CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
T-Falls harriers find stride at Arlee meet
They haven’t been stopped by weather, albeit slowed a bit.
Horsemen show progress in loss at Arlee
It’s going to come, probably sooner rather than later. The Plains Horsemen will indeed taste victory.
Slonaker's 4 TDs leads Hot Springs over Noxon
For Northwest Montana six-man football, as they say, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Trotters battle Eureka in volleyball
Take heart Trotters volleyball fans. Better times are on the way.
COLUMN: What is the deal with mascots?
You’d probably have to actually be in my mind, entangled in the web of electrons to even begin to wonder why I would ponder such a thing, but I’ve been wrestling with this question for years.
Red Devils stay unbeaten in Western 6-man action
The Red Devils are on the prowl.
COLUMN: Local contenders
Usually after three or four games, lots of prognosticators proclaim they know who is going to be standing on top of the pile when the sports season is over.
Local harriers compete at Thompson Falls meet
The dense blanket of forest fire smoke that blanketed most of Sanders County last week dissipated enough to allow for the throng of runners to breathe as they ran.
Lady Savage Heat fall at Arlee
Both teams fought hard in a match that could easily have gone either way.
Hot Springs roughs up Gardiner in road win
In sports there is a tried and true saying that it’s never a good idea to look ahead.
Lady Red Devils sweep Two Eagle River
Mismatch: to match unsuitably.
Top-rated Bigfork gets best of Hawks on homecoming
When the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks finish their quest to adapt to 11-man football, they will no doubt be on the other end of the score.
Trotters searching for first conference win
After being soundly defeated earlier in the week by Florence-Carlton, the Plains Trotters volleyball team was hoping for some good vibes and Homecoming cooking.
Bobcats stroll to homecoming night victory
If you had to describe this year’s version of the Superior Bobcats 8-man football team what would it be?
Lady Hawks back on track with win over Mission
The good teams bounce back from adversity and go on to better things.
Lady Bobcats outlast St. Regis in tight match
In what was the first meeting of the 2022 volleyball season this past Wednesday between the two rivals located just 14 miles apart along I-90, and Homecoming for one of them to boot. And both teams had enough energy to be factors in a regional, special format tournament that was held most of Saturday in Superior, St. Regis and Alberton.
St. Regis-Mullan cruise to lopsided win
If you live along the stretch of Interstate 90 that runs by Mullan, Idaho, and St. Regis and Superior, Montana you may hear the sounds of cheering fans.
Board debriefed on Sanders County Fair
It was a fun fair to all and “un-fare” to a few.
Superior rolls in win at Grizzly Stadium
For the young athletes who got to play on the field at Washington Grizzly Stadium in Missoula Friday night, it must have been sensory overload.
Road trip tests Lady Bobcats volleyball
It seems early, like frost on a pumpkin in August, but the races are already heating up in Montana Western C volleyball.
St. Regis Lady Tigers earn 2 wins
In the ultra-competitive Western 14C volleyball conference, wins can be hard to get.
Noxon volleyball tests top-rated Charlo
As has been the case in recent Montana Class C volleyball seasons around these parts, the path to the conference championship once again goes right through Charlo.
Hawks make progress on defense
It has long been said that defense wins championships.
Baxter leads T-Falls harriers at UM meet
It was a sea of runners that swarmed the University of Montana Golf Course pathways Saturday, including a solid batch of Thompson Falls harriers, many of whom turned in outstanding performances in what is one of the biggest cross county meets of the year.
Trotters face tough teams in conference play
It was a challenging week to say the least for the Trotters volleyball teams as they entered the fray in Western B conference action.
Red Devils snag win at West Yellowstone
When a couple of six-man Montana High School football teams get together with similar records and an early conference lead, you can probably count on a track meet to break out.
Hot Springs drubs White Sulphur Springs
The Battle of the Springs is over and this year “Hot” has triumphed over “Sulphur.”
COLUMN: Rescheduling the schedule
It is a conundrum, wrapped in a dilemma and shrouded by a mystery.
Former sewer board member Barber speaks out
It is an issue that has in many ways torn apart a small town, pitting neighbor against neighbor in the great Paradise Sewer wars.
Tigers roar in 48-14 victory over Deary, Idaho
The bi-state Tigers are back in the saddle. Riding a Tiger may not be good for your health and prosperity.
Savage Heat rolls over Twin Bridges, 40-6
It was the game and the result Hot Springs Coach Jim Lawson and his staff had been looking for in the early going of the 2022 Montana 6-man football season.
Blue Hawks still looking for first 11-man win
Progress is in the works for the Thompson Falls football team.
Thilmony posts personal best at tough Kalispell meet
The Montana High School cross country season is gaining steam, and so are the Thompson Falls varsity teams, both of whom competed at the Flathead Invitational meet last week in Kalispell.
COLUMN: Hanging with the harriers
It is a sport as demanding, if not more so, than any other.
Hot Springs tests top-rated Charlo
Some things remain constant: The sun will rise; dogs will bark; and Charlo will have a good volleyball team.
Lady Hawks sweep Deer Lodge, fall to Anaconda
Some days things just don’t go the way you were hoping they would.
Noxon, St. Regis battle in 14C volleyball match
This Montana Western 14C conference volleyball race is going to be a challenge to keep up on.
Trotters topple Troy on the road
If it sounded like the echo of far off pounding hooves that seems to be getting louder, it is likely caused in part by the rapidly improving Plains High School volleyball team.
Sanders County Fair Parade in photos
Sanders County Fair Parade
St. Regis upends Clark Fork, 60-42
One of the best sports adages of all time is always part of emails from St. Regis-Mullan coach Jesse Allan.
Blue Hawks make strides in loss to Three Forks
No one said it was going to be easy, or even fair.
Traveling artwork stops in Plains en route to D.C.
You could see and feel the emotion coming from Army Veteran Jim Layton as he stepped to the back of the Veterans Suicide Awareness painting and signed his name. He was doing so to honor a longtime friend and fellow veteran who recently took his own life.
Arlee clips Plains in marathon match
Volleyball fans may have missed one of the best matches of the season as Arlee and Plains slugged it out over a five-game marathon that ended with Arlee pulling out a 3-2 win this past week on their home court.
Superior upends Noxon in seesaw battle
Volleyball fans in Sanders and Mineral counties may want to check their blood pressure and get ready for what, based on early results, looks like a wide-open battle for the top.
Thompson Falls cross country preview
They loss their top gun from last year, but the Thompson Falls cross country team appears to have reloaded as the 2022 season gets underway.
Bobcats rock Horsemen, 56-6
Superior may have found the ingredients for an outstanding season.
COLUMN: Hallowed turf in Hot Springs
There are places in life we wind up in that we will never forget.
Hot Springs drops heartbreaker to Panthers
One minute you’re in control, victory is in plain sight.
St. Regis wins battle of the Tigers
The St. Regis Lady Tigers won in all aspects of the battle of Tigers with Darby Saturday afternoon.
Lady Hawks notch 2 wins in Western B volleyball
The Lady Hawks are soaring in the early going of the 2022 Montana high school volleyball season.