Page 64 - Flathead Beacon // 9.28.16

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BY DILLON TABISH
MONTANA SIDELINES
A ROUNDUP OF LOCAL SPORTS NEWS
White sh Girls Capture Western A Golf Title
The defending state champs are peak- ing at the right time as the high school golf season winds down. The White sh girls, who won last year’s state champion- ship, captured the Western A divisional title in Hamilton last weekend. Gracie Young placed third, shooting 94. Holly Hileman was sixth, 101. Hayley Hileman tied for 10th, 106, and Megan Archibald was 12th, 108. Polson placed third as a team.
On the boys side, Hamilton won the divisional title and Polson was second, led by third-place Carson McDaniel, who shot 78. White sh was fourth, led by 12th-place Brendan Buls. Columbia Falls’ LJ Panasuk also tied for 12th.
The Class A state golf tournament is Oct. 1-2 in Hamilton. The Class AA state tournament is Sept. 29-30 in Billings at Lake Hills.
Flathead Wrestling Coach Vasquez Resigns Amid Health Issues
Rich Vasquez has resigned as head coach of the Flathead High School wres- tling program amid health issues.
Vasquez, who took over the storied pro- gram three years ago and rebuilt it into a state contender, informed school o cials of his decision on Sept. 21. Vasquez has a seizure disorder and experienced sev- eral severe ts in recent months. After visiting a neurologist, Vasquez said he decided to reduce his workload to prop- erly address the medical condition and take more time for himself and his family.
“It really came down to too much stress and that I needed to make some changes,” he said. “Talking with the doc- tor was a real eye opener. I don’t want the (team) to feel like I left them behind. I feel terrible in that way. But I need to take care of this.”
Vasquez was cited for a DUI in August but has pleaded not guilty. He denies the allegation, which he said stemmed from a seizure he experienced while traveling in a vehicle with his wife. Vasquez said his vehicle was parked on the side of the road when o cers arrived. He had lost con- sciousness during the seizure and his lack of awareness at the time led o cers to believe he had been drinking, according to Vasquez. He informed school adminis- trators of the incident the following day.
“That situation had absolutely no bearing on my decision (to resign as wres- tling coach) one way or another,” he said. “It will be set straight in court.”
Vasquez said he is con dent that he will be able to su ciently deal with the disorder. He hopes to still assist the high school program in a smaller role while continuing to lead the Kalispell
Wrestling Club, a youth program he has managed for over 10 years.
“I’m honored to have coached at Flat- head. I’m proud of what my sta and I did in three years, and now they’re poised to be the No. 1 team,” he said. “We’ve done some great things and I appreciate all the support from the administration, the school and the families. I love being part of the Flathead family. And I’ll still be around and help out where I can.”
A search is underway for a new head coach as the season approaches, with practices beginning in November.
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
Bigfork 35, Thompson Falls 20
Matt Farrier rushed for three touch- downs to lead the Vikings past the Blue Hawks on homecoming night and improve to 5-0.
Farrier scored on runs of 1, 3 and 20 yards. Quarterback Augie Emslie threw for a pair of TDs, connecting with Logan Taylor on a 19-yard pass and Anders Epperly for 29 yards.
Bigfork hosts Malta on Friday at 7 p.m.
Polson 33, Frenchtown 0
Tanner Wilson rushed for four touch- downs and passed for another to lead the Pirates to a Northwestern A conference victory over the Broncs.
Wilson connected on a 36-yard TD pass with Matthew Rensvold. He also rushed in scores of 1, 4, 9 and 48 yards.
Polson (3-1) hosts White sh (2-3) on Friday for homecoming. Kicko is at 7 p.m.
Bozeman 24, Flathead 7
The Hawks stymied the Braves’ home- coming festivities. Bozeman’s defense limited Flathead to one touchdown, a 6-yard run by Jonathan Baker.
Flathead quarterback Bridger John- son rushed for 84 yards and threw for another 157, completing 16-of-25 passes. James Flannigan had six catches for 67 yards and Eric Reyna had 16 rushes for 68 yards along with 26 yards receiving.
The Braves (1-4) are o this week because of a forfeit by Missoula Hellgate before hitting the road to Butte on Oct. 7.
Corvallis 23, White sh 17
No stats were available.
Glacier at Missoula Sentinel
The Wolfpack (5-0) were o last week because of a forfeit by Missoula Hellgate and travel to Missoula to play the Spar- tans (3-2) on Friday.
Columbia Falls Hosts Dillon
After a bye week, the Wildcats (4-0) host Dillon (4-0) in a matchup between two of the best teams in the state on Friday night. It’s homecoming week in Columbia Falls and kicko is at 7 p.m.
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SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM