A lot of fall sports attention is spent on the football field (see next week’s football preview), but four other sports have kicked off their seasons in the last week, each with talented athletes, strong team legacies and high expectations for the year.
Behind the Whitefish Bulldogs’ four-year winning streak, the Flathead Valley boasts some of the strongest soccer teams in the state and seem poised to continue that tradition this fall. Several local distance runners will be eyeing podium finishes at the state meet in October and the valley’s golf teams have come out swinging hard. In addition, a new sport, flag football, will be taking the field for an abbreviated inaugural season. Here’s a look at some storylines to pay attention to this fall.
SOCCER
The Whitefish boys haven’t lost a soccer match since 2017, making them de facto favorites to win the Class A state title for an unprecedented fifth straight year, cementing it as the state’s best soccer dynasty.
The Bulldogs lost 10 seniors —five of whom were all-state honorees —including Gabe Menicke who scored a state-leading 27 goals last season. Junior Collin Lyman scored eight goals last year and will look to fill the void left by Menicke. Sophomore Preston McPherson and junior Charlie Hyatt will join Lyman to lead the Bulldogs on the field, while Ethan Schott will take over as goalkeeper, replacing Will Peppmeier, whose last second save gave the Bulldogs their state title last year.
In keeping with coach John Lacey’s strategy of playing deep in his lineup, the roster features 21 underclassman who will be on hand to watch the program’s success and fuel its future runs.
As the ultimate rival team, Columbia Falls faced the Bulldogs in the last two state finals and returns 10 of 11 starters. The talented squad will be led by Kai Golan — the state’s leading returning scorer —along with Finley Sundberg, Dale Blickhan, and Ethan Austin. Golan, Blickhan and Sundberg landed 46 goals and 44 assists among them and the Wildcats will be hoping to return to the state final.
On the girls side, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Bigfork are looking to build off their state tournament appearances in 2021, where Whitefish and Bigfork fell in their respective semifinal matches.
Whitefish will be led by juniors Olivia Genovese and Isabelle Cooke, both returning all-conference selections, backed up by several talented sophomore forwards. Columbia Falls loses top offensive player Maddie Robison but will have junior Hope McAtee leading the Wildkats. McAtee is one of the state’s all-time leaders in assists. The Bigfork trio of Scout Nadeau, Danika Bucklin and Braeden Gunlock will keep the Valkyries in the mix.
Just two seasons removed of the program’s first state championship, the Glacier girls team is looking to hit its stride under second-year head coach Damien Blackburn.
The Wolfpack returns four all-conference players including junior Reagan Brisendine, who led the team with 12 goals last year. Calista Wroble and Emmery Schmidt will provide help on offense as the Wolfpack looks to return to the state final.
On the boys side, the Wolfpack hopes to match, if not exceed, last year’s success, which culminated in a state final appearance against six-time state champion Hellgate. The Wolfpack agonizingly left the field with a 1-0 defeat after a game that almost ended in a shootout. The team graduated 11 seniors, but coach Ryan Billiet won’t call this a rebuilding year. Talented seniors, including Harrison Sanders, Davis Rennie and junior Hunter Lisowski, will keep the traditions strong.
Over at Flathead, both the Braves and Bravettes will be breaking in new head coaches. Alejandro Calderon will take over as head boys coach after spending five years as the junior varsity coach. Meanwhile, Zach Brenneman is shifting his focus to the varsity girls squad following the resignation of Bledy Doda this spring.
The Braves ended last season 1-13-0, and only have an upward trajectory in mind while the Bravettes 3-9-2 record also has room to improve. The Bravettes will benefit from a strong contingent of upperclassman who will hold the squad’s continuity together through the transition.
GOLF
The first sport to start competition each fall is golf, with class AA kicking off the season with the two invitationals already completed. The Glacier boys were the victors of the Great Falls Invite led by junior Tyler Avery who shot one of the best runner-up performances in Montana history with rounds of 69-68 to fall by just two strokes. Avery has finished top 10 in his previous state appearances. The Glacier girls also had a second-place finish by Chloe Tanner (79-80), who finished fifth in the state last year.
After two runner-up finishes, senior Billy Smith from Whitefish is seeking his own individual title this year. Whitefish won the team title in 2020 and was second last year and will also return senior Johnny Nix (9th).
CROSS COUNTRY
The Flathead Bravettes enter the cross country season with a strong squad that will be a threat to the Class AA podium. The varsity team only graduated one senior from last year and a strong crew of underclassman are chomping at the bit to prove themselves. Junior Lilli Rumsey Eash, fourth last year, is the top returner in the state and has a path to the individual title. Rumsey Eash finished 42 seconds clear of the next runner at last October’s state meet, giving her a bit of a buffer to hold of any newcomers to the cross county scene. Behind her, Madelaine Jellison (14th), Josie Wilson (26th), and Afton Write (48) will be strong contenders to bring down the Bravettes team score. Flathead’s boys team returns just two varsity members, Bauer Hollman (37) and Reilly Johnson (38).
Across town, both Wolfpack squads will be fielding young squads. Third-year head coach Cody Moore has expressed his confidence that the teams are the strongest he’s worked with so far. The girls team will feature several track athletes running their first cross country season, including sophomores Alyssa Vollertsen and Carmen Eddy. Anna Tretter, another sophomore, will round out the Wolfpack’s front pack.
In Class A, Columbia Falls is coming off the program’s first team title on the girls’ side and returning a strong squad. Individual state champion Hannah Sempf graduated, but Siri Erickson will be on hand to provide the Wildkats’ low stick. Behind her, Courtney Hoerner (18th), Marissa Schaeffer (32nd) and Ally Sempf (62nd) will try to hold off a Corvallis team that returns all scorers from last year’s runner-up team.
In Class A boys, Whitefish’s Mason Genovese will be the second fastest returner this year after finishing 6th at state last fall but will be challenged by junior teammate Deneb Linton who didn’t compete in the state meet but was the Bulldog’s No. 1 runner all season. That 1-2 punch might be enough to get the Bulldogs on the podium, especially as last year’s top teams lose many of their scoring runners.
In Class B, Bigfork’s second-year coach Ryan Nollan will see if his small roster of athletes can repeat as state champions. Junior Jack Jensen will aim to win the individual title after finishing third last year behind two seniors.
VOLLEYBALL
The all-volleyball tournament action will once again return to Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University this fall.
Glacier High School’s new head volleyball coach Courtney Baker is aiming to keep the Wolfpack on an upwards trajectory after missing the state tournament in 2019. Last season, the Wolfpack lost a first-round match to eventual runner up Billings West. The Wolfpack returns three all-conference players including all state honoree Maddie Frazier players.
Across town, the Flathead Bravettes haven’t reached the state podium since 2012, but third year coach Emily Russell is hungry for a trophy after being a member of the 2012 runner-up team and is making great strides with the program. In 2021, the Bravettes were 14-10, making a Class AA state tournament appearance. All conference seniors Akilah Kubi and Cyan Moody will bring leadership to the team.
In Class A, Columbia Falls will be looking to bounce back from an off year in 2021 where the Wildkats failed to make the state tournament. The Wildkats are just six years removed from back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and lost a close state title match to Billings Central in 2020. Last year Whitefish was 2-8 in conference play and missed a state tournament berth for the third straight year and graduated six seniors.
FLAG FOOTBALL
In spring 2021, the Montana High School Association announced a pilot program for girls flag football. The inaugural season will consist of three teams and run through Oct. 1 with a championship tournament in Missoula. Both Glacier and Flathead high schools will be fielding teams creating an immediate strong rivalry.