FRITZ NEIGHBOR
SPORTS EDITOR
Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast.
IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together.
Recent Stories
Brawlers, MatCats have titles in sight
Eureka sitting third in B/C race
Another Flathead sweep seems like a long shot after one day’s action at the All-Class State Wrestling meet at First Interstate Arena.
Windauer, MatCats are going big
Flathead boys on ‘business trip’ to get third straight title
A year ago the Columbia Falls MatCats were a formidable team that was beset by injuries as the postseason approached.
State titles and bonus daughters
One thing you may not know about Amber and Bella Downing — I didn’t — is that they are not related.
Hot-shooting Wolfpack hits 70, back-to-back
With a defense that is noticeably sturdy, the Glacier Wolfpack’s recipe for victory could be this simple: Score, and you win.
Flathead rallies past Sentinel for first win
It was a long time coming, the Flathead boys basketball team’s 51-49 win over Missoula Sentinel on Friday. And if it wasn’t the prettiest finish, it still felt amazing.
Flathead looking for nice round number (20) at seeding tourney
A year ago, on the way to their second straight State AA title, the Flathead Brave Brawlers qualified 24 wrestlers at the Western AA Divisional.
Flathead’s Noah Poe-Hatten has his sights set on a title
Noah Poe-Hatten has way more wins, 120, than losses in his high school wrestling career, but one of the 21 defeats has stuck with him.
Brave Brawlers extend dual streak
Senior Day was a breeze for the Flathead Brave Brawlers, who won all but one match Saturday against Missoula Sentinel to roll up a 69-2 wrestling victory at the Boyle Gym.
Moore, Chouinard shoot down Knights for landmark win
Kennedy Moore went to her signature move and the Flathead Bravettes got a signature win. Moore, Flathead’s 6-foot-2 junior, rebounded a miss by Maddy Moy and flipped in a reverse layup at the buzzer to give the Bravettes a 49-48 win over Missoula Hellgate Saturday afternoon.
Big Sky pulls away on Flathead by 3s
The Flathead Braves had some things working Thursday, hanging in with Missoula Big Sky thanks to some solid rebounding and polished offense.
Noah Cummings rises up to lead Flathead hoops
One of the issues for this year’s Flathead Braves was where, in the wake of the graduated Joston Cripe’s 20 points a game, they were going to find points this basketball season.
Vals too much for C-Falls
COLUMBIA FALLS — Braeden Gunlock scored 14 points to lead a balanced attack, and the Bigfork Valkyries downed Columbia Falls 58-26 Tuesday to stay unbeaten.
Glacier stays cold in loss to Big Sky
Missoula Big Sky’s girls basketball team looked pretty tough Tuesday, holding down Glacier for a 38-21 Western AA victory at the Wolf Den. Just wait a couple years.
Bravettes rally for win, Glacier boys cruise
A couple notable things about Crosstown in Kalispell are how many athletes are named Noah, and how both AA schools have a standout with the same phonetic name.
Girls dual provides the crosstown drama on Braves’ home mat
The Crosstown wrestling dual pretty much packed the Flathead High School gym Thursday; bringing a little extra heat were the girls.
Glacier counts on Noah Dowler to guard the hoop
At 6-foot-7, you figure Noah Dowler is naturally predisposed to be on a basketball court.
Christy Harkins back with the Pack
Christy Harkins’ retirement from coaching is apparently over after one year, with the announcement Wednesday that she is returning as Glacier’s volleyball coach.
Crosstown wrestling set for Thursday at Flathead
The Flathead Brave Brawlers and Bravettes plan to “Cowboy up,” for the crosstown wrestling duals Thursday against Glacier, which begin with weigh-ins at 4 p.m. at Flathead High.
Ronan Maidens tip off Alaska Airlines Classic
By the time you read this, the Ronan Maidens will have already tipped off against the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs, in the opener of the Alaska Airlines Classic basketball tournament in Anchorage.
Capital rebounds to beat Braves
The Helena Capital Bruins brought their board-crashing ways to the Flathead gym Saturday, and left with a 58-37 win that favored function way over form.
Olsen, Kastelitz key Glacier win
The Wolf Den continues to be a tough place for the Helena Capital boys to pull out wins, with Ty Olsen and the Glacier Wolfpack subduing the Bruins again Friday night, this time in overtime, 51-44.
A Maiden (and Chief) voyage for Ronan hoops
To this point Leina Ulutoa, the leading scorer and rebounder on this year’s Ronan basketball team, hasn’t traveled far for a basketball game.
Sentinel girls stay hot to beat Glacier
The Sentinel Spartans closed strong Friday, in their girls basketball win at Flathead. The Saturday matinee Spartans were even tougher.
Second-half surge carries Spartans over Bravettes
It was a hectic battle that bordered on the ragged Friday at the Flathead gym, where the host Bravettes battled Missoula Sentinel in girls basketball.
Prep sports season restarts after Christmas break
Christmas break has ended and the high school athletic schedule is full this weekend, with basketball and wrestling.
The unintentional gap years of a Griz tight end
While the Grizzlies and Bobcats announced their football early signing classes Wednesday, one might look back at a spring chicken who committed to the Griz in 2016.
Bobcats gear up for stingy SDSU
If Brent Vigen is drawing inspiration from Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka’s 212 rushing yards against South Dakota State last week, he isn’t saying.
No. 3/3 Montana St. at No. 1/1 South Dakota St. Capsules
No. 3/3 Montana St. at No. 1/1 South Dakota St. When: Saturday, 2 p.m.: TV — ESPN2; Web — ESPN+; Radio — Bobcat Radio Network. Where: Dana J Dykhouse Stadium (19,340, AstroTurf) Records: Both teams are 12-1.
Big Sky Notes: Bobcats face semifinal rematch with SDSU
Montana State coach Brent Vigen has watched South Dakota State on film, and he’s here to tell you the Jackrabbits are still very, very good.
Patrick O’Connell bet on himself and became a Griz great
Patrick O’Connell’s year at the University of Mary wasn’t misspent: He played 10 football games for the Division II Marauders and scored a defensive touchdown in the 2017 season finale.
McDonald, Pack boys beat CMR at buzzer
Glacier coach Mark Harkins called time out with 8.1 seconds left in the Wolfpack’s basketball game Saturday and basically told his team, From here on out you’re on your own.
Flathead shoots for 3; Pack aims to move up
Add 12 state placers to several more with state tournament experience and the Flathead Brave Brawlers just might have the makings of another state wrestling title.
Bobcats turn on lights for William & Mary
William & Mary likes to run the ball, sometimes with a quarterback, a lot of times with a running back, all of it behind a young, highly-touted offensive line.
The Greatest Bobcat and the Wildcat
Steve Kracher was a sophomore in high school when his family moved from Anaconda to Columbia Falls, and in three seasons as a Wildcat drew a bit of attention for his football skills.
Browning, C-Falls boast talent to take Northwest A hoops races
The Browning Lady Indians are ready to run, the Ronan Maidens are ready to fly and the Columbia Falls Wildkats aren’t going anywhere.
Big Sky Notes: Griz LB O’Connell is Hula Bowl-bound
To the long list of accolades he’s built already, add the Hula Bowl for Montana linebacker Patrick O’Connell, who was invited to the college football all-star showcase this week.
Glacier QB Sliter commits to the Griz
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter made it official that he’s headed to the Montana Grizzlies Tuesday, announcing his intention to join their football program via Twitter.
Strong Bravettes should get stronger; Flathead boys young, athletic
The Flathead Bravettes followed up their first State AA basketball tournament appearance since 2013 with their first trophy since 2007, and a host of talented players are returning.
Glacier boys have the inside out and out; Wolfpack girls are guard-rich
A solid pack of juniors played for last season’s Glacier boys basketball team, and considering it overcame a 3-9 start to make the State AA tournament, that’s not a bad place to start.
Griz aim to stun Fargodome crowd
Bobby Hauck’s first game as coach of the Montana Grizzlies was in September of 2003, and it didn’t go as expected.
Big Sky Notes: Grizzlies, especially the special teams, are on NDSU’s radar
The North Dakota State Bison didn’t roll up nine Football Championship Subdivision football titles in 10 years by taking anyone lightly, and the Montana Grizzlies have their attention.
Griz rally past Redhawks
Malik Flowers sparked a run of 31 straight points with a record-tying kickoff return, and the Grizzlies sped past Southeast Missouri State 34-24 in an FCS playoff game Saturday. Lucas Johnson threw for 306 yards and two scores as the Grizzlies (8-4) advanced to a road game with No. 3 seed and defending national champion North Dakota State next Saturday.
Column: Thankful for extra kicks, tackles — and one big win
As we gather around the giant yard bird that accompanies this holiday, the Polson Pirates can give thanks for the seasons they had.
Big Sky Notebook: Momentum is a win away for Griz
The Montana Grizzlies head into the playoffs coming off a loss, which isn’t all that unique, even to the Griz, and even under coach Bobby Hauck.
Focused Bobcats literally carried the day
Bobcat fans showed up for a frigid College GameDay program, and then they got more amped up during Montana State’s 55-21 rout of Montana in Saturday’s Cat-Griz game.
Cats pile up 439 rushing yards in 55-21 rout of Griz
Tommy Mellott, Montana State’s superb sophomore quarterback out of Butte, is as direct at a postgame press conference as he is hitting the gap on a zone running play.
Griz, Cats set for 121st ‘Brawl’
The players for the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats would like to treat the 121st “Brawl” as any other game, and the coaches feel the same. But you have to be there.
Mission Bulldogs take on Belt for 8-man title Saturday
Mission’s first 8-man football championship appearance was a long time coming, though superintendent Jason Sargent foresaw it after the 2020 season.
Big Sky Notebook: Time to get those Game(Day) Faces on
So here we are again, staring at a Cat-Griz game that has big stakes outside the old cliche of state bragging rights.
Griz pummel Eastern, 63-7
After a nightmarish October it’s been a November rain of points for the Montana Grizzlies, who crushed Eastern Washington 63-7 Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.