Winter Sports 2015-2016

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Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

Ponies aim to keep their crown December 18th-19th December 22nd January 2nd

January 8th-9th January 14th

January 15th-16th January 22nd January 23rd January 22-23rd January 26th January 30th

February 6th

February 12th-13th

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho ~ Idaho Browning ~ Browning Browning (JV) - Mixer ~ Browning Bozeman (V) ~ Bozeman Cut Bank Invite ~ Cut Bank CMR ~ Great Falls 4:00 p.m./5:00 p.m.

Missoula Invite ~ Missoula Chinook (JV) ~ Chinook Harlem (JV) ~ Harlem Class "A" Duals ~ Lewistown 1:00 p.m.

Great Falls ~ Havre ~ 5:00 p.m./6:30 p.m.

Malta ~ Malta Divisionals ~ Havre State ~ Billings

Havre High grapplers seeking a Class A fourpeat this winter Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is no question that Havre High wrestling coach Scott Filius has built the Blue Ponies into a dynasty. HHS has won three consecutive Class A state titles and is the prohibitive favorite to win a fourth this season.

Yet winning is never easy, and often times, the biggest threat to teams that have won as much as Havre has in wrestling, is the ability to handle success. Well, unlike most teams, Filius and his squads have never lost their hunger and, so far this season, the Ponies are working as hard as ever to maintain their spot at the pinnacle of Class A wrestling.

"Things are going really good," Filius said.

"Right now, the kids are really buying into the hard work in the room. We are sitting at 22 kids right now and we have the right 22, so we are pretty pleased."

When it comes to wrestling rosters, few if any, can compare to the one the Ponies will bring into the 2015-16 season. To start things off, Havre boasts three returning individual state champions from last year in Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Travis Adams.

Stokes and Filius will each be juniors this season and both have captured individual state championships in their first two seasons. Adams won his first state title last year, after a second-place finish as a sophomore.

He also placed at state as a freshman, which gives the Ponies a total of three seniors that have placed in all three seasons leading up to this one, as Logan Pleninger and Kody Pribyl have also achieved that feat.

"There might be some guys on our team that have more accolades, but those three guys, Adams, Pribyl and Pleninger, are very important to what we do," Filius said. "We have some great leadership on this team and those three guys are some of our best leaders."

In all, the Ponies will return eight wrestlers, who placed at state last year, including seven who finished in the top four. Sophomore Ryan Stewart will look to build on a thirdplace finish from last year, as will junior Dane Flammond. Pleninger also finished third last season, while Pribyl and Tyler Schaub each finished fourth in their respective weight classes. Keegan Kennelly finished fifth.

Yet, as coach Filius mentioned, there is a lot of young talent in the program and it's more than just the freshman class.

Jazz Schroeder (145), Walter White (170), JayR Caplette (170), John Berg (HWT) and Brock Smith (HWT) are among the sophomores who could turn into contributors this season. While the freshman class boasts Lane Paulson at 120 pounds, Martin Wilkie at 120 pounds, Kollin Nystrom at 145 pounds, Taylor Gopher at 160 pounds, Austin Ratliff at 170 pounds, Thor Abbasi at 170 pounds and Jacoby Fox at 182 pounds.

While Filius has done a great job of building depth, his lineup should be as solid as ever with Stewart at 113 pounds, Pleninger at 132, Pribyl at 138, Parker Filius at 152, Stokes at 182, Schaub at 205 and Adams in the heavyweight division. Flammond will be at 160 pounds along with Jared Laux and Jared Sienkowski who will also factor in the heavyweight class.

"We have some kids that have high goals," Filius said. "And right now, they are working hard to try and achieve them. We had some younger kids that were an important part of what we did a year ago and this year, they are going to be at the heart of what we do."

Like always, Sidney should be the top contender to Havre's crown this season, but the Ponies could also see challenges from many other teams, but at this point, Filius is focused on taking it one week at a time.

"I haven't really thought that far ahead to be honest with you," Filius said. "The only way that you win championships is by working hard and getting better every week. That's what we have done in the past and that's what we want to do again."

After a busy regular-season schedule, Havre will be wresting at the Eastern A Divisional Feb. 6 and then at the All-Class state meet in Billings Feb. 12-13.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Junior Jase Stokes is one of three returning state champions for the three-time defending Class A state champion Havre Blue Ponies.

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December 18th December 19th January 9th January 16th January 22nd January 23rd January 30th February 12th-13th

WINTER SPORTS

Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:30 p.m.

Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m.

Class "A" Meet ~ Havre ~ 1:00 p.m.

CMR/Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m.

Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:00 p.m.

Missoula ~ Missoula Great Falls ~ Great Falls State ~ Great Falls

Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

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Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

Pony swimmers are Chinook, Harlem ready for the mat ready to jump in Beeters, Wildcats still two of the top wrestling programs on the Hi-Line

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Once upon a time, the Havre High swim teams absolutely dominated Class A swimming, but things change and, eventually, the domination shifted south to Billings and the Billings Central Rams.

Now, however, the Blue Ponies are once again on the upswing in the pool, and they’re ready to make the 2015-16 season the best the program has had in years.

For third-year head coach Jill Cammon, not only is her roster full of talented swimmers, but the participation numbers are up this season too, and that means, on both sides, the Ponies will not only be strong in the water this season, but they also can build for the future.

“We are a competitive, experienced girls team with several seniors,” Cammon said. “This will be a great year for the girls team. They are strong and healthy and working hard in practice.

“Our boys team has nearly doubled this year with move ins and new recruits,” Cammon continued. “We don't have any seniors; however, the juniors all have swimming experience. We also have a lot of newcomers to the team, and they are making fast progress.

I am very optimistic about the boys' performance this year.”

And Cammon has every reason to be excited about both of her squads this season.

On the girls side, Havre returns seniors Lita Cammon, Hailee Kilgore, Jackie Martin, Aubri McCann (Chinook) and Alara Vogel, all of whom are talented and have fast experience at the varsity swimming level.

Add in senior Brittney Bergren, who is new to swimming this year, and the Ponies have a lot of veterans leading the way.

But, HHS also had a talented group of freshmen last winter, and those swimmers are now experienced sophomores, including Jess Otto, Amelia Miller and Jillian Reighard. The girls team has also added Laura Vance and Hannah Bean, as well as Alex Padgett, Aria Pratt, Lacey Huseby and Hannah Lunak.

The boys team also has loads of experience, especially in the junior class. Zach Barnes, Logan Gardner, Shandon Oberquell, Mason Sandstrom and Clayton Twombly have all been swimming together at the varsity level for two seasons now, and that group is poised for big things this year. Dakota Acor and Ethan Lines are new to the team this season, but have swimming experience, while Aylan Pratt, Noah Gjesdal and Trevor Williams round out the HHS boys roster.

“The senior girls are really leading the team and setting the pace for practices.

Their work ethic and dedication motivates the team,” coach Cammon said. “The incoming freshmen are a strong point for the teams. They bring experience and enthusiasm. Freshmen Noah Gjesdal, Lacey Huseby, Ammon Lines, Hannah Lunak and Ally Padgett are experienced swimmers and are contenders for the relays. John Klein and

Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com When it comes to Class C wrestling in Montana, the Chinook Sugarbeeters are essentially in a league of their own, after winning six state championships in the past nine years.

Last season, the Beeters ran away with the Class C championship at the All-Class state wrestling tournament in Billings and with a ton of talent returning for the 2015-16 season, there is reason to believe that when all is said and done, Chinook will find itself on the top of the podium once again.

"Right now the biggest thing for us is that we just need to get healthy," Chinook co-head coach Adam Tilleman said. "We have some kids that are banged up still from football and are still recovering. So right now,

Havre Daily News/File Photo Clayton Twombly and the Havre High boys and girls swim teams are excited about the new season in the pool.

Aria Pratt are also freshmen, though new to swimming, they are already looking great in the water. Three of our swimmers, Alara Vogel, Amelia Miller and Hannah Lunak ran cross country, and they have certainly benefited from that training.”

Of course, Havre’s schedule also gives the Ponies a chance to gain experience, improve and get ready for the state meet, which is always the ultimate goal in high school swimming. And this season, the Ponies have many contenders for medals and strong times at the state level.

“The main goal is to take a competitive boys and girls team to the state meet,” Cammon said. “Our plan this year is to build endurance and strength early. Swimmers have been putting time in the water and weight room.

“Aubri McCann has been a finalist in all of her events for the last two years, and I anticipate seeing her there again,” she continued. “Lita Cammon, was injured for state last year; however, she was a finalist in her four events as a sophomore, and is focused on returning. Jackie Martin, Amelia Miller and Alara Vogel are finalist hopefuls as well. Relays for both the boys and girls teams will be competitive and should place well at state. “ While the state meet, which will be held Feb. 12-13 in Great Falls, is still nearly two months away, the Ponies will have fun preparing for it at such meets as Great Falls, Missoula and Helena, as well as the Class A Invite Jan. 9 in Havre.

“This is going to be an amazing year,” Cammon said. “Based on their practices, I am anticipating a successful season.”

we are just trying to get the kids back into wrestling shape and trying to get them back into wrestling mode."

In all, the Beeters are blessed with the return of all seven wrestlers who competed for Chinook at the state meet last season. While there are a number of seniors on the team, no individuals coming back are more decorated than junior Tate Niederegger, who was Chinook's lone individual state champion a season ago at 132 pounds.

Joining Niederegger on the podium at state for the Beeters last season was Jake Norby, who finished fourth at 145 pounds and Kenny Pruttis, who also managed to finish fourth at 170 pounds. Yet, even Colton Liddle (113), Derek Bell (160), Jesse Dannels (170) and Kevin Young (205) all managed to earn at least one victory at state for the Beeters, which gives them the kind of depth, few Class C wrestling teams ever have.

"We have a lot of really good kids coming back," Tilleman said. "Tate is obviously a great wrestler and he will have a chance to win another state title this year, but I think all of our seniors are going to have

a chance to compete to place at state."

While the Chinook lineup will look strikingly similar to the one that captured the state championship in 2015, there will be some adjustments.

First, Niederegger will be wrestling at 138 or 145 pounds, Liddle will be at 120 or 126, Garrett Lowham, Ross Reid and James Buffington will all compete for time at 126 and 132, J.J. Colby will be at 145 or 152, Norby will wrestle at 152 or 160, Bell will wrestle at 160, Prutts at 170, Dannels at 182, Tye Mithcell at 182 or 205 and finally Young will once again man the spot at 205.

The state tournament may seem like a long way away, but the Beeters have already started the process of building toward another title run.

Even though they aren't completely healthy right now, when the end of the season comes around, there is no doubt that the Beeters will be a force to be reckoned with throughout Class C wrestling.

"It's hard to know who else is going to be good at this point," Tilleman said. "We know that Arlee has a good program and they should be competitive at state this year, beyond that, we won't really know un-

til we get closer to state. But, we like our chances, we just need to get all our kids healthy."

While Chinook is hoping for a repeat of last season, there is no question that no matter what happens this season for the Harlem wrestling team, it won't be the same.

That's because following last season's state tournament, longtime head coach Lyle Faulkinberry stepped down as the Wildcats head wrestling coach, which has ushered in a new era of Harlem wrestling.

Yet, the coach that is taking over for Faulkinberry is a familiar face in Joe Shupe, who as recently as 2014, was the head coach of the Harlem football team.

Shupe takes over a program that has some solid returners but will have to cope with the graduation of Brendan Johnson, who finished second at the state tournament a season ago in the 160-pound weight class.

In all, the Wildcats qualified six wrestlers for the state meet last season and a couple of them are back with the squad this year in T'Jay Allen, who will wrestle at 138 pounds, and Colton Stiffarm, who wrestles in the heavyweight division.

Both the Beeters and the Wild-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Returning state champ Tate N i e d e r e g g e r, l e f t , a n d t h e Sugarbeeters are loaded for another run at the Class C title this season. cats opened their seasons Dec. 5 and each team will conclude their season at the All-Class State Wrestling meet in Billings Feb. 12-13.

HHS Girls: Ponies out to continue Central A domination

HHS Boys: Ponies loaded with talent and experience

■ From Page 8

■ From Page 8

beyond the arc. Herron, a sophomore, saw action in 16 games as a freshman and, even though she didn't have a lot of production, that experience should serve her well with the increased minutes she will see this season.

"Dani and Naomi are both going to have to take on bigger roles," Kraske said. "And Ceyara is also going to have to step up and look to be more of a scorer this season and Marca will, too. All eight of them will need to have the confidence to go in there and play well and learn how to play together."

Other players who will see playing time for Havre this season include, junior forward Kristen Nash and 6-0 sophomore Danielle Wallace, who transferred to HHS from Townsend.

Rien Olsen and RayAnn VandenBos will also be part of the rotation.

Havre will see plenty of changes to its lineup, but there is also a big change in the way the teams qualify for the state tournament.

While the Ponies are still a part of the Central A conference, they are also part of the larger Eastern Division.

What it means in terms of postseason play, is that the Central A Divisional no longer ex-

ists. It's been replaced with the nine-team Eastern A Divisional that will feature the top four teams from the Central A and the top five teams from the Eastern A conference that includes Billings Central, Glendive, Miles City, Laurrel, Hardin and Sidney. The top four finishers at the Eastern A tournament will advance to state.

"It's going to be like having two state tournaments in terms of preparations," Kraske said. "We are going to have to do a lot more scouting and a lot more traveling, but it is what it is.

"Our goal is simply going to be to win the league (Central A)," he added. "That's the only thing that we can think about. We are going to go out and do what we have always done. We are going to play hard, we are going to play defense and play together."

Havre will need to finish in the top three in the final Central A standings to avoid having to take part in a divisional play-in game Feb. 20. The Eastern A Divisional will take place Feb. 24-27 at the Metra in Billings and the state tournament will be March 10-12 in Belgrade.

two seasons and did so last year after averaging 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Rismon was also third on the team in 3-point shooting at 32 percent.

Boles was another solid contributor for HHS last season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game. Jacob LaBrie, a junior, also came on strong at the end of the last season and finished with an average of 4.3 points per game and a 3-point percentage of 34.

While the five guards listed above will all see plenty of minutes, Michael Loftus, Zach Hunt, Bridger Bibeau and Ryan Bakke will provide the presence needed inside for Havre, while Isaac Warp, Bobby Personnett and Ivar Aageson will provide depth on the outside.

"We are losing about 12 points and 15 rebounds a game with Bakke and Kato," Leeds said. "So we are going to have do more of a dribble-drive offense at times with either four or five guards."

Over the past few seasons, the Ponies have battled it out with conference foes Belgrade, Browning, Livingston and Lewistown for a

berth in the state tournament and this year they will compete with those teams along with the six from the Eastern A to get to state.

The Eastern A consists of Miles City, Billings Central, Glendive, Laurel, Sidney and Hardin. Five teams from the East and four from the Central A will come together for the nineteam Eastern A Divisional in late February, with the top four teams advancing to state.

"I think in some ways it makes it easier to get to state," Leeds said. "I think it takes some of the pressure off of the players."

Regardless of what happens in the regular season, the Ponies will be defined by what they do in the postseason and are going to set their sights on the Eastern A Divisional in at the Metra in Billings Feb. 24-27 as well as the Class A state tournament in Missoula starting March 3.

"I think that we can compete with anyone in the state," Leeds said. "But that is a ways down the road. First we need to figure out our identity and who we are. But the boys have a lot of confidence. They have been practicing hard and they are ready to go."

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HLP boys will be exciting once again Chinook girls want to keep winning Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

The 2014-15 season was a successful one for the Hays-Lodge Pole boys basketball team, but after some big changes, particularly in terms of who is leading the program, the Thunderbirds will have plenty to overcome, if they want a repeat performance.

For nearly a decade, Charlie Ereaux has been the face of HLP basketball. He led the T-Birds to a Class C state championship back in 2007 as well as a third-place finish at state back in 2006. Yet, Ereaux has decided to step down as a head coach, which signals the start of a new era of HLP basketball, one that will be under the direction of firstyear head coach Dick Evans, who said his team's goal is to get back to state.

"Our goal is to get back to the dance (state tournament)," Evans said. "We are going to have some work to do to get there. I have a very young team, but I think that we have some pretty good talent. We will just have to see how that develops down the road, but I think by the end of the year, we will be right there with

the rest of the conference."

In addition to the loss of Ereaux, one of the greatest basketball coaches in school history, the T-Birds will also be without three seniors from last year's team including All-Conference selection Sterling White Cow. Yet, even with graduation hitting the T-Birds hard, there is still plenty for Evans to work with. Down low, HLP will look for big things from Damon Castillo, who is entering his senior season, while in the backcourt, the T-Birds will be led by junior guard Frank RunsAbove, who earned Second-Team All-District honors a season ago. Junior Jace Shambo is another player who will be expected to contribute in a big way this season.

One player whom HLP could be without this season, at least for a while, will be Tyson Shambo. Shambo earned All-State honors a season ago for the T-Birds and was one of the team's most dynamic scorers.

Yet, he suffered a nonbasketball injury before the season started and it has put his junior season with HLP in jeopardy.

"I know if Tyson has his way, he will be playing at some point," Evans said. "But, we want to make sure he is healthy and it's the best thing for him. There are more important things than playing basketball."

Even if Shambo is unable to return this season, the T-Birds should be a contender in the District 9C once again. Last season, they finished third in the 9C in the regular season with a 10-4 record and second in the district tournament, following a loss to Box Elder in the championship game. The T-Birds also managed to play their way into the semifinals of the Northern C Divisional, before losing and eventually being eliminated by Box Elder in loser-out action to finish the season 16-8.

Box Elder is going to be the team to beat again as the Bears are seeking their fourth-straight District championship, but the TBirds should be among a group of teams that also includes Chinook, Chester/J-I and North Star, that all have aspirations of getting out of the district come tournament time.

"Box Elder is a very good team and they are probably the favorite," Evans said. "But I think after that it's going to be very competitive. I think the key to our season is going to be how our young guys develop and, hopefully, at the end of the season, we will be where we want to be."

HLP opened its season at last weekend’s Southern Native American Classic in Billings.

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Franks Runs Above and the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds will be a talented team this season. But, they also have a new head coach after longtime head man Charlie Ereaux retired.

Thunderbirds out to make some 9C girls noise George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com For several years now, the HaysLodge Pole girls basketball team has been trying hard to climb back into the ranks of the top teams in the District 9C. But, depth issues, and powerhouses like Chinook and

Havre Daily News/File Photo Hays-Lodge Pole's Kenessa Shambo plays defense during the 2015 District 9C girls basketball tournament last February at the Havre High gymnasium. The Thunderbirds return an outstanding group of young players this season and are hoping to move up in the 9C ranks. The 2016 9C tournament returns to the HHS gymnasium this February.

North Star have made that climb a difficult one.

But, as a new season dawns, the Thunderbirds will be excited about the challenge ahead. Under head coach Colette Hawley, the T-Birds will once again be a young team, but a team that returns some exciting talent.

HLP graduated two keys seniors from last year’s squad, a team that went 3-15 overall and won just two 9C games, including Tia Zander, one of the T-Bird’s leading scorers. However, senior leader Shania Doney, who led the T-Birds in scoring does return, as does junior guard Kiara Shambo.

HLP should also be excited about the return of a pair of freshmen who played on the varsity as eighth-graders a year ago in

Rayleigh and Latasha Kirkaldie, as well as sophomore Kenessa Shambo, who saw significant time on the varsity a year ago as well.

So, there’s no doubt HLP has some talent to work with this season. But, the goal of winning games in the 9C will still be a difficult one, especially considering how strong Chinook, Chester/J-I, Box Elder and North Star appear to be. Still, the T-Birds will play an up-tempo brand of basketball that’s always hard to defend, and, as they improve throughout the season, they’ll be tough to beat come tournament time.

HLP opened its season with a pair of games last weekend at the Southern Native American Classic in Billings. The T-Birds also begin 9C play this weekend.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters have been the dominant team in the District 9C for a long, long time. And even though their reign as 9C girls champions came to an end last February, when the dust settled on the season, Chinook was the only 9C team left standing at the Northern C Divisional tourney.

Now, veteran head coach Molli Rose, and the Beeters are back for another run at a 9C title, and what would be a fourth straight trip to the Northern C. And there’s no doubt, Chinook has the team to do it.

After finishing third at the 9C tourney last year, Chinook wound up making a run to a third-place finish at the Northern C, and just missed out on reaching the Class C state tourney. Chinook lost a pair of All-State performers from that team, in Katelyn Neibauer and Hannah Weber, but the Beeters return a bevy of talent, including three starters.

“This is a good group, and they have a lot of potential to be successful this season,” Rose said. “We have a lot of players returning who experienced a lot of success last year, and hopefully, that carries over to more success this season.”

Leading the way for Chinook is senior point guard Brooke Nicholson, a two-time All-State performer. Fellow senior Brooke Elliot, and junior Taylor Neibauer are Chinook’s other two returning starters.

But as is always the case, the Beeters have great depth and athleticism. Abby Ellison, Sierra Swank, Nicole McCracken, Carrie Hofer and Erin Pula, along with new-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brooke Nicholson and the Chinook girls basketball team return this season to be one of the top teams in the District 9C once again. comer Rachelle Chaffin will round out what will be another talented Beeter roster this season.

While Chinook has a lot of talent and athleticism, the Beeters won’t be as tall as they have been in recent years. But once again, they will be quick, athletic and a very good shooting team, as well as very tough defensively.

“We have a lot of good shooters,” Rose said. “We will be very strong on the perimeter. And I think we’ll be pretty tough defensively too. Our quickness is another strength for us.”

Indeed. Chinook has a lot of strengths, but, winning another 9C title won’t be easy,

as it never is. Fort Benton is the defending 9C champion, but the Beeters will get stern tests from Box Elder, as well as arch rivals Chester/J-I and North Star. Still, Rose feels her team is, once again, one of the teams to beat when the 9C tournament comes to Havre in February.

“Every year is different,” Rose said. “But the 9C is always very competitive and it will be again this season.

And we’re looking forward to competing and seeing where we end up at the end.”

Chinook opened its season with games against Great Falls Central and DuttonBrady at the Chester/J-I Tipoff Tournament.

Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

Beeters ready for a 9C title run Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Chinook Sugarbeeters boys basketball team has had a pretty good run in recent years and it's one that head coach Mike Seymour would like to keep going.

Chinook has become a mainstay at the Northern C Divisional tournament and last season even won two games at divisionals before being ousted. But, when it was all said and done, the Beeters posted an overall record of 18-8 and had one the best seasons in recent school history.

Yet, success is always hard to maintain in high school sports and what makes it even more difficult is when you lose great players, which is something Chinook will have to overcome this season following the graduation of All-State forward Lane Seymour.

"Lane is going to be a tremendous loss for us," coach Seymour said. "He was an important part of what we did last year. But I like my team.

We have a lot of young kids and it's going to be fun to see how they develop."

Coach Seymour wasn't lying when he said he had a bunch of youngsters. Out of the 15 players he has on his roster, seven of them are freshmen. Yet, that doesn't mean the Beeters are completely lacking experience, in fact far from it.

Point guard Ian McIntosh, who earned All-Conference honors a season ago, returns for his senior season as does starting forward Travis Hamilton. The Beeters did graduate two other starters in addition to Lane Seymour in Zach Schellin and Cody McCraken, but also return Wade Schneider, a junior big man who came on down the stretch last

Havre Daily News/File Photo Wade Schneider and the Chinook Sugarbeeters should once again contend for a 9C boys title. season.

"Ian is a three-year starter.

Travis this will be his secondyear starting," Seymour said.

"Wade played a lot coming down the stretch last year and at the district and divisional tournaments, Wade was a different player."

In addition to the hope of getting some meaningful contributions from a talented freshman class, Seymour is also looking for others in the program to take the next step in their development this season such as Kyler Johnson, Kyle McMaster and Robert Smith.

"I am excited about our whole team," Seymour said.

"We have some kids that need to step up and grow this year.

I think we have a chance to be one of the teams that has a chance at the end of the year and that's always our goal, I really just think it's going to depend on how some of

younger kids develop as the season goes along."

The Beeters finished second in the District 9C regular season standings a season ago and then finished third at the District tournament after notching a win over Chester/ J-I in the consolation game.

As far as the pecking order goes in the 9C this season, it's hard to predict. The Box Elder Bears are considered by everyone to be the favorite, while Hays-Lodge Pole and C/J-I are both seen as contenders. Chinook may not be seen as a favorite to reach divisionals this season, but with a solid group back and Seymour on the bench for another season, seeing the Beeters back in Great Falls, wouldn't be a surprise.

Chinook opened its season with two games at last weekend’s Chester/J-I Tournament in Chester.

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Morning Stars look Rocky Boy needing to battle in the 1B to reload this season Plenty of new faces on the Rocky Boy varsity this season

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Rocky Boy Morning Stars had one of their best seasons since moving up to Class B last season and finishing third in the District 1B regular season standings.

Considering that the district included eventual state champion Choteau, as well as alltime great Fairfield, Rocky Boy’s finish was especially impressive.

The Morning Stars didn’t quite advance to the Northern C Divisional tournament last year, and that’s always the goal, but still, it was a great season for Rocky Boy girls basketball.

Now however, Rocky Boy, under veteran head coach Jazz Parker, must reload its team, which lost plenty of firepower either to graduation or to transfers.

In most areas, Rocky Boy will be a younger team this season, with a lot of new faces on the varsity, but, the Morning Stars will have good leadership in veterans Jurnee LaForge and Sean Henry. LaForge is a four-year starter for the Morning Stars, and she and Henry were two of the Morning Stars’ leading scorers a year ago. From there, however, Rocky Boy will certainly be a team that has to rebuild this season.

Still, the Morning Stars can also build on last year’s successes, and they should once

Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Sean Henry and the Rocky Boy girls hope to build on last year's successes. again be a tough opponent for the loaded 1B, which includes the likes of Fairfield, Choteau, Conrad and Shelby, all expected to be strong teams this season. Rocky Boy’s tough schedule also includes games against Havre, Harlem and Box Elder, so that should only help to make the Morning Stars better come district tournament time.

Rocky Boy opened the season with two games at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre. The District 1B Tournament will be held Feb. 18-19 in Shelby.

Last season was one that will always be memorable for the Rocky Boy boys basketball team. There were some hard times, some dramatic wins and ultimately a thirdplace trophy at the Class B state tournament.

Yet, this is a new season and a new year, and after the Stars were hit with heavy graduation losses, the 201516 season could be a year of rebuilding for Rocky Boy and head coach Adam DeMontiney.

"It's going to be tough," DeMontiney said. "It's hard when you lose a big guy down low like Cecil LaFromboise or a guard like Bubby Gopher. Guys like that are hard to replace, but we have some young kids that have some talent and now it's going to be about how those guys come along for us."

Of the Stars top 12 players a season ago, eight of them were seniors and now they are all gone. LaFromboise may be the biggest loss, as he was an All-State performer for the Stars a season ago and an absolute beast in the paint. But the losses of Junior Daychild, Bubby Gopher, Skylar Parisian, Shadow LaForge, Lonnie Plain Bull and Sage Gopher will also have a big impact on Rocky Boy this season.

"I think that our younger guys are ready to step up and fill some of the holes that we have," DeMontiney said.

"They are ready for the challenge, so we will see how it goes. All we can do is take it one game at a time."

At least in the early part of the season, depth could be an issue for Rocky Boy as the only two players currently on the roster, who were on the team a season ago are sophomore guard Kendall Small and junior forward Jarrell Gopher.

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Big Sandy boys continuing rebuilding process Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Big Sandy boys basketball team is in the process of rebuilding a program that used to be a yearly contender in the District 9C and the Northern C conference.

That process hasn't been easy.

Yet, beginning last season, the Pioneers, under the direction of head coach Ronnie Simpson, have started to make progress. Big Sandy was winless during the 2013-14 season, so even though Big Sandy posted a record of 4-16, it was still a big improvement, especially because Big Sandy was able to secure three wins in district play after going 0-14 (including tournaments) the season before.

Yet Simpson, who will also coach the Big Sandy girls basketball team this season, and the Pioneers still have plenty of work to do. The team was able to end its lengthy losing streak and even closed the regular season on a two-game win streak with wins over Turner and North Star, but a quick exit from the district tournament after losses to Hays-Lodge Pole and North Star, put a damper on any momentum

built.

One of the challenges the Pioneers have faced the past few seasons has simply been the youth and lack of experience within their program. That is something that Simpson has worked to fix over the past two years and this season, he should have his most experienced roster yet.

Big Sandy did graduate two solid players off last year's team — seniors Geno Menard and Kyle Strutz.

But that means after just having a few upperclassmen a season ago, Simpson will be blessed with a roster that has a number of them.

The even better news for Simpson is that quite possibly his best player comes from the junior class in Laurence Alderdice, a 6-1 forward that was among the Pioneers’ leading scorers a season ago. Alderdice will join seniors Stephon Wing, Levi Edwards, Eric Scwarzbach as well as juniors Matthew Louvar and Nick Diacon in the rotation. Sophomore Jamsey Belcourt and freshman Dallas Geyer may also work their way into the mix.

While the Pioneers do have some positive experiences to build off from last season, moving up in the 9C pecking order will prove

to be difficult. At the top, Box Elder is the favorite to win a fourth consecutive district title and teams like Chester/J-I, Chinook and HaysLodge Pole figure to contend.

Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole, the two teams that along with Box Elder made it to the Northern C Divisional, suffered some big losses due to graduation, which could open the door for teams like Big Sandy, North Star, Turner and Fort Benton to contend.

The Pioneers are certainly hoping to climb higher in the 9C standings after finishing seventh last season, but before they can think too big, they need to prove they can win in the postseason, which is the next item to cross off on the rebuilding checklist.

Big Sandy opened the 2015-16 season this past weekend at the C/J-I Pre-Season Invitational.

Havre Daily News/File Photo The Big Sandy boys basketball program went through a tough, rebuilding process last season.

But, the Pioneers should be much stronger in the District 9C this winter.

More experienced Pioneers should make strides this season George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Rocky Boy head coach Adam Demontiney led the Stars to a third-place trophy in Class B last spring. But this year, the Stars have just two returning varsity players and no returning starters heading into a new season.

"Right now, Kendall and Jarell are the only two kids I have back from last year's team," DeMontiney said. "We had one that transferred out and some others that might be able to come in next semester, but right now it's just Kendall and Jarrell. They were both pretty young, but we do have a couple bigs that have come up and played junior varsity last year."

One thing that makes the Bears' rebuilding process even harder is the difficulty of the District 1B and the toughness of the Northern B Division as a whole.

Just to make it to divisionals, the Stars will need to compete with teams such as Fairfield, Shelby, Choteau, Cut Bank and Conrad. Then

at the divisional tournament, Rocky Boy has to contend with additional foes like Malta, Glasgow and Harlem.

"I think it's going to be very competitive like it has always been," DeMontiney said. "I think there are going to be some tough teams in our district and I think that it's going to be a toss up every single night. Choteau is going to be tough, I think Fairfield will be tough, I think you can come in any game and knock someone off, or get knocked off yourself. You need to make sure and bring your 'A' game every night or you are going to get beat."

Rocky Boy opened the season with a pair of games at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.

There was a time when the Big Sandy Pioneers were nearly unbeatable in the District 9C girls basketball tournament. There was a time when trips to the Class C state tournament were a regular occurrence in Big Sandy.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Maddie Reichelt and the Big Sandy girls basketball team went winless during the 2015-16 season. But, the Pioneers return a much more experienced lineup this season, and they should once again be a competitive factor in the District 9C. The Pioneers, who opened the season last weekend in Chester, also have a new head coach in Ronnie Simpson.

But, things change, and times change, and now, it’s been a while since the Pioneers have done those things. A drop in enrollment certainly hit the program hard, and last season was especially tough, as a super-young Big Sandy team failed to win a single game.

But, with a new season now here, those young players have a season under their belt, and the Pioneers have a chance to move forward.

Under new head coach Ronnie Simpson, who also coaches the Big Sandy boys, the Pioneers will still be very young this season, boasting a lone senior in Maddie Reichelt. But, they do have some returning talent, and many of them started or played significant roles as freshman a year ago.

The sophomore class of Jenna Leader, Andrea Rutledge, Jessica Roth and Dakota Terry will help

make up the bulk of Big Sandy’s roster this season, while freshman Grace Finke and Jaylyn Cline were on the varsity team as eighth graders a year ago.

So, while the Pioneers are still going to be very young this season, they will have a lot more experience than they did last year, and that should help them be much more competitive in the 9C. Still, things will not be easy for the Pioneers, as teams like Box Elder, Chinook and Chester/J-I are heavily favored, while North Star and Turner are considered teams on the rise this season. There is no doubt, though, with the group the Pioneers return, the future looks bright once again in Big Sandy.

The Pioneers played their first two games of the season at last weekend’s C/J-I Preseason Tournament.

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Fort Benton girls are the Longhorns will be young this season reigning District 9C champs Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In their very first try, the Fort Benton girls basketball team captured the 2015 District 9C championship. That team co-oped with Geraldine a season ago, and it was a memorable one.

Now, the Longhorns return to just being Fort Benton, and while they’re still the defending 9C champions, Fort Benton will look a little different this season. Under the direction of Cassie Scheffelmaier, the Horns went 18-6 a year ago, won the 9C tourney and made it all the way to the Northern C Divisional tournament.

Now however, Scheffelmaier says she has a much younger team coming in, but one she feels can grow throughout the season.

“We are an extremely young team with few returning players last season,” she said. “I would like to see improvement throughout the season and growth of being comfortable playing with one another. Our expectation is to have us peaking at the right time.”

Fort Benton does return a pair of key players in senior Hannah Pimperton and junior Kaitlin Bird, both AllConference performers a year ago. But after that, the Longhorns will be young and depth may be an issue. Sophomore Madison Thompson and freshman Leah Gannon are two young players who are expected to be key contributors this year.

And, defending their 9C title will be no easy task.

Chinook, Box Elder and Chester/J-I should be loaded this season, so as always, Scheffelmaier expects conference play to be fierce.

“The 9C will be competitive

this year,” she said. “Quite a few teams lost key contributors from last season, so it will be fun to see who steps up to fill those spots.”

Fort Benton opened the season at home with tip-off tournament games against Simms and Sunburst.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Hannah Pimperton and the Fort Benton Longhorns will try to defend their 9C girls title this season. But, Fort Benton is no longer co-oping with Geraldine, like the Longhorns did a season ago.

The 2014-15 season was a unique one in the history of Fort Benton boys basketball.

Not only was it the Longhorn’s inaugural season in the District 9C, it was also a season in which Fort Benton co-oped with Geraldine.

The two schools, that came together out of necessity, have now separated as Fort Benton is back to playing basketball by itself. And despite the fact that the Longhorns are no longer getting players from Geraldine, they have a good number of players out for head coach Tyler Pasha.

"The boys are ready to get going," Pasha said. "Geraldine decided to go with Highwood for a co-op, so we are on our own this year. But, we have 11 kids that decided to come out and play basketball.

We have some guys back, but we did lose 10 kids that had some experience playing from last year, so it's going to be a lot different team than I had last year."

The first season for Fort Benton in the 9C turned out to be a struggle, as the Longhorns finished fifth in the final regular season standings with a record of 5-9. Overall, they finished the season with a mark of 6-15 thanks to one victory at the 9C tournament.

As Pasha stated, the Longhorns did lose a number of players who contributed a season ago, but no loss will be felt more than the graduation of forward Toren Andreason, who earned Second-Team AllDistrict honors a season ago.

Ben Hulme and Tyler Hooper were among the other key players who moved on.

All is not lost for Pasha and the Longhorns, though.

The team still has three seniors that contributed heavily a season ago and those are the guys that Pasha will rely on to be the focal point of his team. Those players

are senior guard Taylor Arganbright, senior guard Eli Toon and senior center Javan Christensen. Sophomore point guard Andy Giles is another player that will log heavy minutes for Fort Benton this season.

"Maturing and coming together are going to be big keys for us," Pasha said. "I think that right now, we are playing a lot of one-on-one basketball. If we can learn to play as a team and help each other out, I think we can actually go somewhere. This is a good group of kids, we just have to mature and learn the game of basketball together."

As always, the 9C is going to be a challenging district and no team will be more difficult to deal with than Box Elder, which enters the season fresh off three-straight district titles. In addition to Box Elder, Chester/J-I, Chinook and North Star should all be in the mix at the end

of the season, which is something the Longhorns are hoping they can find a way to do.

"There are a couple of teams right there at the top in Box Elder and C/J-I," Pasha said. "After that I think it kind of opens up. If you can catch teams that aren't playing 100 percent, I think we can go split a lot of games. I would always like to think that making it out of district is our goal, but our main goal is to win the first game we play and have a winning record by Christmas time and when Districts roll around. But, I wouldn't be a very good coach if I didn't believe in my kids and that we could make it out of districts."

Fort Benton opened its season with a pair of games at the Fort Benton Pre-Season Tournament against Simms and Sunburst.

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Chester/J-I boys motivated to succeed this winter Hawks return a veteran and talented team for their second 9C season Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com Last season was the first in the District 9C for the Chester/J-I Hawks and it was a season of missed-opportunity for the boys basketball team.

The Hawks finished fourth at the District 9C tournament and did so after losing a hard-fought game against Box Elder in the semifinals and then another battle to Chinook in the consolation game. Those losses have fueled C/J-I this offseason as the Hawks are determined to do what they couldn't last year: get to the Northern C Divisional.

"I think that's something the boys have talked a lot about," C/J-I head coach Spencer Satori said referring to last year's 9C tournament. "We had a chance to beat a really good Box Elder team and we kind of let it slip away. So we know we were right there and our goal this year is

to get back to the Northern C." Of course, as Satori knows, the Northern C division as a whole is one of the most challenging in the state of the Montana and the Hawks should be part of another competitive race in the 9C. "I think that the Northern C is the most competitive basketball division in the state," Satroi said.

"Every night is tough and you need to be ready to play every single night because if you don't bring your best, anybody can beat you."

The Hawks are no stranger to winning after posting a 14-8 overall record last season and a 9-5 mark in regular season play. C/J-I also made the Northern C Divisional in 2014 out of the District 10C. Part of the reason the team has been so successful the past few seasons is talented forward Justin May. May is an explosive athlete and is as talented as any player in the 9C and with him returning, along with a number of other key players, such as Troy Harmon, Brandon Richter, Cory Richter and Jarvin Miles, expectations are high.

"Justin really is a special player," Satori said. "And one of the things that is unique about him is that he always gives credits to his teammates. Whether it's because they

made a great pass or set a great screen, he is always sharing the credit.

"I think the expectations are high as they always are," he added. "For us going from the 10C to the 9C is like a whole different ballgame. But we are used to it now and we feel like we are going to be right there at the end with a chance to get to divisionals."

The Hawks should find themselves right in the thick of the 9C race. Box Elder is the prohibitive favorite to win the district for a fourth consecutive season, but after that it's wide open.

"That's kind of what we have been hearing," Satori said. "That the district is pretty wide open. I know some teams lost some kids, but there are a lot of great coaches in this league and they will have their teams ready to play. You just have to play hard every night and can't overlook anyone."

The Hawks opened their season at home, in their own tournament last weekend.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brandon Richter and the Chester/ J-I Hawks enter their second season of District 9C basketball as one of the teams to beat this winter.

Hawks loaded with returning talent George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Eli Toon and the Fort Benton boys basketball team enter its second season of play in the District 9C.

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In their return to District 9C girls basketball, the Chester/J-I Hawks didn’t have a single senior on their roster last winter. And while the Hawks fell short at the 9C tourney, finishing fourth, the fact that there wasn’t a senior on the team certainly boded well for the future.

And the future is now here as C/J-I, under new head coach Jerry Kulpas, returns one of the deepest rosters in the 9C. Chester/J-I has a veteran group, led by Madeline Woods, Kristina Dahinden and Peyton Cole, who are the Hawks’ returning seniors, and all three have a wealth of varsity experience.

Point guards Jereca Tempel and Kylee Vinson also return for their junior season, giving the Hawks an outstanding nucleus, and a team poised to make a run at the 9C title this season after last year's first year in the District 9C. So, with an outstanding and veteran group of returners, there is no doubt the Hawks will be right there with 9C powers Chinook and Box Elder, which are also picked to be favorties in the 9C, come tournament time this February.

C/J-I opened its season with two games at the C/J-I Tipoff Tournament last week in Chester. The 2015 District 9C Tournament runs Feb. 17-20 at the Havre High gymnasium in Havre.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Madeline Woods, right and the Chester/J-I girls basketball team has to be considered one of the favorites to win the District 9C this season. The 9C tourney comes to Havre this February.

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Turner girls hoops Tornadoes fighting ready to step up for 9C boys success Chris Peterson

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Turner Tornadoes finished the 2014-15 girls basketball season with their best record in decades. And now, they want that feeling of success to go even further.

After going 9-12 a season ago, Turner returns almost its entire roster from that team and, surprisingly, the Tornadoes are still a young team too. So, the sky could be the limit for new head coach Jennifer Baird, and her Turner team as the Tornadoes embark on a brand new season.

“I have a terrific group of girls that are extremely hard-working and driven,” Baird said. “I’m very excited to watch us develop throughout the season.”

Turner is led by returning All-Conference guard, junior Ella Billmayer. She’s been playing varsity basketball since her eighth-grade year, and her experience, and her outstanding scoring ability gives the Tornadoes an edge in the District 9C. But, overall, Turner returns plenty of experience around Billmayer.

Rennay Watkins (junior), Reagan Conlan (freshman), Rylee Conlan (freshman), and Melanie Watkins (freshman) all saw substantial time on the court a season ago. Baird said she is excited about Jaye Anderson (sophomore), Charley Anderson (junior), Tyler Anderson (senior), and Sarah Billmayer (eighth grade) being on the Turner roster as well.

With a lineup of experi-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Rylee Conlan and the Turner girls had an outstanding season a year ago. And the Tornadoes are poised to do even better this winter. enced players, Turner is hoping to be a darkhorse this season, and, the Tornadoes could be just that if they can follow up on last year’s successes. If they do indeed go further this season, then they should be a real threat to the upper-tier teams in the 9C when the district tournament comes to Havre in February.

"The 9C is always very tough and competitive,” Baird said. “I don’t see it being any different this season.

Every team is always the team to beat. We’ll just have to see how the season plays out.”

Turner started its season with two games last weekend in Glasgow.

The 2014-15 season was a tough one for the Turner Tornadoes boys basketball team.

The District 9C school failed to win a game in district play and finished the season with just four wins overall.

Yet, even in defeat, the enthusiasm for basketball is always high in Turner and with the return of head coach Kevin VanValkenburg, who previously served as the program's top coach from 2010-2014, the Tornadoes are looking to make some progress this season.

"We have a pretty young team," VanValkenburg said.

"We only have two seniors and then the rest are underclassmen but I like them. I think that our group of kids is pretty quick and pretty athletic and I think we have a shot to be pretty decent this year."

Of course the first goal for the Tornadoes is going to be to get a win in the 9C. Last season, Turner went a combined 0-16 over the course of the regular season and the 9C tournament, so if there is one goal looming for this program, getting off the schneid in the 9C is it.

"I think that we have a chance to be kind of in the middle of the pack this year," VanValkenburg said. "I know that there are some pretty good teams at the top and some teams that are going to be better than we are, but after that, it's pretty wide open, so I am hoping we can get in there with some of the other teams in our district."

In order for the Tornadoes to do that, they will first need to find a way to replace the graduated Lucas Reed. Reed was Turner's leading scorer last season and was one of the better high school players to

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brett VanValkenburg and the Turner boys are looking forward to a new season on the hardwood. come out of Turner in recent memory. He and his scoring average of more than 15 points per game will be difficult to replace for Turner, but VanValkenburg is confident that his team will step up and fill the void.

"Lucas is going to be tough to replace," VanValkenburg said. "But, we are just going to need to have some other guys step up and play bigger roles for us this year."

Leading the way for Turner this season will a be pair of seniors, Bret VanValkenburg and Tyler Humphreys. Both players started for Turner a season ago and each has played substantial minutes at the varsity level. After that, the Tornadoes will likely start one sophomore and two freshmen. Eddie Harmon, who saw time as a freshman last season, figures to be part of the starting five, as do freshmen Cody Welsh and Trace Heilig, who each were on the roster

as eighth-graders a season ago.

For the Tornadoes to climb out of the 9C basement, they will need to not only compete with teams like Box Elder, the defending 9C champion, Chester/J-I, Hays-Lodge Pole and Chinook, they will also need to start getting wins over teams like North Star, Fort Benton and Big Sandy.

Yet VanValkenberg is excited about the upcoming season and with the parity that is sure to reign in the middle of the 9C standings, the Tornadoes believe they will be able to put an end to their 9C losing streak.

"I think we have a chance to be a pretty good team," VanValkenburg said. "We just need to work hard throughout the season and the hopefully at the end of the year, we can have a chance to do something at districts."

Turner opened its season at a tip-off tournament in Glasgow Dec. 3-4.

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North Star boys showing major improvement Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is strong tradition of basketball excellence when it comes to the North Star Knights.

Going back to the days of KG and Blue Sky, that part of the Hi-Line has always had a winning tradition when it comes to roundball.

Now, after some struggles in recent years, head coach Walynn Burgess is doing his best to restore the winning ways out at North Star and after a 6-15 record a season ago, he feels his team is ready to take another step in the right direction.

"The level that we grew over the summer has kind of shocked me," Burgess said. "I hadn't seen some of the kids since last summer and I didn't see them much during football, and all of a sudden, we get back in the gym and we have kids that I thought would be role players that are now fighting for starting spots."

The Knights didn't have a single player earn his way onto the All-District 9C team last season but they will have some solid starters returning in seniors Matthew Helmbrecht, Payton Peterson, Gavin Spinler and Willie Gilead.

"Payton is a great athlete more than he is good basketball player, but he's a good player for us, he works really hard," Burgess said.

"Matthew has also grown a lot and turned into a good player. Gavin has been starting for us the past few years and he does a good job at point guard and Willy Gilead is our leader on defense. He is a hard-nosed kid that has

made a lot of improvement over the past two years."

While the Knights will have plenty of senior leadership to draw from, they should also have a decent amount of depth. Junior Jimmy Snow is another player who has varsity experience and returns this season, along with Devon Miller, who turned into a reliable scorer down the stretch for the Knights last season.

"Right now, we are so much farther ahead than where we were last year," Burgess said.

"These kids really worked hard in the offseason and probably went and played 30-40 games together. These kids are really excited about playing basketball and I am excited about that."

Burgess is hoping the Knights can work their way into the conversation in the 9C after

Havre Daily News/File Photo Payton Peterson and the North Star boys should be a team on the rise in the 9C.

a few down years and one reason why North Star might be able to contend for a spot at divisionals is the weakening of other teams like Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole thanks to graduation. However, Burgess is also the first to point out that his team has not won many games over the past few seasons, which is something they will need to learn how to do if they are going to have a chance to play in the big games come tournament time.

"That's what we have been talking about, is having a chance at districts at the end of the season," Burgess said. "But it's going to be tough. We haven't won a lot of games out here. We won six games last year, so we don't know how to win yet, but I think we are taking the right steps to get there. I think we are there in terms of dedication, the kids are really working hard and they really want to be better basketball players."

North Star opened the season at last weekend’s tournament in Chester.

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Harlem aims for a Harlem girls have Mighty Bears going for a 9C four-peat return to winning a new head coach Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

George Ferguson

Chris Peterson

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

The Harlem Wildcats have had a long-standing tradition of winning on the basketball floor, but after a few down seasons, Harlem has a new head coach who is hoping to make the Wildcats a force once again in the Northern B. One thing that Wildcats will have going for them this season is that while their head coach, Terry Kulbeck is new, he is not inexperienced.

Kulbeck is not only a Harlem alum, he also played basketball for the Wildcats and has head coaching experience at both Hays-Lodge Pole (boys and girls) and Harlem (girls).

However, Kulbeck's job will not be an easy one. He takes over a Harlem team that posted a record of 8-12 a season ago. The Wildcats made it to the Northern C Divisional, after getting a win in the District 2B tournament, but after that, Harlem lost consecutive games to Fairfield and Glasgow to end their season.

Harlem struggled to win a season ago and under the direction of Kulbeck, the Wildcats could struggle early on during the 2015-16 season as they gain experience and familiarity with their new coach.

“We have a young team with very little varsity experience so this will be a rebuilding year," Kulbeck said. "There will be no easy games; we have a lot of work to do. Focused attention and positive attitude before each game is crucial. After each game and at the end of the season I want each of them to be able to look in the mirror and say three things: I played every play to the best of my ability, regardless of

Trying to survive in the District 2B has always been a struggle for the Harlem Wildcats. After all, it’s a conference long dominated by one of the best high school programs in all of Montana in the Malta M-Ettes.

However, the Wildcats have always been a tough, hard-nosed program, and with new head coach Laramie Schwenke at the helm, optimism is high for the start of a new season. Schwenke was an assistant coach for the Wildcats last year. Now the former MSUNorthern All-American is at the controls of the varsity team, and she’s excited about her Wildcats as they begin the new year.

“We return four starters and solid core group in seniors Brooke LeValdo, Mari Ereaux, Anita Bentley and Autumn Little Plume,” Schwenke said. “We are also excited about some of our younger kids stepping in and make some contributions as well.”

Harlem went 4-14 a year ago, and failed to win a game at the 2B district tournament. Of course, with Malta as the returning state champion, and a tough Glasgow squad to boot, things will again be difficult in conference play. Still, Schwenke is focused on her own team right now and just getting them to come together and improve every day.

“My expectations for this year’s team is to continually grow and come together as a group and to compete every night,” she said.

“The toughest competition in the 2B is Malta,” she continued. “My goal is to

Havre Daily News

Havre Daily News/File Photo Corbin Brockie is one of a handful of returnees for the Wildcats and new head coach Terry Kulbeck. the score I never quit on my teammates or coaches, and I played with heart and intense concentration. Success is not just about the number of wins and losses, but being the best that you can be while playing."

Kulbeck may have a team that is inexperienced but it's not one that is devoid of leadership. The Wildcats are fortunate to have four seniors on the roster in Marcus Henry, Keahna Little, Cole Azure and Michael Butterfly.

The Wildcats also have seven juniors on their varsity roster, highlighted by Terry Sandcrane Jr., who was one of Harlem's top scorers a season ago. The rest of the juniors that will play varsity for Harlem are Hollin Fox, Damon Adams, Austin Stewart, Jaden Beaumont, Corbin Brockie and Eron Snow. Tevin Messerly is also expected to contribute in his sophomore season.

One thing that does not bode well for Harlem this season is

the fact that they play in one of the most challenging districts in Class B basketball.

The 1B features Malta and Glasgow, as well as Plentywood and Wolf Point. Harlem also has to battle it out with teams such as Fairfield, Choteau, Cut Bank, Conrad and Rocky Boy, if they make it back to the divisional tournament.

All in all, Kulbeck knows it will take time to grow, but he is optimistic that by the end of the season, his team will be highly competitive.

"It may take us 10 or 12 games to learn to execute the offensive and defensive strategies as a unified team," Kulbeck said. "But we should be very tough at tournament time. It will take us some time to build team chemistry and confidence to face any situation but I have great faith in our boys and I am proud to be their coach.”

Harlem opened the season at the Native American Classic last week in Havre.

get better each game and be playing our best basketball by the end of the season and make it to the divisional tournament. Getting some solid wins during the conference season will help us gain confidence and achieve the goal of making divisionals. It would be a huge ac-

complishment for these kids and the program and I'm excited about it.”

Harlem opened the 201516 season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic last weekend in Havre. The Wildcats begin District 2B play this coming weekend.

It's kind of cliché to say a team is on a mission, but when it comes to the 2015-16 Box Elder boys basketball team, it's the truth.

Two years ago, the Bears went undefeated and won the Class C state championship, and last year, the Bears lost only two games, but failed to qualify for the state tournament.

That's because one of their losses was to Highwood in the quarterfinals of the Northern C Divisional.

The Bears battled back for third after winning a grueling four straight games, but since Highwood finished second, Box Elder was unable to challenge. That left them out of the state tournament and unable to defend their title, which is something that nearly a year later, is still fresh in their minds.

"These boys loved playing football, but they really have been waiting a long time for basketball season to start," Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. "They are really hungry and extremely motivated. They are working hard in the weight room. They work hard when we do drills, they work hard when we scrimmage and work hard when we do our conditioning. They want to get back to the state tournament."

Fortunately for the Bears, they are loaded with talent again this season, despite the loss of talented seniors Clayton Morsette Jr., who was an All-State player last season and Quinn Baker, who was All-Conference. Even with those losses, Box Elder boasts two of the best players in the District 9C in All-State point guard Brandon The Boy and All-State forward

Jerrod Four Colors. And eventually when Jake Jones returns from an injury he suffered during football season, which MacDonald said could come sometime in January, the Bears will have three starters back from last year's team.

In addition to that trio, Box Elder brings back a number of players who contributed off the bench last season and are ready to step into bigger roles. Three such players are Shane Ketchum, Pernell Morsette and Bodis Duran.

Duran and Kethum are seniors, who both saw significant time last season. Morsette also saw plenty of game action as a sophomore and will look to make an even bigger impact as a junior. Other players whom MacDonald expects to contribute heavily this season are senior Tristan Bernard and junior Trey Henderson.

"I think we are going to surprise some people with our depth," MacDonald said. "We have some kids that work really hard and show us how good they are everyday in practice. And I think some people will be surprised at the depth that we have."

Box Elder enters the season as the reigning three-time 9C champions and are aiming for a fourth straight title this season. Teams like Chester/J-I, Chinook, Hays-Lodge Pole and North Star will look to challenge them, but the Bears remain the team to beat.

"We know our conference is always tough," MacDonald said. "But our goal is to get through it and get to the Northern C and back to state.

It's not going to be easy, but that is our goal."

The Bears also play a tough schedule, which will help make them better throughout the season. That schedule started with last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brandon The Boy and the Box Elder Bears aren't just a favorite to win the 9C this season, they are a favorite to capture another Class C boys state championship.

Talented Box Elder girls poised for great things this winter George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Box Elder Bears have had plenty of success on the hardwood. But, for a time, the Bears went through a stretch where they just couldn’t quite compete with the top teams in the District 9C. That all changed last winter, however, as the

Havre Daily News/File Photo Mari Ereaux and the Harlem Wildcats are under the guidance of new head coach Laramie Schwenke.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Tia Russell is one of the top returning players in District 9C girls basketball.

Russell and her talented Bears squad, led by veteran head coach Joel Rosette, are looking forward to competing for the 9C title and a return trip to the Northern C Tournament.

Bears stormed their way into the District 9C championship game, and eventually, into a solid showing at the 2015 Northern C Divisional tournament in Great Falls.

After going 13-11 last season, Box Elder is hungry for even more success as a new year on the basketball court dawns. And veteran head coach Joel Rosette feels like his team can have those successes.

“We have a very experienced and deep team that will compete well in the 9-C,” Rosette noted.

Depth and experience is always crucial in the 9C, if anyone is going to compete with usual powerhouses like Chinook, as well as returning 9C champion Fort Benton. And the Bears are a team that should be able to do just that.

Box Elder is led by junior guard Tia Russell, who earned All-Conference honors a year ago.

But Russell has plenty of returning firepower around her, in senior forward Tyra Gopher and senior guard Alyssa LaMere. Add to that the skills of players like Jude The Boy, Jaynee Parisian, Minnie The Boy and Tai Russell, and the Bears are poised for another run.

However, making that run won’t be easy.

Chinook, Fort Benton and Chester/J-I will all be solid contenders in the 9C this season, and North Star can never be counted out. Still, with what Box Elder achieved last season, and with such a talented lineup returning, the Bears have high hopes and high expectations heading into a new campaign.

“We have high goals for our team and excited to get the season started,” Rosette said.

Box Elder opened the season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic in Havre.

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Knights will compete in the 9C George Ferguson December 18th December 19th December 22nd January 2nd January 8th January 9th January 15th January 16th January 22nd January 23rd January 28th January 30th February 5th February 12th February 13th February 18th February 20th February 24th-27th March 10th-12th

vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Conrad, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. CMR ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 4:30 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. (Havre Central) PLAY-IN GAME - TBD if #4 or #5 seed DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) STATE ~ Belgrade

December 18th December 19th December 21st January 2nd January 8th January 9th January 15th January 16th January 22nd January 23rd January 28th January 30th February 5th February 12th February 13th February 18th February 20th February 24th-27th March 3rd-5th

vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. CMR ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Conrad, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m.

PLAY-IN GAME - TBD if needed DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) STATE ~ Missoula - UofM

HHS girls talented again Pony boys highly motivated Chris Peterson

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News

Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The 2015-16 season will be a season of change for the Havre High girls basketball team and Havre basketball as a whole., but as far as the Blue Pony girls are concerned, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

At the high school level, there are always changes. Players graduate and two teams are never the same. In Havre's case, they were hit hard with the losses of seniors Morgan Mazurkiewicz, Tori Mazurkiewicz, Lindsey Kudrna and Rachel Majeres.

"Those kids meant a lot to this program," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "But it's kind of next man up. We have some kids that need to step up and find their new roles on our new team."

One thing that the Ponies have in their favor is the return of Kraske, who guided Havre to the state championship in 2014 and the Class A state tournament in eight of his nine seasons at the helm.

Another good sign for the Ponies is the fact that even though they lost a lot of production due to graduation, they have a number of talented players returning, highlighted by AllState forward Dani Wagner.

Wagner was one of the top players in the Central A conference a year ago, averaging 12.4 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. She also averaged more than three assists and two steals per night, which makes her one of the most versatile players in the state.

Yet, Wagner is not the only key cog returning for the Ponies as junior Naomi Terry will also be a key contributor for Havre this season after earning Second-Team All-Conference honors last season. As a sophomore, Terry developed into a reliable scorer for the Ponies and finished the season with an average of 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and two as-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Naomi Terry and the Havre High girls basketball team should have another big season on the hardwood. sists per game. She also was second on the team with 28 3-point field goals.

While Wagner and Terry will be expected to carry the bulk of the scoring load, the Ponies will still need others to step up and when it comes to the backcourt, Havre has two promising candidates in Ceyara Plante and Marca Herron.

Plante, a junior, was a solid contributor a season ago and was often the first or second player off the bench. She finished the season with an average of 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She also shot 31 percent

■ See Pony Girls Page 15

Expectations were high last season for the Havre High boys basketball team, and with a talented team set to return for the 2015-16 season, the expectations might be even higher.

Last year, the Blue Pony boys posted a 15-9 record and came within a 3-pointer of playing for the Class A state championship. As it turned out, the Havre boys failed to win a trophy at the state tournament, which has motivated them to get back.

"I think that because we have done it, gotten to the state the last two years, it’s more of an expectation at this point, not a goal," HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. "We are going to spend the first part of the season trying to figure out who we are and what works for us. But after that, we want to focus on trying to play our best basketball at the end of the season and trying to get back."

Leeds’ confidence may be bolstered by the fact that Havre boasts quite possibly the best player in Class A in Dane Warp. Warp is a three-time All-State selection and last season he was the state's leading scorer with an average of 23.2 points per game. Not only did Warp lead the Ponies in scoring a season ago, but he also was the team's second-leading rebounder with 5.9 per game. He shot an impressive 46 percent from the field and a team-high 36 percent from beyond the arc.

There is no doubt that Warp is an outstanding player, but the fact remains that Havre lost its top rebounder from 2014-15 in Michael Bakke (9.3 RPG), who was also Havre's thirdleading scorer. as well as Jase Kato and Wyatt Lindbloom, who may not have made big impacts statistically, but provided rebounding and a solid presence inside on both ends of the floor.

With their graduation, the Ponies are thin up front and that has caused Leeds to re-think the way his team plays basketball.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Dane Warp and the Havre High boys return a talented and veteran team for a new season of high school hoops.

"We don't have the ability to replace Bakke, Lindbloom and Kato with what we have this year," Leeds said. "So we need to kind of morph who we are. We do have some kids that can play inside, but we are going to go with more guards in our lineup because that's what we have."

Along with Warp, the Ponies have a solid group of perimeter-oriented players in Nate Rismon, Jerod Boles, Jacob LaBrie and Nate Korb, all of whom saw extend minutes last season. Rismon has earned Central A All-Conference Honorable Mention honors the past two seasons and did so last year after aver-

■ See Pony Boys Page 15

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com When it comes to girls basketball on the Hi-Line, North Star has been a staple for years and years. But, the Knights found themselves in a place they weren’t used to a year ago — and that’s not competing for a 9C title come Saturday night at the district tournament.

Fast forward one year, and the Knights, who went 11-10 and finished fifth in the 9C last season, are hoping to get back to Saturday night when the 9C tourney comes to Havre in February. However, North Star will be a somewhat young team, and head coach Mazkenzie Jenkins says, her team will take time to come together.

“This year we have a fairly young team when it comes to varsity experience,” Jenkins said. “We graduated three great seniors last year and filling those positions will be a challenge, but the girls we have this year are fully capable of doing that. The three girls coming back from last year work well together and provide great leadership to the younger girls. The younger girls are athletic and capable

Havre Daily News/File Photo Sheridan O'Neil, left, and the North Star girls have talent, and a new head coach in Mackenzie Jenkins. of anything- it's just a matter of adapting to the varsity game.”

The Knights do have veterans to build around, including Graysen Spicher, Sheridan O’Neil and Sheridan Spicher.

Those three will provide experience and leadership, while Peytan King, Lily Pedersen, Samantha Pester, Katelin Harvey and Paij Peterson are all expected to be key contribu-

tors this season.

And, North Star will need them all because the 9C will be as tough as it’s ever been.

“I think that Box Elder will be the team to beat in our district this year,” Jenkins, who also coaches the North Star volleyball team and takes over the basketball reins from Griff Bye said. “They are always tough and last year towards the end of the regular season and through districts and divisionals they were playing their best basketball. That may be something that carries into the season this year. The 9C has always been tough and you can't count anyone out.

“Right now, our main goal is for all of the girls to be on the same page with everything,” she added. “Being as this is my first year as the head coach with the girls, they are learning new plays and lots of other new things. We definitely want to strive to be better than we were last year and finish in the top three of our conference. I believe we are fully capable of doing well in our conference and as a result, being one of the top teams to beat.”

The Knights opened their season with a pair of games at the C/J-I Hi-Line Preseason Tournament.

Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

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Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

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Knights will compete in the 9C George Ferguson December 18th December 19th December 22nd January 2nd January 8th January 9th January 15th January 16th January 22nd January 23rd January 28th January 30th February 5th February 12th February 13th February 18th February 20th February 24th-27th March 10th-12th

vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Malta ~ Malta, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Conrad, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 3:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. CMR ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 4:30 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. (Havre Central) PLAY-IN GAME - TBD if #4 or #5 seed DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) STATE ~ Belgrade

December 18th December 19th December 21st January 2nd January 8th January 9th January 15th January 16th January 22nd January 23rd January 28th January 30th February 5th February 12th February 13th February 18th February 20th February 24th-27th March 3rd-5th

vs. Park ~ Havre, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Havre, MT ~ 2:00 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Malta ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Lewistown, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Park ~ Livingston, MT ~ 6:00 p.m. vs. Belgrade ~ Belgrade, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. GFHS ~ Great Falls, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. CMR ~ Havre, MT ~ 5:00 p.m. vs. Conrad ~ Conrad, MT ~ 7:30 p.m. vs. Lewistown ~ Havre, MT ~ 7:00 p.m. vs. Rocky Boy ~ Rocky Boy, MT ~ 6:30 p.m. vs. Browning ~ Browning, MT ~ 7:00 p.m.

PLAY-IN GAME - TBD if needed DIVISIONALS ~ Billings (Metra) STATE ~ Missoula - UofM

HHS girls talented again Pony boys highly motivated Chris Peterson

Chris Peterson

Havre Daily News

Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The 2015-16 season will be a season of change for the Havre High girls basketball team and Havre basketball as a whole., but as far as the Blue Pony girls are concerned, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

At the high school level, there are always changes. Players graduate and two teams are never the same. In Havre's case, they were hit hard with the losses of seniors Morgan Mazurkiewicz, Tori Mazurkiewicz, Lindsey Kudrna and Rachel Majeres.

"Those kids meant a lot to this program," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "But it's kind of next man up. We have some kids that need to step up and find their new roles on our new team."

One thing that the Ponies have in their favor is the return of Kraske, who guided Havre to the state championship in 2014 and the Class A state tournament in eight of his nine seasons at the helm.

Another good sign for the Ponies is the fact that even though they lost a lot of production due to graduation, they have a number of talented players returning, highlighted by AllState forward Dani Wagner.

Wagner was one of the top players in the Central A conference a year ago, averaging 12.4 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. She also averaged more than three assists and two steals per night, which makes her one of the most versatile players in the state.

Yet, Wagner is not the only key cog returning for the Ponies as junior Naomi Terry will also be a key contributor for Havre this season after earning Second-Team All-Conference honors last season. As a sophomore, Terry developed into a reliable scorer for the Ponies and finished the season with an average of 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and two as-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Naomi Terry and the Havre High girls basketball team should have another big season on the hardwood. sists per game. She also was second on the team with 28 3-point field goals.

While Wagner and Terry will be expected to carry the bulk of the scoring load, the Ponies will still need others to step up and when it comes to the backcourt, Havre has two promising candidates in Ceyara Plante and Marca Herron.

Plante, a junior, was a solid contributor a season ago and was often the first or second player off the bench. She finished the season with an average of 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She also shot 31 percent

■ See Pony Girls Page 15

Expectations were high last season for the Havre High boys basketball team, and with a talented team set to return for the 2015-16 season, the expectations might be even higher.

Last year, the Blue Pony boys posted a 15-9 record and came within a 3-pointer of playing for the Class A state championship. As it turned out, the Havre boys failed to win a trophy at the state tournament, which has motivated them to get back.

"I think that because we have done it, gotten to the state the last two years, it’s more of an expectation at this point, not a goal," HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. "We are going to spend the first part of the season trying to figure out who we are and what works for us. But after that, we want to focus on trying to play our best basketball at the end of the season and trying to get back."

Leeds’ confidence may be bolstered by the fact that Havre boasts quite possibly the best player in Class A in Dane Warp. Warp is a three-time All-State selection and last season he was the state's leading scorer with an average of 23.2 points per game. Not only did Warp lead the Ponies in scoring a season ago, but he also was the team's second-leading rebounder with 5.9 per game. He shot an impressive 46 percent from the field and a team-high 36 percent from beyond the arc.

There is no doubt that Warp is an outstanding player, but the fact remains that Havre lost its top rebounder from 2014-15 in Michael Bakke (9.3 RPG), who was also Havre's thirdleading scorer. as well as Jase Kato and Wyatt Lindbloom, who may not have made big impacts statistically, but provided rebounding and a solid presence inside on both ends of the floor.

With their graduation, the Ponies are thin up front and that has caused Leeds to re-think the way his team plays basketball.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Dane Warp and the Havre High boys return a talented and veteran team for a new season of high school hoops.

"We don't have the ability to replace Bakke, Lindbloom and Kato with what we have this year," Leeds said. "So we need to kind of morph who we are. We do have some kids that can play inside, but we are going to go with more guards in our lineup because that's what we have."

Along with Warp, the Ponies have a solid group of perimeter-oriented players in Nate Rismon, Jerod Boles, Jacob LaBrie and Nate Korb, all of whom saw extend minutes last season. Rismon has earned Central A All-Conference Honorable Mention honors the past two seasons and did so last year after aver-

■ See Pony Boys Page 15

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com When it comes to girls basketball on the Hi-Line, North Star has been a staple for years and years. But, the Knights found themselves in a place they weren’t used to a year ago — and that’s not competing for a 9C title come Saturday night at the district tournament.

Fast forward one year, and the Knights, who went 11-10 and finished fifth in the 9C last season, are hoping to get back to Saturday night when the 9C tourney comes to Havre in February. However, North Star will be a somewhat young team, and head coach Mazkenzie Jenkins says, her team will take time to come together.

“This year we have a fairly young team when it comes to varsity experience,” Jenkins said. “We graduated three great seniors last year and filling those positions will be a challenge, but the girls we have this year are fully capable of doing that. The three girls coming back from last year work well together and provide great leadership to the younger girls. The younger girls are athletic and capable

Havre Daily News/File Photo Sheridan O'Neil, left, and the North Star girls have talent, and a new head coach in Mackenzie Jenkins. of anything- it's just a matter of adapting to the varsity game.”

The Knights do have veterans to build around, including Graysen Spicher, Sheridan O’Neil and Sheridan Spicher.

Those three will provide experience and leadership, while Peytan King, Lily Pedersen, Samantha Pester, Katelin Harvey and Paij Peterson are all expected to be key contribu-

tors this season.

And, North Star will need them all because the 9C will be as tough as it’s ever been.

“I think that Box Elder will be the team to beat in our district this year,” Jenkins, who also coaches the North Star volleyball team and takes over the basketball reins from Griff Bye said. “They are always tough and last year towards the end of the regular season and through districts and divisionals they were playing their best basketball. That may be something that carries into the season this year. The 9C has always been tough and you can't count anyone out.

“Right now, our main goal is for all of the girls to be on the same page with everything,” she added. “Being as this is my first year as the head coach with the girls, they are learning new plays and lots of other new things. We definitely want to strive to be better than we were last year and finish in the top three of our conference. I believe we are fully capable of doing well in our conference and as a result, being one of the top teams to beat.”

The Knights opened their season with a pair of games at the C/J-I Hi-Line Preseason Tournament.

Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

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Harlem aims for a Harlem girls have Mighty Bears going for a 9C four-peat return to winning a new head coach Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

George Ferguson

Chris Peterson

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

The Harlem Wildcats have had a long-standing tradition of winning on the basketball floor, but after a few down seasons, Harlem has a new head coach who is hoping to make the Wildcats a force once again in the Northern B. One thing that Wildcats will have going for them this season is that while their head coach, Terry Kulbeck is new, he is not inexperienced.

Kulbeck is not only a Harlem alum, he also played basketball for the Wildcats and has head coaching experience at both Hays-Lodge Pole (boys and girls) and Harlem (girls).

However, Kulbeck's job will not be an easy one. He takes over a Harlem team that posted a record of 8-12 a season ago. The Wildcats made it to the Northern C Divisional, after getting a win in the District 2B tournament, but after that, Harlem lost consecutive games to Fairfield and Glasgow to end their season.

Harlem struggled to win a season ago and under the direction of Kulbeck, the Wildcats could struggle early on during the 2015-16 season as they gain experience and familiarity with their new coach.

“We have a young team with very little varsity experience so this will be a rebuilding year," Kulbeck said. "There will be no easy games; we have a lot of work to do. Focused attention and positive attitude before each game is crucial. After each game and at the end of the season I want each of them to be able to look in the mirror and say three things: I played every play to the best of my ability, regardless of

Trying to survive in the District 2B has always been a struggle for the Harlem Wildcats. After all, it’s a conference long dominated by one of the best high school programs in all of Montana in the Malta M-Ettes.

However, the Wildcats have always been a tough, hard-nosed program, and with new head coach Laramie Schwenke at the helm, optimism is high for the start of a new season. Schwenke was an assistant coach for the Wildcats last year. Now the former MSUNorthern All-American is at the controls of the varsity team, and she’s excited about her Wildcats as they begin the new year.

“We return four starters and solid core group in seniors Brooke LeValdo, Mari Ereaux, Anita Bentley and Autumn Little Plume,” Schwenke said. “We are also excited about some of our younger kids stepping in and make some contributions as well.”

Harlem went 4-14 a year ago, and failed to win a game at the 2B district tournament. Of course, with Malta as the returning state champion, and a tough Glasgow squad to boot, things will again be difficult in conference play. Still, Schwenke is focused on her own team right now and just getting them to come together and improve every day.

“My expectations for this year’s team is to continually grow and come together as a group and to compete every night,” she said.

“The toughest competition in the 2B is Malta,” she continued. “My goal is to

Havre Daily News

Havre Daily News/File Photo Corbin Brockie is one of a handful of returnees for the Wildcats and new head coach Terry Kulbeck. the score I never quit on my teammates or coaches, and I played with heart and intense concentration. Success is not just about the number of wins and losses, but being the best that you can be while playing."

Kulbeck may have a team that is inexperienced but it's not one that is devoid of leadership. The Wildcats are fortunate to have four seniors on the roster in Marcus Henry, Keahna Little, Cole Azure and Michael Butterfly.

The Wildcats also have seven juniors on their varsity roster, highlighted by Terry Sandcrane Jr., who was one of Harlem's top scorers a season ago. The rest of the juniors that will play varsity for Harlem are Hollin Fox, Damon Adams, Austin Stewart, Jaden Beaumont, Corbin Brockie and Eron Snow. Tevin Messerly is also expected to contribute in his sophomore season.

One thing that does not bode well for Harlem this season is

the fact that they play in one of the most challenging districts in Class B basketball.

The 1B features Malta and Glasgow, as well as Plentywood and Wolf Point. Harlem also has to battle it out with teams such as Fairfield, Choteau, Cut Bank, Conrad and Rocky Boy, if they make it back to the divisional tournament.

All in all, Kulbeck knows it will take time to grow, but he is optimistic that by the end of the season, his team will be highly competitive.

"It may take us 10 or 12 games to learn to execute the offensive and defensive strategies as a unified team," Kulbeck said. "But we should be very tough at tournament time. It will take us some time to build team chemistry and confidence to face any situation but I have great faith in our boys and I am proud to be their coach.”

Harlem opened the season at the Native American Classic last week in Havre.

get better each game and be playing our best basketball by the end of the season and make it to the divisional tournament. Getting some solid wins during the conference season will help us gain confidence and achieve the goal of making divisionals. It would be a huge ac-

complishment for these kids and the program and I'm excited about it.”

Harlem opened the 201516 season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic last weekend in Havre. The Wildcats begin District 2B play this coming weekend.

It's kind of cliché to say a team is on a mission, but when it comes to the 2015-16 Box Elder boys basketball team, it's the truth.

Two years ago, the Bears went undefeated and won the Class C state championship, and last year, the Bears lost only two games, but failed to qualify for the state tournament.

That's because one of their losses was to Highwood in the quarterfinals of the Northern C Divisional.

The Bears battled back for third after winning a grueling four straight games, but since Highwood finished second, Box Elder was unable to challenge. That left them out of the state tournament and unable to defend their title, which is something that nearly a year later, is still fresh in their minds.

"These boys loved playing football, but they really have been waiting a long time for basketball season to start," Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. "They are really hungry and extremely motivated. They are working hard in the weight room. They work hard when we do drills, they work hard when we scrimmage and work hard when we do our conditioning. They want to get back to the state tournament."

Fortunately for the Bears, they are loaded with talent again this season, despite the loss of talented seniors Clayton Morsette Jr., who was an All-State player last season and Quinn Baker, who was All-Conference. Even with those losses, Box Elder boasts two of the best players in the District 9C in All-State point guard Brandon The Boy and All-State forward

Jerrod Four Colors. And eventually when Jake Jones returns from an injury he suffered during football season, which MacDonald said could come sometime in January, the Bears will have three starters back from last year's team.

In addition to that trio, Box Elder brings back a number of players who contributed off the bench last season and are ready to step into bigger roles. Three such players are Shane Ketchum, Pernell Morsette and Bodis Duran.

Duran and Kethum are seniors, who both saw significant time last season. Morsette also saw plenty of game action as a sophomore and will look to make an even bigger impact as a junior. Other players whom MacDonald expects to contribute heavily this season are senior Tristan Bernard and junior Trey Henderson.

"I think we are going to surprise some people with our depth," MacDonald said. "We have some kids that work really hard and show us how good they are everyday in practice. And I think some people will be surprised at the depth that we have."

Box Elder enters the season as the reigning three-time 9C champions and are aiming for a fourth straight title this season. Teams like Chester/J-I, Chinook, Hays-Lodge Pole and North Star will look to challenge them, but the Bears remain the team to beat.

"We know our conference is always tough," MacDonald said. "But our goal is to get through it and get to the Northern C and back to state.

It's not going to be easy, but that is our goal."

The Bears also play a tough schedule, which will help make them better throughout the season. That schedule started with last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brandon The Boy and the Box Elder Bears aren't just a favorite to win the 9C this season, they are a favorite to capture another Class C boys state championship.

Talented Box Elder girls poised for great things this winter George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Box Elder Bears have had plenty of success on the hardwood. But, for a time, the Bears went through a stretch where they just couldn’t quite compete with the top teams in the District 9C. That all changed last winter, however, as the

Havre Daily News/File Photo Mari Ereaux and the Harlem Wildcats are under the guidance of new head coach Laramie Schwenke.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Tia Russell is one of the top returning players in District 9C girls basketball.

Russell and her talented Bears squad, led by veteran head coach Joel Rosette, are looking forward to competing for the 9C title and a return trip to the Northern C Tournament.

Bears stormed their way into the District 9C championship game, and eventually, into a solid showing at the 2015 Northern C Divisional tournament in Great Falls.

After going 13-11 last season, Box Elder is hungry for even more success as a new year on the basketball court dawns. And veteran head coach Joel Rosette feels like his team can have those successes.

“We have a very experienced and deep team that will compete well in the 9-C,” Rosette noted.

Depth and experience is always crucial in the 9C, if anyone is going to compete with usual powerhouses like Chinook, as well as returning 9C champion Fort Benton. And the Bears are a team that should be able to do just that.

Box Elder is led by junior guard Tia Russell, who earned All-Conference honors a year ago.

But Russell has plenty of returning firepower around her, in senior forward Tyra Gopher and senior guard Alyssa LaMere. Add to that the skills of players like Jude The Boy, Jaynee Parisian, Minnie The Boy and Tai Russell, and the Bears are poised for another run.

However, making that run won’t be easy.

Chinook, Fort Benton and Chester/J-I will all be solid contenders in the 9C this season, and North Star can never be counted out. Still, with what Box Elder achieved last season, and with such a talented lineup returning, the Bears have high hopes and high expectations heading into a new campaign.

“We have high goals for our team and excited to get the season started,” Rosette said.

Box Elder opened the season with a pair of games at the Native American Classic in Havre.

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Turner girls hoops Tornadoes fighting ready to step up for 9C boys success Chris Peterson

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Turner Tornadoes finished the 2014-15 girls basketball season with their best record in decades. And now, they want that feeling of success to go even further.

After going 9-12 a season ago, Turner returns almost its entire roster from that team and, surprisingly, the Tornadoes are still a young team too. So, the sky could be the limit for new head coach Jennifer Baird, and her Turner team as the Tornadoes embark on a brand new season.

“I have a terrific group of girls that are extremely hard-working and driven,” Baird said. “I’m very excited to watch us develop throughout the season.”

Turner is led by returning All-Conference guard, junior Ella Billmayer. She’s been playing varsity basketball since her eighth-grade year, and her experience, and her outstanding scoring ability gives the Tornadoes an edge in the District 9C. But, overall, Turner returns plenty of experience around Billmayer.

Rennay Watkins (junior), Reagan Conlan (freshman), Rylee Conlan (freshman), and Melanie Watkins (freshman) all saw substantial time on the court a season ago. Baird said she is excited about Jaye Anderson (sophomore), Charley Anderson (junior), Tyler Anderson (senior), and Sarah Billmayer (eighth grade) being on the Turner roster as well.

With a lineup of experi-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Rylee Conlan and the Turner girls had an outstanding season a year ago. And the Tornadoes are poised to do even better this winter. enced players, Turner is hoping to be a darkhorse this season, and, the Tornadoes could be just that if they can follow up on last year’s successes. If they do indeed go further this season, then they should be a real threat to the upper-tier teams in the 9C when the district tournament comes to Havre in February.

"The 9C is always very tough and competitive,” Baird said. “I don’t see it being any different this season.

Every team is always the team to beat. We’ll just have to see how the season plays out.”

Turner started its season with two games last weekend in Glasgow.

The 2014-15 season was a tough one for the Turner Tornadoes boys basketball team.

The District 9C school failed to win a game in district play and finished the season with just four wins overall.

Yet, even in defeat, the enthusiasm for basketball is always high in Turner and with the return of head coach Kevin VanValkenburg, who previously served as the program's top coach from 2010-2014, the Tornadoes are looking to make some progress this season.

"We have a pretty young team," VanValkenburg said.

"We only have two seniors and then the rest are underclassmen but I like them. I think that our group of kids is pretty quick and pretty athletic and I think we have a shot to be pretty decent this year."

Of course the first goal for the Tornadoes is going to be to get a win in the 9C. Last season, Turner went a combined 0-16 over the course of the regular season and the 9C tournament, so if there is one goal looming for this program, getting off the schneid in the 9C is it.

"I think that we have a chance to be kind of in the middle of the pack this year," VanValkenburg said. "I know that there are some pretty good teams at the top and some teams that are going to be better than we are, but after that, it's pretty wide open, so I am hoping we can get in there with some of the other teams in our district."

In order for the Tornadoes to do that, they will first need to find a way to replace the graduated Lucas Reed. Reed was Turner's leading scorer last season and was one of the better high school players to

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brett VanValkenburg and the Turner boys are looking forward to a new season on the hardwood. come out of Turner in recent memory. He and his scoring average of more than 15 points per game will be difficult to replace for Turner, but VanValkenburg is confident that his team will step up and fill the void.

"Lucas is going to be tough to replace," VanValkenburg said. "But, we are just going to need to have some other guys step up and play bigger roles for us this year."

Leading the way for Turner this season will a be pair of seniors, Bret VanValkenburg and Tyler Humphreys. Both players started for Turner a season ago and each has played substantial minutes at the varsity level. After that, the Tornadoes will likely start one sophomore and two freshmen. Eddie Harmon, who saw time as a freshman last season, figures to be part of the starting five, as do freshmen Cody Welsh and Trace Heilig, who each were on the roster

as eighth-graders a season ago.

For the Tornadoes to climb out of the 9C basement, they will need to not only compete with teams like Box Elder, the defending 9C champion, Chester/J-I, Hays-Lodge Pole and Chinook, they will also need to start getting wins over teams like North Star, Fort Benton and Big Sandy.

Yet VanValkenberg is excited about the upcoming season and with the parity that is sure to reign in the middle of the 9C standings, the Tornadoes believe they will be able to put an end to their 9C losing streak.

"I think we have a chance to be a pretty good team," VanValkenburg said. "We just need to work hard throughout the season and the hopefully at the end of the year, we can have a chance to do something at districts."

Turner opened its season at a tip-off tournament in Glasgow Dec. 3-4.

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North Star boys showing major improvement Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is strong tradition of basketball excellence when it comes to the North Star Knights.

Going back to the days of KG and Blue Sky, that part of the Hi-Line has always had a winning tradition when it comes to roundball.

Now, after some struggles in recent years, head coach Walynn Burgess is doing his best to restore the winning ways out at North Star and after a 6-15 record a season ago, he feels his team is ready to take another step in the right direction.

"The level that we grew over the summer has kind of shocked me," Burgess said. "I hadn't seen some of the kids since last summer and I didn't see them much during football, and all of a sudden, we get back in the gym and we have kids that I thought would be role players that are now fighting for starting spots."

The Knights didn't have a single player earn his way onto the All-District 9C team last season but they will have some solid starters returning in seniors Matthew Helmbrecht, Payton Peterson, Gavin Spinler and Willie Gilead.

"Payton is a great athlete more than he is good basketball player, but he's a good player for us, he works really hard," Burgess said.

"Matthew has also grown a lot and turned into a good player. Gavin has been starting for us the past few years and he does a good job at point guard and Willy Gilead is our leader on defense. He is a hard-nosed kid that has

made a lot of improvement over the past two years."

While the Knights will have plenty of senior leadership to draw from, they should also have a decent amount of depth. Junior Jimmy Snow is another player who has varsity experience and returns this season, along with Devon Miller, who turned into a reliable scorer down the stretch for the Knights last season.

"Right now, we are so much farther ahead than where we were last year," Burgess said.

"These kids really worked hard in the offseason and probably went and played 30-40 games together. These kids are really excited about playing basketball and I am excited about that."

Burgess is hoping the Knights can work their way into the conversation in the 9C after

Havre Daily News/File Photo Payton Peterson and the North Star boys should be a team on the rise in the 9C.

a few down years and one reason why North Star might be able to contend for a spot at divisionals is the weakening of other teams like Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole thanks to graduation. However, Burgess is also the first to point out that his team has not won many games over the past few seasons, which is something they will need to learn how to do if they are going to have a chance to play in the big games come tournament time.

"That's what we have been talking about, is having a chance at districts at the end of the season," Burgess said. "But it's going to be tough. We haven't won a lot of games out here. We won six games last year, so we don't know how to win yet, but I think we are taking the right steps to get there. I think we are there in terms of dedication, the kids are really working hard and they really want to be better basketball players."

North Star opened the season at last weekend’s tournament in Chester.

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Fort Benton girls are the Longhorns will be young this season reigning District 9C champs Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In their very first try, the Fort Benton girls basketball team captured the 2015 District 9C championship. That team co-oped with Geraldine a season ago, and it was a memorable one.

Now, the Longhorns return to just being Fort Benton, and while they’re still the defending 9C champions, Fort Benton will look a little different this season. Under the direction of Cassie Scheffelmaier, the Horns went 18-6 a year ago, won the 9C tourney and made it all the way to the Northern C Divisional tournament.

Now however, Scheffelmaier says she has a much younger team coming in, but one she feels can grow throughout the season.

“We are an extremely young team with few returning players last season,” she said. “I would like to see improvement throughout the season and growth of being comfortable playing with one another. Our expectation is to have us peaking at the right time.”

Fort Benton does return a pair of key players in senior Hannah Pimperton and junior Kaitlin Bird, both AllConference performers a year ago. But after that, the Longhorns will be young and depth may be an issue. Sophomore Madison Thompson and freshman Leah Gannon are two young players who are expected to be key contributors this year.

And, defending their 9C title will be no easy task.

Chinook, Box Elder and Chester/J-I should be loaded this season, so as always, Scheffelmaier expects conference play to be fierce.

“The 9C will be competitive

this year,” she said. “Quite a few teams lost key contributors from last season, so it will be fun to see who steps up to fill those spots.”

Fort Benton opened the season at home with tip-off tournament games against Simms and Sunburst.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Hannah Pimperton and the Fort Benton Longhorns will try to defend their 9C girls title this season. But, Fort Benton is no longer co-oping with Geraldine, like the Longhorns did a season ago.

The 2014-15 season was a unique one in the history of Fort Benton boys basketball.

Not only was it the Longhorn’s inaugural season in the District 9C, it was also a season in which Fort Benton co-oped with Geraldine.

The two schools, that came together out of necessity, have now separated as Fort Benton is back to playing basketball by itself. And despite the fact that the Longhorns are no longer getting players from Geraldine, they have a good number of players out for head coach Tyler Pasha.

"The boys are ready to get going," Pasha said. "Geraldine decided to go with Highwood for a co-op, so we are on our own this year. But, we have 11 kids that decided to come out and play basketball.

We have some guys back, but we did lose 10 kids that had some experience playing from last year, so it's going to be a lot different team than I had last year."

The first season for Fort Benton in the 9C turned out to be a struggle, as the Longhorns finished fifth in the final regular season standings with a record of 5-9. Overall, they finished the season with a mark of 6-15 thanks to one victory at the 9C tournament.

As Pasha stated, the Longhorns did lose a number of players who contributed a season ago, but no loss will be felt more than the graduation of forward Toren Andreason, who earned Second-Team AllDistrict honors a season ago.

Ben Hulme and Tyler Hooper were among the other key players who moved on.

All is not lost for Pasha and the Longhorns, though.

The team still has three seniors that contributed heavily a season ago and those are the guys that Pasha will rely on to be the focal point of his team. Those players

are senior guard Taylor Arganbright, senior guard Eli Toon and senior center Javan Christensen. Sophomore point guard Andy Giles is another player that will log heavy minutes for Fort Benton this season.

"Maturing and coming together are going to be big keys for us," Pasha said. "I think that right now, we are playing a lot of one-on-one basketball. If we can learn to play as a team and help each other out, I think we can actually go somewhere. This is a good group of kids, we just have to mature and learn the game of basketball together."

As always, the 9C is going to be a challenging district and no team will be more difficult to deal with than Box Elder, which enters the season fresh off three-straight district titles. In addition to Box Elder, Chester/J-I, Chinook and North Star should all be in the mix at the end

of the season, which is something the Longhorns are hoping they can find a way to do.

"There are a couple of teams right there at the top in Box Elder and C/J-I," Pasha said. "After that I think it kind of opens up. If you can catch teams that aren't playing 100 percent, I think we can go split a lot of games. I would always like to think that making it out of district is our goal, but our main goal is to win the first game we play and have a winning record by Christmas time and when Districts roll around. But, I wouldn't be a very good coach if I didn't believe in my kids and that we could make it out of districts."

Fort Benton opened its season with a pair of games at the Fort Benton Pre-Season Tournament against Simms and Sunburst.

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Chester/J-I boys motivated to succeed this winter Hawks return a veteran and talented team for their second 9C season Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com Last season was the first in the District 9C for the Chester/J-I Hawks and it was a season of missed-opportunity for the boys basketball team.

The Hawks finished fourth at the District 9C tournament and did so after losing a hard-fought game against Box Elder in the semifinals and then another battle to Chinook in the consolation game. Those losses have fueled C/J-I this offseason as the Hawks are determined to do what they couldn't last year: get to the Northern C Divisional.

"I think that's something the boys have talked a lot about," C/J-I head coach Spencer Satori said referring to last year's 9C tournament. "We had a chance to beat a really good Box Elder team and we kind of let it slip away. So we know we were right there and our goal this year is

to get back to the Northern C." Of course, as Satori knows, the Northern C division as a whole is one of the most challenging in the state of the Montana and the Hawks should be part of another competitive race in the 9C. "I think that the Northern C is the most competitive basketball division in the state," Satroi said.

"Every night is tough and you need to be ready to play every single night because if you don't bring your best, anybody can beat you."

The Hawks are no stranger to winning after posting a 14-8 overall record last season and a 9-5 mark in regular season play. C/J-I also made the Northern C Divisional in 2014 out of the District 10C. Part of the reason the team has been so successful the past few seasons is talented forward Justin May. May is an explosive athlete and is as talented as any player in the 9C and with him returning, along with a number of other key players, such as Troy Harmon, Brandon Richter, Cory Richter and Jarvin Miles, expectations are high.

"Justin really is a special player," Satori said. "And one of the things that is unique about him is that he always gives credits to his teammates. Whether it's because they

made a great pass or set a great screen, he is always sharing the credit.

"I think the expectations are high as they always are," he added. "For us going from the 10C to the 9C is like a whole different ballgame. But we are used to it now and we feel like we are going to be right there at the end with a chance to get to divisionals."

The Hawks should find themselves right in the thick of the 9C race. Box Elder is the prohibitive favorite to win the district for a fourth consecutive season, but after that it's wide open.

"That's kind of what we have been hearing," Satori said. "That the district is pretty wide open. I know some teams lost some kids, but there are a lot of great coaches in this league and they will have their teams ready to play. You just have to play hard every night and can't overlook anyone."

The Hawks opened their season at home, in their own tournament last weekend.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brandon Richter and the Chester/ J-I Hawks enter their second season of District 9C basketball as one of the teams to beat this winter.

Hawks loaded with returning talent George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Eli Toon and the Fort Benton boys basketball team enter its second season of play in the District 9C.

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In their return to District 9C girls basketball, the Chester/J-I Hawks didn’t have a single senior on their roster last winter. And while the Hawks fell short at the 9C tourney, finishing fourth, the fact that there wasn’t a senior on the team certainly boded well for the future.

And the future is now here as C/J-I, under new head coach Jerry Kulpas, returns one of the deepest rosters in the 9C. Chester/J-I has a veteran group, led by Madeline Woods, Kristina Dahinden and Peyton Cole, who are the Hawks’ returning seniors, and all three have a wealth of varsity experience.

Point guards Jereca Tempel and Kylee Vinson also return for their junior season, giving the Hawks an outstanding nucleus, and a team poised to make a run at the 9C title this season after last year's first year in the District 9C. So, with an outstanding and veteran group of returners, there is no doubt the Hawks will be right there with 9C powers Chinook and Box Elder, which are also picked to be favorties in the 9C, come tournament time this February.

C/J-I opened its season with two games at the C/J-I Tipoff Tournament last week in Chester. The 2015 District 9C Tournament runs Feb. 17-20 at the Havre High gymnasium in Havre.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Madeline Woods, right and the Chester/J-I girls basketball team has to be considered one of the favorites to win the District 9C this season. The 9C tourney comes to Havre this February.

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Morning Stars look Rocky Boy needing to battle in the 1B to reload this season Plenty of new faces on the Rocky Boy varsity this season

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Rocky Boy Morning Stars had one of their best seasons since moving up to Class B last season and finishing third in the District 1B regular season standings.

Considering that the district included eventual state champion Choteau, as well as alltime great Fairfield, Rocky Boy’s finish was especially impressive.

The Morning Stars didn’t quite advance to the Northern C Divisional tournament last year, and that’s always the goal, but still, it was a great season for Rocky Boy girls basketball.

Now however, Rocky Boy, under veteran head coach Jazz Parker, must reload its team, which lost plenty of firepower either to graduation or to transfers.

In most areas, Rocky Boy will be a younger team this season, with a lot of new faces on the varsity, but, the Morning Stars will have good leadership in veterans Jurnee LaForge and Sean Henry. LaForge is a four-year starter for the Morning Stars, and she and Henry were two of the Morning Stars’ leading scorers a year ago. From there, however, Rocky Boy will certainly be a team that has to rebuild this season.

Still, the Morning Stars can also build on last year’s successes, and they should once

Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Sean Henry and the Rocky Boy girls hope to build on last year's successes. again be a tough opponent for the loaded 1B, which includes the likes of Fairfield, Choteau, Conrad and Shelby, all expected to be strong teams this season. Rocky Boy’s tough schedule also includes games against Havre, Harlem and Box Elder, so that should only help to make the Morning Stars better come district tournament time.

Rocky Boy opened the season with two games at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre. The District 1B Tournament will be held Feb. 18-19 in Shelby.

Last season was one that will always be memorable for the Rocky Boy boys basketball team. There were some hard times, some dramatic wins and ultimately a thirdplace trophy at the Class B state tournament.

Yet, this is a new season and a new year, and after the Stars were hit with heavy graduation losses, the 201516 season could be a year of rebuilding for Rocky Boy and head coach Adam DeMontiney.

"It's going to be tough," DeMontiney said. "It's hard when you lose a big guy down low like Cecil LaFromboise or a guard like Bubby Gopher. Guys like that are hard to replace, but we have some young kids that have some talent and now it's going to be about how those guys come along for us."

Of the Stars top 12 players a season ago, eight of them were seniors and now they are all gone. LaFromboise may be the biggest loss, as he was an All-State performer for the Stars a season ago and an absolute beast in the paint. But the losses of Junior Daychild, Bubby Gopher, Skylar Parisian, Shadow LaForge, Lonnie Plain Bull and Sage Gopher will also have a big impact on Rocky Boy this season.

"I think that our younger guys are ready to step up and fill some of the holes that we have," DeMontiney said.

"They are ready for the challenge, so we will see how it goes. All we can do is take it one game at a time."

At least in the early part of the season, depth could be an issue for Rocky Boy as the only two players currently on the roster, who were on the team a season ago are sophomore guard Kendall Small and junior forward Jarrell Gopher.

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Big Sandy boys continuing rebuilding process Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Big Sandy boys basketball team is in the process of rebuilding a program that used to be a yearly contender in the District 9C and the Northern C conference.

That process hasn't been easy.

Yet, beginning last season, the Pioneers, under the direction of head coach Ronnie Simpson, have started to make progress. Big Sandy was winless during the 2013-14 season, so even though Big Sandy posted a record of 4-16, it was still a big improvement, especially because Big Sandy was able to secure three wins in district play after going 0-14 (including tournaments) the season before.

Yet Simpson, who will also coach the Big Sandy girls basketball team this season, and the Pioneers still have plenty of work to do. The team was able to end its lengthy losing streak and even closed the regular season on a two-game win streak with wins over Turner and North Star, but a quick exit from the district tournament after losses to Hays-Lodge Pole and North Star, put a damper on any momentum

built.

One of the challenges the Pioneers have faced the past few seasons has simply been the youth and lack of experience within their program. That is something that Simpson has worked to fix over the past two years and this season, he should have his most experienced roster yet.

Big Sandy did graduate two solid players off last year's team — seniors Geno Menard and Kyle Strutz.

But that means after just having a few upperclassmen a season ago, Simpson will be blessed with a roster that has a number of them.

The even better news for Simpson is that quite possibly his best player comes from the junior class in Laurence Alderdice, a 6-1 forward that was among the Pioneers’ leading scorers a season ago. Alderdice will join seniors Stephon Wing, Levi Edwards, Eric Scwarzbach as well as juniors Matthew Louvar and Nick Diacon in the rotation. Sophomore Jamsey Belcourt and freshman Dallas Geyer may also work their way into the mix.

While the Pioneers do have some positive experiences to build off from last season, moving up in the 9C pecking order will prove

to be difficult. At the top, Box Elder is the favorite to win a fourth consecutive district title and teams like Chester/J-I, Chinook and HaysLodge Pole figure to contend.

Chinook and Hays-Lodge Pole, the two teams that along with Box Elder made it to the Northern C Divisional, suffered some big losses due to graduation, which could open the door for teams like Big Sandy, North Star, Turner and Fort Benton to contend.

The Pioneers are certainly hoping to climb higher in the 9C standings after finishing seventh last season, but before they can think too big, they need to prove they can win in the postseason, which is the next item to cross off on the rebuilding checklist.

Big Sandy opened the 2015-16 season this past weekend at the C/J-I Pre-Season Invitational.

Havre Daily News/File Photo The Big Sandy boys basketball program went through a tough, rebuilding process last season.

But, the Pioneers should be much stronger in the District 9C this winter.

More experienced Pioneers should make strides this season George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Rocky Boy head coach Adam Demontiney led the Stars to a third-place trophy in Class B last spring. But this year, the Stars have just two returning varsity players and no returning starters heading into a new season.

"Right now, Kendall and Jarell are the only two kids I have back from last year's team," DeMontiney said. "We had one that transferred out and some others that might be able to come in next semester, but right now it's just Kendall and Jarrell. They were both pretty young, but we do have a couple bigs that have come up and played junior varsity last year."

One thing that makes the Bears' rebuilding process even harder is the difficulty of the District 1B and the toughness of the Northern B Division as a whole.

Just to make it to divisionals, the Stars will need to compete with teams such as Fairfield, Shelby, Choteau, Cut Bank and Conrad. Then

at the divisional tournament, Rocky Boy has to contend with additional foes like Malta, Glasgow and Harlem.

"I think it's going to be very competitive like it has always been," DeMontiney said. "I think there are going to be some tough teams in our district and I think that it's going to be a toss up every single night. Choteau is going to be tough, I think Fairfield will be tough, I think you can come in any game and knock someone off, or get knocked off yourself. You need to make sure and bring your 'A' game every night or you are going to get beat."

Rocky Boy opened the season with a pair of games at last week’s Native American Classic in Havre.

There was a time when the Big Sandy Pioneers were nearly unbeatable in the District 9C girls basketball tournament. There was a time when trips to the Class C state tournament were a regular occurrence in Big Sandy.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Maddie Reichelt and the Big Sandy girls basketball team went winless during the 2015-16 season. But, the Pioneers return a much more experienced lineup this season, and they should once again be a competitive factor in the District 9C. The Pioneers, who opened the season last weekend in Chester, also have a new head coach in Ronnie Simpson.

But, things change, and times change, and now, it’s been a while since the Pioneers have done those things. A drop in enrollment certainly hit the program hard, and last season was especially tough, as a super-young Big Sandy team failed to win a single game.

But, with a new season now here, those young players have a season under their belt, and the Pioneers have a chance to move forward.

Under new head coach Ronnie Simpson, who also coaches the Big Sandy boys, the Pioneers will still be very young this season, boasting a lone senior in Maddie Reichelt. But, they do have some returning talent, and many of them started or played significant roles as freshman a year ago.

The sophomore class of Jenna Leader, Andrea Rutledge, Jessica Roth and Dakota Terry will help

make up the bulk of Big Sandy’s roster this season, while freshman Grace Finke and Jaylyn Cline were on the varsity team as eighth graders a year ago.

So, while the Pioneers are still going to be very young this season, they will have a lot more experience than they did last year, and that should help them be much more competitive in the 9C. Still, things will not be easy for the Pioneers, as teams like Box Elder, Chinook and Chester/J-I are heavily favored, while North Star and Turner are considered teams on the rise this season. There is no doubt, though, with the group the Pioneers return, the future looks bright once again in Big Sandy.

The Pioneers played their first two games of the season at last weekend’s C/J-I Preseason Tournament.

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HLP boys will be exciting once again Chinook girls want to keep winning Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com

The 2014-15 season was a successful one for the Hays-Lodge Pole boys basketball team, but after some big changes, particularly in terms of who is leading the program, the Thunderbirds will have plenty to overcome, if they want a repeat performance.

For nearly a decade, Charlie Ereaux has been the face of HLP basketball. He led the T-Birds to a Class C state championship back in 2007 as well as a third-place finish at state back in 2006. Yet, Ereaux has decided to step down as a head coach, which signals the start of a new era of HLP basketball, one that will be under the direction of firstyear head coach Dick Evans, who said his team's goal is to get back to state.

"Our goal is to get back to the dance (state tournament)," Evans said. "We are going to have some work to do to get there. I have a very young team, but I think that we have some pretty good talent. We will just have to see how that develops down the road, but I think by the end of the year, we will be right there with

the rest of the conference."

In addition to the loss of Ereaux, one of the greatest basketball coaches in school history, the T-Birds will also be without three seniors from last year's team including All-Conference selection Sterling White Cow. Yet, even with graduation hitting the T-Birds hard, there is still plenty for Evans to work with. Down low, HLP will look for big things from Damon Castillo, who is entering his senior season, while in the backcourt, the T-Birds will be led by junior guard Frank RunsAbove, who earned Second-Team All-District honors a season ago. Junior Jace Shambo is another player who will be expected to contribute in a big way this season.

One player whom HLP could be without this season, at least for a while, will be Tyson Shambo. Shambo earned All-State honors a season ago for the T-Birds and was one of the team's most dynamic scorers.

Yet, he suffered a nonbasketball injury before the season started and it has put his junior season with HLP in jeopardy.

"I know if Tyson has his way, he will be playing at some point," Evans said. "But, we want to make sure he is healthy and it's the best thing for him. There are more important things than playing basketball."

Even if Shambo is unable to return this season, the T-Birds should be a contender in the District 9C once again. Last season, they finished third in the 9C in the regular season with a 10-4 record and second in the district tournament, following a loss to Box Elder in the championship game. The T-Birds also managed to play their way into the semifinals of the Northern C Divisional, before losing and eventually being eliminated by Box Elder in loser-out action to finish the season 16-8.

Box Elder is going to be the team to beat again as the Bears are seeking their fourth-straight District championship, but the TBirds should be among a group of teams that also includes Chinook, Chester/J-I and North Star, that all have aspirations of getting out of the district come tournament time.

"Box Elder is a very good team and they are probably the favorite," Evans said. "But I think after that it's going to be very competitive. I think the key to our season is going to be how our young guys develop and, hopefully, at the end of the season, we will be where we want to be."

HLP opened its season at last weekend’s Southern Native American Classic in Billings.

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File Photo Franks Runs Above and the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds will be a talented team this season. But, they also have a new head coach after longtime head man Charlie Ereaux retired.

Thunderbirds out to make some 9C girls noise George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com For several years now, the HaysLodge Pole girls basketball team has been trying hard to climb back into the ranks of the top teams in the District 9C. But, depth issues, and powerhouses like Chinook and

Havre Daily News/File Photo Hays-Lodge Pole's Kenessa Shambo plays defense during the 2015 District 9C girls basketball tournament last February at the Havre High gymnasium. The Thunderbirds return an outstanding group of young players this season and are hoping to move up in the 9C ranks. The 2016 9C tournament returns to the HHS gymnasium this February.

North Star have made that climb a difficult one.

But, as a new season dawns, the Thunderbirds will be excited about the challenge ahead. Under head coach Colette Hawley, the T-Birds will once again be a young team, but a team that returns some exciting talent.

HLP graduated two keys seniors from last year’s squad, a team that went 3-15 overall and won just two 9C games, including Tia Zander, one of the T-Bird’s leading scorers. However, senior leader Shania Doney, who led the T-Birds in scoring does return, as does junior guard Kiara Shambo.

HLP should also be excited about the return of a pair of freshmen who played on the varsity as eighth-graders a year ago in

Rayleigh and Latasha Kirkaldie, as well as sophomore Kenessa Shambo, who saw significant time on the varsity a year ago as well.

So, there’s no doubt HLP has some talent to work with this season. But, the goal of winning games in the 9C will still be a difficult one, especially considering how strong Chinook, Chester/J-I, Box Elder and North Star appear to be. Still, the T-Birds will play an up-tempo brand of basketball that’s always hard to defend, and, as they improve throughout the season, they’ll be tough to beat come tournament time.

HLP opened its season with a pair of games last weekend at the Southern Native American Classic in Billings. The T-Birds also begin 9C play this weekend.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters have been the dominant team in the District 9C for a long, long time. And even though their reign as 9C girls champions came to an end last February, when the dust settled on the season, Chinook was the only 9C team left standing at the Northern C Divisional tourney.

Now, veteran head coach Molli Rose, and the Beeters are back for another run at a 9C title, and what would be a fourth straight trip to the Northern C. And there’s no doubt, Chinook has the team to do it.

After finishing third at the 9C tourney last year, Chinook wound up making a run to a third-place finish at the Northern C, and just missed out on reaching the Class C state tourney. Chinook lost a pair of All-State performers from that team, in Katelyn Neibauer and Hannah Weber, but the Beeters return a bevy of talent, including three starters.

“This is a good group, and they have a lot of potential to be successful this season,” Rose said. “We have a lot of players returning who experienced a lot of success last year, and hopefully, that carries over to more success this season.”

Leading the way for Chinook is senior point guard Brooke Nicholson, a two-time All-State performer. Fellow senior Brooke Elliot, and junior Taylor Neibauer are Chinook’s other two returning starters.

But as is always the case, the Beeters have great depth and athleticism. Abby Ellison, Sierra Swank, Nicole McCracken, Carrie Hofer and Erin Pula, along with new-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Brooke Nicholson and the Chinook girls basketball team return this season to be one of the top teams in the District 9C once again. comer Rachelle Chaffin will round out what will be another talented Beeter roster this season.

While Chinook has a lot of talent and athleticism, the Beeters won’t be as tall as they have been in recent years. But once again, they will be quick, athletic and a very good shooting team, as well as very tough defensively.

“We have a lot of good shooters,” Rose said. “We will be very strong on the perimeter. And I think we’ll be pretty tough defensively too. Our quickness is another strength for us.”

Indeed. Chinook has a lot of strengths, but, winning another 9C title won’t be easy,

as it never is. Fort Benton is the defending 9C champion, but the Beeters will get stern tests from Box Elder, as well as arch rivals Chester/J-I and North Star. Still, Rose feels her team is, once again, one of the teams to beat when the 9C tournament comes to Havre in February.

“Every year is different,” Rose said. “But the 9C is always very competitive and it will be again this season.

And we’re looking forward to competing and seeing where we end up at the end.”

Chinook opened its season with games against Great Falls Central and DuttonBrady at the Chester/J-I Tipoff Tournament.

Havre Daily News / Hi-Line Shopper

Beeters ready for a 9C title run Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com The Chinook Sugarbeeters boys basketball team has had a pretty good run in recent years and it's one that head coach Mike Seymour would like to keep going.

Chinook has become a mainstay at the Northern C Divisional tournament and last season even won two games at divisionals before being ousted. But, when it was all said and done, the Beeters posted an overall record of 18-8 and had one the best seasons in recent school history.

Yet, success is always hard to maintain in high school sports and what makes it even more difficult is when you lose great players, which is something Chinook will have to overcome this season following the graduation of All-State forward Lane Seymour.

"Lane is going to be a tremendous loss for us," coach Seymour said. "He was an important part of what we did last year. But I like my team.

We have a lot of young kids and it's going to be fun to see how they develop."

Coach Seymour wasn't lying when he said he had a bunch of youngsters. Out of the 15 players he has on his roster, seven of them are freshmen. Yet, that doesn't mean the Beeters are completely lacking experience, in fact far from it.

Point guard Ian McIntosh, who earned All-Conference honors a season ago, returns for his senior season as does starting forward Travis Hamilton. The Beeters did graduate two other starters in addition to Lane Seymour in Zach Schellin and Cody McCraken, but also return Wade Schneider, a junior big man who came on down the stretch last

Havre Daily News/File Photo Wade Schneider and the Chinook Sugarbeeters should once again contend for a 9C boys title. season.

"Ian is a three-year starter.

Travis this will be his secondyear starting," Seymour said.

"Wade played a lot coming down the stretch last year and at the district and divisional tournaments, Wade was a different player."

In addition to the hope of getting some meaningful contributions from a talented freshman class, Seymour is also looking for others in the program to take the next step in their development this season such as Kyler Johnson, Kyle McMaster and Robert Smith.

"I am excited about our whole team," Seymour said.

"We have some kids that need to step up and grow this year.

I think we have a chance to be one of the teams that has a chance at the end of the year and that's always our goal, I really just think it's going to depend on how some of

younger kids develop as the season goes along."

The Beeters finished second in the District 9C regular season standings a season ago and then finished third at the District tournament after notching a win over Chester/ J-I in the consolation game.

As far as the pecking order goes in the 9C this season, it's hard to predict. The Box Elder Bears are considered by everyone to be the favorite, while Hays-Lodge Pole and C/J-I are both seen as contenders. Chinook may not be seen as a favorite to reach divisionals this season, but with a solid group back and Seymour on the bench for another season, seeing the Beeters back in Great Falls, wouldn't be a surprise.

Chinook opened its season with two games at last weekend’s Chester/J-I Tournament 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 ~ Havre ~ 1:00 p.m.

CMR/Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 12:00 p.m.

Great Falls ~ Great Falls ~ 4:00 p.m.

Missoula ~ Missoula Great Falls ~ Great Falls State ~ Great Falls

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Pony swimmers are Chinook, Harlem ready for the mat ready to jump in Beeters, Wildcats still two of the top wrestling programs on the Hi-Line

George Ferguson

Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Once upon a time, the Havre High swim teams absolutely dominated Class A swimming, but things change and, eventually, the domination shifted south to Billings and the Billings Central Rams.

Now, however, the Blue Ponies are once again on the upswing in the pool, and they’re ready to make the 2015-16 season the best the program has had in years.

For third-year head coach Jill Cammon, not only is her roster full of talented swimmers, but the participation numbers are up this season too, and that means, on both sides, the Ponies will not only be strong in the water this season, but they also can build for the future.

“We are a competitive, experienced girls team with several seniors,” Cammon said. “This will be a great year for the girls team. They are strong and healthy and working hard in practice.

“Our boys team has nearly doubled this year with move ins and new recruits,” Cammon continued. “We don't have any seniors; however, the juniors all have swimming experience. We also have a lot of newcomers to the team, and they are making fast progress.

I am very optimistic about the boys' performance this year.”

And Cammon has every reason to be excited about both of her squads this season.

On the girls side, Havre returns seniors Lita Cammon, Hailee Kilgore, Jackie Martin, Aubri McCann (Chinook) and Alara Vogel, all of whom are talented and have fast experience at the varsity swimming level.

Add in senior Brittney Bergren, who is new to swimming this year, and the Ponies have a lot of veterans leading the way.

But, HHS also had a talented group of freshmen last winter, and those swimmers are now experienced sophomores, including Jess Otto, Amelia Miller and Jillian Reighard. The girls team has also added Laura Vance and Hannah Bean, as well as Alex Padgett, Aria Pratt, Lacey Huseby and Hannah Lunak.

The boys team also has loads of experience, especially in the junior class. Zach Barnes, Logan Gardner, Shandon Oberquell, Mason Sandstrom and Clayton Twombly have all been swimming together at the varsity level for two seasons now, and that group is poised for big things this year. Dakota Acor and Ethan Lines are new to the team this season, but have swimming experience, while Aylan Pratt, Noah Gjesdal and Trevor Williams round out the HHS boys roster.

“The senior girls are really leading the team and setting the pace for practices.

Their work ethic and dedication motivates the team,” coach Cammon said. “The incoming freshmen are a strong point for the teams. They bring experience and enthusiasm. Freshmen Noah Gjesdal, Lacey Huseby, Ammon Lines, Hannah Lunak and Ally Padgett are experienced swimmers and are contenders for the relays. John Klein and

Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com When it comes to Class C wrestling in Montana, the Chinook Sugarbeeters are essentially in a league of their own, after winning six state championships in the past nine years.

Last season, the Beeters ran away with the Class C championship at the All-Class state wrestling tournament in Billings and with a ton of talent returning for the 2015-16 season, there is reason to believe that when all is said and done, Chinook will find itself on the top of the podium once again.

"Right now the biggest thing for us is that we just need to get healthy," Chinook co-head coach Adam Tilleman said. "We have some kids that are banged up still from football and are still recovering. So right now,

Havre Daily News/File Photo Clayton Twombly and the Havre High boys and girls swim teams are excited about the new season in the pool.

Aria Pratt are also freshmen, though new to swimming, they are already looking great in the water. Three of our swimmers, Alara Vogel, Amelia Miller and Hannah Lunak ran cross country, and they have certainly benefited from that training.”

Of course, Havre’s schedule also gives the Ponies a chance to gain experience, improve and get ready for the state meet, which is always the ultimate goal in high school swimming. And this season, the Ponies have many contenders for medals and strong times at the state level.

“The main goal is to take a competitive boys and girls team to the state meet,” Cammon said. “Our plan this year is to build endurance and strength early. Swimmers have been putting time in the water and weight room.

“Aubri McCann has been a finalist in all of her events for the last two years, and I anticipate seeing her there again,” she continued. “Lita Cammon, was injured for state last year; however, she was a finalist in her four events as a sophomore, and is focused on returning. Jackie Martin, Amelia Miller and Alara Vogel are finalist hopefuls as well. Relays for both the boys and girls teams will be competitive and should place well at state. “ While the state meet, which will be held Feb. 12-13 in Great Falls, is still nearly two months away, the Ponies will have fun preparing for it at such meets as Great Falls, Missoula and Helena, as well as the Class A Invite Jan. 9 in Havre.

“This is going to be an amazing year,” Cammon said. “Based on their practices, I am anticipating a successful season.”

we are just trying to get the kids back into wrestling shape and trying to get them back into wrestling mode."

In all, the Beeters are blessed with the return of all seven wrestlers who competed for Chinook at the state meet last season. While there are a number of seniors on the team, no individuals coming back are more decorated than junior Tate Niederegger, who was Chinook's lone individual state champion a season ago at 132 pounds.

Joining Niederegger on the podium at state for the Beeters last season was Jake Norby, who finished fourth at 145 pounds and Kenny Pruttis, who also managed to finish fourth at 170 pounds. Yet, even Colton Liddle (113), Derek Bell (160), Jesse Dannels (170) and Kevin Young (205) all managed to earn at least one victory at state for the Beeters, which gives them the kind of depth, few Class C wrestling teams ever have.

"We have a lot of really good kids coming back," Tilleman said. "Tate is obviously a great wrestler and he will have a chance to win another state title this year, but I think all of our seniors are going to have

a chance to compete to place at state."

While the Chinook lineup will look strikingly similar to the one that captured the state championship in 2015, there will be some adjustments.

First, Niederegger will be wrestling at 138 or 145 pounds, Liddle will be at 120 or 126, Garrett Lowham, Ross Reid and James Buffington will all compete for time at 126 and 132, J.J. Colby will be at 145 or 152, Norby will wrestle at 152 or 160, Bell will wrestle at 160, Prutts at 170, Dannels at 182, Tye Mithcell at 182 or 205 and finally Young will once again man the spot at 205.

The state tournament may seem like a long way away, but the Beeters have already started the process of building toward another title run.

Even though they aren't completely healthy right now, when the end of the season comes around, there is no doubt that the Beeters will be a force to be reckoned with throughout Class C wrestling.

"It's hard to know who else is going to be good at this point," Tilleman said. "We know that Arlee has a good program and they should be competitive at state this year, beyond that, we won't really know un-

til we get closer to state. But, we like our chances, we just need to get all our kids healthy."

While Chinook is hoping for a repeat of last season, there is no question that no matter what happens this season for the Harlem wrestling team, it won't be the same.

That's because following last season's state tournament, longtime head coach Lyle Faulkinberry stepped down as the Wildcats head wrestling coach, which has ushered in a new era of Harlem wrestling.

Yet, the coach that is taking over for Faulkinberry is a familiar face in Joe Shupe, who as recently as 2014, was the head coach of the Harlem football team.

Shupe takes over a program that has some solid returners but will have to cope with the graduation of Brendan Johnson, who finished second at the state tournament a season ago in the 160-pound weight class.

In all, the Wildcats qualified six wrestlers for the state meet last season and a couple of them are back with the squad this year in T'Jay Allen, who will wrestle at 138 pounds, and Colton Stiffarm, who wrestles in the heavyweight division.

Both the Beeters and the Wild-

Havre Daily News/File Photo Returning state champ Tate N i e d e r e g g e r, l e f t , a n d t h e Sugarbeeters are loaded for another run at the Class C title this season. cats opened their seasons Dec. 5 and each team will conclude their season at the All-Class State Wrestling meet in Billings Feb. 12-13.

HHS Girls: Ponies out to continue Central A domination

HHS Boys: Ponies loaded with talent and experience

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■ From Page 8

beyond the arc. Herron, a sophomore, saw action in 16 games as a freshman and, even though she didn't have a lot of production, that experience should serve her well with the increased minutes she will see this season.

"Dani and Naomi are both going to have to take on bigger roles," Kraske said. "And Ceyara is also going to have to step up and look to be more of a scorer this season and Marca will, too. All eight of them will need to have the confidence to go in there and play well and learn how to play together."

Other players who will see playing time for Havre this season include, junior forward Kristen Nash and 6-0 sophomore Danielle Wallace, who transferred to HHS from Townsend.

Rien Olsen and RayAnn VandenBos will also be part of the rotation.

Havre will see plenty of changes to its lineup, but there is also a big change in the way the teams qualify for the state tournament.

While the Ponies are still a part of the Central A conference, they are also part of the larger Eastern Division.

What it means in terms of postseason play, is that the Central A Divisional no longer ex-

ists. It's been replaced with the nine-team Eastern A Divisional that will feature the top four teams from the Central A and the top five teams from the Eastern A conference that includes Billings Central, Glendive, Miles City, Laurrel, Hardin and Sidney. The top four finishers at the Eastern A tournament will advance to state.

"It's going to be like having two state tournaments in terms of preparations," Kraske said. "We are going to have to do a lot more scouting and a lot more traveling, but it is what it is.

"Our goal is simply going to be to win the league (Central A)," he added. "That's the only thing that we can think about. We are going to go out and do what we have always done. We are going to play hard, we are going to play defense and play together."

Havre will need to finish in the top three in the final Central A standings to avoid having to take part in a divisional play-in game Feb. 20. The Eastern A Divisional will take place Feb. 24-27 at the Metra in Billings and the state tournament will be March 10-12 in Belgrade.

two seasons and did so last year after averaging 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Rismon was also third on the team in 3-point shooting at 32 percent.

Boles was another solid contributor for HHS last season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game. Jacob LaBrie, a junior, also came on strong at the end of the last season and finished with an average of 4.3 points per game and a 3-point percentage of 34.

While the five guards listed above will all see plenty of minutes, Michael Loftus, Zach Hunt, Bridger Bibeau and Ryan Bakke will provide the presence needed inside for Havre, while Isaac Warp, Bobby Personnett and Ivar Aageson will provide depth on the outside.

"We are losing about 12 points and 15 rebounds a game with Bakke and Kato," Leeds said. "So we are going to have do more of a dribble-drive offense at times with either four or five guards."

Over the past few seasons, the Ponies have battled it out with conference foes Belgrade, Browning, Livingston and Lewistown for a

berth in the state tournament and this year they will compete with those teams along with the six from the Eastern A to get to state.

The Eastern A consists of Miles City, Billings Central, Glendive, Laurel, Sidney and Hardin. Five teams from the East and four from the Central A will come together for the nineteam Eastern A Divisional in late February, with the top four teams advancing to state.

"I think in some ways it makes it easier to get to state," Leeds said. "I think it takes some of the pressure off of the players."

Regardless of what happens in the regular season, the Ponies will be defined by what they do in the postseason and are going to set their sights on the Eastern A Divisional in at the Metra in Billings Feb. 24-27 as well as the Class A state tournament in Missoula starting March 3.

"I think that we can compete with anyone in the state," Leeds said. "But that is a ways down the road. First we need to figure out our identity and who we are. But the boys have a lot of confidence. They have been practicing hard and they are ready to go."

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February 6th

February 12th-13th

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho ~ Idaho Browning ~ Browning Browning (JV) - Mixer ~ Browning Bozeman (V) ~ Bozeman Cut Bank Invite ~ Cut Bank CMR ~ Great Falls 4:00 p.m./5:00 p.m.

Missoula Invite ~ Missoula Chinook (JV) ~ Chinook Harlem (JV) ~ Harlem Class "A" Duals ~ Lewistown 1:00 p.m.

Great Falls ~ Havre ~ 5:00 p.m./6:30 p.m.

Malta ~ Malta Divisionals ~ Havre State ~ Billings

Havre High grapplers seeking a Class A fourpeat this winter Chris Peterson Havre Daily News

cpeterson@havredailynews.com There is no question that Havre High wrestling coach Scott Filius has built the Blue Ponies into a dynasty. HHS has won three consecutive Class A state titles and is the prohibitive favorite to win a fourth this season.

Yet winning is never easy, and often times, the biggest threat to teams that have won as much as Havre has in wrestling, is the ability to handle success. Well, unlike most teams, Filius and his squads have never lost their hunger and, so far this season, the Ponies are working as hard as ever to maintain their spot at the pinnacle of Class A wrestling.

"Things are going really good," Filius said.

"Right now, the kids are really buying into the hard work in the room. We are sitting at 22 kids right now and we have the right 22, so we are pretty pleased."

When it comes to wrestling rosters, few if any, can compare to the one the Ponies will bring into the 2015-16 season. To start things off, Havre boasts three returning individual state champions from last year in Parker Filius, Jase Stokes and Travis Adams.

Stokes and Filius will each be juniors this season and both have captured individual state championships in their first two seasons. Adams won his first state title last year, after a second-place finish as a sophomore.

He also placed at state as a freshman, which gives the Ponies a total of three seniors that have placed in all three seasons leading up to this one, as Logan Pleninger and Kody Pribyl have also achieved that feat.

"There might be some guys on our team that have more accolades, but those three guys, Adams, Pribyl and Pleninger, are very important to what we do," Filius said. "We have some great leadership on this team and those three guys are some of our best leaders."

In all, the Ponies will return eight wrestlers, who placed at state last year, including seven who finished in the top four. Sophomore Ryan Stewart will look to build on a thirdplace finish from last year, as will junior Dane Flammond. Pleninger also finished third last season, while Pribyl and Tyler Schaub each finished fourth in their respective weight classes. Keegan Kennelly finished fifth.

Yet, as coach Filius mentioned, there is a lot of young talent in the program and it's more than just the freshman class.

Jazz Schroeder (145), Walter White (170), JayR Caplette (170), John Berg (HWT) and Brock Smith (HWT) are among the sophomores who could turn into contributors this season. While the freshman class boasts Lane Paulson at 120 pounds, Martin Wilkie at 120 pounds, Kollin Nystrom at 145 pounds, Taylor Gopher at 160 pounds, Austin Ratliff at 170 pounds, Thor Abbasi at 170 pounds and Jacoby Fox at 182 pounds.

While Filius has done a great job of building depth, his lineup should be as solid as ever with Stewart at 113 pounds, Pleninger at 132, Pribyl at 138, Parker Filius at 152, Stokes at 182, Schaub at 205 and Adams in the heavyweight division. Flammond will be at 160 pounds along with Jared Laux and Jared Sienkowski who will also factor in the heavyweight class.

"We have some kids that have high goals," Filius said. "And right now, they are working hard to try and achieve them. We had some younger kids that were an important part of what we did a year ago and this year, they are going to be at the heart of what we do."

Like always, Sidney should be the top contender to Havre's crown this season, but the Ponies could also see challenges from many other teams, but at this point, Filius is focused on taking it one week at a time.

"I haven't really thought that far ahead to be honest with you," Filius said. "The only way that you win championships is by working hard and getting better every week. That's what we have done in the past and that's what we want to do again."

After a busy regular-season schedule, Havre will be wresting at the Eastern A Divisional Feb. 6 and then at the All-Class state meet in Billings Feb. 12-13.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Junior Jase Stokes is one of three returning state champions for the three-time defending Class A state champion Havre Blue Ponies.