The PCN's Top Sports Stories of 2023

Malta Public Schools Welcomes Norby as New Activities Director

PCN Issue: August 23, 2023.

Malta Public Schools has hired Jake Norby as their new Activities Director for Malta High School and Malta Middle School.

"It really is like a dream job to me," Norby told the PCN. "I always saw myself as an A.D. I didn't know at what point I would get there."

Norby, who will also serve as a Physical Education teacher and the MHS Strength and Conditioning Coach, was born in Kalispell to Scott and Kristi Norby, and raised in Chinook after his family moved to Sugarbeeter country during his third-grade school year.

Most recently, Norby worked in the Cut Bank School District as the Health and Physical Education Teacher.

He replaces longtime Strength and Conditioning Coach Patrick Sargent, who worked at Malta High School for 30 years. He also replaces Desiree Egger who was the MHS and MMS Activities Director in the 2022-23 year.

At Chinook High School, Norby thrived as a student-athlete in wrestling, football, and golf.

"I have been extremely active in sports and participated in sports and my whole life has revolved around sports," Norby said. "I had some really good experiences along the way. Chinook had saw quite a bit of success while I was going through."

He said that he looked up to the upperclassmen at CHS and he admired the culture that was there.

"I dedicated everything that I had to it and it paid off," Norby said. "We had quite a bit of success. We won three state championships (two in wrestling and one in 8-Man Football)."

In wrestling, Norby was a two-time All-State selection during his junior and senior seasons. Individually, he placed fourth in the 145 class at the State B/C Tournament in his junior season, and third in the 152 class at state in his senior year.

As a team, led by Head Coach Perry Miller, the Chinook Wrestling team was second at state in Class C in 2013 and 2014 and first in Class C in 2015 and 2016.

--------------------------------

Seniors Finish Strong at State: Gibbs Wins 205 Title, Mears Third at 182

PCN Issue: February 15, 2023.

Last Saturday, February 11, the Malta (Malta/Whitewater) Wrestling team welcomed senior Spencer Gibbs as its first State Wrestling Champion since 2007 (that group included Tel Colborn at 130, Michael French at 171, and Chance Demarais at 215).

Gibbs (52-4) won the 2023 Class B 205 Weight Class Title by a 3-2 decision over Whitehall's Leo Scafani (37-6).

"He was fast and got in on a couple of leg attacks, one of them we went out of bounds," Gibbs said.

Gibbs scored on a takedown in the first two minute period, putting him up 2-0 with 48 seconds left. Spencer released Scafani with 30 seconds left and the period ended with a score of 2-1 in Gibbs' favor.

"That first round saved my bacon in the end," Gibbs said.

Gibbs won the initial coin toss after the first period but deferred to Scafani, who took the down position to start the second period. Scafani scored a point on an escape with 1:30 remaining in the second period, tying things up 2-2.

Gibbs' final point came in the third period after choosing the down position and escaping with 1:32 remaining in the third period.

"I had to stand up right away, and not let him get an arm to keep," Gibbs said.

Both wrestlers attempted takedowns, in the third, which included a few aggressive attempts by Gibbs with thirty seconds remaining, but neither wrestler scored, and Gibbs held on to win 3-2.

"And here's your state champion from Malta, Spencer Gibbs!" said the event's announcer.

Malta senior Camryn "Reggie" Mears also made history for Malta, becoming the sixth wrestler in Malta's history to be a four time state placer (that list includes, Wayne French, Michael French, Tyler French, Brad Walsh, and Trey Simanton.) Mears took third in the 182 class by defeating Fort Benton's Nathan Dunham by pin fall at 2:59.

Malta scored a total of 52 points and placed thirteenth as a team between their four wrestlers at state, who included sophomore Kohner (Chaka) Schipman wrestling at 132 and junior Colton Mears, who wrestled at 170.

Huntley Project won the B/C Tournament with 201 points. Three Forks was second with 154.5 points, Lincoln County was third with 122 points, Jefferson was fourth with 101 points, and Cut Bank was fifth with 95 points.

To reach the finals, Gibbs pinned Cut Bank's Jabob Hjartarson at 1:14 in the opening round, then had a 3-0 decision over Colyn Johnson of Lincoln County in the quarterfinals and a 9-2 decision over Lincoln County's Wes Banks in the semifinals. Gibbs scored a total of 24 points.

Gibbs is the first champion under Head Coach Jake French.

---------------------------

Former NBA Player Josh Huestis Holds Clinic in Malta

PCN Issue: August 16, 2023.

Over 50 youths gained knowledge from Montana basketball legend and NBA player Josh Huestis on Tuesday, August 1, and Wednesday, August 2, at Malta's Old Gym.

"The turnout was amazing," Huestis told the PCN. "I have always known that Malta lives and breathes basketball but this is awesome to see firsthand."

Huestis, a Charles M. Russell High School Graduate in 2010, went on to play basketball collegiately at Stanford. He was a first- round pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014 and played professionally until 2022.

Growing up in Great Falls, and having family on the Hi-Line near Havre, Huestis is very familiar with Malta basketball.

"Of course. Everybody knows about Malta basketball," Huestis said. "Malta is a basketball hotbed. I've got family from the Hi-Line near Havre, so I have spent time on the Hi-Line and the Hi-Line as a whole loves basketball. They are obsessed."

Driving straight from his current hometown, Bozeman, Huestis didn't see much of Malta, but he did hit up Malta Dairy Queen prior to the clinic.

"Small town Montana, I love it," he said. "I spent a lot of time in small towns. I have been to places like this. I love it and I think that this is where basketball is so pure. We are in an old gym, literally Old Gym with no air conditioning, doors open, flies buzzing around. This is basketball at its purest form. This is fun."

Thirty minutes before the clinic began during the boys segments and girls segments, those attending were at the gym, getting shots up. This caught Huestis' attention.

"It speaks for itself," he said. "When I am here 30 minutes early and there are already kids here getting work in and getting a sweat up, that says something. These kids want it. There is a lot of talent here and beyond that, even if there wasn't talent, if you can get a group in here that just plays hard, you are going to win games.

"They clearly love it," he continued. "They clearly want to be here and work hard. It is not required of them to be here today. It's August 1, it's hot outside, some of them have football or whatever commitments they have, but they are all here because they want to get better and that just speaks to the culture and what's going on here in Malta; specifically with basketball."

----------------------------

Open Rodeo Held at Saco Fun Days

PCN Issue: September 6, 2023.

The County Line Arena hosted the 2023 Saco Fun Days Open Rodeo last Saturday, September 2.

The stock and the event was provided by Vaira Rodeo. The Announcer was Myron Malnaa, Clown was Rob Matteson, Bullfighters were Ty Murphy and Wrangler Jones, and the Pick-Up Men were Ted Brown and Ken Salveson.

Peyton Mullanix of Miles City is a part of the Montana State University Northern Rodeo team and she won the breakaway event with a time of 2.0 seconds.

"We have been practicing a lot so I have been on my game," Mullanix said.

She graduated from Miles City High in 2020 and her fastest time in breakaway is 1.6 seconds.

"It was a really good turnout," Mullanix said. "We could've gone without the wind but it was a beautiful day for a rodeo. Big thanks for the community that put it on and all the fans that came out to support. It was a good day."

Mullanix was riding her backup horse because her "good horse" was hurt.

"He came out and he did his job today," Mullanix said. "I think I might have to give him a try for college next weekend. He is a good one and he is about as good as they come."

Jill Marcenko of Havre was second in Breakaway with a time of 2.16 seconds.

Marshall Sengar, a member of the Miles City Community College Rodeo team, is from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. He won the bull riding event with the event's highest score of 74 points.-

---------------------------

Whitewater's LaBrie, Saco's Downing Win Titles at State Meet

PCN Issue: May 31, 2023,

The Saco track teams and Whitewater Track Teams saw success despite the numbers not being in their favor this past weekend at the State C Track and Field meet in Laurel.

The three day event that started on Thursday, May 25, and concluded on Saturday, May 27, featured the State A and State C Meet.

The meet ended up being a record breaking event for Whitewater students, as each one put their names in the school record books in all but one event that they competed in. Every time or mark was a new personal best.

"We had six events and everybody PR'd," Whitewater Head Coach Charlene Wasson said. "Honestly, these kids that we have are just competitive, they are focused, they know what they want to do, and that's just really nice when you can have that."

Led by sophomore Shelbi LaBrie, who earned the 2023 State C Girls 1600 title with a personal best of 5:15.36, Whitewater put up a total of 30 points, which was good enough for seventh. The time also improved her school record that she had set a few times this season.

"She had an awesome state track meet," Coach Wasson said. "She didn't feel like she was finished on Friday after taking second in the 3200 and fourth in the 800."

She had only run the 800 twice before state.

She also took second place in the 3200 with a personal best of 11:30.60, another improvement on her school record.

She set a new school record of 2:19.63 in the 800 and took fourth place. The previous record in the girls 800 was set by Kourtney Simonson in 2015.

"It's a pretty amazing weekend for her to be a sophomore and get on the stand three times in all of her events," Coach Wasson said.

It is Wasson's second individual champion that she has coached. Trace Simonson won the boys discus title in 2018.

Saco's Blaine Downing won the State C boys pole vault event by clearing 13-6 despite not being able to practice all week due to an injury he had received from ranching.

"We just kind of kept him safe so that he could compete," Saco Head Coach Barry Malone said. "He had a couple of ribs that were out of place from branding but he competed pretty hard and was able to pull it off."

Coach Malone was unable to be on the field during the pole vault, as all coaches are, but he remembers seeing Downing after he won the event.

"When I met him at the gate, he had the biggest smile on his face, and I called him Champ!" Coach Malone said.

--------------------------

Lady Mavericks Win 2023 State C Championship! A Perfect 26-0 Season!

PCN Issue: March 15, 2023

For the first time in the co-op's history, the North Country Lady Mavericks, consisting of basketball players from Saco, Whitewater, Hinsdale, have won the State C Girls Championship!

The North Country Lady Mavericks defeated the Twin Bridges Lady Falcons 59-26 on Saturday, March 11, at the 2023 State C Tournament held at First Interstate Arena in Billings. The win topped off a perfect 26-0 season.

"I am extremely proud of how the girls played," Lady Mavericks Head Coach Amber Erickson told the PCN. "We got to the state tournament and they seemed very relaxed, very confident. They came out and got into a good focus and flow early on and I think we played our best basketball in the state tournament, which is exactly what you want to see out of your team."

It is also the second title for Coach Erickson, who led the Saco-Whitewater Panthers to a title in 2011.

"I think about all of the teams that I have taken to state," Coach Erickson said. "And each team is special and each team has had team members and things that they do that make them unique. I would say what stands out to me about this team is that they have played together for a lot of years since they were very young. They have great chemistry on the floor and they are very unselfish. They flow and move together really well. There was no drama with them at all. They just get along, respect each other, and have a lot of fun."

She said that they knew they needed to get after it, but it is crucial to have fun.

"If it's not fun, then it is stressful, and it should be fun," Coach Erickson said. "This group really embraced that and had a great time. Some of those games, you don't want them to end because you are having so much fun."

The Lady Mavericks did not give up more than 26 points in any game at the 2023 State C Tournament. They reached the State C Championship by defeating the Chinook Sugarbeeters 65-25 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 8, and the Manhattan Christian Lady Eagles 52-25 in the semifinals on Thursday, March 9.

In the State C Girls Championship game, juniors Teagan Erickson and Paige Wasson led the Mavericks with 19 points each. Erickson had 11 rebounds, which gave her a double-double. Erickson also had three assists and two blocks. Erickson was 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Wasson also had eight steals, six rebounds, and three assists. Wasson was 8-of-12 from the field and made 2-of-3 of their three-point attempts.

Coach Erickson was asked about the performance of Wasson and T. Erickson.

"I just think that they are two of the toughest player in the state, regardless of classification," Coach Erickson said. "They are pretty special players in the respect that they are so versatile. They've got some length, height, but they are also fundamentally sound and versatile as far as where you can put them on the floor. They are great scorers. They defend well, rebound well, and they have a high basketball I.Q. and can pass the ball as well."

-------------------

Mustangs Second at State B Tourney

PCN Issue: March 15, 2023

The Malta Mustangs basketball team began and finished their 2022-23 campaign against the Loyola Sacred Heart Rams.

The last of the two meetings was a 65-55 loss to the Rams in the 2023 State B Title game last Saturday, March 11, at Montana Expopark in Great Falls.

Despite compiling a 12-5 regular season record, the Mustangs went on to earn three trophies in the 2023 postseason, a second place finish in the 2B District Tournament, a first place finish in the Northern B Divisional Tournament and a second place finish at the 2023 State B Tournament.

After the conclusion of the tournament, three Mustangs were named to the 2023 District 2B All-Conference team, including senior Jared Eggebrecht who was the lone All-State and First Team selection, sophomore Bohdi Brenden who was a First Team Selection, and Treyton Wilke who was a Second Team selection.

To reach the State B Championship, the Mustangs defeated the Lame Deer Morning Stars 68-49 in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 9, and then the Bigfork Vikings 47-41 in the semi-finals on Friday, March 10.

The Mustangs started off the 2023 State B Championship game with a 10-0 run over LSH. But the Rams would fight back and lead by as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Malta was led offensively by Eggebrecht and Wilke who each had 14 points. Eggebrecht was 5-of-8 shooting from the field, and also had eight rebounds, two assists and made 3-of-4 free throw attempts. Wilke was 4-of-9 from three point range, had three assists, had two steals and made both of his free throw attempts.

Brenden had 10 points, six steals, six assists, and four rebounds.

Sophomore Stockton Oxarart had nine points and two steals. Oxarart had returned from a high ankle sprain that he sustained after a Bigfork player drew a charge one night prior.

Senior Eli Hanson had three points, two rebounds, and was 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Freshman Dawson Hammond had three points and two rebounds. Sophomore Mason Simanton had two points.

LSH was led by Reynolds Johnston who had 22 points and six rebounds. His 11-0 run in the third quarter helped propel the Rams to victory.

--------------------------

Mavericks Earn Third at State

PCN Issue: March 15, 2023

For the second year in a row, the North Country Mavericks Volleyball team were able to bring home Class C's third place trophy from the All-Class Volleyball Tournament in Bozeman, doing much of the heavy lifting.

Coach Charlene Wasson said that earning third place in volleyball is a little different than any other sport because earning third in the sport means you lost the match.

"It is still amazing," Coach Wasson said. "We're third out of over 100 teams in Class C."

The Mavericks faced all four Class C Divisional Champions at state and went 2-2.

North Country started off with a 3-2 win over the Belt Huskies, the Northern C Champions in the opening round last Thursday, November 9. Later that night, the Mavericks then took down the Bridger-Belfry Scouts, the Southern C champions, the score was 3-0.

On Friday, November 10, the Mavericks lost 0-3 to the Manhattan Christian Eagles in the semi-finals Friday evening. The Eagles went on to win their fourth state title in five years by defeating the Broadus (Powder River County) Bulldogs 3-0.

Broadus, the Eastern C reached the title game at the expense of the Mavericks, and fell 1-3 in the third place match, on the morning of Saturday, November 11.

In North Country's win over Belt, the scores were 25-22, 25-21, 24-26, 24-26, and 16-14.

The Mavericks were close to ending the game in the third set but Belt made some changes to their lineup which changed the momentum.

"I was contemplating (countering) in the third set," Coach Wasson said. "But I decided to go with what we had."

Rather than changing her lineup to match up with Belt's changes, Coach Wasson stayed with the lineup that she had, continuing to attack from the left side.

Teagan Erickson, who officially signed to play basketball for the MSU Bobcat Women's Basketball team last week, led the Mavericks with 29 kills, 17 digs, and three blocks.

Paige Wasson had 20 kills, 22 digs, and eight assists. Kennedy Simonson had 40 assists and 12 digs.

Though Erickson and P. Wasson attacked well on the outside, the middle struggled due to Belt's change in their lineup.

"We just needed a little more from our middle hitters," Coach Wasson said. "They didn't have to switch much on defense, so we have to make sure that we distribute the ball a little better, so that we are catching the back row defense off guard a little better."