Top Local Sports Stories of 2021

Havre, the Hi-Line, Montana, it never fails to deliver memorable sports moments. And 2021 was no different.

While COVID-19 might continue to dominate the headlines, on the local front, sports had plenty of eye-popping, jaw-dropping moments over the last year, and the Havre Daily News was there to cover them all.

From college volleyball and football in the spring, to state championships at every level, both team and individual, from national titles on the wrestling mat, to thrilling endings and the biggest games, 2021 was another year in which our area delivered some spectacular sports moments, and here is the biggest of them all over the last 12 months. Enjoy, and Happy New Year.

1. Pony girls cut the nets down in dramatic fashion

For the third time in the last four years, the Havre High girls ended a basketball season as Class A state champions. Under head coach Dustin Kraske, the Ponies have become a dynasty, and that dynasty continued last March when Havre knocked off arch rival Billings Central in double-overtime, 64-60. Behind a huge performance from Sadie Filius, it was a dramatic end to a dramatic season in which the Ponies captured their fourth state championship since 2014, all coming at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

2. MSU-N's Bartel reaches the top

National championships don't come easy, and after finishing runner-up twice, Northern's Isaac Bartel finally broke through in March in Kansas. Bartel beat Lindsey Wilson's Trevor Lawson 6-0 to win the 197-pound NAIA national championship, while earning All-American honors for the fourth straight season. Bartel also helped the Lights to 11th place overall, and he then decided to return for his extra year, where he is now ranked No. 1 at 197 and rolling through the season. Bartel also made it back-to-back seasons in which the Lights crowned a national champ.

3. Fort Benton girls make hoops history

The Longhorns were upset at the 9C tournament in February, but that didn't stop them from winning their first Class C state championship just a few weeks later in Billings. Back in March, the Longhorns beat North Country 74-60 to win the Class C state title. Fort Benton also captured the Northern C on the way to a historic year on the hardwood, led by an incredible senior class, including state tourney MVP Aspen Giese.

4. Lights open Tilleman Field, snap streak, see Rolin resign

2016 was the last time the MSU-Northern football team had won a Frontier Conference game. That brutal streak of 47 straight losses came to an end in an incredible 5-OT, 22-20 win over Eastern Oregon Oct. 23 inside their brand new Tilleman Field stadium. The Lights officially opened Tilleman Field back in the four-game spring season, with the first game against RMC April 3. However, fans were not permitted in the stadium until Northern's 2021 season-opener against C of I Aug. 28, which saw a capacity crowd to fill the stadium which was completed in the summer of 2020. But while Northern had some historic moments this last year, the Lights are looking for a new head coach as Andrew Rolin called it quits in November after four seasons at the helm.

5. A pair of Blue Pony mat champs

The Havre High wrestling team continues to rack up hardware. Even though the All-Class State Tournament was canceled due to the pandemic, and the state tournament pushed to March, the Ponies saw senior Mick Chagnon win his second career state championship, as did Orion Thivierge. Chagnon beat Frenchtown's Eli Warner for the 120-pound title, while Thivierge made it two straight with a pin of Lewistown's Keaton Potter in the 170-pound championship. Havre would end up finishing sixth overall at the Class A tourney held in Miles City.

6. Havre High tennis nets a state title

After a 16-year wait, the Blue Pony boys tennis team returned to the top of Class A. In Billings back in May, Havre got a runner-up finish from Josh Currie in singles, as well as an all-state performance from the doubles team of Josh Warp and Trenton Maloughney on the way to wining their first state title since 2005. The Ponies also won the divisional championship for the 12th straight year.

7. HHS spikers bring home a trophy

Volleyball is a game of momentum, and the Havre Blue Ponies, under second-year head coach Steph Huse, got on a roll at the right time. After finishing third at divisional, Havre advanced all the way to the state championship match in November at the Brick Breeden Fiedhouse in Bozeman. And though the Ponies lost a heartbreaking two-match series against Billings Central, who they beat in the semifinals, it was still a historic ride, as Havre captured its first trophy from state since 2005. Havre also played in its first state championship match since 1999, capping an incredible ride by the Ponies.

8. Quite the year for the Fort Benton boys

Fort Benton boys sports were really good in 2021. In basketball, the Longhorns won the 9C again, captured the Northern C title and wound up finishing fourth at the state tourney in Billings. Just two months later, Fort Benton won a dominant state championship at the Class C state track meet in Missoula. In the fall, the Longhorns advanced to the Class C 8-Man semifinals for the third straight season, falling to Flint Creek at home for the second consecutive year. The run in football, which included another Northern C title, captured a brilliant year for Fort Benton athletics.

9. Bear Paw Marathon Debuts

We had to wait an extra year, but it ended up being worth it. The Bear Paw Marathon made its debut with over 300 runners in the marathon, half marathon and 5K back in June. The marathon started near the Bear Paw Ski Bowl, and the complete course wound up at the finish line in Havre. The event had great community support, and should be a bigger and bigger fixture for years to come.

10. Northstars host state legion tourney

The tournament was delayed one year, but when it finally came to Legion Field in July, Havre put on a show. The Havre Northstars hosted the 2021 State A Legion Baseball Tournament in front of record-sized crowds, with the Northstars playing two dramatic games. Legion Field was also shown off and the Havre community really supported what we knew would be a great tournament, won by the Gallatin Valley Outlaws. The tournament also capped off an exciting season for Havre and head coach Patch Wirtzberger.

Honorable Mention: North Star girls upset Fort Benton for 9C title; MSU-N's Field Soosloff runs at NAIA XC nationals again; Fort Benton volleyball wins Northern C; Havre's Sammy Evans triple jumps in Olympic Trials; Pony softball goes to state; former Pony Parker Filius wrestles at NCAA national tournament; Former Blue Pony Dani Wagner named NAIA All-American; Mike Van Diest coaches Northern defense; Big Sandy reaches Six-Man football semis yet again; HHS girls wrestle at first-ever state girls tournament.