Bigfork's Gunlock commits to BYU
After a banner junior season in which she helped Bigfork finish second at the State A tournament, the Valkyries’ Braeden Gunlock announced Tuesday she has committed to play women’s basketball at Brigham Young University.
Column: Krause takes aim at Fargo, discus record
About halfway through his six discus attempts on Tuesday, at the Pilcher/Western Montana Top 10 track and field meet, Glacier’s Aiden Krause started verbally adding something extra.
Prep focus: Zetooney gives 'em a shot
The Whitefish girls track and field team has been blessed with sprinters through the years, going back at least as far as Marlow Schulz, so it should surprise nobody the Bulldogs have some serious speed in 2024.
Valley athletes break Pilcher Top 10 records
MISSOULA — That was a fast track at MCPS Stadium Tuesday for the 24th Pilcher/Western Montana Top 10 meet. And given what some juniors did, it will be fast again in 2025.
A Lakers look to pile up innings, victories
Open home slate Saturday
The Kalispell A Lakers enter their 2024 baseball season with just three veterans, which even by Class A American Legion standards is a small number.
Column: Walburn finds his stride in the Palouse
Lee Walburn found a gem in the Palouse, as people call the area around Washington State University in Pullman.
Farrell finds her groove
Glacier’s ace leads Pack in senior season
A pick-up player at the ripe age of 9 years old, Ella Farrell remembers being asked to play outfield for a cousin’s softball team in Helena. Which was fine, right up until she saw that player in the pitcher’s circle.
Column: Another Griz Spring Game, another win
A rite of spring back in my Billings Gazette days was that co-worker Bill Bihaus would go to a Rocky Mountain College football scrimmage.
Lakers begin 2024 season Sunday
The Kalispell Lakers AA American Legion team will field a fairly young lineup when its season begins Sunday at 1 p.m., with a doubleheader at Griffin Field against Missoula.
Column: Area ADs work among giants
When Libby High graduate Jerek Wolcott, the assistant athletic director at the University of Idaho, needed volunteers for the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament he knew just who to call.
Softball: Pack shuts out Kats in marquee matchup
COLUMBIA FALLS — Friday’s matchup of state softball champions just about had it all: Dynamic pitching, noisy hits and — despite the chill and brief drizzle — much better weather than the Orioles-Pirates game.
Evan Epperly picked to lead Glacier hoops
Glacier High School announced its pick for the next boys basketball coach Tuesday, and it is former player Evan Epperly, who has been back coaching with the Wolfpack the past two seasons.
Champion Wolfpack reload for 2024
The last time we saw the Glacier Wolfpack softball team, they were celebrating the program’s second-ever State AA championship in Helena. A third one is certainly within reach.
Bravettes figure to make state tourneys a habit
A solid nucleus from their first state tournament team in 16 seasons, plus a promising freshman class have the Flathead Bravettes thinking big this softball season.
Flathead looks to improve on the track
There are positive feelings surrounding both programs, which begin the season Tuesday with a dual meet at Missoula Big Sky.
Track preview: Glacier boys aren't going anywhere, girls trending up
The Glacier Wolfpack boys were second at the State AA track meet in 2022 and third last May. They aren’t going anywhere in 2024.
Column: ‘Fletch’ set for next chapter of baseball life
As Major League Baseball gears up for Opening Day, it’s a good time to give the floor to the Glacier Range Riders’ newest skipper, Paul Fletcher.
Path becomes clear for Barinowski
Three summers ago Ryder Barinowski was a four-sport athlete at Whitefish High School, and two of the sports were in the fall: Soccer and football. Then one day while working at the Iron Horse Golf Club, Bthings changed.
Valkryies come up just short
Billings Central edges Bigfork for State A title
BUTTE — The quest of the Bigfork Valkyries got away right at the end Saturday, when Carol Old Bull put back an offensive rebound to give Billings Central a 39-38 lead with 2:15 left.
Sapa goes big, Wildcats take third
BUTTE — A state trophy was a long time coming for the Columbia Falls Wildcats, who beat Butte Central 58-53 Saturday in the State A boys basketball consolation game. So was a big game from Reggie Sapa.
State A: Davey lifts Valkyries into title game
BUTTE — If the final State A girls basketball semifinal was a slog for the Bigfork Valkyries, well, Ava Davey had just about as fine a 4.9 seconds as you can have.
AA: Wolfpack girls fall to unbeaten Skyview
MISSOULA — Things didn’t look great at halftime at Dahlberg Arena, where the Glacier girls trailed Billings Skyview 29-18 in the first round of the State AA basketball tournament.
Chasing History
The Bigfork Valkyries have a shot at a unique repeat
Last March the Bigfork Valkyries put a bow on their final season in Class B, sweeping through three opponents to win the program’s first state basketball championship. A year later? These Vals might just make history.
State AA: Wolfpack girls take aim at 21-0 Skyview
The State AA basketball tournaments begin Thursday at Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus, and Kalispell is represented by one upstart squad: The Glacier girls.
Bravettes, Pack girls hope to spring upsets
The Flathead Bravettes and Glacier Wolfpack didn’t figure to be the bottom two seeds going into the Western AA Divisional that starts Thursday in Butte, but that’s how it worked out.
Frontier tourneys have Flathead Valley feel
As the Frontier Conference basketball tournaments approach, a question is raised: When’s the last time Aubrie Rademacher of Glacier High (Class of 2020) and Maddy Moy of Flathead (‘23) squared off? Turns out it was less than a week ago.
Tunnel Vision
A standout on the court, Tommy Running Rabbit has Griz gridiron goals
The Browning Indians boys basketball team has made quite a run, with nine straight wins and its first Northwest A regular-season title in four years in hand.
Excellent finale
Kastelitz, Wolfpack cruise in Harkins’ last home game
The Glacier Wolfpack have been looking for that signature boys basketball win this season, and Tuesday they got it: A tightly-defended, crushed-them-on-the-glass 63-40 win over the powerful Missoula Hellgate Knights.
Kiera Sullivan finds her calling
Wolfpack senior works back from torn ACL
What was supposed to happen was, Kiera Sullivan would keep tackling, shooting and sprinting from the end of her 2022 school year straight through to today.
State Swimming: Glacier school records fall
The team results weren’t quite what Karen Bouda or the Glacier Wolfpack wanted, but the veteran swim coach for both of Kalispell’s AA schools prefers to stay positive.
Butte tops Bravettes, Braves at Flathead gym
Flathead’s Braves and Bravettes fell short on the basketball court Saturday afternoon, with visiting Butte closing out one game late (girls) and building a big lead early (boys) for two Western AA wins.
Prep Hoops: Wolfpack girls win, boys fall to Butte
A mild upset by the Glacier girls seemed to set the host Wolfpack up for a basketball sweep against visiting Butte Friday. The Bulldogs’ Hudson Luedtke had other ideas.
State Wrestling: Brawlers look to get back to top
Ronan dual threat at State
The way Jeff Thompson sees it, it’s a four-team race at the State AA boys wrestling meet that begins Friday at First Interstate Arena.
Thompson Twins ready to roll
Jeff Thompson remembers being surprised that one child turned out to be two, but maybe he shouldn’t have. His wife was a twin, and his mom as a twin, and so it seemed like the odds were in their favor.
Caging Cousins
Kelch, Kastelitz standout for Whitefish, Glacier hoops
This is a story about Mason Kelch and Cohen Kastelitz, first cousins who happen to lead their respective basketball teams — the Whitefish Bulldogs and Glacier Wolfpack — in scoring and rebounding.
Column: Greenhorns make history on BC ice
The Greenhorns made history on Jan. 21 at Lake Windermere, British Columbia, and it’s at least partly because a group of Whitefish High graduates started playing Wii.
Kats' coach Cary Finberg to step down after season
COLUMBIA FALLS — Come December things will look different at the Columbia Falls High School gym.
Crosstown Hoops: Pack girls want to stop skid; Braves seek first W
Coming into their Crosstown game at 6 p.m. Friday at the Flathead gym, neither the host Bravettes nor the visiting Glacier Wolfpack girls basketball teams have been scoring in bunches.
A cut above
Retooled Bravettes rely more than ever on Kennedy Moore
Kennedy Moore figures she gets her height — she’s 6-foot-2 these days — from her grandfathers, both of whom stand 6-5.
Column: Regrettable detail, remarkable season
The most recent press conference hall of fame moment, where Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles was asked about playing in frigid Detroit on Sunday — “You do know we play indoors, right?” Bowles answered — has me thinking about last Sept. 2.
Crosstown mat battles are set
Flathead wrestling teams head to Glacier for duals
It wasn’t on purpose that this year’s Crosstown wrestling duals have a little extra build-up: Blame Montana weather, with last week’s blizzard wiping out, among other events, the Rocky Mountain Invitational in Missoula.
Montana fans travel far to see Grizzlies in FCS title game
The Montana Grizzlies are back in the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the first time since 2009, and there’s no way Mark Josephson wasn’t going to be there in person.
Bring on the Jacks
Grizzlies take underdog role into FCS title game
FRISCO, Texas — For No. 2 Montana to pull off the upset of No.1 South Dakota State Sunday, some things are going to have to hold up for the 13-1 Grizzlies.
Something will have to give when Jacks, Griz battle again
For Montana coach Bobby Hauck, it’s a string of three losses in these games. Meanwhile the defending champion Jackrabbits are looking for their first-ever win over Montana.
Column: A memorable Texas trip is quite possible
Before there was a trip to Frisco, Texas, there were three voyages to Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Nuce is Loose
Glacier product returns for Grizzlies’ playoff run
When we checked in with Henry Nuce in August, he was talking about donating stem cells to a cancer patient and accepting that his junior season with the Montana Grizzlies would have to wait.
Full Count: Fritz Neighbor's top 10 for 2023
As a trip to the FCS title game looms, I wonder at times if I’m getting too old for this.
We call it, 'Bison': Another Griz win highlighted by special teams
Another Griz win is highlighted by special teams plays
MISSOULA — This is getting to be ridiculous, how special teams, and especially the punt returns of Junior Bergen, keep tilting games in the Montana Grizzlies’ favor.
Grizzlies topple Bison 31-29 in double OT
MISSOULA — For the first time to Frisco go the Montana Grizzlies, who needed two overtimes to get past North Dakota State 31-29 in a wild FCS semifinal game Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Glacier, Flathead wrestlers head to Holiday tourney
The local high schools are getting in plenty of action in pre-Christmas break, and no sport is getting more done than wrestling.