CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
Lady Savage Heat outrun Eagles; boys clipped in nail-biter
It was a good night of small town basketball in Hot Springs Saturday night.
Local wrestlers qualify for state tournament
Two Western Division B/C champs and eight total qualifiers give the Superior Bobcats a strong presence at this weekend’s Montana Matt Classic state championships in Billings.
Superior girls hold top record in Western 14C
It was almost a clean sweep for the Superior boys and girls basketball teams this past week and it came against two strong opponents.
Hawks teams split games with Eureka, Loyola
A heart-breaking loss to a non-conference foe followed by a blow-out win over a conference opponent was the story of last week’s Thompson Falls Lady Hawks basketball adventures.
St. Regis hits bump against tough Charlo team
Over the course of a long season, talent may not always be enough.
Wheeler claims Superior spelling bee title
An embrace was what it took to win this year’s Superior School spelling bee.
COLUMN: The shot clock rule
We live in a TV-dominated few seconds of sound bites...for better or for worse.
Tigers' depth on display in win over Two Eagle River
It was a loud and proud, playoff-like atmosphere inside the St. Regis gym Saturday night when two of the top three boys teams squared off in a crucial Western 14C conference clash.
Plains girls impressive in win over Troy
For the Trotters it was a good win over a team they beat by 20 points in Plains last month.
Plains-Hot Springs 3rd in St. Ignatius tourney
The right combination of class champions and depth throughout the line-up helped carry the Plains-Hot Springs Savage Horsemen wrestlers to a respectable third-place finish Saturday at the Mission Mountain Classic tournament in St. Ignatius.
Noxon looks to bounce back after tough week of hoops
It was a busy and tough week for Noxon basketball.
T-Falls boys, girls earn wins over Troy
It was a clean sweep all the way around.
Bobcats win Ted Kato Invitational
This was the performance Coach Charlie Crabb’s Superior Bobcats wrestlers have been building for and looking for all season.
St. Regis teams topple Noxon
If ever there was a time for the St. Regis boys basketball youth movement to step forward, it was Saturday night.
Alberton boys, girls falls at Charlo
Every champion has had predecessors who laid the foundation of victory.
Noxon ousts Hot Springs in rivalry game
Rivalry games are something special for sure.
Lady Bobcats stay on winning track
In Superior, the girls have rhythm and the boys are still trying hard to find it.
COLUMN: Winter sports heat up
This is why some folks put up the outdoor Christmas lights years ago and never took them down.
Comeback fuels Lady Savage Heat win at Pablo
For most of the game, it looked like the Two Eagle River girls basketball team was more energetic and better overall than the Hot Springs girls.
Caleb Ball sets St. Regis scoring record
It was a night for the record books Saturday in St. Regis.
Noxon girls get 2 more wins; boys top Alberton
The Noxon girls basketball team got a pair of wins this past week, thanks to some solid play against struggling opponents.
Milender, Vulles lead Bobcats at A-AA tourney
This was a strong test for the Superior wrestlers.
Trotters test Arlee in Western 7B matchup
Plains boys and girls basketball teams continued to try to find their groove this past week, with the Trotters taking Arlee to the last few minutes of a tense, hotly contested game before falling to the Scarletts 36-32 in Plains.
COLUMN: Sugar and spice?
COLUMN: Sugar and spice?
Plains looks to get back on track after rough week
A benefit of experience is often consistency. And, logically, it would follow that less experience often leads to inconsistency.
Red Devils fall to tough Charlo squad
Charlo was not a good host to the Noxon Red Devils basketball teams this past Thursday, beating the boys 68-24 and downing the girls 65-34 in Charlo.
Lady Savage Heat pick up two conference wins
It was a long week for the Hot Springs boys and girls basketball teams, particularly the boys Savage Heat.
Bobcats take 3rd at Cut Bank Invite
Milender, Vulles and Milender sounds like a great name for a law firm.
Plains-Hot Springs impress at Western Montana Duals
It was a good weekend for the Plains/Hot Springs combined wrestling team.
St. Regis boys stay unbeaten
Close, as they say, counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades.
COLUMN: 'Going to battle'
I try each week to find a humorous angle to the wonderfully wacky world of sports.
Lady Hawks dominate Eureka; boys fall on buzzer-beater
A blow-out and a nail-biter.
Superior snares wins over Alberton, Noxon
It was a double-double in basketball this weekend for the Superior Bobcats and Lady Bobcats.
Ratliff selected for East-West Shrine Game
There are good athletes who succeed, and there are good athletes who succeed with respect and hard work.
St. Regis' Caleb Ball headed to UM Western
For each of the past four high school sports season, including the current one, Coach Jesse Allan and St. Regis fans have had a Ball.
COLUMN: Football bowl season
My cup bowl-eth over. It’s too much. It’s out of control. It’s football gone crazy.
Bigfork topples Plains teams on hard court
To be the best, they say, you have to beat the best.
COLUMN: When the snow flies
It must be winter in Montana, where the first official day of winter brings pipe-freezing cold and road clogging snow.
COLUMN: A few Christmas shoutouts
I was thinking about putting together a Christmas gift list for all the folks in this area who are involved in or like sports.
Plains hoopers snare nice wins
Don’t look now but the young guys on the block are playing winning basketball.
St. Regis boys continue hot start in win over Superior
The youth movement continues in the Western 14C conference and that is good news for the St. Regis Tigers boys basketball team, which is already off to a hot start to the 2022-23 campaign.
Thompson Falls teams roll over Troy
Two games, two relatively easy wins.
T-Falls tops Plains in county showdown
In the latest version of the battle for Sanders County, the Blue Hawks ruled the roost.
Alberton hoopers gain experience in losses
The wins aren’t coming, but experience is.
Superior and Plains wrestlers post solid results
On the mats was a good place to be for local wrestlers this past weekend.
Column: Alberton girls show true grit
It can be running across open ground while people you don’t even know are shooting at you.
Lady Bobcats top Darby for another win
The good news is it’s just the beginning of the season.
St. Regis hoopers off to hot start
When both teams are rolling, that’s a good time to be a fan.
Hot Springs handled by top Seeley Lake squads
Some things are pretty certain. It snows in Montana in the winter, an elephant cannot hang over a cliff with its tail wrapped around a daisy, and it takes a very big dog to weigh a ton.
Noxon boys fall in OT; girls split games
Overtime was not kind to the Noxon Red Devils boys basketball team, who fell 51-40 to the Troy Trojans in a game that was 39-39 at the end of regulation.