Last school year for one AA team in Kalispell a hit
Flathead captures state championships in wrestling, soccer; 2nd in x-country, volleyball
Seven-and-a-half times out of 10 when Flathead High School sports teams have taken the playing field this school year, they've won.
Needless to say, there has been lots of smiles at sporting events during Flathead's final year of full enrollment.
The school will spit into two next season with the new Glacier High School.
Braves and Bravettes teams combined to post an astounding .755 winning percentage this year with a 114-37 win-loss record.
"The theme this year was 'Simply the Best' and I think everybody bought into it," FHS Activities Director Mark Dennehy said. "We've tried to finish on a high note to leave this final mark of what Flathead High School meant to everyone and everyone has done a good job."
So far, FHS has brought home two state titles, two second-place finishes and two consolation game victories. And two powerhouses will conclude this weekend.
The crowning achievement, to date, was how many points the Braves wrestling team scored Feb. 10 at the Billings Metra.
With a lot of Flathead fans split between the Flathead High School gym - watching the Braves basketball team play Sean Tatarka and the Great Falls Bison - and The Magic City, word spread quick in regards to how well the wrestlers were doing.
At halftime of the basketball game (with a lot of wrestling still to take place in Billings) it was announced that the wrestlers had already set a record for total points.
When the dust cleared from Billings, the Braves walked away as champions by more than 100 points. They scored 347 1/2 points with 18 state placers, nine state finalists and three state champions.
"We rolled … We didn't just step up. We leaped up," Flathead coach Jeff Thompson said.
"This team made history. They literally dominated in every aspect of Montana wrestling."
Three of those were state records as the team rolled to their second straight Class AA state title and third in four years. All three of the old records were their own. The 2004 title team scored 325 points and had eight finalists. The 2006 team placed 17.
Individual state titles went to freshman Shawn Lau at 98 pounds, Brian Ham at 119 and Bryce Stacy at 145.
Austin Zapata (130), TC Decker (135), Tyler Wells (152), David Lau (160), Luke Fischer (171) and Dan Ogden (285) all placed second.
The wrestlers weren't the only Class AA state champions this season.
From Oct. 26-28, the Flathead soccer teams took to Siebel Fields in Helena and the boys repeated as state champions in dramatic fashion.
Junior goalkeeper Jordan Vaughan saved three of four shootout attempts and Brendan Passmore, Luke Fischer and Connor Cavigli scored shootout goals for Flathead as the Braves won the shootout, 3-1, and the state title, 1-0, over Bozeman.
"It's always tough winning in a shootout because it's so lucky," Vaughan said. "I mean, both teams played so good and to have it come down to that is tough, but you have to end it sometime."
The Braves were out-shot, 20-9, but Vaughan made 12 saves to help the Braves finish the season with a 13-2 record.
"The whole game, it was nerve-wracking," Vaughan said. "Our defense played well and we were able to shut them out. It was a little scary. But during the shootout, I felt good."
First-year head coach Eric Sawtelle was part of both championships. He was an assistant coach the year before.
Senior Andrew Gill (12 goals, six assists) and juniors Luke Fischer (10 goals, 14 assists) and Chresten Knaff (eight goals, eight assists) each made the all-state team for the first time.
Flathead juniors Cavigli (10 goals, seven assists) and Vaughan were named to the Western AA All-Conference team while Chris Ruby and Brendan Passmore earned honorable mention for their outstanding defense.
THE BRAVETTES' soccer team rebounded from an opening-round loss to Billings West to climb out of the losers' bracket and win the consolation game in overtime.
Meghan O'Connell notched a goal and an assist as the Bravettes edged Billings Senior 2-1. Flathead beat Missoula Sentinel and Helena Capital on Friday to advance to Saturday's consolation final.
Billings Senior took a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but Flathead tied it when O'Connell scored in the 63rd minute. Freshman Maddey Frey scored the Bravettes' game winner off O'Connell's assist in the eighth minute of overtime.
The Bravettes finished the season with a 12-3-1 record a year after they went to state with an undefeated record. They scored 49 goals during the regular season, which was one more than they scored the previous year - the year they were considered dominant.
O'Connell scored six goals in the state tournament and scored 21 goals en route to her second-consecutive all-state selection. Annie Braseth led the Bravettes with 11 assists. Both were unanimous all-state selections.
Junior Ashley Younkin earned all-conference honors while juniors Keni VanBrunt and Kelsie Norwood received honorable mention.
The Bravettes' basketball team, led again by O'Connell, ended its season the same way the soccer team did.
After an opening-round loss in the Billings Metra, the Bravettes came all the way back through the losers' bracket to beat the same team that sent them there - Great Falls C.M. Russell - in the consolation game.
Only senior Chelsea Vaudt scoring in double figures in that game, but head coach Kim Elliott's year-long tenacious defense held the Rustlers offense in check in a 49-43 victory.
Junior Kendalyn Habel led the team in scoring on the year with 11.1 points per game. But three others - O'Connell, senior Lindsay Ingram and sophomore Emilee Hashley - added more than eight points per game.
Habel, O'Connell and Braseth averaged more than three steals apiece per game as the Bravettes averaged nearly 16 steals and 57 points per game. They ended the season with an 18-7 record, including 10-1 at home. That lone loss at home came at the hands of CMR.
VOLLEYBALL
Even though the Bravettes finished second at state, it was heartbreaking.
In a Hollywood-type script, the No. 1 team from the West faced the No. 1 team from the East in the undefeated semifinal game of the State AA volleyball tournament: The Bravettes faced defending state champion Billings Senior.
Flathead won and earned the berth into Saturday's state championship game.
But Senior came back with a vengeance Saturday, beating tournament-host Bozeman in the consolation and then Flathead twice in two title games.
"We got frustrated today. We got very frustrated today," FHS coach Christy Harkins said.
The Bravettes finished the season with a 19-6 record.
The team of stars included eventual all-state honorees Habel at outside hitter as a junior, Vaudt at middle hitter/blocker, senior libero Ashley Robinson and Ingram, a setter. Senior Chaeney Latimer was an all-conference setter and senior defensive specialist Kelsey Kottraba was a main contributor.
It was Harkins' final season at the helm of FHS volleyball. She knew during the season she would be the first Glacier High School coach and Hashley would be transferring with her.
FOOTBALL
In American sports, football is king; and the Braves seemed to carry the weight of the final year of full FHS attendance on the gridiron.
And why not?
Led by sophomore sensation Brock Osweiler at quarterback and University of Montana quarterback legend Grady Bennett's offensive passing philosophy as head coach, the Braves rolled on offense.
Osweiler, the top QB in the state, completed 155 of 278 passes (55.8 percent) for 2,454 yards and 22 touchdowns and the Braves rose to the No. 1-ranking in the state after traveling to Butte and knocking off the top-ranked Bulldogs.
The Braves finished with the No. 1 passing offense in the state (246.8 yards per game) by about 60 yards more than Bozeman. The Braves scored 31.2 points per game to rank second in the state. Seniors Reed Watkins, Geoff Hogan, Nick Haegele and Brandon Schmaus reaped the benefits of the high-octane attack as Osweiler's favorite receivers.
Watkins had 51 catches and nine touchdowns. Hogan had 46 catches and five touchdowns. Haegele caught 30 passes and had three touchdowns. And Schmaus had 23 receptions with six touchdowns. Senior offensive linemen Bob Hickey, Josh Marsh and Matt Study all earned post-season honors. Osweiler's passing numbers rank third in FHS history.
The Braves were even tough on defense with defensive linemen Ogden, Travis Knoll and Josh Harris leading the way for linebacker Coltin Weber and strong safety Pat Hergesheimer to crack helmets. The unit ranked third in the state in total defense and fifth in scoring defense.
But by the end of the regular season, the Braves (7-3) dropped to No. 5 in the state and had to travel to Butte in the first round of the playoffs. They continued their dominance over The Mining City team with another victory to reach the semifinals and earned a date with the defending state champion and top-ranked Billings West Golden Bears.
But that's where the season, and Bennett's tenure at FHS because he will be the new coach at Glacier, ended.
BOYS BASKETBALL
The Braves were exciting to watch.
Big Osweiler, the young 6-foot-8 Gonzaga signee, averaged a double-double per game. Hogan came close to doing the same and guards Luke Cutler, a senior, and Jake Thiesen, a junior, nearly led the state in 3-pointers.
From Jan. 13 to Feb. 17, the Braves posted an 8-2 record and looked like they could carry the dreams of FHS to a state title. They hosted Helena High in a playoff game on March 1 and beat the Bengals, 72-58.
But fate struck the Braves an ugly blow heading into the state tourney when Osweiler caught pneumonia and got so sick he had to be hospitalized.
They lost in the first round to Billings West, beat Bozeman in a loser-out game, then were eliminated by Missoula Big Sky.
GOLF
The high school sports postseason started on Oct. 6 with the State AA golf tournament in Missoula. The Flathead boys placed fifth, with sophomore Larry Iverson placing fifth individually with a strong second day. He carded an 83-72-155 between Phantom Hills and the Missoula Country Club, respectively. The girls finished sixth with nobody earning all-state honors.
CROSS COUNTRY
Two weeks later, the FHS cross country teams took to Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena. The boys, led by Seth Grossman (fifth), Carl Nystuen (seventh), Seth Svennungsen (12th), Justin Barth (18th), Dan Howell (26th) and Alec Surynt (28th), placed second - 14 points behind state champ Bozeman.
The girls placed fourth with Tera Klein (10th) and Elysia Andrews (16th) both placing in the top 20.
SWIMMING
This story could live in infamy.
The Bravettes had enjoyed an incredible run of state places. They were returning 19 swimmers off the previous season's third-place finish at state. They won state titles in 2005 and 2003 with another third-pace finish sandwiched between.
The Braves returned five of last previous season's six state entrants and the squad had its biggest turnout in years with 13 athletes on the roster.
"It's a different story this year," Flathead coach Paul Stelter said before the season. "This is probably the first time since 1985 that the boys have more depth than the girls. They could possibly finish higher than the girls (at state)."
The teams competed well, missing a sweep of team gold medals by two points at their own Flathead Invitational and then taking second in Havre and third in Great Falls - just 22 points from first.
But on an infamous trip to the Helena Invitational, the KATS swim team participated in a bus incident that tarnished what could have been a super season.
"We're not going to say a whole lot about the incident," Dennehy said. "We don't disclose punishments for other issues that happen in the school day. This is one not to share with the public."
After the suspensions, Flathead had five boys and six girls competing at state in Great Falls.
Both squads placed 11th out of 13 Class AA schools.
TENNIS
The most recent state tournament saw the Bravettes tennis team placing sixth and the Braves placing seventh.
The best finisher for FHS was senior Sara Newgard, who was also a huge contributor for the Bravettes' basketball team. She won her first two matches before losing and finished in the consolation semifinals.