Champ Bulldogs put 5 girls on All-State A team

The first state championship in 17 years has led to more honors for the Whitefish Bulldogs girls’ soccer team, which had five players named All-State for Class A for 2023.

Seniors Isabelle Cook, Norah Schmidt and Olivia Genovese and juniors Delaney Smith and Sadie Olson all were selected to the 11-member all-Northwest team.

Because Whitefish topped conference rival Columbia Falls 3-1 in the State A championship, the league got three more All-State picks added, for a total of 10.

Genovese led Whitefish in goals with 27, while Smith had 17, Cooke 15 and Olson 10.

Columbia Falls’ Hope McAtee, who had 25 goals this season, was among three Wildkats named All-State; fellow senior Josie Harris and sophomore Taylor Rodgers were the others.

Bigfork’s Danika Bucklin and Piper Buzzell were All-State, and the Wildkats’ Mile Johns, a sophomore, was first-team all-Northwest A.

All-Northwest A Girls

First Team

Isabelle Cooke, sr.*    Whitefish

Hope McAtee, sr.*    Columbia Falls

Norah Schmidt, sr.*    Whitefish

Josie Harris, sr.*    Columbia Falls

Piper Buzzell, sr.*    Bigfork

Olivia Genovese, sr.*    Whitefish

Delaney Smith, jr.*    Whitefish

Taylor Rodgers, so.*    Columbia Falls

Sadie Olson, jr.*    Whitefish

Danika Bucklin, sr.*    Bigfork

Mila Johns, so.    Columbia Falls

*-denotes All-State selection

Second team

Bigfork — Braeden Gunlock, jr.; Irelynd Vigil, so.; Brynn Bagley, so..; 

Columbia Falls — Alexa Friske, fr.; Apani Awua, jr.; Tatiana Raymond, fr.

Libby — Kaydence Stanek, jr.

Polson — Ellie Dupuis, sr.; Myranda Heiser, sr. 

Whitefish — Charlize Ullrich, jr.; Madison Gordon, jr.

Honorable mention

Truth Baxter, jr., Whitefish; Bella Mann, so., Columbia Falls; Paeten Gunlock, so., Bigfork; Gracie Johnson, so., Bigfork; London Davis, fr., Polson.