Cat-Griz: Who will be most special
The last three Cat-Griz games have been lopsided affairs won by the home team, and it is easy to find reasons.
Column: Senior season a test for Thompson
What was supposed to happen, coming off a scintillating 2023 season, was that Skyleigh Thompson would again be a force for the Montana Grizzlies soccer team her senior year this fall.
Cats and Griz football capsules
Portland St. at No. 10/11 Montana When: Saturday, 1 p.m.; TV — MTN. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Grizzly Radio Network
Battling at The Brick: Volleyball teams head to Bozeman for state tourney
The All-Class State Volleyball Tournament gets underway at 10 a.m. Thursday, and Flathead Valley teams won’t waste any time getting warmed up at “The Brick,” as we call Brick Breeden Field House in Bozeman.
In Bigfork, good things keep arriving in 2s
One of the cool things about Ariel Putman’s time coaching Bigfork volleyball is that she has coached three sets of twins.
Aggies rally past Griz
UC Davis shook off a slow start with a fine finish Saturday, scoring the final 17 points of their Big Sky Conference showdown with Montana to beat the Grizzlies 30-14.
Cats, Griz Capsules
Sacramento St. at No. 2/2 Montana State
Flathead, Glacier take to road with State at stake
Volleyball play-in games at Hellgate, Butte
Pass the jelly tree: While the Glacier Wolfpack gets to enjoy some home cooking this weekend, the football squads from Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Eureka are on the road.
Column: Key for Eureka is having a good, even great Day
OT header lifts Billings Central, 3-2
One of the factors behind Eureka’s long-term success on the high school gridiron is that coach Trevor Utter has been a middle school principal for 18 years.
Lions on 464-mile hunt for playoff win
The Eureka Lions’ reward for dropping a pair of Western B football conference games — a rare occurrence around this corner of Montana — is a quick trip to Glasgow.
Bulldog Determination
Carson Gulick found his spot: as Whitefish QB
It was the summer of 2023 and Carson Gulick was at a crossroads.
Delaney wins A girls title; Wildkats 2nd as team
MISSOULA — Morgan Delaney had the speed and Columbia Falls had the depth.
State Cross Country: Bissen, Thiel finish third in AA
Glacier’s girls take fourth in team race
MISSOULA — Glacier’s Owen Thiel and Lauren Bissen each had run the times to win the individual titles at the AA portion of the State Cross Country Championships Saturday.
Cross country teams look for perfect ending
The State Cross Country Championships are Saturday at the University of Montana Golf Course, and the weather should be a runner’s dream: 42 degrees at 11 a.m., when the Class B girls start things off; warming up to 55 by 2 p.m., when the AA boys get going.
Glacier's Reese Ramey right in the middle
The Wolfpack senior captain leads by example
Ramey is one of seven seniors on a nine-win Glacier squad that has a State AA soccer playoff game with Helena Capital today at 3 p.m., at Legends Stadium.
Big Sky notes: The rich get a little richer
Lost in Montana State’s vaunted rushing attack — the Bobcats average 6.59 yards a carry and 311.4 yards a game, both second in the Football Champion Subdivision — is that Julius Davis hasn’t had one carry.
Fife, Griz drop Lumberjacks
The Montana Grizzlies seem to have the big finish figured out for 2024, after rallying again in the second half of a 31-20 victory over Northern Arizona Saturday in their homecoming game.
Column: From Rawson to the Grizzlies' Hall of Fame
Dylan McFarland confirmed that he was in Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday, watching Weber State prevail over his alma mater 55-48, and he is surprised as anybody that it was the Wildcats’ fifth win in six games against the Griz.
Bridger Smith happy to be back with the Pack
A budding receiver working out with a who’s-who of Salt Lake City-area quarterbacks, Bridger Smith didn’t figure he’d wind up in Kalispell, Montana, his sophomore year of high school.
Pack, Braves looking to get right at crosstown
The Crosstown football game, set for 7 p.m. tonight at Legends Stadium, pits two teams yearning to get going in the right direction.
Weber State wins in OT
The Montana Grizzlies keep setting the wrong kind of records. On Saturday they gave up the most points ever allowed at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, 55, which is what Weber State tallied to take a seven-point Big Sky Conference victory, in overtime.
Fortunate Son: Sam Engellant enjoys 2 years of fairways and greens
It was Sept. 19, the second round of the Kalispell Invitational golf tournament was winding down, and Sam Engellant was in trouble.
Crosstown I is Thursday at Flathead
Crosstown I, Volleyball Edition is set for Thursday.
Big Sky notes: A surplus of yards, on both sides
The Montana Grizzlies gained 701 yards Saturday, in their first win on the red turf of Roos Field, for the second-biggest offensive output in the football program’s history.
Major decision takes Troupe to rugby pitch
Sawyer Troupe reached the pinnacle of high school wrestling on Feb. 10, pinning Bozeman High’s Hudson Wiens in 2 minutes, 37 seconds in the State AA heavyweight finals.
Big Sky: Griz try to break through at struggling EWU
You could definitely say that Eastern Washington’s football program had “it” going on this century, with a national title in 2010 and perennial playoff teams behind strong quarterback play.
Griz, Cats football capsules
When the Grizzlies have the ball: Junior Bergen’s No. 5 jersey showed up last week, and that will help an offense that stalled the second half at North Dakota, but was unstoppable Saturday against Morehead State.
Big Sky Notes: Catamounts may be tough to tame
The Western Carolina Catamounts, who visit Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. for a non-conference football game, are tough to figure.
Marquee Matchup: Crosstown flag football
Legends Stadium is the place to be Thursday night at 7. Or even 6 p.m., or 5.
Braves look to shake off loss in Missoula
Woelfle fires ace
Coming off a baseball score loss, the Flathead Football Braves intend to regroup, refortify and rebound.
Big Sky notebook: Griz look to bounce back
Woelfle fires ace
The weekly Montana Grizzly football press conferences aren’t generally a lengthy affair, and Monday’s edition unsurprisingly — given UM’s second-half performance in a 27-24 loss at North Dakota — was tight.
Prep Football: Glacier has home opener; Flathead heads to Belgrade
After a promising road win, the Glacier Wolfpack football team heads into its home opener Friday night looking simply to improve.
Column: Samson hits send, lands big fish
It was March of this year that Kyle Samson, seeking a home football game for his Montana Tech Orediggers, did something drastic.
Flathead soccer teams shoot for success in 2024
With a match under their belt, the Flathead Braves and Bravettes can look ahead to better results this soccer season.
Ready at the Net
Glacier, Flathead volleyball teams gear up
Volleyball season has officially begun for the Glacier Wolfpack and Flathead Bravettes, and both teams are having to rebuild a bit, each with just 2-3 seniors.
Notebook: Two hot Big Sky Conference teams
It was a hot one for the Montana schools of the Big Sky Conference Saturday, or rather a hot two.
Fife, Griz hold off Missouri State
MISSOULA — Keali’i Ah Yat was fine. Logan Fife was finer.
CMR rides big plays past Braves
It was those one-play drives that were killer.
Wolfpack teams enter pitch with high hopes
A 13-1 conference record and Western AA Division crown gave way to an early postseason loss for the Glacier boys soccer team in 2023.
AA Football: Braves picking up speed
The Flathead Braves are still young, as they head into the 2024 football season, but could still be fierce.
Soccer: C-Falls girls, boys look to make noise
The Whitefish boys and girls had banner soccer seasons in 2023, ending with State A championships for both programs. Now it might be Columbia Falls’ turn.
Column: Short game, short season
Shaun Forrest had all of one season as an assistant before he answered the call to lead the Whitefish golf teams in 2024.
Wolfpack still strong on gridiron
The Glacier Wolfpack lost some serious talent off the 2023 squad that advanced to the State AA championship, as in four Division I signees and a guy who caught 1,200 yards worth of passes.
Big Sky Notebook: Tough to keep up with Bobcats' Jones
The bloom is not off the rose yet for the Montana State Bobcats, who had a pretty clutch finish to their 35-31 football win at New Mexico State Saturday.
Best on the planet
Glacier grappler Coles wins U17 women's world title
Add “world champion” to the list of accomplishments for Glacier High wrestler Kaura Coles, after she won her weight class Friday at the United World Wrestling U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Soccer: Green and Gold with a couple fresh faces
What happens when your soccer teams score a rare sweep of state championships?
Column: We've run out of teams... not really
Blaine Baker, Libby Class of 2004, didn’t know what was wrong with him at the Western Divisional basketball tournament his senior year; he just knew he was miserable and had white sores in his mouth and throat.
Deck wants to deal for 2024 Griz
Northwest Montana continues to be represented heavily on the Montana Grizzlies’ football team, even if most of them are youngsters.
From the Yellowjackets to the Red Dog
The Libby Loggers' championship 2003-04 season
Libby’s 2003-04 boys basketball season was one for the ages. It began with an opening-weekend loss and ended with about the most epic championship game you could imagine: A 96-89 triple-overtime win over Belgrade, on the Panthers’ home floor.
Column: New AD Bravely steps in at Flathead
If the state of Idaho is a triangle, then you could say new Flathead High activities director Matt Allison has lived in every corner of the Gem State — including the town of Middleton, which isn’t in the middle at all.