A few of Lake County's finest in the first half of 2007
By Zach Urness
As the sun officially dawns on the high school sports season, and the calendar year of 2007 reaches its midpoint, it would seem like a good time to reminisce about some of the performances that made the fans shake the stands. So here, without pride or prejudice, are a few Lake County athletes who caught my attention in 2007.
Lady Pirates softball
I’ll be honest. Before I moved to Polson I never thought much of fast-pitch softball. Maybe it was a built in snobbery based on the idea that baseball is inherently superior, or maybe I just never saw anything that turned my head. The Lady Pirates changed all that in a hurry. It wasn’t just that they won seven straight games in two days, or that they won the state championship on their final at bat in one of the best games I’ve ever seen. It was, simply, that they were fun to watch.
Larry Smith’s brand of small ball and mastery of situational hitting is something even the most cynical baseball purist could appreciate. The 2007 Lady Pirates were a perfect blend of speed, power, intelligence and heart. And the look of pure elation on their faces as they were victoriously chauffeured around town on the tops of fire trucks was enough to send a shiver down the spine of just about anyone.
Charlo Lady Vikings basketball
Watching the Charlo girls beat upon their class C competition this season was the equivalent of watching Mike Tyson fight Ryan Seacrest. The Lady Vikes beat their opponents by an average of 22 points during a campaign that saw them go undefeated during the regular season and advance to the state championship game in Butte.
Getting to know the four senior girls who powered this juggernaut was equality as enjoyable. Stevie-Leigh Sammons, Amanda Murphy, Hayley Carr and Ma’Rya Hungerford were cool enough to laugh at all of my lame jokes when I interviewed them and nice enough to join me for breakfast one morning while I was covering them at the state tournament in Butte. All four were friendly, intelligent girls, and watching them lose the championship game to Circle by two points, especially after Carr and Sammons fouled out, was tough.
Ashley Mitchell (Mission basketball)
The main thing you noticed, watching Mitchell play basketball for the Lady Bulldogs, was how much better she was then everybody else on the court. She had the whole package; speed, body control, shooting touch, and a swagger that let you know she was the real deal. After missing a large chunk of the season due to a recurring back injury, she led Mission to the conference and district titles, while being named to the all-state team.
Casey Cable (Mission tennis)
One day we’ll be referring to this kid as Dr. Cable (he’s planning on attending med school) but for the moment we can appreciate the surgical way he disemboweled his competition at state B tennis tournament. Cable didn’t lose a set as he steam rolled everyone in his path and turned the championship match into a laugher, winning 6-0, 6-0. With the championship, he became the first Mission tennis player in the school’s history to win the state B singles title.
Bryce Picard and Ted Morigeau (Polson wrestling)
One of the greatest quotes that I’ve ever seen came from an unfortunate Sentinel wrestler named Austin Lord who had the misfortune of facing Morigeau and later said of the experience: “He’s pretty much a badass.” That’s not only about the best compliment you can receive as a wrestler, but pretty close to the truth. Morigeau tallied 26 pins during his senior season — fourth in Polson history — and my only problem with him is that trying to get pictures of him was close to impossible as it generally took all of 10 seconds for him to pin an opponent.
Picard was no less a “badass,” and the all-world athlete with biceps the size of softballs won his second state wrestling title in 2007. He didn’t get pins as quickly as Morigeau, but it was usually a forgone conclusion who would win when he was on the mat.
Amanda Murphy (Charlo Track & Field)
To say Murphy dominated the shot put and discus over the past three year is like saying Tiger Woods occasionally plays golf. The four time state champ (two in the disc, two in the shot) with one exception, won one or both of the events in every meet she competed in since her sophomore year. Her mark in the shot put this year were better then any in Montana and her disc wasn’t far behind.
Alan Skogen and Cameron Barber (RSI Track & Field)
Both athletes dominated their events all season, and set the top marks in the state. Skogen set the school record for discus and ended up winning the state title while Barber took second. (See B1 for more on Barber). These are two of the many nice, down-to-earth kids I got a chance to meet while covering Ronan sports.
Jordan Pfau (Arlee basketball)
Leading the conference in scoring and being named to the all-state team is impressive enough. But doing it as a freshmen? That’s pretty tough to come by. It’ll be interesting to see how good Pfau can be as a sophomore and whether she can lead a talented group of returning underclassmen.
Danielle Rowe (Polson Track & Field)
Rowe was simply perfect this season, winning every track and field meet she entered and winning her second state high jump crown. The most interesting thing I saw about Rowe was how easy she made it look. Even at the state tournament, it almost seemed like she could have taken a little nap in between jumps.
Ryan Fisher and John Hollow (Ronan basketball/wrestling)
These guys deserve credit because of their ability to weather tough situations. Fisher stepped in and returned a once-proud wrestling program to prominence and Hollow turned a team that at one point lost 23 games in a row, into a team that took fourth place in the conference. Both have instilled a winning attitude in their team, and should have success for years to come.
Zach Urness can be reached at: sports@leaderadvertiser.com