Looking back at sports in 2015
January 07
Plains Horsemen fight till the very end
The Horsemen’s game against the Loyola Sacred Heart Rams was a fight to the end, but some fundamentals of basketball were missed, which led to an increasing gap in points throughout the night.
The Horsemen gave their best performance during the fourth quarter, with a gain of 18 points. However, their fight at the end proved only to be an example of their heart and fight to the end, as the Rams gained another 20 points, finishing the game with the rams at 79, the horsemen with 49.
“I think our team hustles very hard,” said Coach Allen. “We fight to the end.”
February 04
County teams prep for divisional
Wrestlers from throughout Sanders County kept busy during a weekend where each squad wrestled in multiple matches.
The busy week, the final before the start of the divisional tournament in Eureka, started with a dual tournament in Thompson Falls. It ended with Hot Springs High School hosting teams from across the region.
After the meets, the teams prepared for a week before the divisional tournament.
February 18
Champion Again
Savage Horsemen senior Russell Kujala completed his high school wrestling career and the Plains wrestler went out in style.
Competing in the 145-pound weight class at the Class B-C State Tournament in Billings, Kujala became the first two-time state champion in Savage Horsemen wrestling history, taking the top spot in the weight class. He earned the first-place crown in an expedient manner, pinning his competition, Tanner Stone of Choteau, one minute and seven seconds into the first period.
Additionally, Kujala was awarded the state tournament’s cumulative quick pin award.
February 25
15 seconds determines the outcome
A game between the Thompson Falls Bluehawks and the Eureka Lions was determined in the last 15 seconds, a point that was a hard fight to get to, and no one saw coming.
The last drive of the night went to the Hawks. They got the ball down the court, made a set and with just seconds left on the clock, Trais Hoisington scored two points. The final score was 51-50; the gymnasium erupted and the hawks all began hugging and congratulating each other.
Coach Michelson said the game was a “barn burner,” and “a feel good win.”
March 11
Trotters gear up for State Tournament
With many athletes across the county preparing for the spring athletics season, the members of the Plains Trotters basketball team were still prepping for the state tournament in Great Falls.
The Class B State Tournament started Thursday, March 12 and the Trotters spent the interim between tournaments fine-tuning their skills, which brought them to an elite level this season.
“We have done a lot of fundamental work this week, sharpening up what we have done all season,” said Trotters Head Coach Richard Griffin.
March 18
Plains Trotters fight in State B Girls’ Tournament
The Plains Trotters traveled to Great Falls to take part in the State B Girls’ Basketball Tournament.
The Trotters battled their way to a second place finish at the western divisional tournament in Kalispell, in late February to earn their spot in the state competition in Cascade County. In the opening game of the tournament the Trotters faced off against the Forsyth Dogies, the winners of Class B’s southern division. They could not bring out a win, though, and entered the loser’s bracket with a score of 39-60.
The Trotters were then matched up against the Columbus Cougars. The elimination game tipped off and both teams proved they were not interested in ending their season as the game went to overtime with the score tied at 40-40 at the end of regulation.
April 22
Sanders County track teams compete
As 13 teams converged on the fields of Thompson Falls High School, Plains and Thompson Falls were preparing themselves for a day of many wins.
Overall, the girls teams standing was: Plains in first at 163, Thompson Falls at 131 and Noxon tied for ninth with Troy at eight points. The boys teams standing had Thompson Falls come out on top with 135.5 points, Noxon tied with Loyola Sacred Heart for third with 52 points, Hot Springs took eighth with 37 points and Plains brought in 10 at 19 points.
May 13
Thompson Falls Lady Hawk Senior celebrated
The Lady hawks battled the Loyola Lady Breakers during their senior night home game; they were unable to overcome them, though, and the game ended with a final score of 1-8 to Loyola.
The girls also played a game against Eureka a few days later. The girls won this game, coming away with a final score of 16-3 to the Lady Hawks.
May 20
Trotters take second at divisional meet
Track and field athletes from across Montana descended on Missoula for the annual divisional meets.
The Plains Trotters narrowly missed out on a first place finish, ending the meet with 154 team points, only one point behind the first place team from Bigfork. Thompson Falls finished the meet in third with 66 team points.
May 27
Dynasty
The Trotters opened their quest for three consecutive state championships in track and field at Legends Stadium in Kalispell.
After a heated two-day competition with the Bigfork Valkyries the Trotters returned to Plains victorious, winning an unprecedented three state titles in a row for Plains High School. The team’s entire roster came up big throughout the state meet with runners and throwers helping the Trotters compile 115 team points, five more than runner up Bigfork.
The girls from Thompson Falls were also competing at the state meet placing sixth in the competition with 29 team points.
June 03
NTF holds Jake Shoot at Plains Trap Club
Teenagers from around the area took part in the National Turkey Federation’s first Jake Shoot, which was an afternoon designed for interested young adults who wanted to become better at shooting.
Students took turns getting instructions on how to shoot a .22 as well as a bow.
Tony Colombo, the Trap Club’s secretary and Chapter President of the Turkey Federation, described the event as an opportunity for the youths to get experience in hunting through gun shooting or archery.
As part of the event, Colombo told the students about the opportunities associated with joining the federation, such as scholarships and drawings.
June 10
Raffle helps send football team to 8-man camp
Juan Lulack, Head Coach of the Plains Horsemen football team, organized the raffle to send the team to a summer football camp in Dillon.
The six-man and eight-man team football camp will take place at the University of Montana Western. The upcoming football season marked Plains High School’s transition from the Class B athletic conference to Class C. This change is especially notable for the football team who will undergo a transition from the 11-man competition of Class B to the eight-man format of Class C.
The camp introduced the Horsemen to eight-man competition, giving them a solid basis to build to the 2015 fall football season.
June 17
Mud and dust fly at Homesteaders Rodeo
Over the course of two days, as part of the Hot Springs Homesteaders Days, there was a rodeo just east of the Hot Springs School that saw participants flying through the air, crashing into the dusty ring and dodging stampeding animals.
Contestants in the rodeo came from all over, with some from as far as Helena and one from as far away as Amarillo, Texas. The events alternated between the chutes and the main gate of the arena allowing for the workers to continuously keep the events flowing.
June 24
Memorial shoot held at Plains Trap Club
The sounds of gun shots could be heard bouncing off the hills just outside of Plains. The Plains Trap Club was hosting a two-day, all day trap shoot, which included a day full of shooting as well as camping, camaraderie and food.
The event drew 50 to 55 shooters from all over. The competitors were all competing for belt buckles and could bet on their scores with friends. Competitors of all ages were at the event, ranging from under 10 up to retirees.
July 29
Trout Creek becomes sight of tournament
Over the final weekend in July, the Annual Tri-State Tournament took place in Trout Creek.
Held by the Clark Fork Bass Anglers, the tournament drew anglers from all over. The tournament was a buddy competition, with a pair of two anglers working together to catch five bass a day.
The goal was to come away with the heaviest combined weight of the fish caught each day.
August 05
Teams battle during Wildhorse Showdown
The Amundson Sports Complex was full of activity as co-ed softball teams from across the region descended upon Plains for a softball tournament.
This year’s tournament included seven co-ed squads battling for the tournament championship and was hosted by the Wildhorse Sports Association. The competition was set up in a double elimination format with teams from Clark Fork, Idaho, Noxon, Thompson Falls and Plains competing over the weekend.
At the tournament’s conclusion it was the team from Noxon who came out on top, earning the top spot in the first annual edition of the summer co-ed softball competition.
August 12
Avista golf tournament to benefit SCCOA
The seventh annual Avista Carity Golf Tournament was scheduled to take place at the River’s Bend Golf Course in Thompson Falls.
The funds raised by this year’s benefit tournament will go towards supporting the Sanders County Council on Aging. Approximately 20 volunteers, joined by staff of the council on aging, were on hand to assist with the weekend tournament.
In addition to the tournament, the annual fundraiser offered a chance for members of the community to get involved even if they aren’t golfers.
August 19
Horsemen preseason underway in Plains
The Plains Horsemen football team began its training for the upcoming season.
On the team this year there will be 22 students playing. The team will not be playing in Class C division, which is an eight-man on the field.
Juan Lulack will also be the new head coach for the team.
August 26
Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat prepare for season
The Lady Savage Heat volleyball team has been preparing for the upcoming season.
This year the team had a mix of new and returning players, which made up a diverse team of 15. With the mix of new and returning players, Head Coach Alicia Pablo had the girls working from the top.
“The first five practices were a lot of basics and we’re pleasantly surprised, they’re coming a lot stronger than what we thought,” she said.
September 02
Thompson Falls takes on Deer Lodge
The Thompson Falls Bluehawks football team took to the gridiron for the first time since the 2015 season as they faced off against Deer Lodge at home, but despite a strong showing from their defense and some great offensive plays, the team dropped the game to their opponents 26-17.
September 09
Plains and Hot Springs square off
In their first volleyball game of the season the Plains Trotters took on the Hot Springs Lady Savage heat, coming out victorious in three sets.
The game scored 25-10, 25-22 and 25-22, all to Plains.
Hot Springs Head Coach Alisia Pablo felt the team ran into some problems due to their youth. She felt they had started getting over many of their issues though.
“They got their jitters out,” Pablo said. “They finally got a feel for things and really started playing.”
Plains Head Coach Jessica Butcher felt her team performed well, but still had some small issues to work out; she was not surprised, though, since it was early in the season.
September 16
Plains Horsemen take on Noxon Red Devils
The game between the Plains Horsemen and Noxon Red Devils turned into a two-and-a-half hour long struggle, with both teams fighting hard until the end. Plains took the win on their home turf and started their season on a strong note.
The game closed with a final score of 67-16. Coach Juan Lulack, of the Horsemen, said “We played a game with very few mistakes. We have a good team now.”
He also described that winning the two games this built up the team’s confidence.
September 23
Thompson Falls takes on Ronan – The Lady hawks win two lose one and then win
The Thompson Falls Lady hawks took on the Ronan Maidens in a five set match in Thompson Falls. The teams were evenly matched and both fought hard till the end.
The game’s scores were 25-20, Lady hawks, 25-23, Lady Hawks, 25-27, Maidens.
September 30
Victory for the boys in blue
The Thompson Falls Bluehawks homecoming game was a tense one. The Bigfork Vikings challenged the Hawks on their home turf, giving a hard fight, but in the end the Hawks prevailed.
The game came to a close with a final score of 21-14. The game went right up to the edge and one touchdown from Bigfork could have tied the game.
October 07
A big win for the Plains Horsemen
The Horsemen won their homecoming game against the Superior Bobcats.
From the beginning, the Horsemen charged ahead and controlled the field most of the night. They pulled ahead consistently, gaining a steadily increasing lead that led to a halftime score of 29-6.
The Horsemen continued to advance, working up to a 30 point lead. Superior pulled back some, but it was not enough. By the end of the game, Plains had a very strong lead with a score of 58-38.
October 14
Plains Cross Country performs very week
It was a great day for the PHS Girls Team. Kimberly Earhart won the meet with a time 19:28 and Demi Horton placed third with a time of 20:33. The team was thrilled to see the girls perform so well at the end of the season after injuries and smoke interfered with performances from Shannon Dimond with a time of 24:37 and Grace Gambos with a time of 34:18.
October 21
Plains and Thompson Falls play under the lights
For their final game of the year, the Plains Trotters defeated the Thompson Falls TFalls Soccer Team with a final score of 7-4.
The game was close with both teams playing well. Eric Nygaard, head coach for Thompson Falls, recalled it was the first time in approximately three years Plains had come out on top at the end of the season. He said it was a hard fought match and he was proud of both teams for their performances.
October 28
Hot Springs Savage Heat remains undefeated
It was a Friday night full of festivities at Hot Springs High School.
The Savage Heat exploded out of the blocks against the Lincoln Lynx and at the end of the game the score was 86-6, keeping their record at 8-0. The defensive effort was led by Zach Osbourne with five sacks.
Hot Springs entered the first round of playoffs on October 31, against Roy-Winifred.
November 04
Plains Trottes are victorious – Trotters travel to Superior and come back winners
The Plains Trotters rose from the ashes, coming back up from the loser bracket to claim the championship of the western 10C District Volleyball Tournament in Superior.
Fist, the girls played against the Charlo Lady Vikings in an intense five-set match. In the championship round, the girls played against the Arlee Scarletts; they had already faced defeat against them already, so the girls were looking to turn things around.
November 11
Can the go all the way and win it all
The Savage Heat Football Team crushed Valier 65-6 on Friday night, Novemer 6 in the quarterfinals of the Class C 6-man play-offs to advance to the semifinals.
Hot Springs had 397 yards of offense and the impressive defense held Valier to just 46 yards. Hot Springs played Box Elder November 14.
November 18
The final hard fought game for Hot Springs
The Savage Heat football team came just short of going to state when they played their semi-final game against the Box Elder Bears, ending with a final score of 40-42.
Both teams had a combination of great plays and poor ones. Head Coach Jim Lawson recalled they had some where they had an opportunity to score, or intercept a lineman, but could not bring everything together to pull it off.
“It takes a great team to defeat us and they did a great job,” he said. “It was a physical football game. Two teams that really wanted to win. I think both teams gave tremendous effort.”
November 25
Horsemen basketball prepares for season
The Plains boys basketball team started their practices, preparing for their first season as a Class C team.
Carl Benson, head coach for Horsemen basketball, felt the season could go either way this year, but was confident the team would do well. There were a number of returning varsity players this year, as well as several newer players on the team, with approximately five from all four years.
Benson felt some of their challenges depended on how well the younger players took to the varsity level of the game. There are many tall players this year, though, which could pose issues. However, the coach has ideas for ways to work around it.
December 02
Lady Hawks dedicated to a great basketball season
With a fairly wide range of ages, Thompson Falls’ Lady Hawks are looking forward to the start of the season.
There are approximately 15 girls on this year’s team with a number of younger students and even a few eighth graders. Head Coach Doree Thilmony recalled they did not have enough high school girls try out for the team and had to get the Montana High School Association’s permission to open tryouts to middle schoolers as well.
December 09
Horsemen open season with win in Frenchtown
The Plains Horsemen had a strong start to their basketball season over the weekend with a 66-36 victory over Seeley-Swan at the Frenchtown kick-off tournament.
Ryan Ovitt was the top scorer of the Horsemen, getting 25 baskets. Aaron VonHeeder and Alec Cole were behind him with 15 and 11 points repectively.
December 16
Trotters start season with two wins 57-25 and 41-38
The Trotters got a great start to the season, Thursday, when they claimed a strong victory against the Lady Wampas Cats from Clark Fork, ID. The Lady Wampas Cats got a score in the final seconds, but they were too far behind and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the score came out at 57-25.
The Trotters also claimed victory in their away game against Arlee, Saturday. The Lady Scarletts broke through the Plains defense in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to break through the Trotters’ lead. The game came to an end with a score of 41-38.