CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
Kvelve's Comments: Performances to remember
It was quite a year, and I couldn’t hang ‘em up without acknowledging the student-athletes who made this, my last season of covering local sports, a memorable one indeed.
Standeford heads to next level at Western
College recruiters are not just looking for the best player at the best position.
Kvelve's Comments: Thank you
It is a day you can see coming, especially the closer you get.
Kvelve's Comments: A chance to live the dream
One of the things I always wanted to be growing up was a sportswriter.
Kvelve's Comments: Summer is for swimming
Water and sunshine mix.
Bobcats win MSU summer football camp tournament
It is as early as it can get to be excited about the upcoming local high school football season.
Rodeo takes center stage at Homesteader Days
It was in some ways like trying to navigate in a dust storm.
Hot Springs heats up for Homesteaders Days
For another year, the Homesteader Days festival in Hot Springs has come and gone with happy campers all around.
Kvelve's Comments: Time to saddle up
Yeeee-haaaaw! It’s time, once again, for rodeo season.
Local rodeo events heat up with summer
It promises to be a summer packed with rodeo action this year, beginning with this coming weekend’s Homesteader Days rodeo, a two-day extravaganza in Hot Springs.
Local stars take talents to the next level
The youth movement among local (Sanders/Mineral counties) high schools has made an impact on the list of those who have received athletic scholarships to continue their sports careers in college.
Locals play in annual 6-man, 8-man football games
Just when you thought football was a long way off, local athletes engaged in gridiron warfare in two distant, Montana all-star football games this past weekend.
State championship athletes recognized
One of the main goals for high school athletes as they prepare for an upcoming season is making it to the big dance, the state championships.
Lady Hawks' Koskela gets All-State nod
The fast pitch softball honors keep rolling in for Thompson Falls’ dynamic senior duo of Sarah Koskela and Olivia Fitchett.
Kvelve's Comments: Charlie Hustle and Shoeless Joe
Sometimes, it takes a while to right a wrong.
Standout performances on the track at State B meet
The 2025 Class B boys track and field championships quickly became the Trizten Avila show.
Noxon's Williams launches to new State C record
Noxon senior Ricky Williams has boldly gone where no one, at least no Montana Class C High School high jumper, has ever gone.
The injury bug
There is a part of sports no one likes to deal with, but it is a factor almost every year on almost every team.
St. Regis golfers among top finishers at state
For the St. Regis High boys’ and girls’ golfers, the Class C tournament this past week in Sidney was the second straight state championship appearance.
Lady Hawks eliminated at state softball
What turned out to be the final out of the season for the Thompson Falls-Noxon fastpitch softball season was in a way emblematic of the 2025 season.
Records broken at State B track meet
It was a record-breaking day for two local track and field seniors at the Class B State High School championships this past weekend in Missoula.
Plains softball tops Eureka to get into divisional tourney
A season that was salvaged earlier in the week came to an end a few days later for the Plains Trotters fastpitch softball team.
Lady Hawks punch ticket to state
For the third straight year, Thompson Falls’ fastpitch softball team has made it to the big dance.
Local golfers post low scores at State B
The Jefferson High (Boulder) boys golf team won their second consecutive boys’ Class B state championship this past week in Shelby, while Florence girls reigned supreme in the girls’ team title chase.
Western 7B well represented in state softball tourney
While they didn’t win the big prize, a number one seed in this coming weekend’s State B-C Fastpitch Softball championships in Glasgow, the Western 7B conference will be well-represented.
Avila leads Bobcats in strong team performance at divisional meet
It would be an understatement indeed to say Superior senior Trizten Avila had a “good” day at this past weekend’s Western Divisional track and field meet in Missoula.
Kvelve's Comments: Memory lane
One of the best things about sports is the memories they can generate.
Western C Divisional sees solid performances
The recently completed Western C Divisional track meet in Missoula produced some mild surprises, some expected results and more young athletic talent.
Co-op baseball teams cap season
For the two high school baseball teams in Sanders County, Noxon-Thompson Falls and Plains-Hot Springs, the past week brought the end of the 2025 season.
Local golfers qualify for state tournament
For at least eight local high school golfers, the dream is a reality.
Plains boys, Superior girls win 7B titles
Fueled by some strong individual performances from their top athletes, teams from Plains and Superior reigned supreme at the 2025 Western 7B District track and field meet this past weekend in Eureka.
Kvelve's Comments: Love of the game
I gotta say, I was impressed.
Thompson Falls-Noxon heads into post season after road trip
A rare tie, a big win and a loss highlighted the last week of the regular season for the Thompson Falls-Noxon girls fastpitch softball team with post-season play coming into view.
Trotters wrap up regular season with battle against Kalispell
One of the things that concerns coaches at this point of a season, with playoffs knocking at the door, is momentum.
Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball goes 1-2 for week
With one game remaining on their regular season schedule, the Noxon-Thompson Falls Red Devils baseball team will be looking for a sixth win of the season to close it out.
Plains-Hot Springs baseball wrap up season
A long season came to a conclusion this past Monday when the Plains-Hot Springs baseball team hosted Troy at Amundson Sports Complex in Plains. The game was played just beyond the Valley Press publication deadline.
Williams shines at 13C track meet
The inaugural District 13C track and field meet this past weekend in Missoula could have been named the Ricky Williams show.
Plains softballers ready for divisional play-in
After an 0-3 week that could have been a 2-1 week, the Plains Trotters await word on their Western B-C division playoff opponent in what will be a “play-in” game to be part of the division tourney the weekend of May 16-17 in Florence.
Tigers roar at home golf tourney
It was a near sweep of both team titles for the host St. Regis golfers at this past week’s Trestle Creek Invitational in St. Regis.
Kvelve's Comments: Special moments
It’s not, fortunately, a rare occurrence, especially in the world of sports.
Local teams face top competition at Archie Roe
With a strong group of AA, A and B schools on hand, the Archie Roe Memorial track meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell was a good barometer of Western Montana talent.
Lady Hawks top rivals in Plains in softball
The Thompson Falls-Noxon Lady Hawks are on a roll.
Plains-Hot Springs' rally falls short
Close but no cigar for the Plains-Hot Springs baseball team which came within one run of season win number two when a rally fell one run short this past Tuesday in Troy.
Thompson Falls-Noxon fastpitch wraps up regular season play
Momentum in sports can be a fickle friend indeed.
Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball notches wins
Back-to-back wins for the first time this season are evidence the Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball team is making progress in 2025.
Local golfers tested at Anaconda Invite
The 2025 western Montana B-C golf season is rapidly becoming a case of who can catch Loyola’s Elsie Munding or Seeley-Swan's Mia Nicholas.
Local throwers go long at Top 8 meet
The “Top 10” and “Top 8” high school track competitions for this part of Montana featured athletes from most of the Class AA and A schools in Western Montana, with some solid showings from local (Sanders-Mineral) tracksters sprinkled among the results.
Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball claim wins over county rival
This year’s unofficial and non-existent local high school baseball wars trophy goes to the Noxon-Thompson Falls co-opers who could lay claim to the title following a pair of wins over Sanders County rival Plains-Hot Springs this past week.
Superior's Cataldo cards low score at Gary Thompson Invite
On a mostly sunny skies day, albeit a chilly morning start, the Gary Thompson Invitational high school golf event at River’s Bend Golf Course near T Falls crowned a pair of team and individual champions this past Saturday.
Local track teams flex strength at ARM meet
As the 2025 high school track and field season heads toward the inevitable collision with playoffs on the way, the Whitefish ARM Invitational provided an intriguing look at athletic issues to be settled.