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2013-2014
WINTER SPORTS
December 2013
Stars will shine
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Desmond Parker, left, is part of a strong returning group of players at Rocky Boy. The Stars will be favored to win the District 1B this season.
Daniel Horton
Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com
It has been a few years since the Rocky Boy Stars have been a consistent force in the state ranks. But knocking on the door to a big season a year ago, the Stars will look to continue their growth in the Class B this year. But like so many teams have, the Stars will enter the season without a lot of familiar names. It is always hard to replace top tier talent, but
the Stars also return some very good basketball players. Senior Desmond Parker will highlight those who return for head coach Mike Morsette, but Elijah Gopher and Junior Day Child are also two very talented juniors who will help shoulder the load. Rocky Boys’ high-octane offensive style is typically difficult for teams to match, and that is what the Stars will rely on as they face a very tough District 1B. The Stars were favored last year
and entered the post season tournament as the No. 1 seed and went 2-0. But the Stars’ season came to a sudden end at the Northern B. If the Stars want to get back to the Northern B, as well as to the state tournament this year, they will first have to get past a very good 1B field. Conrad, Fairfield, Choteau, Cut Bank and Shelby will make for a very tough schedule. The Stars face Poplar and Box Elder to open the 2013-14 season at the NAC in Havre.
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Rocky Boy girls must reload George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Graduation can certainly hit a basketball team hard. And that was the case for the Rocky Boy girls basketball team last spring. After a 10-win season, and a solid showing in the rigorous District 1B, the Morning Stars had to say goodbye to some major contributors, leaving this season as a one in which Rocky Boy will need to reload. Head coach Raymond Parker’s Morning Stars will be without the services of All-Conference standouts Brandi Buffalo and Leah Onco, Rocky Boy’s top two scorers from a year ago. But the list of great players from last season doesn’t end there. Also gone is power forward Caitlin Gamble, Tristan Parisian and Leah Gopher. So the new-look Rocky Boy team will have to basically start over, and especially find new scorers on offense. Jai Lynn Day Child returns as Rocky Boy’s only starter from a year ago. She will be looked on to carry the scoring load for the Morning Stars after a strong sophomore season. Also back is senior Kylee Raining Bird and senior Paula Mitchell, and their leadership will be key. The only other returning varsity player from the Morning Stars’ roster a year ago is sophomore Jude The Boy. And with a young, and
5
2013-2014
Hawks are young, but still talented
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Rocky Boy's Jai Lynn Daychild is the only returning starter for what will be an inexperienced Morning Star team this season. much more inexperienced team, Rocky Boy will have its hands full in the 1B and beyond. The Morning Stars are in the same district as three-time defending state champion Fairfield, as well as upstarts Conrad, Choteau and Cut Bank, which means Rocky Boy plays in the strongest district of Class B basketball without questions. Rocky Boy’s non-conference schedule won’t make for any easy wins either. The Morning Stars face Harlem and Box Elder twice per season, and this year, they have added the Havre Blue Ponies
to their schedule. The Blue Ponies are one of the premier Class A squads in the state. So with a lot of new players, and with a brutal schedule, the 2013-14 season will be a learning experience in Rocky Boy. Still, the Morning Stars play a pressure style of basketball on both ends of the floor, and they will not be an easy out for any team they face. Rocky Boy opens its new season with two games at the Native American Classic this weekend at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre.
WINTER SPORTS
December 2013
The Chester/J-I Hawks are no strangers to success in girls basketball. And last season was a testament to that. But as a new season begins, the Hawks will have to reinvent themselves a little bit, in order to keep their District 10C crown. Head coach Pat Goldhahn’s squad went a sparkling 21-4 last season, winning both the 10C regular season and tournament championship. C/J-I then made a dramatic run to a third-place finish in the Northern C, including winning three straight overtime games. IN all, C/J-I has won 41 straight games in the District 10C, a winning streak that dates back to 2010. However, as magical as last season was, graduation also hit the Hawks pretty hard, and with only two seniors on the roster this season, C/J-I is heading into the new year as a young and inexperienced squad. “We are going to be a very young and inexperienced team heading into the 20132014 season,” Goldhahn said. “Our two seniors will be called upon for immediate contributions as well as their leadership. We knew our off-season was going to have to be very productive, especially trying to form some chemistry with such a young group.” C/J-I’s seniors are certainly capable of leading the way. All-Conference standout Denerey Haaland (5-7) and fellow All-Conference performer Haley Harmon (5-8) form a stellar back court. But after that, C/J-I’s lineup will be made up of sophomores and freshman, including Erin Wolfe and Madeline Woods, who both saw playing time
as freshman. Sophomore forward Payton Cole (5-11) will provide some size in the middle, while sophomore Kristina Dahinden also moves up to the varsity level. The Hawks also have some outstanding talent in their freshmen class, including guard Allix Goldhahn and Kylee Vinson, both of whom should contribute right away. Bailey Lesiak and Jeraca Temple could also see time in their freshmen season as well. But being young and inexperienced means the season may have some speed bumps, but C/J-I still has the 10C title until someone takes it away. And with Haaland and Harmon leading a young and athletic group, by season’s end, don’t be surprised to see the Hawks right where they’ve always been. Goldhahn said that SimmsAugusta is the definite front
runner in the 10C this year, while Dutton-Brady and Valier will also be strong again, and Power could be the surprise team in the league this season. But he also knows that the season is a marathon, and he hopes to have his Hawks playing their best basketball come tournament time. “We were able to get about 25 games in through team camps, tournaments and other scheduled games, so we basically got to play another season with this group,” Goldhahn said. “I look forward to seeing the improvement we will make each and every game, and we will just have to keep in mind that February is when we want to be playing our best basketball.” C/J-I opens its season at home with two games at the Chester/J-I Preseason Tournament.
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Chester/J-I's Denerey Haaland is one of two returning AllConference players for the Hawks, who bring a 41-game, District 10C winning streak into the new season.
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C/J-I boys look to contend Daniel Horton
Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com As the fourth-place team in the District 10C a year ago, the Chester-J-I boys basketball team is hoping to continue moving up. This year the Hawks are under the guidance of firstyear head coach Spencer Fartorie, but return the talent to stay in the mix. The Hawks missed out on a trip to the Northern C last season and did lose Mike Henke, Jordan Oraw, and Dustin Romain, but still house plenty of talent. “We have a solid team this year especially with all of the returning talent that we’ve got,” Fartorie said. “And it is great to have all of these seniors because we have a team with a lot of great leadership. And we need that leadership, and we need to buy into a team mentality and I think that will help us out a lot into getting deep into the post season.” Dell Harmon, Tim Stokes, and Steven May are three very talented seniors, but that is just the tip of the iceberg for the Hawks. Seniors Clayton Moore, Cody Ramberg, Kasey Kinyon, Sion Norick, and Mathew Woods also return for a final season of action, and should propel the Hawks into a nice season. Mixed in with the seniors are Justin May, Brady Hawks, Gavin Miles, Troy Harmon, Brandon Richter, and Brandon Theele, adding depth and more talent to the lineup.
Havre Daily News/Lindsay Brown Chester/J-I's Dell Harmon is part of a strong senior class for the Hawks, who have a new coach, and are looking to contend for the 10C title this winter. Dutton-Brady, Heart Butte, Power, Simms, Valier and Sunburst will make for a very tough 10C, but the Hawks like their chances. They still have work to do, but they have a shot at emerging as a top program. “We match up well,” Fartorie said. “We still have some things to work on, but teams match up with us well too. We just have to prepare for ev-
ery game. I don’t think there is a clear cut favorite, and it could be anybody’s year. And it could be our year too, especially if we don’t look too far ahead and make sure we prepare for every team like they are No. 1 in the state.” The Hawks open up with Centerville at the Chester/J-I Preseason Tournament in Chester this weekend.