Page 27 - Flathead Beacon // 5.20.2015

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NEWS
MAY 20, 2015 | 27
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MONTANA SIDELINES
GLACIER SOFTBALL ENTERS STATE TOURNAMENT AS NO. 1 SEED FROM WEST
The Glacier softball team (18-3) clinched the Western AA title and earned an automatic bid to the Class AA state tournament in Missoula, May 21- 23.
The Wolfpack will play Great Falls at 2 p.m., May 21.
Macey Newbary and the Big Sky Eagles overpowered the Flathead Bra- vettes in a best-of-three playoff series last week.
Newbary hit a pair of homeruns and had four RBI on the day as Big Sky de- feated Flathead 6-1 and 4-2 to end the Bravettes’ season.
Kylee Meredith led Flathead (2-19) with three hits on the day. Kaycee Smith had two RBI in the second game.
In Class A, Frenchtown (20-2), Pol- son (16-7) and Libby (17-5) qualified for the state tournament in Anaconda, May 21-23.
LACEY NAMED BOYS SOCCER COACH AT WHITEFISH HIGH SCHOOL
John Lacey has been named the new head coach of the boys soccer team at Whitefish High School, pending school board approval.
Activities Director Aric Harris an- nounced last week that Lacey would re- place O’Brien Byrd, who stepped down after 12 successful seasons to coach at his alma mater, Columbia Falls.
Lacey is active in the youth soccer programs in Whitefish. He served as an assistant high school coach for the girls program in 1999 and an assistant with the boys program from 2000-2002. He has also been an MOA soccer referee and serves on the Board of Directors for the Flathead Rapids.
Lacey takes over one of the most dominating soccer programs in the state over the last decade. In 12 seasons under Byrd, the Bulldogs were 121-32-15 with four Class A state titles (2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012).
BIGFORK BOYS TAKE SECOND AT STATE TENNIS
A pair of standout doubles teams led the Bigfork Vikings to a runner-up fin- ish at the Class B-C state tournament in Great Falls last weekend.
Adam Jordt and Isaac Martel claimed second in the doubles champi- onship. Ben Russell and George Gibson earned third.
The Vikes tallied 29 points. Missoula Loyola won the team title with 71 points. Troy placed third with 26 points.
GLACIER’S BLALACK EARNS SECOND AT STATE TENNIS, WOLFPACK THIRD
Senior Hunter Blalack helped the Glacier Wolfpack boys tennis team earn third place at the Class AA state tennis tournament in Helena last weekend.
Blalack placed second in the state singles bracket. Helena’s Layne Ryser- son won the title, 6-3, 6-2.
Glacier narrowly edged Helena for third place, tallying 15 points to Helena’s 13. Bozeman edged the Wolfpack for sec- ond with 16 points. Billings West won the team trophy with 19 points.
The Class A state tennis tournament is May 21-22 in Missoula.
INDEPENDENT BASEBALL TEAM OPENS FIRST SEASON IN WHITEFISH
The Glacier Outlaws will take the field in Whitefish for Opening Day of the Mount Rainier Professional Baseball League this week.
The Outlaws, formerly called the Grizzlies, are in their first season as an adult baseball program. The team joins the Grays Harbor Gulls, Ellensburg Bulls, Skagit Valley Lumberjacks, Moses Lake Rattlesnakes and Oregon City Mud Turtles in the MRPBL.
The team will play its home games at Memorial Stadium.
On May 21, the Outlaws will open the season at home against Skagit Valley. Game time is 6:05 p.m. The team will play four consecutive home games.
The MRPBL is not affiliated with Ma- jor League Baseball or its minor league teams. Players are generally college- aged or older and receive weekly salaries throughout the season. Teams play 68- game schedules between late May and early August.
MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
MONTANA LOOKS AT TRAPPING RESTRICTIONS NEAR PARKS
Montana wildlife officials are con- sidering stricter regulations in an effort to reduce the chances of Canada lynx be- ing caught in traps set for other animals outside Glacier and Yellowstone nation- al parks.
The plan presented to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thurs- day is part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit filed in 2013 by three envi- ronmental groups over trapping in the threatenedspecies’habitat.
Several of the settlement’s statewide restrictions are already in place, but ad- ditional changes are needed in special zones near Yellowstone National Park and a wider area outside Glacier Nation- al Park in northwestern Montana.
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