CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
Home school teams take down Hot Springs
Evidence that home schooling and home school associations are growing in rural Montana were on display in Hot Springs this past week as the Flathead Valley Home School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams swept the Savage Heat and Lady Heat this past Tuesday in Hot Springs.
Troy takes down Noxon in non-conference meeting
For the Troy boys’ and girls’ basketball teams it was a rare sweep this past weekend of an opponent this season, at the expense of the visiting Noxon Red Devils and Lady Devils.
Seeley-Swan sweeps Superior
Seeley-Swan is usually considered a welcoming place for folks to visit.
Tigers stay perfect with tough victory over Noxon
Defense, as they say, wins championships, in basketball and most sports.
Bobcats get conference win at St. Ignatius
The Superior Bobcats and Lady Bobcats split a pair of road games against St. Ignatius on Friday night, with the boys pulling out a 52-44 Western 13C conference victory over the Bulldogs.
Savage Heat roar past Charlo
The first game of the evening between Charlo and Hot Springs girls’ teams was a classic nail-biter decided by two points, with the visiting Lady Vikings edging the Lady heat 50-48 in Hot Springs Saturday night.
Hawks earn lopsided victories
It was a good week to be a Blue Hawk or Lady Blue Hawk basketball player as both the boys and girls teams won a pair of games this past week.
Kvelve's Comments: Unbeaten Tigers
So, there is one undefeated team still standing in the 13C conference, the mega-league that resulted from the merger of the old 14C and what was a six-team 13C.
Noxon and Hot Springs split games
Noxon’s boys continued their winning ways in advance of their crucial Western 13C showdown with St. Regis the next night as they chalked up an 80-66 victory over Hot Springs on the Savage Heat’s home court this past Friday.
Plains hoopers drop two home games
It was a tough week for the Plains boys’ and girls’ basketball teams as both lost home games to St. Ignatius (Mission) Thursday night and Eureka this past Saturday.
Plains-Hot Springs wins Ted Kato Memorial
The annual Ted Kato Memorial wrestling tournament in Thompson Falls had a decidedly Plains-Hot Springs look to it this year.
Panthers take two losses
For the Alberton Panthers boys’ basketball team, their road game with Two Eagle River (TER) this Saturday night was a chance to measure progress.
St. Regis teams take down Two Eagle River
St. Regis is not a great place to go.
Kvelve's Comments: A comeback
There are many good, some potentially great, stories brewing as the second half of the local high school basketball and wrestling seasons come into focus.
Thompson Falls sweeps county rival Plains
It would be an understatement to say Thompson Falls boys and girls had a good night in their rivalry games against Plains this past Friday night in Thompson Falls.
Lady Bobcats get wins over Plains, Troy
The Superior girls’ basketball team is one a good roll with the team picking up their third straight win with a pair of victories this past week.
Hot Springs takes on tough Stillwater teams
These are games that technically don’t count, at least for now and not in the Montana high school standings or rankings.
St. Regis boys get two wins
As country legend Buck Owens sang, “it looks like I’ve got a Tiger by the tail”, he was likely not referring to the St. Regis Tigers.
Noxon escapes with wins over Two Eagle River
Palbo was the site of two high schools' basketball games which could have had different outcomes than they did.
Local wrestlers perform well at Jug Beck, Choteau Classic
The Plains-Hot Springs co-op wrestlers (Savage Horsemen) are on a roll on the mats.
Hawks sweep Eureka Lions
After a pair of resounding home wins over rival Plains this past Friday, the Thompson Falls boys’ and girls' basketball teams were looking for a Western 7B conference sweep as they entertained Eureka Saturday night in T Falls.
Hot Springs notch wins over Alberton
Spa City was not so nice a place to visit for the Alberton boys’ and girls’ basketball teams this past Friday night.
Red Devils take down Charlo
If offense is your thing when it comes to basketball, Noxon’s Red Devils boys’ team is for you.
St. Regis boys stay unbeaten
For the St. Regis boys’ basketball team, it was another week on the job, as they took care of business with a pair of victories that kept the unbeaten season record intact at 8-0.
Kvelve's Comments: Lace 'em up
It is what could be described as an insidious problem, or a silly one.
Fredette nets 34 in win for Panthers
On small step for Alberton, one giant leap for Panther nation.
Trotters roar back for win over Darby
After one quarter of play, things did not look well for the Plains Trotters basketball team Saturday night against the Darby Lady Tigers in Plains.
Superior hoopers snag wins at Darby
Superior’s boys' and girls' basketball teams made the most of their only contests of the past week as the Bobcats boys and Lady Bobcats girls swept a pair of road games in Darby Thursday night.
Thompson Falls teams top Charlo, Mission
It was a busy week that would have been awesome for the Thompson Falls boys’ and girls' basketball team had it not been for a pair of games against red-hot Missoula Loyola’s boys and girls.
Local grapplers put on show at Cut Bank
For local high school wrestling fans, the 157-pound match between Superior sophomore Turner Milender and Plains-Hot Springs senior John Waterbury would be the dream match of the year.
Noxon boys notch fifth-straight win
Momentum, as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary is “the impetus of a moving object equal to the product of its mass and its velocity.
Seeley Swan topples Hot Springs
Seeley Swan’s Blackhawks boys’ and girls' basketball teams were not cordial visitors to Hot Springs this past Saturday evening in a pair of Western 13C conference games.
Tigers stay undefeated with win over Prospectors
It’s not really a surprise that the St. Regis Tigers boys’ basketball team is off to a “good” start to the season, it is almost expected at the Mineral County school.
Superior hoopers drop pair of games
Sometimes a break in the schedule can be a momentum killer.
Blue Hawks lock up Wardens
It was an arresting evening for Thompson Falls boys’ basketball team as they locked up a 69-58 victory in Deer Lodge against the Wardens.
Hot Springs and Arlee tangle on the court
The boys and girls basketball games between Hot Springs and Arlee this past Saturday were multi-faceted to say the least.
Trotters take care of business against Troy
Plains wasted no time getting back to work after the Christmas break as the Horsemen and Trotters hosted the boys’ and girls’ teams from Troy Thursday night in a pair of Western 7B conference games at Plains High.
Surging Noxon sweeps Alberton
There were two games with lopsided outcomes, with the surging Noxon boys and girls sweeping a pair of road games against Alberton, whose teams are showing signs of emerging varsity talent.
Hot Springs splits with St. Regis
It was a post-holiday split for the Hot Springs boys and girls in their games against home-standing St. Regis this past Thursday in an early season Western 13C basketball clash.
Kvelve's Comments: New Year predictions
As another year comes to an end, I want to take the opportunity to clear the air, make amends and make a prediction or two for 2025.
Locals earn All-State football honors
Six players from Sanders County were selected to the Montana High School 6-player all-state team during recent post-season meetings.
Local teams return to action after Christmas break
Silent Night and Auld Lang Syne are in the rear-view mirror.
Bobcats swamp Charlo on the road
Saturday evening in Charlo, the Superior Bobcats swamped the host Vikings 68-44 behind the scoring of their dynamic sophomore duo, Landon Richards and Gannon Quinlan.
Wresters in the mix a pair of big meets
Local wrestlers ventured into the world of big school Montana with mixed results this past weekend at the prestigious CMR Invitational in Great Falls, and a second wrestling invitational in Arlee.
Plains burns Hot Springs in Sanders County showdown
In what is often an overlooked Sanders County rivalry, it was a good night to be a local basketball fan.
Kvelve's Comments: Christmas break
‘Twas the middle of Christmas break,
Plains teams snare wins heading into Christmas break
It was the final “tune-up” of the year for the Plains Horsemen and Trotters, and they will go into the Christmas break with a pair of overwhelming victories under their belts.
Hot Springs heads into break on high note
The before-Christmas-break basketball games are in the books for Hot Springs and other local hoopsters.
Holiday sweep for Thompson Falls hoopers
It was a holiday sweep for the Thompson Falls boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at the expense of Class C Seeley-Swan this past Friday night in T Falls.
Superior boys get gritty win over Darby
With the season just a few games old, there are promising results emerging from the young, talented players on Superior High’s boys' and girls' teams.