Top Local Sports Stories 2019

Here it is folks, the end of another year, and it's time to take a trip back and look at all the great sports moments that have happened in Havre and on the Hi-Line over the last 365 days.

Yes, it's been another spectacular year in our coverage, with state championships, individual and personal triumphs and so many more exciting moments from every corner of the sports landscape. The list below celebrates some of those special moments, and, it also illustrates just how incredible sports are at Havre High, Montana State University-Northern and all over the Hi-Line, and north-central Montana.

So, here's a look at the top sports stories of 2019. It was a great year, and it was a great way to end the last decade. And by the way, Happy New Year everyone.

T1. Blue Ponies go back-to-back

It wasn't easy, but the Havre High girls, of head coach Dustin Kraske did it. In Great Falls back in March, the Blue Ponies won their second straight Class A state championship, beating Hardin 42-36 in a defensive battle. It marked an incredible 22-1 season for the Blue Ponies, who overcame a heartbreaking loss to Billings Central in the Eastern A title game. The repeat state title also gave the historic program a third state championship since 2014, while Havre had six players named All-Conference, and three earn All-State honors.

T1. Box Elder repeats

The Box Elder girls didn't win the District 9C or Northern C championships in 2019. But the Bears did win the tournament that matters most. In March at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, the Bears won their second straight Class C state championship with a 48-42 triumph over Roy-Winifred. The Bears beat a Northern C rival for the second time in as many years in the championship game, and the win, under head coach Joel Rosette, gave the school four state championships in basketball in the last five years, with the girls and boys program's each winning two.

2. Wilkie finishes the job

A lot of history was made during the last winter sports season, including at the state wrestling tournament in Billings, where Havre High senior Martin Wilkie became the school's third four-time Class A state champion. Wilkie won the 145-pound state title to cap an undefeated season and a perfect career in the postseason, joining Parker Filius and Jase Stokes as the other Ponies to make the four-time state champion list. Wilkie, now wrestling for the University of Minnesota, also helped the Blue Ponies to a second-place finish in head coach Beau LaSalle's first year of taking over the helm from Scott Filius. The finish, which included a state championship from sophomore Mick Chagnon, was Havre's 17th straight top-three finish at state.

3. Lights Stadium on the way?

This fall was another one of struggles for the Montana State University-Northern football team, but it was also a fall in which the longtime dream of the program getting an on-campus stadium, took a giant leap toward becoming a reality. On Northern's Homecoming Weekend, Chancellor Greg Kegel announced that the school had raised $2.3 million, all in private donations for Phase I of the stadium project, which, when built, would allow Northern to host its games on campus. The ground-breaking for the project hasn't been formally announced, but after many exciting announcements this past fall, it looks like it's only a matter of time before Northern will have its own football stadium.

4. HHS state champs in the pool

It was the first swim meet of its kind, and the Havre High boys swim team, under the direction of head coach Bill Kilgore, wasted no time in making history. For the first time ever, the Montana State Swimming Championships, held back in February in Bozeman, featured a Class A-B only division for the finals, and the Ponies tied juggernaut Billings Central with 63 points for the A-B state championship. The 63 points would have also been good enough for a seventh-place finish in Class AA, as Havre got big swims from the likes of Sergio Tamayo, Ammon Lines, Jacob Miller and many more.

5. Harlem girls make history

It's always exciting to go where a team hasn't gone before. And that's exactly what the Harlem Wildcats did last winter. With a loaded roster that includes MSU-Northern recruit L'Tia Lawrence, the Wildcats won the District 2B title, then captured their first-ever Northern B crown in February. However, Harlem's historic win at the Northern B wasn't the end of the story, as it also sent the Wildcats to the Class B state tournament for the first time in school history.

6. Sugarbeeters make a deep run

Last winter marked a wildly successful year for high school basketball, and the Chinook boys were a huge part of the story. The Sugarbeeters, of head coach Mike Seymour, won their third straight 9C title in February, and a week later, beat 9C rival Hays-Lodge Pole (who advanced to state for the second time in four years) for their first-ever Northern C championship. The Northern C title pushed Chinook to its first state tournament appearance in three decades (when the school was Class B), and once there, the Beeters made it to the semifinals before losing for the first time all season - a season in which the Beeters made tons of history and lost a grand total of two games.

7. Brandon Weber wins Little Sullivan Award

The last three years have been very special for Northern grappler Brandon Weber. But the honors didn't end for the 2017 NAIA national champion with his second-place finish at 157 pounds in his last national tournament. In the spring, Weber was given the Montana AAU Male Little Sullivan Award, a prestigious honor. Weber, who graduated from Northern in May, was a three-time finalist at 157 pounds for head coach Tyson Thivierge, winning the title in 2017, while losing tough matches to Life's Nosomy Pozo in the championship bout in both 2018 and 2019.

8. Cichosz wins his last race

The 2019 Class B state cross country championships in November were a lot of fun for Harlem runners, including senior Brad Cichosz, who won the Class B boys race with a time of 17:08.70, giving the Wildcats their first individual state title in nearly a decade. Cichosz, who is a three-sport standout for the Wildcats, excelled in distance races in the 2019 state track meet, as well, and is already having a big senior season on the hardwood.

9. Havre returns to the playoffs

It had been four years, but, the Havre Blue Ponies were finally back in the Class A football playoffs. But head coach Ryan Gatch's team wasn't satisfied with just getting there. Hosting Lewistown in the first round at Blue Pony Stadium, Mason Dionne scored a game-winning touchdown with under a minute to go as Havre beat the Eagles 14-13 to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Havre's 5-5 record was also its best mark since that same season, as well.

10. Area Football Semifinalists

The Hi-Line had four local football teams, Havre, North Star, Big Sandy and Fort Benton reach the postseason. But, it was the Pioneers and Longhorns who went the farthest. Big Sandy advanced to the Class C Six-Man semifinals for the second year in a row, falling to Jordan for the second straight season as well. Meanwhile, the Longhorns made it all the way to the Class C 8-Man semis before losing to Fairview. And while both losses were heartbreakers, it was still a historic season for both schools, as they won conference championships, had many players selected All-State and each won two home playoff games.

Honorable Mention: Northern Alumni Jerry Wagner comes home to coach Skylights volleyball; Kyndall Keller and Joelnell Momberg sign with Lady Griz basketball; In 2019, the Fort Benton girls win district and/or divisional championships in three sports - basketball, track and field and volleyball. Northern football wins season-opener for the second straight year. Havre High volleyball places fourth at state. HHS spring sports include Havre High girls relay teams placing second in both races, and Tommy Brown and Tyrel Kjersem placing third in tennis boys doubles. Turner girls reach and win games at Northern C basketball; Rocky Boy boys win at state: MSU-N XC runner Allison Tigert makes it to nationals: Both Northern basketball teams rank in NAIA Coaches Poll this fall.