Sports

Beavers set to make another state title run

Article Image Alt Text

The Dillon Beavers came up a little short a year ago from claiming their sixth state championship in coach Terry Thomas’ 16 year run, losing to Billilngs Central in the team’s ninth state title game in the Thomas era. The Beavers are 291-65 through those 16 years and look again like a team capable of hanging another state title banner at B.W. Lodge Gymnasium.

Lady Beavers will race up and down the court in 2021-22

Article Image Alt Text

Dillon Lady Beaver coach John Hansen enters his fourth season at the helm with a program suddenly rich in talent from the C squad to varsity. At the top, 12 players return from a roster that missed the state tourney by just a single win.

UMW alum

Article Image Alt Text

Ruger Piva of Challis, Idaho, placed fourth in the first round of the bull riding at the PRCA National Finals Rodeo at Las Vegas. Piva competed in both wrestling and rodeo at the University of Montana Western, winning a national mat title as a freshman and advancing to the College National Finals in both 2016 and 2017. Piva is pictured aboard Rico Suave, his first round bull last week. Piva scored an 86.5 and placed fourth in the round, good for $9,144. The rodeo concludes Saturday with the tenth and final round of action. Jackie Jensen photo

Lady Dawgs split opening league weekend

Article Image Alt Text

The opening plays proved potent portends for the two opening games of the University of Montana Western women’s basketball team’s Frontier Conference season last week.

Lady Bulldogs start Frontier slate

Article Image Alt Text

The University of Montana Western women’s basketball team ascended from the canyon of its own conference to the league’s peak—and to the top of the entire NAIA— during the past decade under Head Coach Lindsey Woolley.

Ranked no. 24 in the first NAIA Women’s Basketball Poll of this season, the Lady Bulldogs look well-equipped to keep their crampons latched onto the upper elevations of the Frontier Conference and NAIA for the foreseeable future.

Bulldogs head into Frontier this week

Article Image Alt Text

A young, smart and highly motivated coach, Mike Larsen got brought to Dillon three and a half years ago to start an almost complete renovation of the University of Montana Western’s men’s basketball program.

“My first season here, we were getting beat by 30 points a game; last year that was down to five,” said Larsen, whose Bulldogs last season also managed to win a half-dozen league games, just one shy of their win total for their previous two Frontier Conference campaigns.

Montana Western Bulldogs load up All-Conference football teams

Article Image Alt Text

Two days before digging into the biggest traditional meal of the year, 11 University of Montana Western football players gained just desserts for their excellent efforts during their 2021 season.

UMW quarterback Jon Jund won the Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Year award and a spot on the all-league first team, where he was joined by Bulldog teammates Latrell McCutcheon, Joe Caciedo, Noah Danielson, Trey Mounts, Reese Neville and Nate Simkins.

All-Southern C 8-player football

All-Southern C 8-Player Football Offense

Quarterback: 1st – Jake Gauthier, Park City, Sr. 2nd – Hayden Ward, Joliet, Sr.

Running Back: 1st – Kaiden Batzler, Sheridan, Sr. Rye Brastrup, Joliet Sr., Stockton Zimdars, Park City, Jr. Jacob Johnson, Ennis, Sr.

2nd – Connor Nye, Twin Bridges, Jr. Wyatt Hamilton, Park City, Jr.

Center: 1st – John Wetmore, Park City, Sr. 2nd – Reid Johnson, Twin Bridges, Jr.

All-District 12C volleyball

All-District 12C Volleyball

All-State/1st Team All-Conference

Kiersten Van Kirk, sr., OH, Manhattan Christian. Cabry Taylor, sr., OH, White Sulphur Springs. Katelyn Van Kirk, so., OH, Manhattan Christian. Jaeli Jenkins, jr., OH, Shields Valley. Shelbey Klein, sr., OH, Ennis. Callie Kaiser, jr., OH, Twin Bridges. Ellie Reinertson, fr., S, Gardiner. Maddie Cone, jr., OH, Lone Peak. Tyler DeFord, jr., S, Shields Valley. Daisy Fisher, sr., MB, White Sulphur Springs. Ava Bellach, jr., OH, Manhattan Christian.

Second Team All-Conference

Dillon places four on honors VB team

Article Image Alt Text

Four Dillon Lady Beavers were named to the Southwestern A All-Conference team in a vote of coaches last week. The Dillon honorees, played key roles in their team’s fourth place finish at the Montana Class A state tournament and their 26-15-4 final record.