in the 9C this season. But Harmon has plenty of talent surround
her, including seniors Jereca Tempel and Kylee Vinson. Both players will be looked to for leadership and scoring this season, while junior Kendahl Knapton is another standout returner for the Hawks. CJI will also have depth on its side this winter, as the Hawks try and make a run at a 9C championship. And though teams like Box Elder, Fort Benton, Chinook and rival North Star will certainly try and stand in the Hawks’ way, with so much experience and talent, including Khloe and Katey Kamerzell, Jasmine Cole and Peyton Hawks, CJI is a team that will definitely be a contender in the 9C. The Hawks opened their season with two games at the CJI Preseason Tournament last week. The 9C girls tourney is set for February in Havre.
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CJI boys must reload Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com Change is pretty much a constant thing in high school basketball and when it comes to District 9C boys basketball this season, no team is experiencing more of it than Chester-Joplin-Inverness. Looking back, the 2015-16 basketball season was a banner year for the CJI boys. The Hawks not only won 19 games, they finished second at the District 9C tournament and also came in fourth in the Northern C Divisional. Thanks to the spectacular play of the Hawks four key players, Justin May, Brandon Richter, Troy Harmon and Cory Richter, CJI was not only one of the best teams in the North, but arguably one of the most exciting squads in all of Class C basketball. Yet, with the exception of Cory Richter, the other three players of the foursome are done due to graduation. The Hawks also graduated their fifth starter Javin Miles and lost their head coach Spencer Satori, who took a job as an assistant to Shawn Huse in the Montana State University-Northern men’s basketball program. Thus, with a new coach in T.J. Murphy, who came over from Fort Benton, where he was an assistant last season, and a new nucleus of players, the 2016-17 season is one of unknowns right now for the Hawks, as they look to determine who they are all in the wake of all the departures. Thankfully for Murphy, the cupboard wasn’t left completely bare. In Cory Richter, CJI still boasts one of the top scorers in the 9C. The Second-Team All-Conference selection is a deadly shooter from beyond the 3-point line and after playing a complementary role the past few years, it’s his turn to be the go-to guy. Other players that return with previous playing
experience for CJI are Bruce Tempel and Clark Diemert, who will see plenty of minutes as well this season for the Hawks. There is no question that CJI lost a lot of talent, but the good thing is, they aren’t alone. Box Elder, the defending Class C state champions, graduated three All-State players from its team, while Chinook and North Star also graduated players that received postseason honors. Even with the loss of star players like Brandon The Boy and Jerrod Four Colors, Box Elder should be among the best teams in the district. The Bears are looking for a fifth consecutive district title
and their top competition could be Hays-Lodge Pole. The T-Birds return most of their team after making a run at divisionals a season ago. Chinook and North Star should also be in contention, along with CJI, which should still be a cut above teams like Fort Benton, Turner and Big Sandy. Duplicating the 19-win season of a year ago will certainly be difficult for the Hawks and their new head coach, but in a district that is both challenging and wide open, anything is possible. The Hawks opened their season last weekend at the CJI Preseason Tournament in Chester.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Chester-Joplin-Inverness' senior Cory Richter will help the Hawks try and remain contenders in the 9C. CJI has a new head coach this season, and the Hawks graduated a lot of firepower from last year's squad.
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Turner boys ready Tornadoes aim to make to step up in the 9C this year a special one
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George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Chris Peterson
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Over the last two seasons, the North Star Knights boys basketball team has shown steady improvement. Two years ago, they won six games. Last year, they won 12. This season, the Knights have bigger aspirations. “Our goal is to get to Saturday night at the district tournament,” North Star head coach Walynn Burgess said. “That’s the next step for us. We won 12 games last year, but we need to take that next step. We want to get back to divisionals. We haven’t been there since 2009 and that’s something that I remind our guys of just about every day.” Last season, the Knights did take a big step forward in Burgess’ second season at the helm. They finished with a record of 12-9 and for the second straight year, got a win at the district tournament. However, after building a doubledigit lead against Chinook in the opening round, a win that would have put North Star into the semifinals, the Knights couldn’t close out the Sugarbeeters. They would go onto to lose out in the consolation semifinals. Yet, it was still a sign of progress for the Knights, who had two players earn SecondTeam All-District honors a year ago. One of those players, Matthew Helmbrecht, graduated, the other, Devon Miller, is back for his junior season, something that Burgess is excited about. “We have Devon back this year, so that is a good thing for us,” Burgess said. “He had a great year last year and he has looked really good. We have him and Keevan Borlaug also back, so it will be nice that have that presence inside.” Last year, as a sophomore Miller had a breakout season. In most years, he probably would have found himself on
Havre Daily News/File Photo Eddie Harmon and the Turner boys basketball team is in search of taking the next step in the District 9C, and that's winning games at the 9C tournament. He had numerous games with multiple 3-pointers last season and will look to continue that this year. “I think that we actually have some depth this year,” Holland said. “We have a good group of guys that played last year and I think with some of the other guys that we have coming up, we have a chance to win some more games than we did last season.” In terms of the 9C race, the Tornadoes are again going to have to deal with playing in one of the more challenging districts in Class C basketball. For starters, the Box Elder Bears, the defending state champions, appear to be strong again, despite losing some key players to graduation. Chinook, HaysLodge Pole, North Star and Chester-Joplin-Inverness are
all teams that are considered likely to contend for a top spot in the league standings. Turner is still trying to make headway and is competing with teams like Fort Benton and Big Sandy to move up into the middle tier of the league. Holland is hoping that his team can build on some of its success last season and add to its win total. But more than anything, the Tornadoes want a win in the postseason, if they get that, their season will be undoubtedly, labeled a success. “That’s where we want to get to,” Holland said. “We want to be able to win games in that tournament and in the postseason. It’s going to take some work to get there, but I think we can do it.” Turner opened its boys basketball season at the Class C Showcase in Glasgow, which was held Dec. 2-3.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Melanie Watkins is part of a talented and experienced 2016-17 Turner girls basketball team. Turner has improved its win total in each of the last two season, and now, the Tornadoes are primed for a run at being legitimate contenders in the 9C.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Winning games in the District 9C has been more and more realistic for the Turner girls basketball team in recent years. In fact, Turner won its most regular season games in more than a decade a year ago. But, with a roster full of players who have been on varsity for some time now, including many who played while they were still in the eighth grade, Turner’s goals for the 2016-17 season are certainly high. Jennifer Baird returns to coach a Tornado team that has not only outstanding talent, but also a veteran presence. Turner returns six
full-time players from last season, and Baird is excited about what lies ahead. “I'm really liking the looks of our team,” Baird said. “I'm returning all five starters from last season. And all the underclassmen look to be solid contributors as well.” Leading the way is AllConference standout Ella Billmayer. Now a senior, Billmayer was one of the top scorers in the District 9C last season. Also back is fellow senior Rennay Watkins, as well as sophomores Reagan and Rylee Conlan and Melanie Watkins. That group of five has been playing together for a long time now, while freshman Sarah Billmayer was a key contributor last season, while still in eighth grade. Turner will also fill out its
roster with Shyan Krass, Brandy Calvert and Alaynee Hawley. Of course, the Tornados, as experienced and talented as they are, still have to contend with a 9C field that includes Box Elder, Fort Benton, North Star, Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Chinook, all teams that will be strong again this season. "The 9C looks tough again this season,” Baird said. “I don't know that I've ever seen the 9C not look tough. There should be a lot of good, strong games played this season.” And a strong Turner team will only make the 9C that much tougher this winter. The Tornadoes opened the season with games in Glasgow, and will play Dodson this weekend.
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North Star boys poised Knights aiming high again for a big hoops season Havre Daily News
It’s been a long time since the Turner boys basketball team has been one of the top teams in the District 9C. Over the past few seasons, wins have been hard to come by for the Tornadoes, but as another hoops season begins, optimism still reigns in Turner. Last season, the Tornadoes won two games in league play and finished with an overall record of 4-16. Turner failed to win a game in the district tournament last season, something new head coach Zach Holland said will be a key goal this season. “If we could do that, get a win at districts that would be huge for our program,” Holland said. “We want to be able to compete within our district and eventually be in a position where we can advance to divisionals.” Of course, if Holland and the Tornadoes are going to achieve that goal, the program will need to start taking some major steps forward. But, at least in terms of this season, Holland, who was an assistant to Kevin VanValkenburg before taking over the helm, feels confident his team can make some noise. “I think that we have a pretty good team,” Holland said. “We have some kids back from last season that have some experience and we have some good young talent coming up and a really good eighth-grade class.” Turner did lose a few starters from last year’s squad, but the Tornadoes do still return some key players as three starters in Cody Welsh, Eddie Harmon and Tracer Heiling are all back. Harmon may be Turner’s best offensive player and is the team’s top shooter from the outside.
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the first team after averaging close to a double-double during conference play. Yet, with Box Elder and Chester-JoplinInverness losing only handful of games throughout the year, their players dominated the First-team selections. Now, with both Box Elder and CJI losing a number of key players to graduation, teams like North Star are looking to move into the upper echelon of the 9C, something Burgess said will not be an easy task. “It’s going to be very competitive again,” Burgess said. “Box Elder lost a lot of kids, but they still have some really good players. They are still going to be really good. Hays-Lodge Pole, they have a few really good kids back too, so they might actually be the team to beat and Chinook is going to be really good. They are young, but they are going to be good. They have a lot of size inside.” In addition to Devon Miller and Borlaug, the Knights are also hoping to get some major contributions from swingman Dylan Miller, who had an AllConference season in football. “Last year, he played mostly JV and he was still only about 5-5,” Burgess said. “But since then, he has grown about five or six inches, which was good. We needed another starter
Havre Daily News/File Photo Jimmy Snow and the North Star Knights will be one of the teams to watch in the District 9C this season. The Knights are coming off a successful 2015-16 year. and he is going to fill that role for us.” Another key player for the Knights, is one that may not be healthy until midway through the season and that’s Jimmy Snow, who suffered a knee injury last summer. However, Burgess said he expects him to be 100 percent by January. Beyond that, the Knights are going to be relying on young talent to continue the push of a program that’s been making steady progress over the past few years. “We have a lot of freshman,” Burgess said. “But that can be a good thing. They are starting to understand what our philosophy is and the kinds of things we are looking for and the common values of our program. All of the kids have really bought into it and they have worked really hard. We played a ton over the summer and hopefully this season, all that hard work pays off.” North Star opened its season at the Chester Preseason tournament last weekend.
The North Star Knights have a strong and proud tradition in girls basketball when it comes to the District 9C, and the Northern C tournament. And that’s why last year was so heartbreaking for the Knights. Missing out on getting to the Northern C doesn’t happen to North Star very often, but it did last season. Now however, the Knights, and new head coach Rob Spicher are coming back for a new season, and they are poised to make sure last year’s 9C tourney doesn’t repeat itself. And one way North Star will do that is with talent and experience. The Knights return five players who started at one time or another a year ago, as well as plenty of key depth. And it’s that kind of roster that gives Spicher plenty of optimism about the upcoming season. “With five players who started at various times last year returning for another year we have some experienced players to lead our team this year,” Spicher said. “With
the combination of returning experience and the addition of a number of strong role players, I think we will be in the battle for a top spot when tournaments come around.” Senior Sheridan Spicher is back for the Knights as one of their five returning starters. Her experience will also be key in helping the Knights on the floor. Talented sophomore Paij Peterson, who had a breakout freshman campaign, also returns, as one of the most athletic players in the 9C. Juniors Katelyn Hansen, Peytan King and Lily Pedersen are also all back for the Knights, and that trio gives North Star not only more starting experience, but size in the post. North Star’s depth will also be a factor. Senior Sheridan Pena, senior Mystic Farinas, junior Chelsea Donaldson, junior Katelin Harvey and junior Hali Kapperud all have experience at the varsity level, while the Knights have a host of athletic players up and down their roster. And that depth, talent and experience should help the Knights battle in what Spicher thinks will be one of the most competitive years in the
9C’s history. With Box Elder and Chinook being loaded, and with Chester-Joplin-Inverness returning from a trip to divisionals last season. “The 9C will be more competitive from top to bottom than it has been in years,” he said. North Star opened its new season with two games at the CJI Preseason Tournament last weekend.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Paij Peterson and the North Star Knights will again be a strong 9C team this season.
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Harlem boys are on the rebound Bears want to stay on top of Class C Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Like all programs eventually do, the Harlem Wildcats have come into some hard times when it comes to boys basketball. Yet, with a new head coach and a new philosophy, Harlem is looking to rebuild. Last season was certainly a disappointment for the Wildcats, who won just a handful of games and failed to do much when it came to the postseason. And while new head coach Harlan Mount said he wants his team to win games, he also said he is focused on the future as much as anything. “I think for me, I didn’t see a whole of fundamentals being taught to the kids,” Mount said. “I have a lot of coaching experience and I have coached here at the high school level and the junior high level and I really just want to get back to the basics of playing basketball. So I really am looking at this as a rebuilding year for us.” One thing that always makes things difficult for Harlem is the difficult District 2B, which fea-
tures strong perennial programs like Malta and Glasgow, as well as other foes such as Poplar and Wolf Point. And once past the 2B, the Wildcats have to go through the Northern B Division, which consists of other strong teams such as Fairfield, Rocky Boy, Choteau, Shelby and Conrad. Despite the fact that Mount views this season as one for the Wildcats to rebuild, he will still have some experienced players returning from last year’s squad led by Damon Adams, who should be one of the top players on the team after turning in an All-State football season. The Wildcats have some other veterans such as Corbin Brockie, Jaden Beaumon, Eron Snow and Hollin Fox that should see minutes this season. Mount said he also had a number of underclassmen that will be trying to work their way into some minutes on the varsity squad. “At this point, I am still trying to figure out who is going to play where,” Mount said. “We have an idea of the guys that are going to play a lot, but a lot of it just depends on how guys are playing and the team that we are playing. I think that we will have some dif-
ferent combinations of players and really it’s going to come down to who earns it, who wants to be on the floor. That’s who will play for us.” One thing that will hurt the Wildcats is a lack of size. None of their returning players is taller than 6-1, which means that Harlem will need to rely a lot on speed and athleticism. But as much as Mount said he wants to win games this season, at the end of the day, it’s about building something long term, that’s his ultimate goal. “We want to win as many games as we can,” Mount said. “And I think that we can be competitive, but it’s going to be tough. We are going to have to work hard and we will see how we come along as the season goes. But what we want to do is get back to doing the things it takes to win.” Harlem opened its season at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Eron Snow, right, and the Harlem boys basketball team have a new head coach and are optimistic about their prospects as a new season begins.
Wildcats working hard to improve on the court George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Harlem Wildcats have been a strong girls program in recent years. But, playing in the same district as Class B basketball royalty, like the Malta M-Ettes are in the 2B, it’s just hard to get ahead. And while the M-Ettes will again be a sensational team this season, former Malta star Laramie Schwenke, in her second year as Harlem’s head coach, is looking for her Wildcats to make progress. “We are pretty new and very young,” Schwenke said. “But return two starters and two kids who gave us good minutes last year. I understand there will be growing pains, but we have kids who are excited to have the opportunity to step up and fill those empty roles.” Top returners for the Wildcats include se-
niors Jazzamyn Benson and Val Talks Different, while sophomores Skylee Dirden and Autumn Eagleman will also be in the starting lineup. Schwenke also listed junior Kailee Horn, sophomore Tamica Cole and freshmen L’Tia Lawrence, Kailee Henry, Taeshon Schaefer and Aria Owens as players who will step up and contribute this season. And while it won’t be easy playing in the 2B, Schwenke is looking for her team to improve as the season goes along. “The conference will be competitive with the favorite being Malta,” she said. “I believe each team returns at least one All-Conference kid and there were close games back and forth throughout the season last year. Our girls have been working extremely hard in practice and I expect that to continue as we progress in practice and the season,” she added. Harlem opened its season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Skylee Dirden and the Harlem Wildcats are hoping that the 2016-17 season is a muchimproved one.
Chris Peterson
Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper
Box Elder girls ready for another magical season George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor
Havre Daily News
gferguson@havredailynews.com
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
The Box Elder Bears were the dominant team in the District 9C a season ago. And we’re not talking boys basketball here, we’re talking about the Box Elder girls. Losing just two games to Belt all season long, the Bears had one of their greatest seasons ever, reaching the Class C state championship game. It was a magical ride for the Box Elder girls, and, it’s not even close to being over. Box Elder lost some key All-Conference players to graduation last spring, but, veteran head coach Joel Rosette’s squad is absolutely loaded with returning talent, and is poised for big things this winter. “We are excited about our team and the season,” Rosette said. “We have eight returners from last season.” Box Elder doesn’t just have eight returning players, the Bears have talent at every position, and, the biggest key to being a successful Class C team – depth. Minnie the Boy and Tia Russell lead Box Elder’s senior class. Both were All-Conference performers a season ago, and both will be not only top scorers again this season, but will also provide excellent leadership. Lilly Gopher is another standout who came on strong as a freshman last season, and she’ll see increased minutes this year, while fellow sophomore Kiya Morsette and junior guard Nikayla Anderson will give the Bears even more firepower. Of course, even with Box Elder being extremely talented, and with an up-tempo style of play that’s hard to match, both offensively and defensively, the 9C is always a tough district and, while the Bears are certainly favored to repeat, Rosette knows it won’t be easy. “The 9C is always a tough conference,” he said. “With competitive teams like Fort
For the past three years, the Box Elder Bears have done nothing but win. They have won district championships, divisional championships and in two of the last three years, they have won state championships. Yes, when it comes to Class C boys basketball, there has been no rival for the Bears. Yet, after losing a number of key players, four AllConference performers in all, including two Frontier-College commits in Brandon The Boy and Jerrod Four Colors, Box Elder once again has something to prove. “This group is really hungry,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “I think that they are ready to prove something.” While the Bears graduated a number of starters and key rotational players, such as The Boy, Four Colors, Shane Ketchum, Jake Jones, Bodis Duran and Tristan Bernard, the cupboard isn’t bare in Box Elder. For starters, Box Elder returns Pernell Morsette, a player who earned First-Team All-District 9C honors last season. He will be a key player for the Bears and in truth, might be the best player in the 9C District. He is also fully healthy after dealing with some injuries during football season. “Yea he’s good to go,” MacDonald said. “He has no limitations. He has looked really good in our workouts.” However, Morsette isn’t the only player returning that played a key role a season ago, as Trey Henderson is also back for the Bears after seeing plenty of important minutes. Like Morsette, Henderson is an athletic wing that can attack the basket. He and Morsette should do the bulk of the scoring for the Bears this season, but others such as Pete Azure Jr. and Lane Caplette will also be counted on to make big jumps from. “We have some guys with some experience back,” MacDonald said. “But these other guys practiced with us last year. They went again all those other guys every day in practice. And this summer, we really tried to play a challenging schedule so we could try and prepare them.” Box Elder will also play a difficult non-district schedule this season, playing Class B rival Rocky Boy as well as Arlee. Box Elder will also battle Highwood in non-conference play. Inside the 9C, Box Elder should also see plenty of challenges. The Bears, who are the four-time champions of the district, should have a good chance of continuing their reign this season, but if they do maintain the trophy, it won’t be
Havre Daily News/File Photo Pete Azure Jr., and the Box Elder Bears are the defending Class C boys state champions. Box Elder has also won for straight 9C titles. without a fight. Hays-Lodge Pole, which has made the Northern C Divisional tournament in back-to-back seasons after finishing second and third in the 9C tournament the past two seasons, should be the top challenger. However, other teams such as Chinook, North Star and Chester-Joplin-Inverness should also be competitive. “Hays-Lodge Pole, they are a very good team and they have almost their whole team back,” MacDonald said. “Chinook also looks pretty strong and North Star has been getting better. I think that it’s going to be pretty interesting.” But for MacDonald and his team, the big focus is on getting better and maintaining the high level of play the program has grown so accustomed to. “For us, it’s going to come down to guys stepping into their roles and taking advantage of the opportunities that they have,” MacDonald said. “Last year’s seniors had a lot of experience and were always kind of in front of this group. Some of these boys have been waiting for an opportunity and they are pretty hungry, so if we are going to continue the success we have had the past couple years, guys will have to take advantage of those opportunities.” Box Elder opened the season this past weekend at the Native American Classic.
Benton, Chester, and North Star it will be tough.” Box Elder opened its season with two games at the Native American Classic in Havre. The Bears will be out to defend their title when the 9c tourney comes to the HHS gymnasium Feb. 15-18.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Tia Russell and the Box Elder Bears made it all the way to the Class C state championship game last season. Now, Russell and the Bears want to keep that success going, including defending their 2016 District 9C title.
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Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com For the last decade, the Havre High girls basketball program has been among the best in Class A. And this season, with a deep and experienced team returning, that shouldn’t change anytime soon. The Blue Ponies, who finished third at the Eastern A Divisional last season, and won a game at the Class A state tournament, have actually made nine appearances at state in 10 years under head coach Dustin Kraske. And so far, Kraske likes what he is seeing from the 2016-17 version of his squad. “I think we are looking really good in practice,” Kraske said. “I think that the kids have been playing at a pretty high level, but you never really know until you get into games. So we are hoping to see the things that we are seeing in practice, translate over to the games.” Havre did graduate just one senior from last year’s team, but it was an important one in Dani Wagner, a two-time All-State performer, who averaged 18.2 points per game last season. But beyond that, Kraske returns four starters, highlighted by Naomi Terry, who was ninth in Class A in scoring last season (12.9 PPG), as well as Marca Herron, Ceyara Plante and Kristen Nash. Danielle Wallace, who was a key reserve last
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Ponies excited amid changes
Pony girls keep marching forward season is also back, as is Kaylee Nystrom. The other players on the varsity roster for Havre will be RayAn VandenBos, Kyley Verploegen and Kyndall Keller. “I like the depth that we have on our team,” Kraske said. “We have a lot of juniors and seniors coming back and I think that all of those kids should be better than they were last year. I have to give them a ton of credit, they have worked really hard in the offseason and in the summer and I think that’s going to pay off for them.” A big part of Havre’s offense last season came from deep as they ranked second in the entire Eastern A Division with 88 3-point field goals, 35 of which were made by Terry, who connected on 32 percent of her shots from deep. Kraske said that he is expecting big things from Terry this season, who is already committed to play college basketball at Montana State University-Northern, but he also said that doesn’t necessarily mean her scoring more points. “Sure, it would be nice if Naomi scored a few more points a game for us,” Kraske said. “But I am looking for her to take on more of a leadership role and really be the leader of our team. I think that will help us a lot more than her scoring a few more points a game.” The long-time head coach also said his team will be looking to score more inside this season and that starts with Nash, Wallace and Verploegen, who combined to average just over 10 points a game last season. “We are really trying to get more production inside,” Kraske said. “So we are really putting some pressure on Kristen Nash and Danielle Wallace and Kyley Verploegen to do more scoring inside.”
WINTER SPORTS
December 2016
December 16th vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. December 17th vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. December 20th vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. December 22nd vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 6th vs. Fairfield ~ Fairfield, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 7th vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. January 13th vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 14th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. January 20th vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. January 21st vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. January 24th vs. CMR ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 28th vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. February 3rd vs. Fairfield ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 4th vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. February 11th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. February 18th vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:00 p.m. February 22nd-25th DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) March 9th-11th STATE ~ Butte
December 16th vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. December 17th vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. December 22nd vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. January 6th vs. Fairfield ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 7th vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. January 13th vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 14th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. January 20th vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. January 21st vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. January 27th vs. CMR ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 28th vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 4:00 p.m. February 3rd vs. Fairfield ~ Fairfield, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 4th vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 7th vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 11th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 18th vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 22nd-25th DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) March 2nd-4th STATE ~ Butte
Havre High looks like a strong contender in the Central A yet again
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Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ceyara Plante and the Havre High girls basketball team has been one of the top teams in the Central A for the better part of the last decade. And the Blue Ponies, under veteran head coach Dustin Kraske, have another solid team coming into the 2016-17 season. Havre has a veteran group of juniors and seniors, and that should help the Ponies once again be, not only the top team in the Central A, but be one of the top teams when the Eastern A Divisional rolls around in February in Billings. And is always the goal at HHS, getting to this year's state tournament is a high priority.
On the perimeter, the Ponies will look for more scoring from junior Herron, who averaged, five points per game and Plante, who averaged 3.6. He also said he expects more of an offensive impact from Nystrom as well, who made just a handful of field goals last season. “I think between those three, we could average between 20 and 30 points a game,” Kraske said. “Ceyara has really worked hard on her game, so has Marca and Kaylee has too, especially offensively.” Havre should be the favorite again in
the Central A conference among Belgrade, Lewistown, Livingston and Browning. Yet, the Eastern A as a whole, should be difficult again and earning one of the four berths to the state tournament will be easier said than done. The Ponies opened their season this past weekend at the Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament in Sidney. Havre's march to the postseason culminates with the Eastern A Divisional Tournament Feb. 22-25 at the Metra in Billings. The Class A girls state tournament is set for March 2-4 at theButte Civic Center.
At the start of every high school basketball season there is going to be change. But when it comes to the Havre High boys basketball team, the Blue Ponies are probably undergoing more changes than most. That’s because the Ponies lost three key seniors from last year’s team and what head coach Curt Leeds estimated, was about 85 percent of his team’s scoring. But despite the graduation of Dane Warp, Jerod Boles and Nate Rismon, three stalwarts in Havre basketball, Leeds is optimistic about the upcoming season. “I don’t think we are that much different,” Leeds said. “Everybody lost people from last season. You look at Livingston, they are going through the same thing we are. Browning lost about eight kids from last year’s team. So that’s just something you have to go through every year. But I like our team and we have the same expectations that we have had here for the past three seasons.” While it’s hard not to focus on the amount of scoring the Ponies lost from last year’s team, Leeds was quick to point out, that defense was just as important to his team’s success, even if it went overlooked. “Last year, I don’t think people realized how good we
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$159.96 Reg. $199.95 Havre Daily News/File Photo The Havre High boys basketball team graduated the bulk of its offense from last year's fourth-place Class A squad. But, with seniors like Isaac Warp coming back, the Blue Ponies certainly fell good about where they're at heading into a brand new season.
were defensively,” Leeds said. “We ended up second in the state in Class A for points allowed behind Dillon. So that was a huge part out of our success and that’s going to be a big focus for us this season as well.”
Warp, Boles and Rismon may all be gone, but Leeds still returns a number of players with starting experience and some others that played significant minutes.
■ See HHS boys Page 15
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December 2016
WINTER SPORTS
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Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com For the last decade, the Havre High girls basketball program has been among the best in Class A. And this season, with a deep and experienced team returning, that shouldn’t change anytime soon. The Blue Ponies, who finished third at the Eastern A Divisional last season, and won a game at the Class A state tournament, have actually made nine appearances at state in 10 years under head coach Dustin Kraske. And so far, Kraske likes what he is seeing from the 2016-17 version of his squad. “I think we are looking really good in practice,” Kraske said. “I think that the kids have been playing at a pretty high level, but you never really know until you get into games. So we are hoping to see the things that we are seeing in practice, translate over to the games.” Havre did graduate just one senior from last year’s team, but it was an important one in Dani Wagner, a two-time All-State performer, who averaged 18.2 points per game last season. But beyond that, Kraske returns four starters, highlighted by Naomi Terry, who was ninth in Class A in scoring last season (12.9 PPG), as well as Marca Herron, Ceyara Plante and Kristen Nash. Danielle Wallace, who was a key reserve last
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Ponies excited amid changes
Pony girls keep marching forward season is also back, as is Kaylee Nystrom. The other players on the varsity roster for Havre will be RayAn VandenBos, Kyley Verploegen and Kyndall Keller. “I like the depth that we have on our team,” Kraske said. “We have a lot of juniors and seniors coming back and I think that all of those kids should be better than they were last year. I have to give them a ton of credit, they have worked really hard in the offseason and in the summer and I think that’s going to pay off for them.” A big part of Havre’s offense last season came from deep as they ranked second in the entire Eastern A Division with 88 3-point field goals, 35 of which were made by Terry, who connected on 32 percent of her shots from deep. Kraske said that he is expecting big things from Terry this season, who is already committed to play college basketball at Montana State University-Northern, but he also said that doesn’t necessarily mean her scoring more points. “Sure, it would be nice if Naomi scored a few more points a game for us,” Kraske said. “But I am looking for her to take on more of a leadership role and really be the leader of our team. I think that will help us a lot more than her scoring a few more points a game.” The long-time head coach also said his team will be looking to score more inside this season and that starts with Nash, Wallace and Verploegen, who combined to average just over 10 points a game last season. “We are really trying to get more production inside,” Kraske said. “So we are really putting some pressure on Kristen Nash and Danielle Wallace and Kyley Verploegen to do more scoring inside.”
WINTER SPORTS
December 2016
December 16th vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. December 17th vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. December 20th vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. December 22nd vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 6th vs. Fairfield ~ Fairfield, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 7th vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. January 13th vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 14th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. January 20th vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. January 21st vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. January 24th vs. CMR ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 28th vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. February 3rd vs. Fairfield ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 4th vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. February 11th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. February 18th vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:00 p.m. February 22nd-25th DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) March 9th-11th STATE ~ Butte
December 16th vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. December 17th vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. December 22nd vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. January 6th vs. Fairfield ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 7th vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. January 13th vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 14th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. January 20th vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. January 21st vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. January 27th vs. CMR ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. January 28th vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 4:00 p.m. February 3rd vs. Fairfield ~ Fairfield, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 4th vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 7th vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. February 11th vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 18th vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. February 22nd-25th DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) March 2nd-4th STATE ~ Butte
Havre High looks like a strong contender in the Central A yet again
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2016-2017
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ceyara Plante and the Havre High girls basketball team has been one of the top teams in the Central A for the better part of the last decade. And the Blue Ponies, under veteran head coach Dustin Kraske, have another solid team coming into the 2016-17 season. Havre has a veteran group of juniors and seniors, and that should help the Ponies once again be, not only the top team in the Central A, but be one of the top teams when the Eastern A Divisional rolls around in February in Billings. And is always the goal at HHS, getting to this year's state tournament is a high priority.
On the perimeter, the Ponies will look for more scoring from junior Herron, who averaged, five points per game and Plante, who averaged 3.6. He also said he expects more of an offensive impact from Nystrom as well, who made just a handful of field goals last season. “I think between those three, we could average between 20 and 30 points a game,” Kraske said. “Ceyara has really worked hard on her game, so has Marca and Kaylee has too, especially offensively.” Havre should be the favorite again in
the Central A conference among Belgrade, Lewistown, Livingston and Browning. Yet, the Eastern A as a whole, should be difficult again and earning one of the four berths to the state tournament will be easier said than done. The Ponies opened their season this past weekend at the Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament in Sidney. Havre's march to the postseason culminates with the Eastern A Divisional Tournament Feb. 22-25 at the Metra in Billings. The Class A girls state tournament is set for March 2-4 at theButte Civic Center.
At the start of every high school basketball season there is going to be change. But when it comes to the Havre High boys basketball team, the Blue Ponies are probably undergoing more changes than most. That’s because the Ponies lost three key seniors from last year’s team and what head coach Curt Leeds estimated, was about 85 percent of his team’s scoring. But despite the graduation of Dane Warp, Jerod Boles and Nate Rismon, three stalwarts in Havre basketball, Leeds is optimistic about the upcoming season. “I don’t think we are that much different,” Leeds said. “Everybody lost people from last season. You look at Livingston, they are going through the same thing we are. Browning lost about eight kids from last year’s team. So that’s just something you have to go through every year. But I like our team and we have the same expectations that we have had here for the past three seasons.” While it’s hard not to focus on the amount of scoring the Ponies lost from last year’s team, Leeds was quick to point out, that defense was just as important to his team’s success, even if it went overlooked. “Last year, I don’t think people realized how good we
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$159.96 Reg. $199.95 Havre Daily News/File Photo The Havre High boys basketball team graduated the bulk of its offense from last year's fourth-place Class A squad. But, with seniors like Isaac Warp coming back, the Blue Ponies certainly fell good about where they're at heading into a brand new season.
were defensively,” Leeds said. “We ended up second in the state in Class A for points allowed behind Dillon. So that was a huge part out of our success and that’s going to be a big focus for us this season as well.”
Warp, Boles and Rismon may all be gone, but Leeds still returns a number of players with starting experience and some others that played significant minutes.
■ See HHS boys Page 15
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Harlem boys are on the rebound Bears want to stay on top of Class C Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Like all programs eventually do, the Harlem Wildcats have come into some hard times when it comes to boys basketball. Yet, with a new head coach and a new philosophy, Harlem is looking to rebuild. Last season was certainly a disappointment for the Wildcats, who won just a handful of games and failed to do much when it came to the postseason. And while new head coach Harlan Mount said he wants his team to win games, he also said he is focused on the future as much as anything. “I think for me, I didn’t see a whole of fundamentals being taught to the kids,” Mount said. “I have a lot of coaching experience and I have coached here at the high school level and the junior high level and I really just want to get back to the basics of playing basketball. So I really am looking at this as a rebuilding year for us.” One thing that always makes things difficult for Harlem is the difficult District 2B, which fea-
tures strong perennial programs like Malta and Glasgow, as well as other foes such as Poplar and Wolf Point. And once past the 2B, the Wildcats have to go through the Northern B Division, which consists of other strong teams such as Fairfield, Rocky Boy, Choteau, Shelby and Conrad. Despite the fact that Mount views this season as one for the Wildcats to rebuild, he will still have some experienced players returning from last year’s squad led by Damon Adams, who should be one of the top players on the team after turning in an All-State football season. The Wildcats have some other veterans such as Corbin Brockie, Jaden Beaumon, Eron Snow and Hollin Fox that should see minutes this season. Mount said he also had a number of underclassmen that will be trying to work their way into some minutes on the varsity squad. “At this point, I am still trying to figure out who is going to play where,” Mount said. “We have an idea of the guys that are going to play a lot, but a lot of it just depends on how guys are playing and the team that we are playing. I think that we will have some dif-
ferent combinations of players and really it’s going to come down to who earns it, who wants to be on the floor. That’s who will play for us.” One thing that will hurt the Wildcats is a lack of size. None of their returning players is taller than 6-1, which means that Harlem will need to rely a lot on speed and athleticism. But as much as Mount said he wants to win games this season, at the end of the day, it’s about building something long term, that’s his ultimate goal. “We want to win as many games as we can,” Mount said. “And I think that we can be competitive, but it’s going to be tough. We are going to have to work hard and we will see how we come along as the season goes. But what we want to do is get back to doing the things it takes to win.” Harlem opened its season at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Eron Snow, right, and the Harlem boys basketball team have a new head coach and are optimistic about their prospects as a new season begins.
Wildcats working hard to improve on the court George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Harlem Wildcats have been a strong girls program in recent years. But, playing in the same district as Class B basketball royalty, like the Malta M-Ettes are in the 2B, it’s just hard to get ahead. And while the M-Ettes will again be a sensational team this season, former Malta star Laramie Schwenke, in her second year as Harlem’s head coach, is looking for her Wildcats to make progress. “We are pretty new and very young,” Schwenke said. “But return two starters and two kids who gave us good minutes last year. I understand there will be growing pains, but we have kids who are excited to have the opportunity to step up and fill those empty roles.” Top returners for the Wildcats include se-
niors Jazzamyn Benson and Val Talks Different, while sophomores Skylee Dirden and Autumn Eagleman will also be in the starting lineup. Schwenke also listed junior Kailee Horn, sophomore Tamica Cole and freshmen L’Tia Lawrence, Kailee Henry, Taeshon Schaefer and Aria Owens as players who will step up and contribute this season. And while it won’t be easy playing in the 2B, Schwenke is looking for her team to improve as the season goes along. “The conference will be competitive with the favorite being Malta,” she said. “I believe each team returns at least one All-Conference kid and there were close games back and forth throughout the season last year. Our girls have been working extremely hard in practice and I expect that to continue as we progress in practice and the season,” she added. Harlem opened its season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Skylee Dirden and the Harlem Wildcats are hoping that the 2016-17 season is a muchimproved one.
Chris Peterson
Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper
Box Elder girls ready for another magical season George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor
Havre Daily News
gferguson@havredailynews.com
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
The Box Elder Bears were the dominant team in the District 9C a season ago. And we’re not talking boys basketball here, we’re talking about the Box Elder girls. Losing just two games to Belt all season long, the Bears had one of their greatest seasons ever, reaching the Class C state championship game. It was a magical ride for the Box Elder girls, and, it’s not even close to being over. Box Elder lost some key All-Conference players to graduation last spring, but, veteran head coach Joel Rosette’s squad is absolutely loaded with returning talent, and is poised for big things this winter. “We are excited about our team and the season,” Rosette said. “We have eight returners from last season.” Box Elder doesn’t just have eight returning players, the Bears have talent at every position, and, the biggest key to being a successful Class C team – depth. Minnie the Boy and Tia Russell lead Box Elder’s senior class. Both were All-Conference performers a season ago, and both will be not only top scorers again this season, but will also provide excellent leadership. Lilly Gopher is another standout who came on strong as a freshman last season, and she’ll see increased minutes this year, while fellow sophomore Kiya Morsette and junior guard Nikayla Anderson will give the Bears even more firepower. Of course, even with Box Elder being extremely talented, and with an up-tempo style of play that’s hard to match, both offensively and defensively, the 9C is always a tough district and, while the Bears are certainly favored to repeat, Rosette knows it won’t be easy. “The 9C is always a tough conference,” he said. “With competitive teams like Fort
For the past three years, the Box Elder Bears have done nothing but win. They have won district championships, divisional championships and in two of the last three years, they have won state championships. Yes, when it comes to Class C boys basketball, there has been no rival for the Bears. Yet, after losing a number of key players, four AllConference performers in all, including two Frontier-College commits in Brandon The Boy and Jerrod Four Colors, Box Elder once again has something to prove. “This group is really hungry,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “I think that they are ready to prove something.” While the Bears graduated a number of starters and key rotational players, such as The Boy, Four Colors, Shane Ketchum, Jake Jones, Bodis Duran and Tristan Bernard, the cupboard isn’t bare in Box Elder. For starters, Box Elder returns Pernell Morsette, a player who earned First-Team All-District 9C honors last season. He will be a key player for the Bears and in truth, might be the best player in the 9C District. He is also fully healthy after dealing with some injuries during football season. “Yea he’s good to go,” MacDonald said. “He has no limitations. He has looked really good in our workouts.” However, Morsette isn’t the only player returning that played a key role a season ago, as Trey Henderson is also back for the Bears after seeing plenty of important minutes. Like Morsette, Henderson is an athletic wing that can attack the basket. He and Morsette should do the bulk of the scoring for the Bears this season, but others such as Pete Azure Jr. and Lane Caplette will also be counted on to make big jumps from. “We have some guys with some experience back,” MacDonald said. “But these other guys practiced with us last year. They went again all those other guys every day in practice. And this summer, we really tried to play a challenging schedule so we could try and prepare them.” Box Elder will also play a difficult non-district schedule this season, playing Class B rival Rocky Boy as well as Arlee. Box Elder will also battle Highwood in non-conference play. Inside the 9C, Box Elder should also see plenty of challenges. The Bears, who are the four-time champions of the district, should have a good chance of continuing their reign this season, but if they do maintain the trophy, it won’t be
Havre Daily News/File Photo Pete Azure Jr., and the Box Elder Bears are the defending Class C boys state champions. Box Elder has also won for straight 9C titles. without a fight. Hays-Lodge Pole, which has made the Northern C Divisional tournament in back-to-back seasons after finishing second and third in the 9C tournament the past two seasons, should be the top challenger. However, other teams such as Chinook, North Star and Chester-Joplin-Inverness should also be competitive. “Hays-Lodge Pole, they are a very good team and they have almost their whole team back,” MacDonald said. “Chinook also looks pretty strong and North Star has been getting better. I think that it’s going to be pretty interesting.” But for MacDonald and his team, the big focus is on getting better and maintaining the high level of play the program has grown so accustomed to. “For us, it’s going to come down to guys stepping into their roles and taking advantage of the opportunities that they have,” MacDonald said. “Last year’s seniors had a lot of experience and were always kind of in front of this group. Some of these boys have been waiting for an opportunity and they are pretty hungry, so if we are going to continue the success we have had the past couple years, guys will have to take advantage of those opportunities.” Box Elder opened the season this past weekend at the Native American Classic.
Benton, Chester, and North Star it will be tough.” Box Elder opened its season with two games at the Native American Classic in Havre. The Bears will be out to defend their title when the 9c tourney comes to the HHS gymnasium Feb. 15-18.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Tia Russell and the Box Elder Bears made it all the way to the Class C state championship game last season. Now, Russell and the Bears want to keep that success going, including defending their 2016 District 9C title.
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Turner boys ready Tornadoes aim to make to step up in the 9C this year a special one
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George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Chris Peterson
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Over the last two seasons, the North Star Knights boys basketball team has shown steady improvement. Two years ago, they won six games. Last year, they won 12. This season, the Knights have bigger aspirations. “Our goal is to get to Saturday night at the district tournament,” North Star head coach Walynn Burgess said. “That’s the next step for us. We won 12 games last year, but we need to take that next step. We want to get back to divisionals. We haven’t been there since 2009 and that’s something that I remind our guys of just about every day.” Last season, the Knights did take a big step forward in Burgess’ second season at the helm. They finished with a record of 12-9 and for the second straight year, got a win at the district tournament. However, after building a doubledigit lead against Chinook in the opening round, a win that would have put North Star into the semifinals, the Knights couldn’t close out the Sugarbeeters. They would go onto to lose out in the consolation semifinals. Yet, it was still a sign of progress for the Knights, who had two players earn SecondTeam All-District honors a year ago. One of those players, Matthew Helmbrecht, graduated, the other, Devon Miller, is back for his junior season, something that Burgess is excited about. “We have Devon back this year, so that is a good thing for us,” Burgess said. “He had a great year last year and he has looked really good. We have him and Keevan Borlaug also back, so it will be nice that have that presence inside.” Last year, as a sophomore Miller had a breakout season. In most years, he probably would have found himself on
Havre Daily News/File Photo Eddie Harmon and the Turner boys basketball team is in search of taking the next step in the District 9C, and that's winning games at the 9C tournament. He had numerous games with multiple 3-pointers last season and will look to continue that this year. “I think that we actually have some depth this year,” Holland said. “We have a good group of guys that played last year and I think with some of the other guys that we have coming up, we have a chance to win some more games than we did last season.” In terms of the 9C race, the Tornadoes are again going to have to deal with playing in one of the more challenging districts in Class C basketball. For starters, the Box Elder Bears, the defending state champions, appear to be strong again, despite losing some key players to graduation. Chinook, HaysLodge Pole, North Star and Chester-Joplin-Inverness are
all teams that are considered likely to contend for a top spot in the league standings. Turner is still trying to make headway and is competing with teams like Fort Benton and Big Sandy to move up into the middle tier of the league. Holland is hoping that his team can build on some of its success last season and add to its win total. But more than anything, the Tornadoes want a win in the postseason, if they get that, their season will be undoubtedly, labeled a success. “That’s where we want to get to,” Holland said. “We want to be able to win games in that tournament and in the postseason. It’s going to take some work to get there, but I think we can do it.” Turner opened its boys basketball season at the Class C Showcase in Glasgow, which was held Dec. 2-3.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Melanie Watkins is part of a talented and experienced 2016-17 Turner girls basketball team. Turner has improved its win total in each of the last two season, and now, the Tornadoes are primed for a run at being legitimate contenders in the 9C.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Winning games in the District 9C has been more and more realistic for the Turner girls basketball team in recent years. In fact, Turner won its most regular season games in more than a decade a year ago. But, with a roster full of players who have been on varsity for some time now, including many who played while they were still in the eighth grade, Turner’s goals for the 2016-17 season are certainly high. Jennifer Baird returns to coach a Tornado team that has not only outstanding talent, but also a veteran presence. Turner returns six
full-time players from last season, and Baird is excited about what lies ahead. “I'm really liking the looks of our team,” Baird said. “I'm returning all five starters from last season. And all the underclassmen look to be solid contributors as well.” Leading the way is AllConference standout Ella Billmayer. Now a senior, Billmayer was one of the top scorers in the District 9C last season. Also back is fellow senior Rennay Watkins, as well as sophomores Reagan and Rylee Conlan and Melanie Watkins. That group of five has been playing together for a long time now, while freshman Sarah Billmayer was a key contributor last season, while still in eighth grade. Turner will also fill out its
roster with Shyan Krass, Brandy Calvert and Alaynee Hawley. Of course, the Tornados, as experienced and talented as they are, still have to contend with a 9C field that includes Box Elder, Fort Benton, North Star, Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Chinook, all teams that will be strong again this season. "The 9C looks tough again this season,” Baird said. “I don't know that I've ever seen the 9C not look tough. There should be a lot of good, strong games played this season.” And a strong Turner team will only make the 9C that much tougher this winter. The Tornadoes opened the season with games in Glasgow, and will play Dodson this weekend.
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North Star boys poised Knights aiming high again for a big hoops season Havre Daily News
It’s been a long time since the Turner boys basketball team has been one of the top teams in the District 9C. Over the past few seasons, wins have been hard to come by for the Tornadoes, but as another hoops season begins, optimism still reigns in Turner. Last season, the Tornadoes won two games in league play and finished with an overall record of 4-16. Turner failed to win a game in the district tournament last season, something new head coach Zach Holland said will be a key goal this season. “If we could do that, get a win at districts that would be huge for our program,” Holland said. “We want to be able to compete within our district and eventually be in a position where we can advance to divisionals.” Of course, if Holland and the Tornadoes are going to achieve that goal, the program will need to start taking some major steps forward. But, at least in terms of this season, Holland, who was an assistant to Kevin VanValkenburg before taking over the helm, feels confident his team can make some noise. “I think that we have a pretty good team,” Holland said. “We have some kids back from last season that have some experience and we have some good young talent coming up and a really good eighth-grade class.” Turner did lose a few starters from last year’s squad, but the Tornadoes do still return some key players as three starters in Cody Welsh, Eddie Harmon and Tracer Heiling are all back. Harmon may be Turner’s best offensive player and is the team’s top shooter from the outside.
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the first team after averaging close to a double-double during conference play. Yet, with Box Elder and Chester-JoplinInverness losing only handful of games throughout the year, their players dominated the First-team selections. Now, with both Box Elder and CJI losing a number of key players to graduation, teams like North Star are looking to move into the upper echelon of the 9C, something Burgess said will not be an easy task. “It’s going to be very competitive again,” Burgess said. “Box Elder lost a lot of kids, but they still have some really good players. They are still going to be really good. Hays-Lodge Pole, they have a few really good kids back too, so they might actually be the team to beat and Chinook is going to be really good. They are young, but they are going to be good. They have a lot of size inside.” In addition to Devon Miller and Borlaug, the Knights are also hoping to get some major contributions from swingman Dylan Miller, who had an AllConference season in football. “Last year, he played mostly JV and he was still only about 5-5,” Burgess said. “But since then, he has grown about five or six inches, which was good. We needed another starter
Havre Daily News/File Photo Jimmy Snow and the North Star Knights will be one of the teams to watch in the District 9C this season. The Knights are coming off a successful 2015-16 year. and he is going to fill that role for us.” Another key player for the Knights, is one that may not be healthy until midway through the season and that’s Jimmy Snow, who suffered a knee injury last summer. However, Burgess said he expects him to be 100 percent by January. Beyond that, the Knights are going to be relying on young talent to continue the push of a program that’s been making steady progress over the past few years. “We have a lot of freshman,” Burgess said. “But that can be a good thing. They are starting to understand what our philosophy is and the kinds of things we are looking for and the common values of our program. All of the kids have really bought into it and they have worked really hard. We played a ton over the summer and hopefully this season, all that hard work pays off.” North Star opened its season at the Chester Preseason tournament last weekend.
The North Star Knights have a strong and proud tradition in girls basketball when it comes to the District 9C, and the Northern C tournament. And that’s why last year was so heartbreaking for the Knights. Missing out on getting to the Northern C doesn’t happen to North Star very often, but it did last season. Now however, the Knights, and new head coach Rob Spicher are coming back for a new season, and they are poised to make sure last year’s 9C tourney doesn’t repeat itself. And one way North Star will do that is with talent and experience. The Knights return five players who started at one time or another a year ago, as well as plenty of key depth. And it’s that kind of roster that gives Spicher plenty of optimism about the upcoming season. “With five players who started at various times last year returning for another year we have some experienced players to lead our team this year,” Spicher said. “With
the combination of returning experience and the addition of a number of strong role players, I think we will be in the battle for a top spot when tournaments come around.” Senior Sheridan Spicher is back for the Knights as one of their five returning starters. Her experience will also be key in helping the Knights on the floor. Talented sophomore Paij Peterson, who had a breakout freshman campaign, also returns, as one of the most athletic players in the 9C. Juniors Katelyn Hansen, Peytan King and Lily Pedersen are also all back for the Knights, and that trio gives North Star not only more starting experience, but size in the post. North Star’s depth will also be a factor. Senior Sheridan Pena, senior Mystic Farinas, junior Chelsea Donaldson, junior Katelin Harvey and junior Hali Kapperud all have experience at the varsity level, while the Knights have a host of athletic players up and down their roster. And that depth, talent and experience should help the Knights battle in what Spicher thinks will be one of the most competitive years in the
9C’s history. With Box Elder and Chinook being loaded, and with Chester-Joplin-Inverness returning from a trip to divisionals last season. “The 9C will be more competitive from top to bottom than it has been in years,” he said. North Star opened its new season with two games at the CJI Preseason Tournament last weekend.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Paij Peterson and the North Star Knights will again be a strong 9C team this season.
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Fort Benton girls remain a 9C contender George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Leah Gannon and the Fort Benton girls basketball team has had quick success since joining the District 9C. And the Longhorns have a team built for success again this season.
Success has come quickly for the Fort Benton girls basketball team in the District 9C. In other words, the Longhorns have moved right in and become one of the best teams in the league. And, that doesn’t look like it will change this winter either. Though Fort Benton lost some All-Conference players to graduation, veteran head coach Cassie Pimperton has a strong nucleus to work with, and a team that should once again compete for the 9C championship. “We have a lot of girls back from last season that gained varsity experience,” Pimperton said. Among the top returnees for the Longhorns is senior Coya Nack, a standout forward who is tough in the post. Junior Alia Evans and sophomore Leah Gannon also give the Longhorns an outstanding back court, and will make them a strong offensive team once again. Pimperton also expects many others to step up and play key roles for Fort
Benton in its third season of 9C basketball. “The girls are athletic and work hard,” she said. “If we can put all the little things together we should be competitive.” Being competitive in the 9C isn’t easy. Stalwarts like Box Elder, Chinook and North Star, as well as strong teams this season expected in Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Turner, the 9C is as tough a district as there is in Class C girls basketball, and the Longhorns make it that much tougher. “It will be a competitive year in the 9C,” Pimperton said. “Once again I think Box Elder is the team to beat. They are well coached and have a deep bench along with the state tournament experience, they'll be hungry for success once again. I look for Turner to be competitive with their girls gaining experience. Chinook is always competitive.” Fort Benton opened its season last weekend with home games against Sunburst and Simms. The Longhorns and the rest of the 9C will meet for the district tournament Feb. 15-18 in Havre.
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Hawks ready to build on last year's exciting run
Young Longhorns looking to make some noise George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Fort Benton is still relatively new to District 9C boys basketball. And so far, it’s been hard for the Longhorns to make any noise in the always-tough 9C. However, veteran head coach Tyler Pasha has high hopes for the upcoming season. And while the Longhorns will be a young team this season, Pasha feels the talent he has can carry them a long way. “Our team should be in the mix this year for being able to challenge for a spot to divisionals,” Pasha said. “We are young, but we are talented at all five positions.” The talent for the Longhorns starts with a pair of returning starters. In the post, Ty Hasbrouck is back as a senior, and will be looked upon for scoring, defense and leadership. Junior Andy Giles also returns at the shooting guard position, while Damon Bird, who saw extensive minutes last year, will move into a starting role this season as a sophomore point guard.
Pasha will also rely on a pair of freshmen to make an impact this season. Forward Garret Diekhans and guard Logan Giles will be players that should step right in and help the Longhorns. And while Fort Benton has talent, the Horns are still young and taking the next step in their third year in the 9C won’t be easy, especially with powerhouses like returning state champion Box Elder and an exciting and senior-laden Hays-Lodge Pole squad in the mix this year. “The 9C will be tough again,” Pasha said. “Box Elder and Hays just keep reloading with talent. Chinook and North Star have a lot of young players as well as height and muscle.” Fort Benton opened its season with games at home against Simms and Sunburst. The Longhorns open 9C play this weekend with games against Big Sandy and Turner.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ty Hasbrouck and the Fort Benton boys basketball team has high hopes for the upcoming season. And while the Longhorns are a young team, they have the talent to be a 9C contender.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Chester-Joplin-Inverness' Korrin Harmon is one of the top returning players in District 9C girls basketball. Harmon and the Hawks are hoping to continue the success they built during last year's postseason run, a run that took them all the way to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks were a young girls basketball team a year ago. And yet, under then first-year head coach Jerry Kulpas, the Hawks made a great, lateseason run that took them all the way to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls. Now, the Hawks return, and though they are still young by grade, from an experience standpoint, they are anything but young. Kulpas’ 2016-17 team should be a force in the District 9C, especially with the return of junior Korrin Harmon. As a sophomore, Harmon broke out in the 9C tournament, averaging over 20 points per game, and she will be one of the top players in the 9C this season. But Harmon has plenty of talent surround
her, including seniors Jereca Tempel and Kylee Vinson. Both players will be looked to for leadership and scoring this season, while junior Kendahl Knapton is another standout returner for the Hawks. CJI will also have depth on its side this winter, as the Hawks try and make a run at a 9C championship. And though teams like Box Elder, Fort Benton, Chinook and rival North Star will certainly try and stand in the Hawks’ way, with so much experience and talent, including Khloe and Katey Kamerzell, Jasmine Cole and Peyton Hawks, CJI is a team that will definitely be a contender in the 9C. The Hawks opened their season with two games at the CJI Preseason Tournament last week. The 9C girls tourney is set for February in Havre.
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CJI boys must reload Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com Change is pretty much a constant thing in high school basketball and when it comes to District 9C boys basketball this season, no team is experiencing more of it than Chester-Joplin-Inverness. Looking back, the 2015-16 basketball season was a banner year for the CJI boys. The Hawks not only won 19 games, they finished second at the District 9C tournament and also came in fourth in the Northern C Divisional. Thanks to the spectacular play of the Hawks four key players, Justin May, Brandon Richter, Troy Harmon and Cory Richter, CJI was not only one of the best teams in the North, but arguably one of the most exciting squads in all of Class C basketball. Yet, with the exception of Cory Richter, the other three players of the foursome are done due to graduation. The Hawks also graduated their fifth starter Javin Miles and lost their head coach Spencer Satori, who took a job as an assistant to Shawn Huse in the Montana State University-Northern men’s basketball program. Thus, with a new coach in T.J. Murphy, who came over from Fort Benton, where he was an assistant last season, and a new nucleus of players, the 2016-17 season is one of unknowns right now for the Hawks, as they look to determine who they are all in the wake of all the departures. Thankfully for Murphy, the cupboard wasn’t left completely bare. In Cory Richter, CJI still boasts one of the top scorers in the 9C. The Second-Team All-Conference selection is a deadly shooter from beyond the 3-point line and after playing a complementary role the past few years, it’s his turn to be the go-to guy. Other players that return with previous playing
experience for CJI are Bruce Tempel and Clark Diemert, who will see plenty of minutes as well this season for the Hawks. There is no question that CJI lost a lot of talent, but the good thing is, they aren’t alone. Box Elder, the defending Class C state champions, graduated three All-State players from its team, while Chinook and North Star also graduated players that received postseason honors. Even with the loss of star players like Brandon The Boy and Jerrod Four Colors, Box Elder should be among the best teams in the district. The Bears are looking for a fifth consecutive district title
and their top competition could be Hays-Lodge Pole. The T-Birds return most of their team after making a run at divisionals a season ago. Chinook and North Star should also be in contention, along with CJI, which should still be a cut above teams like Fort Benton, Turner and Big Sandy. Duplicating the 19-win season of a year ago will certainly be difficult for the Hawks and their new head coach, but in a district that is both challenging and wide open, anything is possible. The Hawks opened their season last weekend at the CJI Preseason Tournament in Chester.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Chester-Joplin-Inverness' senior Cory Richter will help the Hawks try and remain contenders in the 9C. CJI has a new head coach this season, and the Hawks graduated a lot of firepower from last year's squad.
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Rocky Boy girls are Stars are ready to Big Sandy boys rising back up in the 9C young, but talented shine bright again Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
The past few seasons have been challenging for the Big Sandy Pioneers. Last year, the Pioneers, who at one time had a rich basketball tradition, failed to win a single game. Marred by youth and inexperience, the Pioneers under the direction of head coach Ronnie Simpson, struggled to stay competitive in the District 9C and were eliminated after two games in the district tournament. Yet, Simpson, who is back for another season with the Pioneers, said he believes that this season is going to be different and that this group of Big Sandy players is going to be much more competitive. “I am excited about this season,” Simpson said. “We are still a pretty young team, but we have a lot of kids back from last year. So I think that we are going to be better than we were. It’s going to be tough and we have a long ways to go, but I think we are going to be a lot better.” Big Sandy was indeed young last season and because of that, the Pi-
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Sean Henry and the Rocky Boy Morning Stars have a team capable of doing big things this season. Still, as talented as the Morning Stars will be under new head coach Cameron McCormick, they play in the always tough District 1B.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Rocky Boy Morning Stars play in arguably the single hardest district in all of Class B girls basketball. And yet, since moving up to Class B, the Morning Stars have had their fair share of success. Now, with a new head coach, and a young team, Rocky Boy enters the 201617 season with high hopes. Cameron McCormick takes over a talented Rocky Boy squad, one that had an upand-down regular season a year ago, but made a strong run towards the end of the season. “This group of Stars is sure to make some noise in Class B,” McCormick said.
Rocky Boy has talent at every level, including returning seniors Rosie Parker and Shania Patacsil. Parker was one of the top scorers for the Morning Stars last season. Rocky Boy also returns juniors Adrienne Gopher, Maya Reed, and Sean Henry, all who saw starting time a year ago. Henry was a scoring standout as well. Forward Jaylynn Mitchell, and forward/guard Kiauna Sutherland are also expected to step up this season. A Sophomore who will make her presence known is Forward Rochelle Pease. Rocky Boy will fill out its roster with freshmen, including guard Sasha Coffee, and forwards Jaynah Gopher and Tessa BigKnife. And while Rocky Boy ex-
pects to be talented and strong this season, especially offensively, the Morning Stars will still have to contend with a rigorous nonconference schedule, and the District 1B, which includes powerhouse Fairfield. “As far as District 1B goes, the formidable Fairfield Lady Eagles are yet reigning,” McCormick said. “Even so Choteau, Shelby, Cut Bank and Conrad simply cannot be counted out.” Rocky Boy opened its season with tough games against Box Elder and Arlee at the Native American Classic last weekend in Havre. Rocky Boy will look to battle all the way to the postseason, with the District 1B tournament being held in Cut Bank and the Northern B Divisional in Glasgow in February.
Two years ago, the Rocky Boy boys basketball team earned a third-place trophy at the Class B state tournament. Last season, the Stars, who were plagued by youth, didn’t even make it to the Northern B Divisional. But now, after a season of growing pains, the Stars appear poised to contend again in the District 1B and in the bigger scheme of the things, the Northern B. Helping the Stars in that effort, is the return of all five starters, as well as head coach Adam Demontiney. “Oh yeah, that experience is really going to help us this season,” Demontiney said. “It was tough for us last year, we were so young. But they got a year of playing together and now they are really excited about this season. They have been a lot of work in and we did pretty this summer in different team camps and at the Big Sky state games, so we plan on being a lot more competitive this season.” For Rocky Boy, things start and end with talented sophomore Kendall Windy Boy, who is a legitimate force inside for the Stars standing nearly 6-7. As a freshman, Windy Boy averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds a game, both team highs. He was also selected to the All Hi-Line team selected by the Havre Daily News. But Windy Boy isn’t the only returning starter for Demontiney, who also brings back Chase Corcoran, Jerell Gopher, Kendall Small and Ben Iron Eyes. Having all five starters back is a rare thing in high school basketball and it’s something Demontiney thinks will give his team a distinct advantage this season.
“I think that it helps because we have played so much together,” Demontiney said. “We got better last season as it went along and I think we have really improved since then. It’s really hard to know until you start playing games, but we have definitely come a long way. I think all of our guys are looking a lot better and they have improved from where they were last year.” One thing that could make things difficult for Rocky Boy, even if the Stars are much improved, is the difficulty of the 1B, and the Northern B as a whole. With teams like Choteau, Fairfield, Shelby, Conrad and Cut Bank in their district, even getting to divisionals isn’t a lock. And with non-conference games against Havre, Malta and Box Elder, the Stars are sure to be battled tested by the time the postseason rolls around.
Havre Daily News/File Photo Jerell Gopher and the Rocky Boy Stars return a ton of experience, and appear poised to return to being an elite Class B boys team this season. “The 1B is always really tough,” Demontiney said. “Choteau lost some kids, but they still have some talent. Shelby has almost their whole team back, so they are going to be really tough. Every year it’s tough. We lost at districts to Conrad and they ended up taking Shelby to a challenge game, which was a surprise. So you never really know, but I think we are going to do much better against all those teams, than we did last year.” The Stars opened the season this past weekend at the Native American Classic.
oneers have a number of contributors back from last year’s team. Leading the way will be Laurence Allderdice, who has started the past two seasons for Big Sandy and just completed a football season that saw him receive All-State honors. Yet, in addition to Allderdice, Simpson will have some other experienced players to work with this season such as Ryan Roth, Tevin Haugen and Jordan Schwarzbach. “I think Ryan, who was an eighthgrader for me last year, is going to be a big key for us,” Simpson said. “Jordan Schwarzbach should also be a good player for us, especially down low. And with guys like Laurence, I feel like we have some really good leadership and I think that’s going to be important for us as we are trying to build things.” As always, the Pioneers will battle it out in the difficult 9C, which features not only defending state champion Box Elder, but other talented teams such as Hays-Lodge Pole, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Chinook and North Star. “I think it’s going to be like it has been,” Simpson said. “There are some really good teams at the top, like Box Elder and Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole, and then I think
that it’s pretty wide open. But I really think that we have a chance to open some eyes and surprise some people.” Simpson said his team and his program were still building and that the Pioneers don’t have the numbers that teams like Chinook and Box Elder do, but he said he had a good feeling about the direction of his team and that he was looking forward to getting the season started. “Numbers are really important in basketball,” Simpson said. “And Chinook and Box Elder, they have really good numbers, so that makes it tough. I think this year, our talent level is going to be a lot higher and I think that we are going to win some games this year.” Big Sandy opened its season at the Chester basketball invitational.
Havre Daily News/File Photo After several rough seasons in a row, the Laurence Allderdice and the Big Sandy Pioneers are hoping to be more competitive this season. And head coach Ronnie Simpson thinks the Pioneers can do just that.
Pioneers set to begin a new era in basketball George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The once proud Big Sandy girls basketball program has fallen on hard times. A drop in enrollment and the rise of other powers in the District 9C have caused the program to slip back. And while Big Sandy won just one game last season, the Pioneers look to the future, and a new sea-
Havre Daily News/File Photo Andrea Rutledge, middle, is a key returning player for the Big Sandy girls basketball team. The Pioneers, now under the direction of Ronnie Simpson, are hoping to put past struggles behind them this season , and that's by being competitive in the District 9C.
son brings new hope. Big Sandy boys head coach Ronnie Simpson, a former standout player for the Montana State University-Northern Lights, steps in to take over the girls program as well this season, and, Big Sandy finally has some experience to work with. Jenna Leader, Andrea Rutledge, Jalynn Cline and Jessica Roth form a solid nucleus for the Pioneers, and all have seen extensive varsity time since they were young. "One thing I like about this team," Simpson said. "Is that we have some really good leaders. We only won one game last season, but I think that we have gotten a lot better and I think we could have a chance to be much improved so I am looking forward to it. I think that we will be right there at the
end and that's what you want. The key for us is just going to be keep getting better as the season goes along." Of course, improving some might still mean the Pioneers will have a tough time climbing back up the ranks of the 9C. Yet, Simpson said he feels like his girls team is capable of surprising people come February. "I think that you definitely have you powerhouses in Chinook, Fort Benton and Box Elder," Simpson said. "they are coached well and have good teams. But there are some teams coming up like us and Turner and I think that we have a chance to surprise some people." Big Sandy opened its season at the CJI Preseason Tournament last weekend in Chester.
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Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:30 p.m. Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m. Class "A" Meet ~ Hardin ~ 1:00 p.m. CMR/Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m. Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:00 p.m. Missoula ~ Missoula Havre State ~ Great Falls
Havre High swim teams excited and ready to dive in George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Success has never been an issue for the Havre High swimming program. Year-after-year, the Blue Ponies always seem to be strong in the pool. And, though HHS has a new head coach this winter, the Ponies will most certainly continue their tradition of excellence. William Kilgore, who was Havre’s assistant last season, takes over for Jill Cammon as head coach of the Blue Pony program. And with a number of strong returning swimmers, and good overall numbers, Kilgore says things are looking good once again for HHS. “I think the kids are excited. I know I am,” Kilgore said. “I want this team’s goals to be to get better at every practice, keep raising the bar so to speak. We ended our girl’s season last year with a state championship and I think that is the ultimate benchmark goal every year for the Havre Blue Ponies, but you can’t get there without taking the smaller steps of daily improvement.” The HHS girls did indeed win the Class A state championship a season ago. And, though graduation hit the Pony roster hard, they should still be one of the top teams in the water in Class A this season. “We graduated so much talent from last year’s state championship team,” Kilgore
said. “And we are looking to rebuild that core group. The strength of the girl’s team is that we have a dedicated, hardworking group of young ladies that are up to the challenge. If they continue to work hard and put in the extra effort, I would think a top three finish at the state meet is not unrealistic.” Though Havre did graduate some super star swimmers, the Ponies definitely have one of the best back this season in junior Amelia Miller. A leader in and out of the pool, Miller finished in the Top 5 in the 500-meter freestyle at state a year ago, and will excel in several events this season. Sophomores Ally Padgett and Hannah Lunak are also returning from the state championship team and both will be big contributors this season, while Kilgore also points to first-year swimmers Michelle Rainey, Angela Rhines and Natalie Verploegen as ones who will help the Ponies this winter. Jessica Otto, Kadyn Acor, Aria Pratt, Lacey Huseby and Laura Vance round out the Pony girls’ roster. On the boys side, Havre has been growing strong as a program in recent seasons, and that growth could lead to big things this year as the Ponies return a very experiences group. “The strength of the boy’s team this year is our depth,” Kilgore said. “We might not have a standout top state swimmer, but we have many very, very good swimmers that are working hard to improve. With enough work and a tough mental attitude, I believe we can
Havre Daily News/File Photo Havre's Ethan Lines is part of a strong group of returning swimmers for the Havre High boys this season. The Blue Pony swim teams have a new head coach as well.
get some of our swimmers into the finals at the state meet. If we can make that happen, we’ll be in the hunt for a strong finish.” Leading the Ponies are strong returners like Ethan Lines, Shandon Oberquell, Mason Sandstrom and Clayton Twombly, all of whom have plenty of experience. But, the Ponies also have depth with returners like Noah Gjesdal and Ammon Lines, while newcomers Jacob Miller, Shane Friede and Barrett Kilgore are expected to help make a splash right away. Also competing for the HHS boys this season will be, Caleb Allestad, Emilio Bautista, Kabe Burchard, Riley Kilgore, John Klein, Paxtin McCann, Aylan Pratt, Cody Rennick, Trevor Williams and Logan Twombly. And while Havre is just getting its season started, the Ponies have some exciting goals this season, goals that will lead them to the state meet in February in Great Falls. But overall, Coach Kilgore said his goals for the team are to first and foremost, make sure they enjoy and have fun with the challenges that the sport of high school swimming presents. “My expectations of our swimmers is that they work
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Beeters look to stay on top on the mat Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/File Photo Ally Padgett and the Havre High girls swim team are the defending Class A state champions. The Blue Ponies will be a younger team this season, but still talented. hard, keep a positive attitude, and have more fun in the pool than they thought they would ever have,” he said. “I expect them to look to improve on times and be just a little bit better today than they were yesterday. Swimming is a team sport governed by
performances of individuals competing against themselves. I expect them to challenge themselves, improve themselves, and in so doing, help the team. The wins and losses will take care of themselves, my goal is to develop better young men and women in life as well as the pool.”
For the past two seasons, the Chinook Sugarbeeters have been the kings of Class C wrestling, taking home the state championship in both 2015 and 2016. But in order to keep that title, the Beeters are going to have some work to do between now and February. That’s because while Chinook does return a two-time state champion in Tate Niederegger, the Beeters also lost four wrestlers that placed at the state tournament last season in Kenny Pruttis, Jake Norby and Derek Bell. Like Niederegger, Pruttis won an individual title at 170 pounds, while Norby finished third, Young finished fourth and Bell finished fifth in their respective weight classes. “We are going to be a young team this year,” Chinook head coach Perry Miller said. “We have Tate and he is a spectacular wrestler and will have a great season for us. The rest of the guys really need to come along and get better, but thankfully, we have a couple months to get them where they need to be.” The positive thing for the Beeters is the return of Niederegger, who in addition to winning individual state titles the past two years, finished second at state as a freshman. At 145 pounds, Niederegger will be a heavy favorite to claim a third individual championship and his points alone at state, should be enough to
keep Chinook in contention, it will just be a matter of finding a few other wrestlers that can score some points. “We have three juniors, a couple of sophomores and three freshman,” Miller said. “And right now, they are doing alright. They are still learning and they are going to have a lot of chances to get better. We have some raw talent, but we have a long way to go until February.” Miller expressed hope in the three juniors that he has back for this season with J.J. Colby, Colton Little and Garrett Lohan all back for the Beeters this season. They are joined by sophomore Ross Reed and freshmen J.T. Hauer, Kurtis Hamilton and Reubin Swenson. “We look for good things,” Miller said. “We have a lot of raw talent like I said. We don’t have a lot of kids that have been in the room wrestling since they were four, but we have a few. We have some freshmen that came in and they have been with the program for a while. So we are going to take our lumps early, but come February, we will be ready.” Harlem and Fort Benton/Big Sandy are also excited about the new season. The Wildcats will be young this season, but have two of the top heavyweights in Class B-C. Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Hays-Lodge Pole also have Class C wrestling.
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HHS Boys: Havre has the talent to be successful ■ From Page 9 Senior Nate Korb has started each of the past two seasons for Leeds and he returns, as does Jacob LaBrie, who at 3.6 points per game, is the top scorer back for HHS. Isaac Warp is another player that saw extensive minutes last season and he will be a starter for the Ponies, along with junior Ivar Aageson. Leeds will also rely on other seniors to contribute such as Michael Loftus, Ryan Bakke, Bobby Personett and Jake Sedahl. Junior Jacob Irvin will also see minutes in reserve. “I think that we have a pretty deep team,” Leeds said. “Most years, I usually only play like seven or eight guys and this year I think because we have seven seniors, I am going to be able to play nine guys consistently.” No matter who is in the lineup for HHS, one of the big keys has always been its ability to shoot from 3-point range. Last season, the Ponies finished third in all of Class A in terms of made 3-pointers, with a total of 160 and Leeds said that will be a strength of his once again in 2016-17.
“I think that we are going to have at least four, but maybe five guys out there who can shoot the ball,” Leeds said. “We have some kids that have really worked hard on shooting the ball and if they are going to work on it like that, we are going to take those shots.” With other teams such as Browning and Livingston also reloading, Havre should have a good chance to be among the top teams in the Central A standings again, which will be important for seeding for the Eastern A Divisional at season’s end. “Conference games are re-
Havre Daily News/File Photo HHS head coach Curt Leeds says he is excited and optimistic about his 2016-17 Blue Pony boys basketball; team. ally important with this new format,” Leeds said. “You want to make sure that you are in the top four so you can avoid a play-in game and ideally you want to be in the top two or three so you can have a good seed going in.” Havre opened its season this past weekend in the Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament against Sidney and Laurel.
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DEC. 16th-17th December 20th January 6th-7th January 12th January 13th-14th January 17th January 22nd January 20th-21st January 21st January 28th February 4th February 10th-11th
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Coeur d' Alene, Idaho ~ Idaho CMR ~ Havre 5:00/6:00 p.m. Cut Bank Invite ~ Cut Bank Great Falls High ~ Great Falls 4:00/5:00 p.m. Missoula Invite ~ Missoula Sidney ~ Havre 5:30 p.m. Chinook (JV) ~ Chinook 3:30 p.m. Class "A" Duals ~ Belgrade 1:00 p.m. Harlem (JV) ~ Harlem Malta ~ Malta Divisionals ~ Glendive State ~ Billings
Pony matmen poised for more dominance
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Parker Filius, top, and the Havre High wrestling team is chasing history this winter. The Blue Ponies are gunning for a fifth straight Class A state title, while Filius looks to become a four-time individual state champion.
Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com It’s hard to truly describe the dominance of the Havre High wrestling program over the past two decades. As another season is set to start this weekend, the Blue Ponies come in having won eight of the last 10 Class A state championships, including the last four. But of all the state championships Havre has won, there are a number of reasons why this year’s could be more historic than ever. Over the last few years, the Ponies have
beaten up on just about everybody they have faced. Yet, that doesn’t mean Havre hasn’t sought out the best competition possible, it has. It’s why Havre wrestles the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Invitational and in tournaments like the Tri-State wrestling tournament in Coeur d’Alene, ID. The Ponies don’t shy away from tournaments like these and this year will be no different and that’s one reason why, according to Filius, his teams have managed to stay hungry despite all the success. “A big reason we have been able to stay hungry, is that we have had a commitment to go out and find great competition and get our
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Blue Pony senior Jase Stokes, right, is looking to become a four-time Class A state champion this winter. Stokes has also helped the Ponies to three consecutive state championships in his time at HHS. Havre will look to make more history at the state tournament, which runs Feb. 10-11 in Billings. kids beat,” Filius said. “If you know you are going to go to the Rocky, if you know you are going to Coeur d’Alene, you know you are going to wrestle the best teams in the state and you have something to look forward to.” While Filius and his team look forward to some of the great competition they will face this season, its opponents may not share his enthusiasm. During his lengthy tenure at Havre High, Filius has had some great teams, but talent wise, this year’s bunch is as good as any, which doesn’t bode well for the competition. Of course it starts with the Ponies’ two three-time state champions, Parker Filius (145) and Jase Stokes (205). Both Filius and Stokes will be seeking to be Havre’s first ever four-time state champions, giving both the chance to make history, a rarity in Havre wrestling. Yet, Stokes and Filius aren’t the only returning state champs. Havre actually has a total of four and the others are junior Tyler Schaub (205), who won last season after finishing third as a freshman, as well as Martin Wilkie (132), who started his path to being a four-timer last season. There is no question that Havre has some elite talent on its roster, however its four state champions are just the beginning. The Ponies also boast Dane Flammond, who has placed twice at state, including a third-place showing last year at 160 pounds, where he will wrestle again this season. HHS also features junior Ryan Stewart, who finished sixth a year ago and will wrestle at 120 pounds
once again. In all, Havre has nine upperclassmen and the other veterans include seniors Jared Laux, who will wrestle at 160 pounds after qualifying for state last season and heavyweight Jared Sienkowski. Juniors JayR Caplette, who will wrestle at 170 pounds and Walter White, who will compete at 182 pounds, should also contribute. But more than anything, coach Filius said he is looking forward to seeing how his young wrestlers perform, a group that includes some highly-touted freshman. “I know what a lot of these older guys are capable of,” Filius said. “And actually. I know what our sophomores are capable of too. So I am looking forward to seeing how these young guys compete. I hope they make the same kind of impact that we have had from freshmen the last couple years.” Joining Willkie in the sophomore class are Lane Paulson (126), Taylor Gopher (170) and Austin Ratliff (205), all of whom are capable of being key contributors. And last but not least, a talented group of freshmen includes Cameron Pleninger (103), Marc Ramirez (113), Quinn Reno (113), Shawn Sullivan (126), Connor Harris (126), Cameron Nelson (132) and Mason Dionne (152). “We have a great group of kids,” Coach Filius said of his team. “We have some great leadership at the top and our youngers kids are following along and that’s made this a fun group to coach.” Havre opened its season at the Havre Invitational.