Area Athletes Capture State Recognition During Exciting 2022 Year

 

State championship efforts and post-season success highlighted 2022 for athletes in the Culbertson, Bainville and Froid/Lake areas during 2022.

January

Froid/Lake’s boys’ basketball squad stayed undefeated with a tough 66-47 home victory over Bainville. Leading the Red Hawks were Javonne Nesbit with 22, Mason Dethman with 13 and Brett Stentoft with 12 points. Top scorers for Bainville were Ayden Knudsen with 17 and Jesse Strickland with 16 points.

The Culbertson Cowgirls accounted for 28 points in the fourth quarter to beat Fairview, 43-32. Makena Hauge finished with 20 points.

Four players from Froid/ Lake were selected to play in the six-man all-star football game in Custer. The players were Brett Stentoft, Ashdyn Hobbs, Connor Huft and Javonne Nesbit.

February

The Culbertson Cowboys edge MonDak by a 28-26 final. Maurice Bighorn accounted for a steal and layup to put Culbertson ahead to stay with 1:38 left.

In girls’ basketball, Culbertson held off Froid/Lake by a 45-40 margin. Megan Granbois led the Cowgirls with 19 points. Baylee Davidson scored 19 for the Red Hawks.

Bainville battled back for a 56-49 league victory over Circle in boys’ basketball action. The Bulldogs trailed by seven points in the final period.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks were impressive in earning the title at the District 2C boys’ basketball tournament held in Sidney. Froid/Lake defeated Fairview, 66-41, in the championship match. Javonne Nesbit finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Culbertson Cowgirls qualified for the divisional tournament by beating Savage, 33-16. Makena Hauge and Destiny Thompson led the way with 12 points each. The Cowgirls opened the tournament with a 30-28 victory over Circle. Eighth-grader Ayden Ator hit a shot with 20 seconds for the difference.

Bainville’s boys advanced to the divisional tourney by beating Plentywood, 5953. After losing on a buzzer- beater in the first round, the Bulldogs earned hard fought victories over Culbertson, Savage and Plentywood during the tournament in Sidney.

The Froid/Lake girls clinched a divisional berth by beating Circle, 47-40.

March

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks marched through the divisional tournament to win the Eastern C championship. The Red Hawks outscored Fairview, 76-46, in the title contest. Javonne Nesbit finished with 29 points.

The Culbertson Cowgirls dropped contests against Scobey and Circle during the divisional tournament.

After winning the district tournament, the Plentywood Wildcats claimed the Eastern C girls’ basketball title as well.

Bainville placed fourth at the Eastern C boys’ basketball tournament. It marked the best showing by the Bulldogs in 40 years. In the thirdplace game, Lustre emerged with a 48-42 victory. During the tournament, Bainville opened with an overtime loss against Lustre but then defeated Circle, 65-50, and Richey/Lambert, 46-43.

Froid/Lake’s boys’ basketball team came away with the second-place trophy at the Class C state tournament held in Great Falls. The Red Hawks opened with a 54-60 victory over Shields Valley as Javonne Nesbit scored 28 points. Froid/Lake then stopped Roy/Winifred, 46-35, in the semi-final round. The Red Hawks lost to Manhattan Christian, 55-35, in the championship game. Froid/Lake’s Javonne Nesbit and Mason Dethman were each selected to the Class C All-State boys’ basketball team. Also receiving All-State and All-Conference honors were Bainville’s senior Jesse Strickland, Fairview’s junior Hunter Sharbono, Fairview’s senior Kanyon Taylor, Plentywood’s junior Reese Wirtz and Richey/ Lambert’s senior Grady Gonsioroski. Froid/Lake’s seniors Tyler Wivholm and Brett Stentoft were also voted to the District 2C All-Conference squad. Also selected All-Conference was Circle’s junior Beau Beery. Bainville’s senior Braeden Romo and junior Ayden Knudsen were each second-team selections. Culbertson’s junior Colin Avance and Froid/Lake’s senior Bode Miller were also voted to the second team.

Two players from Culbertson and one from Froid/Lake were among the District 2C All-Conference selections for District 2C girls’ basketball. Selected from Culbertson were juniors Makena Hauge and Megan Granbois. Junior Dasani Nesbit earned the honor from Froid/Lake. Other first-team selections included Plentywood’s Liv Wangerin, MonDak’s Elizabeth Field, Plentywood’s Emma Bernsdal, Plentywood’s Shayla Fawcett, Plentywood’s Ashtyn Curtiss, MonDak’s Kiarra Brunelle and Circle’s Sierra Nagle. All-State selections were Hauge, Wangerin, Field and Bernsdal. Froid/Lake’s Baylee Davidson and Carolyne Christoffersen were each second team selections. Bainville’s Elise Wilson and Culbertson’s Destiny Thompson were also voted to the second team.

April

The Culbertson Cowboys earned third place and the Cowgirls took fifth in the girls’ standings during the Richey/Lambert track meet held in Lambert on April 7.

Froid/Lake/s Javonne Nesbit was selected to play in the Montana-Wyoming All-Star basketball game.

Athletes from throughout the area placed during a track meet in Wolf Point.

School record performances by Carolyne Christoffersen highlighted the efforts by Froid/Lake during the Savage Invitational track meet on April 26. Christoffersen qualified for state in the shot put with a school record distance of 36-10. She also broke the school record and took first place in the javelin with a best of 108-5. The junior earned first place in the discus with a mark of 100-01.

May

Culbertson, Bainville and Froid/Lake each earned honors during the 37th annual Norm Girard Top 10 track meet in Glasgow on May 3. Culbertson’s Megan Granbois cleared 4-10 to place third in the high jump at the highly regarded meet. The girls’ 400-meter relay team featuring Makena Hauge, Destiny Thompson, Granbois and Autumn Bergum finished fifth at 53.9 seconds. Bainville’s Charles Butikofer cleared 5-10 to earn second place in the high jump. Leading Froid/Lake was Carolyne Christoffersen with a best of 36-2 for third place in the shot put. In the boys’ division, Javonne Nesbit came through with a mark of 39-2 in the triple jump for fourth place. Max Engelke finished fifth in the 400 with a time of 55.84 seconds.

Culbertson’s boys took fourth and the Cowgirls took fifth at the District 2C track meet. District champions were Plentywood’s boys and girls. Carolyne Christoffersen broke a district record to highlight the day for the Froid/Lake track team at the District 2C meet in Lambert on Tuesday, May 10. Christoffersen had a school record best of 40-4 in the shot put for a district record and first place. The junior placed second in the javelin at 103-08 and third in the discus at 898. Bainville’s boys scored 25 points and the girls accounted for 15 points during the District 2C track meet.

Three golfers from Roosevelt County qualified for the Class C state meet during the divisional tournament in Sidney. Bainville’s Alex Strickland placed 12th with an 104 and Braeden Romo earned 16th with a 105 to earn state berths. Froid/Lake’s Ashdyn Hobbs shot a 108 for 22nd place to qualify for the state tournament.

Culbertson’s boys earned fourth place at the Eastern C track meet with 65 points. The top three teams were Richey/Lambert with 103, Plentywood with 98 and Scobey with 93. A first-place finish by the 400-meter relay team highlighted the day for the Cowboys. Wyatt Snyder, Reese Moon, Kobe Nickoloff and Bridger Salvevold had a winning time of 47.02 seconds. Carolyne Christoffersen had a divisional championship performance for the Froid/Lake Red Hawks. The junior had a mark of 39-4 to earn top honors in the shot put. Christoffersen placed fifth in the javelin with a mark of 102-9. Max Engelke enjoyed an outstanding day for Froid/Lake’s boys as the junior finished second in the 300-meter hurdles at 45.86 seconds and fifth in the 400 at 56.08 seconds.

The high jump was a strong event for the Bainville Bulldogs during the divisional meet. Samuel Butikofer cleared 5-8 for second place and Charles Butikofer cleared 5-8 for third place in the boys’ high jump. Elsie Wilson took third place in the girls’ high jump by clearing 4-10.

The performances of Froid/Lake’s Carolyne Christoffersen and Culbertson’s Aiden Perkins were highlights for Roosevelt County at the Class C state track meet held in Great Falls. Christoffersen, a junior, captured the state championship in the shot put with a mark of 37-4. Culbertson’s Perkins, a senior, earned fourth place in the shot put with a best of 45-0.

June

Froid/Lake players Ashdyn Hobbs, Brent Stentoft and Connor Huft played solid roles in the Blue team’s 34-28 comeback win over the Red team in the six-man All-Star football game on June 3.

The Red team, which included players from Culbertson, downed the Blue team, 46-30, in the 38th Bob Cleverley Eight-Man All-Star Football Game on June 4. Culbertson’s Kyler Kempton scored on a four-yard run in the victory. Playing from Culbertson in the contest were James Kirkaldie, Kempton, Aiden Perkins and Zachary O’Neill. Brian Manning served as an assistant coach.

The Agland Froid baseball team won two of four games at the Glendive tournament during the weekend.

July

The Froid/Lake and Bainville softball teams each competed hard during the major softball league tournament held in Plentywood on June 27. Froid/Lake placed third and Bainville took fourth in the six-team tournament.

The Froid Agland Bulls celebrated senior night by splitting a double-header against the Miles City Outlaws in Froid on July 6.

Froid/Lake volleyball standouts Carolyne Christoffersen, Baylee Davidson and Aleah Johnson experienced a trip to Hawaii in early July. The journey began when the three girls received an invitation letter from NoKaOi Volleyball.

The Froid Agland Bulls finished their season with a tournament in Miles City during the end of July.

August

Culbertson began football practice with 14 of its 22 players being either sophomores or freshmen.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks opened their football season with a 49-48 victory over Custer/Hysham/Melstone.

Bainville started its football campaign with a 33-18 home victory over Trenton, N.D.

Culbertson and Froid/Lake each earned first place in their pools during the tournament held in Culbertson.

Culbertson /Bainville placed fourth in the boys’ standings at the seasonopening cross country meet in Wolf Point on Aug. 26.

September

Culbertson’s football team scored 26 points in the first quarter and won at Poplar by a 62-12 final.

The Froid/Lake football program’s 24-game winning streak came to an end at Broadview/Lavina, 52-6, on Sept. 2.

Bainville’s football squad struck for 22 points in the fourth period to beat Absarokee, 30-6. Culbertson stayed undefeated in league play with a 44-14 victory in Scobey. Justice Bengochea and Kobe Nickoloff rushed for nearly 200 yards on the grounds.

The Culbertson Cowgirls fought off Bainville by a 258, 25-22, 25-23, margin in Culbertson on Sept. 16. Culbertson’s Makena Hauge, a senior, accounted for a standout match with 12 kills, seven blocks and 16 digs.

Froid/Lake’s volleyball team posted victories against Plentywood and Frazer squads.

The Culbertson/Bainville cross country team hosted 15 teams for the annual Culbertson Invitational on Sept. 24. Senior Kayli Olson of Culbertson/ Bainville finished in seventh place at 21:17.08. Maurice Bighorn led Culbertson/ Bainville by taking 39th place with a time of 20:49.10.

In the conference opening game for both squads, Froid/ Lake jumped out to a big early lead and defeated Bainville, 54-25, in Medicine Lake on Sept. 24.

The Culbertson Cowboys clinched one of the top two playoff spots in the conference by earning a 59-19 victory in Plentywood on Sept. 30.

October

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks earned a hard-fought victory over North Country in a battle of two of the Eastern C’s top volleyball squads on Oct. 1. The Red Hawks won by a 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 15-10 final.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks stayed undefeated in conference play by beating previously undefeated Savage, 4322, on the road on Oct. 1.

Culbertson put on an excellent display of power football in the second half to defeat Fairview, 40-28, in a battle of the two top teams of the Eastern C in Culbertson on Oct. 7.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks clinched first place and remained undefeated in league play by knocking off Richey/ Lambert, 63-12, in Lambert.

Bainville’s volleyball team fought off Richey/Lambert in five sets during conference action in Richey on Oct. 13. The Bulldogs won by a final margin of 25- 23, 2514, 22-24, 19-25, 15-11.

The Culbertson/Bainville girls’ squad put together an outstanding effort to earn second place at the Class C state cross country meet in Missoula. Culbertson/Bainville finished with 50 points to capture the second-place trophy. Kayli Olson earned All-State honors.

The Culbertson Cowboys earned a first-round playoff win over Lone Peak, 64-16, with a dominating second-half performance at home on Oct. 29.

Froid/Lake went through the District 1C volleyball tournament undefeated to come away with the district championship.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks overcame a poor start to down Denton/Geyser/Stanford/ Geraldine, 49-32, to open six-man football action at home on Oct. 29. Froid/ Lake fell behind 20-7 in the first half before exploding for 30 points in the second quarter.

November

Culbertson downed Superior, 56-34, in the quarter-final round of the football playoffs. Kobee Nickoloff finished with 266 rushing yards and Justice Bengochea added 113 yards.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks appeared to be peaking at the right time as they crushed Valier, 44-8, in a quarter-final round football playoff game on Nov. 5.

The great comeback run by the Froid/Lake Red Hawks came to an end in the second-place match at the Eastern C divisional volleyball tournament in Culbertson on Nov. 5. The Red Hawks came away with the third-place trophy at the divisional tournament. Circle defeated North Country in the divisional title match.

The Froid/Lake Red Hawks came a play or two and a point away from pulling off a playoff upset on Nov. 12. Despite a fantastic effort by the Red Hawks, Broadview/Lavina escaped with a 35-34 home semi-final football victory in six-man action.

Three players from Froid/ Lake and Culbertson’s senior Makena Hauge were each selected to the Class C All-State volleyball team. Froid/Lake placed seniors Dasani Nesbit, Aleah Johnson and Baylee Davidson on the All-State squad. Nesbit and Hauge were also All-State selections last season.

Culbertson’s outstanding football season experienced a tough ending when the Cowboys lost at Belt, 38-0, in the semi-final round of the state eight-man playoffs on Nov. 12.

Five players from the Culbertson Cowboys were voted to the Class C All-State football team. The players were senior Colin Avance, senior Justice Bengochea, senior Kobe Nickoloff, senior Payton Perkins and sophomore Bridger Salvevold.

Four football players for the Froid/Lake Red Hawks earned post season honors. Senior Austen Hobbs, junior Mason Dethman, junior Nate Stentoft and senior Caden Kelm were each voted to the Eastern Division All-Conference team. Bainville’s junior Charles Butikofer was also named to the All-Conference squad. Selected All-State for the Red Hawks were Hobbs, Dethman and Stentoft.

December

The Bainville Bulldogs capped an impressive opening girls’ basketball weekend with a 50-31 home win over MonDak.

In an early season boys’ basketball battle, Bainville put together a solid performance to edge Culbertson, 50-44, on Dec. 9.

Froid/Lake came from behind for a dramatic 3634 girls’ basketball victory against Scobey on Dec. 10.

The Culbertson Cowgirls put together a strong start to open the second half and then held off Bainville, 45-42, at home on Dec. 9.

The Bainville Bulldogs scored an impressive league victory on the road against the Froid/Lake Red Hawks on Dec. 17. The Bulldogs gained a 21-11 lead in the first half and earned a 49-42 victory.

Culbertson’s girls’ basketball squad held off a comeback by Froid/Lake for a 3934 win at home on Dec. 21.

Area football players were selected as alternates for the 76th edition of the Montana East-West Shrine Football Game.

Alternates included Culbertson’s Colin Avance at guard and Froid/Lake’s Austen Hobbs at running back.