SPORTS: 2011 IN REVIEW

We saw plenty of great moments in 2011 as Lake County athletes

showed guts and gumption out in the arena of competition. Here are

some of our favorite moments from last year...

We saw plenty of great moments in 2011 as Lake County athletes showed guts and gumption out in the arena of competition. Here are some of our favorite moments from last year...

CHIEFS OF STATE

Ronan's Toby Cheff and Cole McArthur both took home state championships at the Class A tournament on Feb. 12, culminating their senior seasons with a bang.

McArthur won the 171-pound weight class with a 10-6 decision over Casey Schaub, of Havre. In the 189-pound class, Cheff won his second state championship with a thrilling pin of Levi Cade from Belgrade in 3:19.

"I was very happy with both of them," Ronan head coach Dustyn Azure said of his wrestlers. "They worked their butts off all four years."

Both went on to sign with colleges, Cheff with MSU-Northern and McArthur with Dickinson State.

LADY PIRATES CONTINUE THE DYNASTY

There are family dynasties in China that don't last as long as the vice grip the Polson softball program has on the Class A state championship trophy.

The Lady Pirates won their second straight title on May 27, downing Frenchtown 7-1 for the school's sixth overall softball crown, all since 2001.

"We've got some super leadership," head coach Larry Smith said. "Those four seniors are fantastic."

Tenacious, competitive and driven, Kodi Woods, Kylie Knutson, Kayla Duford and Sallie Sams made up the engine that drove the Big Purple Machine. Pitcher Shalaina Duford brought a fire to the pitcher's mound that resembled a Nolan Ryan fastball.

"It was just an improvement throughout the season, they just kept doing it more and more," Smith said of his team. "It was a gradual improvement and that steady pace is what's important."

The scary thing? Flamethrower Duford will be just a junior this Spring.

AMAZING WARRIORS

To say the Arlee Warriors were fun to watch in 2011 would be the biggest understatement since "the internet is kind of a neat thing."

Arlee's team style of basketball coupled with the fast-pace game they liked to play resulted in one of the most impressive teams in the entire state.

Under first-year head coach Dustin Keltner, the Warriors placed second in state after winning both district and divisional titles along the way.

"It was a pretty good feeling," Keltner said about winning the divisional championship. "It was a good day to be a Warrior."

Their trip to the Class C state tournament not only shut down the town of Arlee for a weekend in March, but turned into a magical run akin to "Hoosiers."

The Warriors won their first game of the tournament over Absarokee 54-49 and then pulled off a thrilling overtime 45-42 victory against Froid/Medicine Lake.

To get to overtime, Arlee needed a three-pointer by senior Kasey Bridgewater at the buzzer of regulation time to knot things up 34-34.

"The big thing I was worried about was if my foot was on the line," Bridgewater said.

The Warriors finished them off in OT and advanced to the state championship game against Scobey/Opheim where they came oh-so close to a state championship.

The Warriors also placed fourth in 2010, showing that the program in Arlee is as strong as the mountains around the Jocko Valley.

MY OH MY! MISSION VALLEY MARINERS!

Knowing they'd get an automatic bid by virtue of hosting the Class A Legion Baseball State Tournament, the Mission Valley Mariners had one motto to live by.

Take what is given to you and earn what isn't.

While the Mariners placed third at the district tournament, they showed right away they belonged at the state tournament at the beginning of August with a run to the state championship game.

Mission Valley got more offensive production out of their lineup than any other team in the tournament. Along the way they defeated Great Falls, Belgrade, Libby and got a no-hitter by Justin Evertz.

"They made it very clear that they belonged," Mariners manager Jami Hanson said. "They took that state bid and earned the right to be there."

They also played three-time state champion Laurel tougher than any other squad in the tournament. While the Dodgers would come away with the title, the Mariners showed they were among the top teams in the state.

"They expect to win and that's why this team is in every tournament," Hanson said. "They placed themselves in the most opportune spots to win. They did that. They could have just bowed out in two games at the state tournament but they didn't."

VIKINGS ON THE RUN

Charlo has no shortage of great athletes and it showed last May when the boys track and field team took home their first state championship since 1972.

They also did it in dramatic fashion.

The Vikings had a slim 62-60 lead going into the 1,600-meter relay. The Vikings had to outrace Joliet in order to win the title and they did just that as Tyler Delaney, Chance Rosenbaum, Chico Stipe and Stephen Delaney combined for their best time of the season, 3:31.22 for first place and the title.

"It was pretty intense," head coach Bret Thompson said. " The kids knew what they needed to do. We came into it with the approach that it was an event that we needed to win."

It was a victory that set fire to a team celebration and later that day, a cascade of sirens and cheers that greeted them beginning in Moeise.

"The kids were excited," Thompson said. "It was something totally new to them."

RONAN FOOTBALL REACHES THE SEMIS

The Wramblin' Wreck of Ronan chalked up plenty of mileage off the field - traveling the entire length of Montana during the playoffs - and on it - rushing for over 3,000 yards during the season.

The Chiefs proved to be a deep, hard-nosed squad with a tough defense and a competitive spirit that took them all the way to the state semifinals.

"It's been a special season," Ronan head coach Jim Benn said. "It's been a real privilege to be part of it."

It was Ronan's best team in over two decades and revived the tradition and excitement that Chiefs football brings to the Mission Valley.

"They've set a standard now," Benn said of his senior players. "They've done anything we ask them to do, they're very coachable, they're good citizens."

There's only one more question for the Chiefs for 2012... when does football season start?

POLSON GOLF WINS STATE TITLE

For the first time since 2008, the girls' golf state trophy has a new home. The Polson Lady Pirates, after a season of dominant tournament performances, took home the state title in October.

Led by senior Makaliah Wilson's two-day total of 194, which was good for a seventh-place tie individually, the Lady Pirates claimed the 2011 Class A Golf State Championship by 20 strokes over second-place Park High School.

"It really felt like a great team effort," head coach Bill Owen said. "The scores were all solid. It felt like everybody stepped up."

Polson's second-day total of 389 was the field's lowest by 18 strokes. Three-time defending state champion Billings Central finished ninth overall. Sophomore Jaylin Kenney matched Anna DiGiallonardo's 195, tying for ninth, while senior Kat Medland recorded an even 200, medalling in a tie for 14th place.

"It's not as special for me to medal in 14th as the state victory for the team is," Medland said. "I'm excited for all five girls to be a part of it."

SCARVES UP FOR POLSON SOCCER

Polson was the only team in the state semifinals the last two seasons and came dang close to a title, battling conference foe Whitefish in the state championship game in October.

The Bulldogs would be the victors, but the Pirates showed they have one of the best soccer programs in the state under head coach Jess Kittle.

"It's a special group of guys," Kittle said. "It's a real rare group that have been leaders on the team. I'm going to miss those guys tremendously."

Polson had last reached the state championship game nearly a decade ago, and this was the first championship game under coach Kittle.

It was also a first for the Pirates' group of seniors, who helped win a Montana Cup state championship two springs ago, and had been playing soccer together from youth league on up. Seniors Riley Lemm, Nick Howell, Peregrine Frissell, Caden von Wildenradt and Jon Murphy have been the core group of guys that have helped lead this team to succeed the past few years.

Their run to the state championship game included a shootout victory in Hamilton and a tough road win against Park High School in the playoffs. Polson also employed an impressive attack that saw Lemm and James Larson become two of the most fearsome scoring threats in the state.

The season started with a midnight practice and ended with numerous Pirate players receiving state and national honors. When the County Fair comes to town next fall, chances are there will be plenty of players lining up in another quest for the state title.

BISON CHAMPS FOR SEVENTH TIME

The SKC Bison continue to show they are the dominant tribal college in the country with their third straight AIHEC National Championship and seventh overall last March.

The Bison weren't undefeated at the AIHEC tournament hosted in Pablo, and won a thrilling 103-99 victory over Northwest Indian College in the championship game.

Down 86-80 to Northwest Indian College with 7:59 to go in the game, SKC went on a 17-7 run to give themselves a 97-93 lead. NWIC would tie the game two times with less than two minutes to go but the Bison got a bucket and two free throws from Marvin Lewis to seal up the 103-99 win in dramatic fashion.

"It just came down to teamwork," Lewis said. "We knew we were going to hit the right shot."

Lewis would be named tournament MVP but later in the year would pass away in a drowning accident in South Dakota. SKC honored their player by retiring his number in their home game against NIC in November.