Sports

Top of the holiday traditions for excited girls and boys is making that all important Christmas wish list. Whether it’s mailed off to the North Pole, whispered to Santa in person or just shared with mom and dad, every excited child makes such a list. I’ve never seen a list with anything like “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!” or “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” but my ranch kids write practically the same list with just a few variations year to year, even though Santa and I do a darn good job checking things off their list each Christmas

Their Christmas lists always include tractors, cows, corral setups, trucks and other fun ranch life replicas and since you can never have enough tractors or cows, they find their way on the list again and again. All of those tractors and cows just make for more possibilities, ideas or storylines to play out. Whatever it is that they come up with that day, there is one thing for sure,...

It’s usually pretty easy to know what sort of stuff dad is doing out on the ranch because from the sand pile to the living room, the kids are recreating the same set up with their miniature versions. When it’s haying season, they have their own hay to bale and stack. When it’s branding season they gather in their little herds to put brands on all the new calves. I wish I could remember all of their different storylines over the years, but there are some that standout that I will never forget.

Throughout the summer months we have a herd of heifers we haul around to various roping and sorting events. After seeing dad take his cattle on the road, my little ranchers often do the same. They load up their toy bull wagon to their freshly erected rodeo arena for a day’s worth of roping, riding and rodeo fun. Their setup includes the littlest details like the watering trough, the various sorting pens and even seats for their spectators. To truly capture complete reproduction of such a day, they even borrowed a few Barbie kitchen snacks and toys because no day at the arena is complete without mom packing a cooler of snacks and a bag of toys.

During the fall months of weaning, preg checking and prepping to sell each year’s set of calves, we spend a lot of time at the squeeze chute. In fact, we have coined our own term such work- squeeze chuting. At the end of a long day squeeze-chuting with dad, the littles come in and squeeze chute their own cows. They aren’t even afraid to get in there and do the preg checking, just like dad does.

Now replicating some of those days at the squeeze can be a little dicey. Like when we pretend to squeeze chute the day we semen test the bulls. I vividly remember sitting at the counter as my son set up his alley and chute and then proceeded to line up the bulls. He was very specific to not include any cows or steers, just the bulls. After putting a few bulls through the chute he looked at me with his curious eyes and his wheels turning, trying to figure out just what we are doing when we bring the bulls through the chute. Let’s just say that day’s play was a great conversation starter for the birds and the bees sort of talk.

Even the simple day to day chores make for fun memories as the kids work to haul hay to the corrals to feed, whether it’s in the mud or the rain or the snow. There is always something new they add like the horses sneaking out as the tractor came in, putting mineral in the bunks or checking the water. I’ve even heard a few of their dad’s favorite phrases about those darn cows and pray they don’t repeat EVERYTHING dad says.

Make believe ranching isn’t a new ranch kid past time. Generations share some of the same stories with their own little spin on them. My mom used to talk about what a gamble it was to walk through the living room minefield of invisible cow pies. She was never sure where to step but very sure it would always land right in the poop and she would be told about it. My husband remembers not letting anyone in grandma’s family room as he was midharvest. No one was going to mess up that cutting!

It’s always exciting to see just what toys end up under the Christmas tree, but I’m pretty confident that there will be some sort of ranch life replica under there. And not long after the wrapping paper is gone, the creativity will take over and a new ranch will come to life. It will have some new fun and flare with the new toys but it will always point back to the life we live on the ranch, because truth be told, nothing is better than the real, deal every day life on the ranch.

OBITUARY

Robert Allen Broberg

Robert Allen Broberg, 79, passed away on Monday, December 12, 2022 at his home in Pocatello, Idaho. Bob was born on October 29, 1943 in Logan, Utah. He was the oldest child of Allen Percival Broberg and Marjorie Anne Kraus. He was raised and educated in Logan along with his younger brothers, Dale, Darrell, and Michael.

Bob graduated from Logan High School in 1963. He joined the Army Reserves in 1964. He later attended Utah State University to receive a certificate in Ornamental Horticulture. Bob met Pam Schwartz on a blind date. They were married in the Logan LDS Temple on May 19, 1972. They lived in Logan, Utah and Farmington, Utah for a short time before landing in Malad, Idaho for most of their lives together. Bob started out as a butcher in his in-law’s grocery store. He later worked at Thiokol and Hess Pumice. After Bob’s retirement, they moved to Pocatello, Idaho for Pam’s employment and to be closer to their kids. Bob and Pam have three children, Jody, who passed at birth, Jason Robert and Alyson.

Bob enjoyed so many things about life. He was a stalwart member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where he faithfully served in many callings. He took great pride in having a big garden every summer. He always looked forward to his fresh ripe tomatoes. One could often find Bob reading the newspaper, especially the comic strips on Sunday’s, reading a Clair Poulson novel, working on a crossword puzzle, watching Parry Mason on TV, and of course, drinking his beloved Pepsi. He loved visiting with anyone and everyone, especially his family and friends.

Bob is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Pam, his son Jason of Pocatello, Idaho, daughter Aly (Shane) Ward of Inkom, Idaho. Six grandchildren- Nikole Ray, Irelin Broberg, LaVan Broberg, Addison Ward, Daxton Ward, and Tate Ward, his brother Dale (Jeannie) Broberg of Coalville, Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Darrell and Michael, daughter Jody, and nephew Allen Broberg.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 11:00 am at the Malad Stake Center- 1250 N. 1100 W., Malad, Idaho with a viewing prior from 9:30-10:30. Burial followed in the Malad City Cemetery.

Robert Allen Broberg

Grandparents Only

Not recommended for parents or kids

By Gramma Dot

This week’s article is going to be written in pure Malad Grandparenteze. If you do not collect social security and didn’t grow up in Malad you may not know what I’m talking about. Winter in the 60s and 70s in Malad, Idaho was the best, and we had a language that everyone understood:

“Tree in a Manhole.” That’s right…at the intersection of Main and Bannock is a manhole and every December the town Christmas tree was in that manhole. It was beautiful. It was real. It was hard to see around. Sometimes the vocabulary changed during January and February to “Pole in the Hole.” If the weather turned really cold, it was impossible to get that tree out of the manhole, so the City Crew pruned all the branches and cut off the top. Then, we just had “Pole in the Hole.” It was easier to see around!

“Haylands Ice Skating.” Debby Price had a birthday between Christmas and New Year’s. Every year Deb’s brother, Kleal J., took us down to the Haylands and dropped us off. We climbed through the barbed wire fence with our ice-skates on and skated for the afternoon. We could go forever, no cell phones to keep in touch, just a bunch of girls with each other and the ice. When Kleal got around to gathering us up we were frozen, but nothing Jayne’s chili and hot chocolate didn’t take care of.

“Hyer’s Hill.” Did anyone say tubing?? We would gather up tubes from Gordon Griffiths and head up Deep Creek to Hyer’s Hill. It was great if we could find someone with a snowmobile, otherwise we had to walk up the hill to slide down, but the slide was worth the walk. The first few runs were a little slow, but once we got it smoothed out, we could fly to the fence, which required bailing before you went through the barbed wire. I’m not sure there is another hill in the valley that was as accessible and as fast as Hyer’s Hill.

“The S-Curves at Randy’s.” I’m not sure why, but Depot Road was generally snow-packed during the winter. A tube tied to the back bumper speeding on the S-curves provided a great whip that was guaranteed to generate screams. If you didn’t have a tube you could “hookie-bob.”

Well, for you Malad grandparents, there are some memories. The wonderful thing about life back then was, we didn’t spend a dime. The speed was faster than any Disney ride. The ice was bigger and slicker than the Sun Valley Ice Rink. And the tree was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. Cheap, fast, beautiful…that’s the Good Life! Merry Christmas!

Postscript: Our community had a rough go last week when Tylee Venable was hurt in a sledding accident. She is doing better and the family would like to thank everyone who has reached out to them in any way. Prayers are being felt.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Lady Dragon basketball team has attested once again to never count them out until that final buzzer sounds. In their most recent games, the MHS girls contended against the Cougars at Firth Tuesday, December 13 and then hosted district rivals, the West Side Pirates. Both games featured intense play, aggressive defense, crucial shots, momentum swings and last minute wins for each of the teams.

In their first game of the week, the Lady Dragons came out strong and ready to play, Oakley Hebdon opening the night by sinking a three point shot to put the first points on the scoreboard. Rebound put backs, quick jukes, baseline drives and sunk three point shots quickly drove the score up for Malad with Firth rarely responding in kind. As the game drew on, the Cougars began tallying up some points, but it was Malad’s offense that dominated the opening half of the game, closing the second quarter with a score of Malad 24, Firth 17.

Malad kept their game alive throughout the third quarter but as the fourth quarter ran on, it seemed the Lady Dragons had nothing but bad luck. Shots wouldn’t fall, passes were picked up and tough calls were against them. The Cougars found their momentum, stepping up both offensively and defensively. While Malad was struggling to get their shots to count, Firth slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually taking over with only two minutes left in the game.

Following the game, Coach Trevor Jones shared, “Basketball has a lot of momentum swings to it. Toward the end of the game everything just switched for us. It seemed like there was a lid on our basket, the calls started going against us and the Cougars stepped up and put the pressure on. It was tough to be ahead and then lose in the last few seconds. But it was definitely a learning opportunity and a reminder of how important it is to take care of the ball and make our free throws.”

Shaking off the close loss, the Lady Dragons stepped up as their district rivals came to the MHS court for their first matchup of the season. The Pirates attacked from the tip off, putting the Dragon defense to the test. Set up in a zone defense, Malad in return worked seamlessly to keep West Side from their own scoring opportunities. It was late in the first quarter before either team finally got one in the net.

As the first half was winding down, Hebdon anticipated the Pirate pass coming down the court, to steal the ball just outside the West Side three point line. Giving Malad a little momentum, Hebdon brought the ball into Dragon territory and patiently waited for her opening. After passing the ball around, it was Jones that finally had the open shot, sinking the three pointer. As the two teams headed into the second half, the Lady Dragons managed to keep ahead of the Pirates, 25-24.

Coming into the third quarter, West Side was quick to step up their offensive game as they nailed a three pointer as the second half opened. The Pirates sailed on that quick scoring groove to widen the gap against the Lady Dragons. Fortunately, Malad wasn’t done playing for the night, stepping up with their own great plays to keep them in the game. The Lady Dragons chipped away at the Pirate lead as they executed their offense to score off baseline inbound, quick drives inside and skillful outside shots.

Just before moving into the fourth quarter, Malad managed to put enough points on the scoreboard to take the lead but it was still anyone’s game at that point. Both teams were playing with a lot of intensity and aggressiveness as they moved up and down the court. As the time became short, it was a battle of will and skill at the free throw line, both teams hitting and missing crucial shots, trading the lead back and forth five times over the last few minutes. Despite their lead, Malad had to play to the very last second, pressuring the Pirates to take hurried shots that ultimately fell short to win the game, 47-45.

Celebrating the win, Coach Jones commented, “I’m really impressed by our girls and their ability and willingness to learn. They might not have been high on the Pirate’s radar but the Dragons were looking to redeem themselves and came out with a fierceness about them. The crowd got their money's worth with this game. It was a pretty electric atmosphere with such a great band, cheerleaders, drill team and student body supporting the girls.”

After some time off, the Malad boys basketball team are back on the court with a full week of games. The team began their games as they faced off against Ririe at home for their second matchup of the season. Next, the team traveled to Bancroft to take on the North Gem Cowboys and then to Firth to play against the Cougars. The Dragons faced challenges with every game, some bounces going their way and others. Regardless of the outcomes, it was a week of good basketball for the MHS basketball team.

The Dragons knew that the game against the Ririe Bulldogs was going to be tough after having played them multiple times. With that being said, the team was determined to show up and do whatever damage they could against the adept team. Malad came out strong, employing those principles of discipline, solid defense and aggressive rebounding that the coaches have been teaching over the season.

The game began with an aggressive start, Malad’s defense working at full tilt to keep the Bulldogs off their game. It was the simple things like quick feet, hands up and good communication that enabled the Dragon defense to frustrate the Ririe offense, causing rushed shots and excessive turnovers. This sort of energy kept the Bulldogs off their game, but also gave the MHS basketball team the boost to not only keep up with Ririe, but to pull ahead as the first quarter began winding down.

With Ririe up, 11-6, Braylin Tripp went in for the rebound, grabbing the ball just outside the corner of the key. Taking just one dribble to drive into the key, Tripp went up for the jump shot to score two for the Dragons. After the Bulldogs brought the ball back down to their territory, Tripp snagged another rebound, hustling it down the court on a fast break for an easy layup over the Ririe defense to bring the score within one point. Ben Petersen hit a three after a double screen from Baylor Bean and Ryan Hubbard left the junior guard open for the shot to push the Dragons ahead, 1311. Bean hit another three pointer for Malad to beat the buzzer to end the first quarter, 16-11. As the second quarter began, the Dragons were able to widen the gap to lead the Bulldogs by 8, but Ririe worked to whittle away the lead, eventually pulling ahead and ultimately winning the game, Dragons 34- Bulldogs 48.

The final score was in no way what the team was hoping for, but it demonstrated the progress and improvements the team is making. Coach Beutler commented, “We were really able to have them on the ropes for the better part of three quarters. We were pleased with that progress and the kids made.”

Next on the Dragon schedule was their away matchup with the North Gem Cowboys at Bancroft. The MHS team came out ready to play, finding that sweet spot to keep their opponent down while executing their own offense well to lead out at the end of the first quarter, 16-7. Over the following three quarters, the Dragons only expanded their commanding lead, even outsourcing their opponent in the fourth quarter 22 to 6 points. Malad took home the win, 62-39.

Malad’s final game of the week took them to Firth to compete against the FHS Cougars. The Cougar put pressure on the Dragons from the get go, bringing an intense full court press, disciplined defense and skilled offense. It didn’t take long for Malad to find the key to bringing the ball down with aggressive passes across the court and up the middle.

Despite an intense and high energy game, Malad’s defense played with a lot of grit and discipline throughout the first half of the game. The players were able to block shots, steal the ball and force turnovers without penalizing themselves or giving bonus shots to the Cougars.

The Dragons struggled offensively to settle into a groove. The team found moments to connect with hoop on fast breaks, rebound put backs and a few open outside looks but couldn’t get their shots to fall like they wanted. As the game drew on, Firth outpaced Malad’s scoring to ultimately win the game, MHS 19- FHS 54.

Leading up to the Christmas break, the Dragon basketball team will play Firth again on their home court and then head to Grace to play the Grizzlies.

WRESTLING

Gavin Coatney in North Gem Baylor Bean shoots the three

Malad takes second in Invitational Tournament

The Dragon wrestlers hosted their annual Malad Invitational Tournament this weekend. The tournament was held Friday and Saturday with 10 teams in attendance. Malad took a close 2nd in the team points with 185 points. The team points at the conclusion of the tournament were: North Fremont 191 Malad 185 West Side 158.5 Preston 146 Firth 129 West Jefferson 122 Declo 87 Grace 50 North Gem 23 Oakley 19

The Dragons had 9 individual wrestlers win medals at the tournament with three of the Malad seniors walking away as the tournament champions. Zach Mills won the 126lb bracket as well as the tournament Outstanding wrestler award which is voted on by all of the different teams’ head coaches. The match results of the Malad wrestlers that placed in the tournament

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Zach Mills (10-2) placed 1st and scored 25.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Zach Mills (Malad High School) 10-2 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Zach Mills (Malad High School) 10-2 won by fall over Mac Hall (West Jefferson High School) 6-10 (Fall 2:22) • Semifinal - Zach Mills (Malad High School) 10-2 won by fall over Jack Eddins (Grace) 8-9 (Fall 0:42) • 1st Place Match - Zach Mills (Malad High School) 10-2 won by major decision over Wallace Durfee (Declo) 7-3 (MD 10-2)

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Kole Willie (12-3) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Kole Willie (Malad High School) 12-3 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Kole Willie (Malad High School) 12-3 won by major decision over Thane Stringham (Oakley High School) 3-2 (MD 9-0) • Semifinal - Kole Willie (Malad High School) 12-3 won by fall over Nathan Scafe (North Fremont High School) 16-5 (Fall 3:42) • 1st Place Match - Kole Willie (Malad High School) 12-3 won by decision over Quinn Bradford (Preston High School) 15-5 (Dec 7-0)

Zach Mills

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Ruxton Tubbs (11-5) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Ruxton Tubbs (Malad High School) 11-5 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Ruxton Tubbs (Malad High School) 11-5 received a bye () (Bye) • Semifinal - Ruxton Tubbs (Malad High School) 11-5 won by fall over Sam Moon (North Fremont High School) 5-8 (Fall 2:27) • 1st Place Match - Ruxton Tubbs (Malad High School) 11-5 won by fall over Andrew Martin (North Fremont High School) 10-7 (Fall 3:47)

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Blaiz Wright (14-6) placed 2nd and scored 19.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Blaiz Wright (Malad High School) 14-6 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Blaiz Wright (Malad High School) 14-6 won by fall over Diego Ratliff (West Side High School) 12-7 (Fall 2:50) • Semifinal - Blaiz Wright (Malad High School) 14-6 won by decision over Teysen Gunnell (North Fremont High School) 13-3 (Dec 5-3) • 1st Place Match - Micah Serr (Preston High School) 3-0 won by fall over Blaiz Wright (Malad High School) 14-6 (Fall 1:26)

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3rd and scored 16.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Porter Mills (Malad High School) 8-1 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Porter Mills (Malad High School) 8-1 won by decision over Porter Campbell (Preston High School) 12-5 (Dec 128)

• Semifinal - Colter Barzee (West Side High School) 12-1 won by fall over Porter Mills (Malad High School) 8-1 (Fall 3:26) • Cons. Semi - Porter Mills (Malad High School) 8-1 won by fall over Camden Worthington (Declo) 5-3 (Fall 0:35) • 3rd Place Match - Porter Mills (Malad High School) 8-1 won by major decision over Bryce Jensen (North Fremont High School) 10-5 (MD 15-4)

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Jace Potter (12-8) placed 3rd and scored 12.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Jace Potter (Malad High School) 12-8 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Jace Potter (Malad High School) 12-8 received a bye () (Bye) • Semifinal - Luke Rindlisbaker (North Gem) 8-7 won by major decision over Jace Potter (Malad High School) 12-8 (MD 15-2) • Cons. Semi - Jace Potter (Malad High School) 12-8 won by fall over Caden Jeppson (Malad High School) 3-5 (Fall 0:51) • 3rd Place Match - Jace Potter (Malad High School) 12-8 won by fall over Will Osterhout (Declo) 6-3 (Fall 2:27) Wrestling team

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Trevor Mills (13-6) placed 3rd and scored 16.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Trevor Mills (Malad High School) 13-6 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Trevor Mills (Malad High School) 13-6 won by decision over Brett Hobbs (Grace) 8-7 (Dec 10-4) • Semifinal - Peyton Keller (Preston High School) 16-4 won by fall over Trevor Mills (Malad High School) 13-6 (Fall 5:01) • Cons. Semi - Trevor Mills (Malad High School) 13-6 won by fall over Luke Hillman (West Jefferson High School) 7-5 (Fall 0:39) • 3rd Place Match - Trevor Mills (Malad High School) 13-6 won by decision over Brett Hobbs (Grace) 8-7 (Dec 9-5) 160 Hunter Wray (11-7) placed 3rd and scored 18.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Wray (Malad High School) 11-7 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Hunter Wray (Malad High School) 11-7 won by fall over Jacob Robertson (Declo) 4-5 (Fall 5:36) • Semifinal - Beau Ringel (Firth) 11-4 won by major decision over Hunter Wray (Malad High School) 11-7 (MD 20-9) • Cons. Semi - Hunter Wray (Malad High School) 11-7 won by fall over Bentley Lounsbury (West Jefferson High School) 9-7 (Fall 1:40) • 3rd Place Match - Hunter Wray (Malad High

School) 11-7 won by fall over Daxton Rodgers (Declo) 2-2 (Fall 3:15)

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Caleb Mathews (9-10) placed 4th and scored 13.0 team points. • Champ. Round 1 - Caleb Mathews (Malad High School) 9-10 received a bye () (Bye) • Quarterfinal - Caleb Mathews (Malad High School) 9-10 won by fall over Kenyon Adams (Declo) 2-8 (Fall 0:00) • Semifinal - Jason Buxton (West Jefferson High School) 11-1 won by fall over Caleb Mathews (Malad High School) 9-10 (Fall 1:38) • Cons. Semi - Caleb Mathews (Malad High School) 9-10 won by fall over Mayson Brees (Malad High School) 10-7 (Fall 4:20) • 3rd Place Match - Slade Barber (Firth) 5-1 won by fall over Caleb Mathews (Malad High School) 9-10 (Fall 1:40)

The lady Dragons wrestled at the Malad tournament on Friday and got an early start to travel to Ririe on Saturday for the Ririe Rumble Girls tournament. The 3 Dragon wrestlers that wrestled in the tournament did really well with Cambree Howe earning the 4th place medal. The girls are practicing hard and it is showing as they continue to improve on the mat.

Cambree Howe (10-4) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

•Quarterfinal - Lili Ana Mantufar (Rigby) 4-0 won by fall over Cambree Howe (Malad) 10-4 (Fall 1:11) • Cons. Round 1 - Cambree Howe (Malad) 10-4 received a bye () (Bye) • Cons. Round 2 - Cambree Howe (Malad) 10-4 won by fall over Cale Carter (Malad) 1-10 (Fall 3:52) • Cons. Semi - Cambree Howe (Malad) 10-4 won by fall over Jaysa Paulsen (Skyline) 2-3 (Fall 0:19) • 3rd Place Match - Heather Byrne (Bonneville) 7-4 won by fall over Cambree Howe (Malad) 10-4 (Fall 3:19)

“Our wrestlers did really well this weekend and continue to learn and improve as the season goes on. The tournament went smoothly thanks to the amazing support the team and coaches get from the parents and fans of the wrestling team. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a tournament and we couldn’t do it without our wrestling family,” the coach remarked. As always, the Malad wrestling fans showed up in a big way to support their team, the gym was packed with our home crowd cheering on their favorite wrestlers. Over the Christmas break the wrestlers will continue to work toward their goals and prepare for the second half of the season.