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Winter Sports

The drive toward the tournament begins in earnest over the next couple of weeks

By Jeff Epperly

The winter sports season is past its mid-point. The drive toward the tournament begins in earnest over the next couple of weeks. In fact, the state wrestling tournament is just a little less than three weeks away.

I have been impressed with the Braves wrestling program the past couple of years. Kudos needs to be given to former Coach Rich Vasquez and current Coach Jeff Thompson for providing an outstanding atmosphere in which to train and compete. As athletes, these Brave wrestlers have been given the best in coaching, and now they are becoming the best as their season has unfolded. As the rest of the state knows, they are very competitive at every weight class with several looking to bring home state titles. If they can remain healthy, they are positioned well to make a run at another team title in Billings in a few weeks. 

You have one more chance to see this outstanding squad Jan. 26, as they take on the Missoula Sentinel Spartans in one last home dual encounter. By the way, this is only the second home appearance for the Braves this season. I highly recommend seeing this Braves team wrestle. Check out Trae and Tilynne Vasquez, as well as Gash Gilder, Michel Lee, Tucker Nadau, Hunter Rush, Garret Reike, Payton Hume, and Cody Devall. They are aggressive and extremely quick, and as a result, they score a lot of individual points. They are a special group.

I know that you know there has been a change at the University of Montana and the Lady Griz basketball team. After 38 years at the helm, Robin Selvig stepped down this summer as head coach. One of his former players Shannon (Cate) Schweynn has taken over. What a rough start. They are 0-8 in league and 3-16 overall. This is unfamiliar territory for the Lady Griz program. I can’t remember the last time the Lady Griz were this bad, and that is going all the way back to the early 1980s. But injuries have decimated this season’s potential success. Preseason MVP pick Kayleigh Valley went down with a knee injury, and senior leader Alycia Sims also went down a few weeks later with a similar injury, ending both their seasons. Valley averaged 22 points and seven rebounds a game a year ago. And Sims was expected to be their second leading scorer.

The Lady Cats, on the other hand, recently won their 20th straight home game and are 6-2 in league, 13-5 overall. Coach Tricia Bader-Binford has a very solid and consistent program. There is stability in Lady Cat Land, along with some very good talent, and it is showing. Peyton Ferris has been their leader, averaging almost 18 points per game. Delaney Junkermier, the granddaughter of longtime Flathead High assistant coach Tracy Walsh, has also played well, giving the Lady Cats a consistent starting five that will compete for a Big Sky crown this year. By the way, the Cat-Griz rivalry resumes Feb. 4 in Missoula.

How about the Flathead and Glacier basketball teams with their recent road sweep of the Helena schools? I am not sure if that has ever happened. It must feel good for both teams because the Wolfpack and Braves were both picked to place near the bottom of the league, with both Helena schools picked ahead of them. Currently, Glacier is on top and the Braves are right there with them. The next month, however, will tell the story as both teams play the Missoula schools and then play each other in the 10th annual crosstown matchup on Thursday, Feb. 2.

And finally, the Super Bowl is set. It will be the Falcons and the Patriots in Houston for the Lombardi trophy. I know Houston was hoping it would be their Texans playing at home against the NFC winner, but Brock and the boys, along with the rest of the NFL, will have to wait until next year. It seems that the two best teams are in the final game. I am picking the Patriots to win in a high-scoring affair: Patriots 35, Falcons 31. Pick a team, pick a score and enjoy the game.