Polson volleyball wins NWA Championship

Coming off the bench, Jessica Hoel provided the spark that Polson needed and showcased just what kind of depth the Lady Pirates have going into the state tournament next weekend in Bozeman. Hoel had 12 kills and senior Ashley Johnson had 13 to power Polson to a 3-1 victory over Whitefish for the NWA Divisional championship.

It will be the fourth straight time that the Lady Pirates are headed to the state tournament after they clinched their postseason berth with a win over the Bulldogs last night.

In the championship match, Polson won the first game 25-18 but the Lady Bulldogs would even things up with a second set 23-25 victory. The Lady Pirates then went on to win the next two matches 25-17 and 25-23 for the NWA title.

While Johnson and Hoel provided the firepower, Shalaina Duford was all over the court with 41 assists, four aces and 22 digs. At the net, Kenzie Clay dominated with four blocks, and Mackenzie Banner was unflappable with 31 digs.

Check out this week's Leader on Thursday for the full story on Polson's championship!

Northwestern A Divisional Championship
Polson def. Whitefish 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23
Kills — Whitefish 44 (Abby Strellanuer 17, Emily Sullivan 15), Polson 57 (Ashley Johnson 13, Jessica Hoel 12); Assists — Whitefish 42 (Taylor Havens 39), Polson 45 (Shalaina Duford 41); Blocks — Whitefish 3 (Havens 1, Baylee Tveidt 1, Sullivan 1), Polson 9 (Kenzie Clay 4); Digs — Whitefish 47 (Ryan Chauner 8, Kelsey McFadden 7), Polson 99 (Mackenzie Banner 31, Duford 22); Aces — Whitefish 7 (Tveidt 4, Shelia Murphy 2), Polson 9 (Duford 4, Johnson 2, Heidi Rausch 2).

Here are photos from the match... you can buy full prints from the Leader here.

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Football: Pirates season comes to an end

In a classic slugfest between two virtually even-matched teams, the fourth-ranked Custer County Cowboys knocked out the previously-undefeated, fifth-ranked Polson Pirates 7-6 in Polson on Saturday afternoon.

The defenses from both sides reigned supreme throughout, with the Pirate D forcing punt after punt, while the Cowboys were able to force turnovers from Polson's offense.

Quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo put Polson on the board toward the end of the first quarter, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run, but after a penalty, the extra point was no good, giving the Pirates a 6-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Custer County went 80 yards for a touchdown and, after the deciding extra point, led 7-6.

Nobody in Polson figured those would be the final points of the game, but had they known how the defenses would play, might have thought differently.

At the end of the second quarter, with the Cowboys driving, Pirate defensive lineman Eric Williamson recovered a fumble, allowing Polson to head to the locker room down only one.

Pirate drive after Pirate drive would head into Custer County territory, but they couldn't regain the lead. DiGiallonardo lost a fumble with 2:25 left in the third quarter before Polson had their best opportunity of the game. After a series of good runs by Paul McClurg, the Pirates had a goal-to-go situation, but a 23-yard field goal missed wide right with 4:55 left.

It wasn't Polson's last chance. The defense allowed a pair of first downs on Custer County's next possession, but got the stop when they needed to, giving the ball back to the offense at midfield with 1:48 left.

A pass interference call got the Pirates to the Cowboy 35 before DiGiallonardo hit Will Davey for 18 yards to get the ball into the red zone and close to field goal range. DiGiallonardo then scampered for three yards before fumbling, but the ball was recovered by Polson. Justin Hoel then reeled in an 8-yard grab from DiGiallonardo with under a minute left to give the Pirates the ball on the 6 with a half a minute to go.

DiGiallonardo tried to hit Davey for the game-winning touchdown, but the Cowboys were able to intercept the pass, ending the game and Polson's season.

Here are photos from the game... you can purchase prints of the photos from the Leader here.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.

Polson clinches state playoff berth

BY ERIC SCHWARTZ/DAILY INTER LAKE

WHITEFISH — When the Polson Pirates dropped the opening set to the Whitefish Bulldogs Friday at the Northwestern A volleyball divisionals, coach Jan Toth had a simple, strong and direct message for her players.

“I just told them the game wasn’t over,” Toth said.

“I said if Whitefish is going to beat us, they’re going to have to do it the hard way. Because we don’t stop fighting. My girls know how to win.”

The Pirates put that knowledge on display in the final three sets, dropping a tenacious and relentless Whitefish team 25-19, 25-20, 25-22 to render the 15-25 loss in the opening set moot.

The win sends Polson to the NWA championship match today. Whitefish heads to the loser-out bracket where it will face the winner of a game between Columbia Falls and Frenchtown for a trip to the championship.

The Pirates (12-2 overall) earned their fourth consecutive All-Class State Volleyball tournament berth with the victory.

Toth thinks the loud and boisterous Whitefish crowd will help prepare Polson for the atmosphere that awaits them at the tournament in Bozeman.

It also might be one of the reasons the Pirates were slow out of the gate Friday.

“We just had to play our tempo of volleyball and just settle,” Toth said. “We were nervous ... This is a big crowd. To play in Whitefish and to play above the noise of the crowd is kind of like playing in the state tournament.”

The play of Whitefish (6-8) likely had just as much of an impact.

“Whitefish is tremendous,” Toth said. “They have huge hearts. They never let anything die.”

The Bulldogs stormed back midway through the first set after finding themselves down 14-10. They rattled off eight consecutive points behind the serving of Kelsey McFadden and outscored the Pirates 15-1 down the stretch to earn the win.

“Overall, I think we served very well,” Whitefish coach Sarah Scott said. “Kelsey McFadden definitely helped take Polson out of its comfort zone.”

It didn’t take long for the Pirates to get their groove back.

Polson built a 24-13 lead in the second set, but as would become a theme, Whitefish came charging back. The Bulldogs posted six consecutive points but ultimately fell 25-19.

The Pirates controlled the tempo for much of the third set and grinded out a 25-20 win before repeating the process again in the form of a 25-22 victory that came down to the wire.

One difference maker for Polson was the play of junior hitter Heidi Rausch. She totaled two aces, five blocks and 13 kills to lead the Pirates.

“She had the game of her life,” Toth said. “I think she was tremendous.”

Toth likewise lauded the play of MaCall Banner who, while not a statistical leader, provided a spark for the Pirates.

“She was a tremendous leader and that was the best game she has played,” Toth said. “She read the hitters and she took some huge, huge digs back there.”

The win means that the team that moves on to the championship — be it Whitefish, Frenchtown or Columbia Falls — will have to beat Polson twice to eliminate it from the tournament.

The first game is set for 4 p.m. with a second game, if necessary, set for 6 p.m.

The top two finishers at divisionals earn trips to the state tournament, which begins Thursday.

“It lets us have a little bit of comfort,” Toth said of her team’s undefeated tournament status. “But we’re never comfortable. Pirate volleyball is never satisfied. The girls went to the locker room and said ‘no way. It was sweet to win but tomorrow we’ve got to be ready.’”

Semifinal
Polson def. Whitefish 15-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22
Aces — Polson 8 (Ashley Johnson 3, Heidi Rausch 2, Kenzie Clay 2), Whitefish 6 (Kelsey McFadden 2); Kills — Polson 37 (Rausch 12, Johnson 7, Tina Marquardt 7), Whitefish 35 (Emily Sullivan 15, Abby Strellnauer 9); Assists — Polson 35 (Shalaina Duford 30), Whitefish 34 (Taylor Havens 28); Blocks — Polson 6 (Heidi Rausch 5), Whitefish 14 (Baylee Tveidt 5, Marlow Schulz 4); Digs — Polson 86 (Duford 27, Riley Kenney 15), Whitefish 32 (Xerox 10, Ryan Chauner 7)

Second Round
Polson def. Columbia Falls 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 25-15
Aces — Polson 11 (Heidi Rausch 4), Columbia Falls 5 (Erika Nelson); Kills — Polson 43 (Riley Kenney 12), Columbia Falls 29 (Haley Belgrade 8); Assists — Polson 31 (Shalaina Duford 33), Columbia Falls 21 (Burlage 14); Blocks — Polson 4 (Kenzie Clay 2), Columbia Falls 7 (NA); Digs — Polson 64 (Kenney 15), Columbia Falls 83 (NA).

Here are photos from the game... You can buy full prints of these photos from the Lake County Leader here.

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Ronan vs. Baker playoff football preview

ROAD WARRIORS
BY BRANDON HANSEN/Leader sports editor

Ronan has been here before.

Last year when the Chiefs (7-2) were still in Class A, they went into their final game of the season against a very talented and very fast Columbia Falls team. Running back Nate Thompson had come into the matchup with much fanfare for the Wildcats, having rushed for more than 1,600 yards in the season.

That didn't discourage Ronan any. They came up with the upset win over the eventual Northwestern A champs 28-20 after quarterback Robbie Gauthier hit Cole McArthur for a touchdown pass with 14 seconds left. For the most part, they were able to contain Thompson's big-play ability.

This Saturday the stakes are much higher as it's the Class B quarterfinals but the look from the other team is the same. Ronan's second round opponent Baker has a running back in Kodee Varner that is rumored to be able to break the sound barrier. Last spring he won the state championship in the 100-meter dash and last week he scored three touchdowns as Baker defeated Columbus 28-0.

"We've been really preparing for the run," Ronan running and defensive back Jack Humphreys said.

Senior Dalton Molzhon added that the team has been doing plenty of pursuit drills, meaning the Chiefs should be able to swarm to the ball.

"We hope [Varner] wont get free from us running," Ronan linebacker Robert Faoa said.

Ronan will be traveling to Varner's home turf, over 600 miles away near the North Dakota border. The game-time atmosphere should be electric as Baker has a legacy of football - four state championships in the 2000s. It's something that Chiefs' head coach Jim Benn knows all too well since he coached Huntley Project, which was at one time in the same district as Baker.

But again, Ronan has been here before. It has seemed for the entire season, the Chiefs have been matched up against highly touted Class B opponents and for the most part they've downed those opponents.

And the road trip? Well the players certainly aren't worried about it.

"I was happy and excited to get off the school time and play football," Faoa said during Wednesday's practice.

In fact, the only thing they're complaining about is that they don't get to play on the Ronan rug - one of only four artificial fields in the state.

"We don't get to play on this turf," Humphreys said. "When we played Florence this season (a 31-14 loss) the conditions were very muddy. It was hard to prepare for things like that."

While Baker is the No. 1 3B seed, both teams are very similar to one another. Ronan has rushed for over 3,000 yards this season behind an offense line that could probably scale the Alps.

"They never get the glory but they work very hard," Humphreys said.

With bad weather reports in the near future, running the ball might be the only method of picking up yards. When it gets to be November in the Big Sky state, images of the Green Bay Packers' icy tundra immediately comes to mind.

"Weather is the great equalizer," Benn said. "In Montana, you pretty much have to run the football because you need an all-weather offense."

Obviously, the Chiefs will be focused on stopping the Baker running attack. Anyone who has watched Ronan this season knows they can be stingy with giving up yards on the ground. So that, more than the weather, might be the ultimate equalizer.

"The big thing is having people do their jobs," Benn said. "Not to worry about what a single player is doing. It's 11-on-11. It's a team game, and we have a lot of good kids that can run the ball. They have to stop us too."

Benn added that at this point of the season, the tough part of preparing his team for the next game is keeping things fresh for a group of kids that have been playing football since August.

"The hard thing is battling the monotony of practice in November," he said.

However, if there's a group of kids that can stay focused, it's the Chiefs. On the bus ride back from their first-round playoff win over Big Timber, Benn said not a single player rode back with parents or friends. They all chose to ride on the bus together.

This Saturday they'll be facing a tough Baker team with a speedster at running back hundreds of miles from home. But they probably have the best advantage of all.

They'll be together.

Polson Pirates playoff football video

Here's a video to get you pumped up for Polson's home playoff game this Saturday against Custer County. Go Pirates!

Leader Sports Report Episode One

It's here ladies and gentlemen! The first ever Leader Sports Report podcast. Leader Reporter Dylan Kitzan and I decided to put together this little number and hopefully more are to come. This week we talk about upcoming playoff games, Dylan's fandom of the San Francisco 49ers, long road trips and what the heck we're going to do this winter with the NBA on strike.


Leader Sports Report Episode 1

Something we've noticed...

Class A Boys soccer state championship game photos

Here are photos from Polson's trip to the Class A Boys Soccer State Championship game. While they lost 3-0 to Whitefish, they still had an awesome season and have been the most successful team in the past two years in Class A. Coach Kittle, Moll, the players, the parents and the Polson community have a lot to be proud about. They represented the area very, very well.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.