Bitterroot Valley Game Day 08/26/2011

Friday, August 26, 2011

2 - Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011

Class A football squads ready to kick off 2011 Story & Photos by DAVID ERICKSON Ravalli Republic

It’s football time again in the Bitterroot, and there are a lot of new faces, schemes and changes that should bring plenty of excitement for fans, players and coaches this fall.

For the first time in 18 years, there will be a new face roaming the sidelines of the Hamilton Broncs, as Travis Blome takes over for retired coaching legend Steve Weston.

Hamilton standout running back Cody Noffsinger said it’s been strange not having an institution like Weston running the drills in

practice, but he thinks the Broncs are in good hands.

“Things are going good,” he said. “It’s like a new beginning for the whole team. We’re just trying to work hard and get after it. It’s definitely different not having coach Weston here. There’s a bunch of little things that we’re getting adjusted to. But we’re all getting along with coach Blome, having a lot of fun, and getting ready to go.”

Blome has installed a no-huddle offense, which Noffsinger said he and his teammates are excited about.

“We’ve balanced it out pretty good with running and passing,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a good offense this year. We’re

Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011 - 3

hoping to be more of a running team this year. We’ve got a couple running backs that are switching out reps, so hopefully we’ll be able to split half-and-half every game.�

Hamilton lost over a dozen seniors last year, including key players like defensive end Tyler Pigman and quarterback/safety Josh Brenneman. Tyler Murray takes over at quarterback this year, and Noffsinger said he has taken on a leadership role. “Tyler’s looking good,� Noffsinger said. “He’s been running most of the reps, with a couple other guys subbing in. He’s taken the lead and running the offense good.�

On Friday, Aug. 26, the Broncs will travel to Butte to take on coach Blome’s old team: Billings Central. Noffsinger said he and his teammates have high expectations for themselves this year. “Our first goal is to get to the playoffs, and we’ll see what happens after that,� Noffsinger said.

Last year, the showdown between Hamilton and Stevensville was one of the best games of the year, with the Yellowjackets edging the Broncs 49-48 in a back-and-forth overtime epic.

Second-year Stevensville head coach Hank Praast said he is feeling a lot more comfortable with his role after having a full offseason to work. “I got hired on amazingly short notice last year,� Praast said. “We only had five months, which made it really tough. This year, we’ve been able to spread everything over the entire calendar year, so we’re just kinda at the next state of what we put in last fall. We’re going to the next level, but it’s the same spread offense. Everything’s going good so far.�

Last year, quarterback Caleb Vance had a breakout year and he will be back behind center again this year. In fact, Stevensville was a very young team last year and they are returning almost every key starter from last year’s playoff team. “We’ve got most everybody back this year,� Praast said. “Except in the skill positions, the only guy we lost was Jalen Pfau. But we get Josh Haynes, Josh Lords and Jared Schultz back. We’ll also get Tyler Gavlak back, who broke his leg before last season. He’s back healthy,

and he’s going to give us a big boost.�

Praast said he is in much more of a comfort zone now that he’s in his second year as head coach. “We have all those kids back, so they understand what we want to do,� he said. “And we understand what they offer as players, their strengths and weaknesses. We’ll build on that. It’ll really help at cutdown time. We expect to do a little better this year after having a whole year in the system.�

Stevensville played nine games last year, but they went back to an eight-game schedule this year. Their first padded practice was Aug. 18, and Praast said his boys have been chomping at the bit to get going. “You never know quite what you have until you put pads on and smack it around a little bit,� he said. “There is nothing more tedious in football than just practicing fundamentals without pads on, for coaches and players both. So we’re excited to get the pads on and get going.�

The Corvallis Blue Devils struggled last year in a tough Southwestern A conference, but head coach Russ Hendrickson says it’s a clean slate this year. “So far so good,� he said. “We just got done with two-a-days, and everything’s looking good. We’ve got good leadership this year.

That’s the biggest change. Our leadership is where it needs to be, and we have a better attitude. So we’ll see.�

Hendrickson said the Blue Devils lost some senior talent last year, but they will be bringing back a big senior and junior class this year. “We have 13 juniors coming back this year, including quarterback Brandon Butt,� he said. “We’re going to run the ball a lot with Tyler Berner and Stuart Landis, and we’re sticking with the 3-4 defense.�

Hendrickson said he is excited to play Hamilton this year and make up for last year’s loss. “Hamilton is going to be a tough team again,� he said. “They’ve got a lot of good kids, a big line, and their running back Cody Noffsinger. They have a lot of good tools to work with. But we’re excited for the season.�

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4 - Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011

Bitterroot Valley Varsity Football Schedules Class A Hamilton VARSITY Football 8-26 9-2 9-9 9-16 9-23 9-30 10-7 10-14 10-21

vs. Billings Central in Butte @ Whitefish @ Polson vs. Frenchtown vs. Corvallis - Homecoming @ Dillon vs. Butte Central @ Stevensville vs. Anaconda

7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm

STEVENSVILLE VARSITY FOOTBALL

CORVALLIS VARSITY FOOTBALL 9-2

@ Columbia Falls

7pm

9- 2

vs. Frenchtown

7pm

9-9

vs. Libby

7pm

9- 9

@ Columbia Falls

7pm

9-16 vs. Livingston

7pm

9- 16 vs. Libby

7pm

9-23

@ Hamilton

7pm

9- 23 vs. Dillon - Homecoming

7pm

9-30

vs. Anaconda - Homecoming

7pm

9- 3

@ Butte Central

7pm

10-7

@ Dillon

7pm

10-7

@ Anaconda

7pm

10-14 @ Butte Central

7pm

10-14 vs. Hamilton

7pm

10-21 vs. Stevensville

7pm

10-21 @ Corvallis

7pm

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Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011, 2010 - 5

Class C

Class b

DARBY VARSITY FOOTBALL

VICTOR VARSITY FOOTBALL

FLORENCE VARSITY FOOTBALL 9- 2

vs. Townsend

7pm

8-26

@ Lincoln

7:00 pm 8-26

@ Noxon

7 pm

9- 9

@ Thompson Falls

7pm

9-3

vs. Philipsburg

1:00 pm 9-2

@ Seeley

7 pm

9- 16 vs. Troy

7pm

9-10

vs. Darby

1:00 pm 9-10

vs. Victor (Homecoming)

1 pm

9- 23 @ St. Ignatius

7pm

9-17

@ Seeley

1:00 pm 9-16

vs. Charlo

7 pm

9- 30 @ Eureka

7pm

9-24

@ Charlo

1:00 pm 9-23

@ Superior

7 pm

10- 8 vs. Deer Lodge - Homecoming 1pm

9-30

vs. Noxon

7:00 pm 9-30

vs. Drummond

7 pm

10-14 vs. Ronan

7pm

10-7

vs. Drummond

7:00 pm 10-7

@ Arlee

7 pm

10-21 @ Loyola

7pm

10-15 @ Superior

1:00 pm Oct-14 @ Granite

7 pm

10-21 vs. Arlee

7:00 pm Oct-19 @ Lincoln

7 pm

Go

a

m s!

od

o r o r t Valley e t t i B k c Te Lu

RAVALLI FAMILY EYE CARE, PC A MEMBER OF

• Family Vision Care • Contact Lens Specialists • • Diagnosis / Treatment of Eye Diseases • • Refractive Surgery Co-Management •

Let’s get out and support the schools!

DR. JOHN HUTCHISON, Optometrist 109 North 4th Street, Suite 105 / Hamilton, MT 406.363.1530 / Fax: 406.363.1547 drhutch14@gmail.com / www.visionsource-drhutchison.com

6 - Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011

Valley Fall Sports Schedules girls’ volleyball

soccer

8-27 8-27 9-1 9-3 9-9 9-10 9-15 9-17 9-20 9-24 9-29 10-6 10-8 10-11 10-20 10-20 10-27 10-28

girls’ volleyball

vs. Columbia Falls vs. Whitefish @ Anaconda @ Dillon @ Anaconda @ Anaconda (varsity only) vs. Stevensville (varsity only) @ Butte Central @ Florence vs. Dillon vs. Corvallis @ Stevensville vs. Butte Central vs. Florence @ Columbia Falls @ Whitefish @ Corvallis vs. Anaconda

golf

11am 4:15pm 4:15pm 1pm 9am 9am 4:15pm 1pm 4pm 1pm 4:15pm 4:15pm 1pm 4:15pm 11am 4:15pm 4:15pm 4:15pm

8-15 Anaconda (Old Works) 8am 8-16 Missoula – Larchmont 9am 8-17 Missoula – Canyon River 8am 8-22 Butte Central (Highlands) 9am 8-23 Polson 1pm 8-26 Dillon 9am 8-29/30 Flatfish 9am 9-1 Seeley Lake 10am 9-9 Anaconda CC 9am 9-15 Butte High 9am 9-16 Butte High 9am 9-24 Divisional @ Hamilton 10am 9-29 State @ Hamilton TBA

8-26 8-27 8-30 9-3 9-8 9-12 9-13 9-15 9-17 9-19 9-22 9-24 9-26 9-27 9-29 10-1 10-3 10-6 10-7 10-8 10-10

vs. Laurel BV-4pm, GV-6pm vs. Billings Central GV-11am, BV-1pm vs. Polson (Girls/Boys) BV-3pm, GV-5pm vs. Stevensville GV-11am, BV-1pm @ Hellgate (JV-Girls/Boys) JVB-4pm, JVG-6pm @ Corvallis GJV-4:30pm, BJV-6:30pm @ Loyola GV-5:30pm, BV-7pm vs. Corvallis GV-3pm, BV-5pm @ Frenchtown GV-11am, BV-1pm vs. Big Sky (JV-Boys) BJV-5pm vs. Loyola BV-4pm, GV-6pm vs. Stillwater Christian (Boys) BJV-11am, BV-1pm vs. Corvallis GJV-4:30pm, BJV-6:30pm vs. Stevensville BJV-3pm, GJV-5pm @ Stevensville BV-3pm, GV-5pm @ Corvallis BV-11am, GV-1pm @ Stevensville GJV-3pm, BJV-5pm vs. Hellgate (JV-Girls/Boys) JVG-4pm, JVB-6pm vs. Frenchtown BV-2pm, GV-4pm @ Whitefish BJV-2pm, GV-2pm @ Big Sky (JV-Boys) BJV-5pm

cross country

8-30 Butte Central-Fairmont 5pm 9-2 Ronan – Canal Run 1pm 9-10 Kalispell – (Kidsport) 10am 9-14 Frenchtown TBA 9-17 Corvallis(Soccer Fields) - middle school 10am 9-24 Missoula Mountain West 11am 10-1 Hamilton (Daly Mansion) - middle school 11am 10-6 Helena, 7 of 7, Varsity Only TBA 10-8 Dillon – Junior Varsity TBA 10-13 Missoula – Runners Edge TBA 10-15 Dillon (Divisional) 11am 10-22 State – Missoula TBA

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8-27 vs. Whitefish 11am 8-27 vs. Columbia Falls 4:15pm 9-1 vs. Frenchtown 4:15pm 9/9 Tip-Off Tourney @ Anaconda TBA 9/10 Tip-Off Tourney @ Anaconda TBA 9-17 vs. Dillon 1pm 9-22 vs. Anaconda 4:15pm 9-24 vs. Butte Central 1pm 9-27 vs. Stevensville 4:15pm 9-29 @ Hamilton 4:15pm 10-8 @ Anaconda 1pm 10-14 @ Butte Central (JV/V only) 3pm 10-15 @ Butte Central Tournamen TBA 10-18 @ Stevensville 4:15pm 10-20 @ Whitefish 11am 10-20 @ Columbia Falls 4:15pm 10-27 vs. Hamilton 4:15pm 10-29 @ Dillon 1pm

soccer 8-26 8-27 9-1 9-2 9-6 9-10 9-15 9-24 9-29 10-1 10-8

vs. Billings Central 4pm girls; 6pm boys vs. Laurel 10am girls; 12pm boys @ Loyola 5:30pm girls; 7pm boys vs. Polson (girls only) 3pm vs. Frenchtown 3pm girls; 5pm boys vs. Loyola 10am boys; 12pm girls @ Hamilton 3pm girls; 5pm boys @ Stevensville 11am girls; 1pm boys @ Frenchtown 3pm boys; 5pm girls vs. Hamilton 11am boys; 1 girls vs. Stevensville 11am boys; 1pm girls

cross country

8-30 Butte Central at Fairmont 9-10 Anaconda at Washoe Park 9-17 Corvallis 9-24 Mountain West at Missoula 10-1 Hamilton at Daly Mansion 10-6 Helena 10-8 Dillon 10-15 Divisional at Dillon

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Ravalli Republic, Friday, August 26, 2011 - 7

girls’ volleyball

8-30 9-6 9-9&10 9-15 9-20 9-22 9-24 9-27 10-1 10-6 10-8 10-11 10-15 10-18 10-22 10-28

vs. Anaconda Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:30 vs. Dillon Fr-3:30 JV-3:30 V-5:00 @ Anaconda TBA @ Hamilton Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:30 vs. Polson Fr-4:15 JV-S:45 V-7:30 @ Butte Central Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:30 @ Frenchtown Fr-1:00 JV-2:30 V-4:15 @ Corvallis Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:30 @ Anaconda Fr-1:00 JV-2:30 V-4:15 vs. Hamilton Fr-4:15 JV-6:45 V-7:30 @ Dillon Fr-1:00 JV-2:30 V-4:15 @ Stillwater Christian Fr-4:00 JV-5:30 V-7:00 @ Butte Central Tourney TBA vs. Corvallis Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:30 @ Polson Fr-1:00 JV-2:30 V-4:15 vs. Butte Central Fr-4:15 JV-5:45 V-7:JO

soccer

8-26 8-30 9-2 9-3 9-9 9-13 9-17 9-20 9-23 9-24 9-29 10-4 10-8

@ Whitefish 2 GV; 4 BV vs. Libby 3 BV; 5 GV vs. Stillwater Christian 1 Girls only @ Hamilton 11 GV; 1 BV vs. Frenchtown 4 BV; 6 GV @ Stillwater Christian 4 both BV & GV @ Loyola 10-BV 12·GV @ Frenchtown 3 BV; 5 GBV vs. Stillwater Christian 11BV; 4:30 BJV Boys only vs. Corvallis 11 GV; 1 BV vs. Hamilton 3 BV; 5:00 GV vs. Loyola 3 BV; 5 GV @ Corvallis 11 BV 1 GV

cross country

8-15 Anaconda Invite (Old Works) 8 am 8-22 Butte Central Invite 9 am 8-26 Dillon Invite 9 am 8-29 Flatfish Invite 9 am 9-9 Anaconda Invite 9 am 9-16 Libby Invite 11am 9-24 Divisional Tournament 9 am 9-30 State Tournament TBA

girls’ volleyball

8-27 Mission Tournament TBA 9-1 vs. Plains 4 pm 9-3 @ Thompson Falls 3 pm 9-6 @ Loyola 4 pm 9-9 vs. Bigfork 4 pm 9-17 @ Eureka 12 pm 9-17 @ Eureka vs. Troy 4 pm 9-20 vs. Hamilton 4 pm 9-22 @ Deer Lodge 4 pm 9-29 vs. St. Ignatius 4 pm 10-1 @ Ronan 3 pm 10-4 @ Frenchtown 4:15 pm 10-6 vs. Loyola 4 pm 10-11 @ Hamilton 4:15 pm 10-13 vs. Deer Lodge 4 pm 10-15 vs. Ronan 3 pm 10-19 vs. Frenchtown 4 pm 10-20 @ St. Ignatius 4 pm

girls’ volleyball

girls’ volleyball

Aug-26 vs. Alberton TBA Aug-27 @ Drummond 12:00 PM Sep-2 vs. Granite 4:30 PM Sep-3 @ Lincoln 4:00 PM Sep-9 vs. Hot Springs 3:00 PM Sep-15 vs.Valley Christian 5:30 PM Sep-16 @ St. Regis 4:30 PM Sep-17 @ Seeley 5:30 PM Sep-23 @Victor 5:30 PM Sep-24 vs. Drummond 4 PM Sep-27 vs. Superior 5:30 PM Sep-29 @ Granite 4:30 PM Oct-1 vs. Lincoln 4:00 PM Oct-8 @ Arlee Spike It Tourney - VAR Only 9 AM Oct-8 @ Two Eagle - JV Only 10 AM Oct-13 @ Alberton TBA Oct-14 vs. Victor 5:30 PM Oct-18 @ Valley Christian 5:30 PM Oct-21 vs. Seeley 5:30 PM

cross country

8-26 Lincoln 4 pm 8-27 Seeley 4 pm 9- 2 Valley Christian 5:30 pm 9-3 Drummond 5:30 pm 9-8 Arlee 5:30 pm 9-10 Drummond (Tournament) 9:00 am 9-16 Alberton 5:30 pm 9-17 Philipsburg 4:00 pm 9-23 Darby 5:30 pm 9-24 Seeley 5:00 pm 9-29 Drummond 5:30 pm 9-30 Valley Christian 5:30 pm 10-6 Superior 5:30 pm 10-8 Arlee (Tournament) 9:00 am 10-13 Lincoln 5:30 pm 10-14 Darby 5:30 pm 10-18 Alberton 5:30 pm 10-19 Philipsburg 5:30 pm

9-1 Coaches Invitational Big Sky 4 PM 9-6 @Arlee 1 PM 9-10 @ Anaconda - Washoe Park 10 AM 9-14 @ Frenchtown King Ranch 3 PM 9-17 @ Corvallis 10 AM 9-24 Mountain West Univ. Golf Course 9 AM 10-1 Hamilton, Daly Mansion 11 AM 10-6 Helena, Bill Roberts 12:30 PM 10-13 Runners Edge Invit., Univ. Golf Course 3:30 PM 10-22 State Cross Country Missoula, U of M TBA

Best of Luck to all Valley Teams from your friends at 801 North 1st • Hamilton 363-3260

8 - Ravalli Republic, XXXday, XXMONTHXX, 2010

363-3884 201 N. 1st Street Hamilton

777-4667 4026 Hwy 93 N Stevensville