The Magnificent Seven

by Dylan Kitzan & Leader Reporter
| March 17, 2012 6:30 AM

RONAN — It’s rare for more than a few seniors to end their basketball careers together because of limited roster size, but an amazing seven Ronan Chief seniors who have been through thick and thin recently culminated their careers with a late-season spurt at the Class 6-B Divisional Tournament.

Since sixth grade, Marcus Hungerford, Robbie Gauthier, Marley Tanner, Edmond Dupuis and Chris Clary have been a tight-knit group, whether on or off the basketball court for Ronan. In eighth grade, Brady Oakland joined the five and two years after that, Robert Faoa became part of the clique. The seven completed their high school career with a scintillating run at the Class 6-B Divisional Tournament in Hamilton nearly a month ago, including a thrilling four-overtime win and two nail-biting losses.

“Insane,” Dupuis said of outlasting Troy 77-69 over eight quarters to open their divisional tourney. “It was one of those games you’ll remember for the rest of your life. It was amazing to be a part of something like that.”

“It just kept going,” Clary added. “You were just like ‘not another one.’”

The win would be the last one of their career as their weary legs admittedly caught up to them over the next two days in a pair of close losses.

“You didn’t think it would affect you much, but once the game got going…” Gauthier said, his words trailing off.

Ronan’s late-season showing came a bit out of nowhere. They needed a win over Lake County rival Mission just to advance to the district seeding tournament, where they dropped a couple tough games to Florence and Loyola. Then, after outlasting Troy, the Chiefs were downed by Deer Lodge and Loyola by a combined four points.

“We got our chemistry together,” Dupuis said. “We had a few things to take care of and talked them all out to where everyone: from the starters to the bench, was on the same page.”

“We know what each other can and can’t do and there’s a sense of where we need to pick it up where another of us might lack,” Tanner added.

The divisional tournament was an impressive showing for the team which battled ups and downs all season, their first in Class B. Admittedly, chemistry was a problem early on in the season.

“We just needed to have more trust. We had some of it, but we weren’t all in,” Hungerford said.

Playing unfamiliar opponents gave the Chiefs more problems, but they got inspiration from old rivals when it mattered most.

“When we played Class A teams, there was intensity, we knew what to expect,” Dupuis said. “We tried to bring that intensity from playing Columbia Falls and Polson to tournament time.”

Practices regularly brought out the fiery side for the seven, who are so close, they know each other too well at times.

“We know what we’re going to do, and you can’t beat someone who knows what you’re going to do, so practices were tough,” Hungerford said. The seven aren’t just great teammates and rivals, of course, but they’re great friends as well. Five of the players, all but Tanner and Oakland, played on the state semifinal football team that lost to Malta in a close, hard-fought game and the group gets together for basketball tournaments, Madden tourneys and hot tub parties at Oakland’s house when they’re not clicking on the court.

While they still have a few months of their high school careers left, they’ve begun bracing for the inevitable: splitting up for the first time in over a half a decade. Faoa is off to Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D., Oakland is hitting the oil fields, Tanner is off to UM to study pharmacy and Clary is heading to Montana State to study engineering. Hungerford and Dupuis are staying together and heading to Rocky Mountain College, while Gauthier is considering following suit.

“They’ve been some of the best times of my life, I’m a little bummed out that they’re ending,” Dupuis said.

The seven may be heading in different directions, but they’ll always have memories of Madden, the gridiron and gritty practices to remember each other by. And one of the greatest games of all time as well.