District 7C volleyball honors released

Despite the difficulties of playing during COVID-19, the first year of District 7C volleyball was great. It saw new teams and fresh faces blend with old stalwarts to form a dominant conference in Class C volleyball.

The season also saw Fort Benton reach the state tournament for a second year in a row, while familiar teams on the Hi-Line like Chinook, North Star, CJI and more enjoyed a fun year on the court.

Now, though, the season has come to an end, and soon, the focus will shift to winter sports. First, though, there are awards to hand out, and the 7C recently released its 2020 All-Conference Team, and Class C All-State selections.

As for those All-Staters, the league got nine total Class C All-State picks. The champion Fort Benton Longhorns had three Class C All-State selections in seniors Abby Clark, Maci Molinario and Aspen Giese. The Chinook Sugarbeeters had three players tabbed All-State in seniors Delaney Kellam, Ginger Hauer and Hailey Bell, while CJI's Tatum Hull and North Star's Kenidee Wolery also earned All-State honors. All All-State selections were also First-Team All-Conference.

Area players on the Second Team included, North Star's Jade Wendland, Big Sandy's Amiya Griffith, Chinook's Jayden Miller, CJI's Abby Fraser and Molly Nelson, Fort Benton's Jasmine Wilson and Emerson Giese, and Box Elder's Zayna Henderson.

Fort Benton's Shana Diekhans was named Coach of the Year.

District 7C

All-conference

First team

Abby Clark, sr., Fort Benton*; Delaney Kellam, sr., Chinook*; Maci Molinario, sr., Fort Benton*; Aspen Giese, sr., Fort Benton*; Jonna McCullough, sr., Geraldine-Highwood*; Tatum Hull, jr., Chester-Joplin-Inverness*; Ginger Hauer, sr., Chinook*; Kenidee Wolery, sr., North Star*; Hailey Bell, sr., Chinook*.

Second team

Azzia Rowland, jr., Geraldine-Highwood; Jade Wendland, jr., North Star; Amiya Griffith, jr., Big Sandy; Jayden Miller, sr., Chinook; Abby Frazier, sr., Chester-Joplin-Inverness; Jasmine Wilson, sr., Fort Benton; Emerson Giese, so., Fort Benton; Molly Nelson, sr., Chester-Joplin-Inverness; Zayna Henderson, sr., Box Elder.

Coach of the year: Shana Diekhans, Fort Benton.

*Indicates all-state selection.