Surprising Frazer, Mighty Poplar – Babe Ruth, 1974

• In the 1960s and 1970s the Hi-Line Babe Ruth League was as competitive as ever — and deeply respected statewide. In 1973, the Hi-Line All Stars won the 1973 state Babe Ruth title held in Wolf Point. The team advanced to Trail, British Columbia for regionals and went 2-2 in the tournament. Wolf Point North, Wolf Point South, Poplar, Frazer and Brockton players had the opportunity to make the 1973 allstar team. Those earning a spot on the historical 1973 crew were Wolf Pointers Ted Heidinger, Alan Hoversland, Dennis Loendorf, Grant Boysun, Fred Rhoads, Jerry Moran, Bill Neumiller, Dave Hopson, Mike Neubauer and Dave Hanson. Poplar was represented by Tom Granbois, Manny Granbois, Donny Granbois and Erik Moe. Frazer’s Brad Dassonville was the lone Bearcub. Wolf Point North’s Jerry Jensen was the coach.

• Teams earning a spot at the 1973 state tournament in Wolf Point were Whitefish, Big Sky, Kalispell, Missoula, Hi-Line, Beartooth, Tri-County and Sidney. Hi-Line defeated Missoula for the state crown.

• But 1974 would be a different tale for the Hi-Line league. Perennial powers North and South would be challenged by a salty Poplar team, and a spirited Frazer ensemble coached by Dean Blount.

• The 1974 Hi-Line league tournament was held in Wolf Point, with North the defending champions. Overall team records going into the playoffs were: Poplar 3-0; North 5-2; South 4-9; Frazer 5-12.

• Game One: Frazer stunned the defending champs, North, 8-5. Doyle Raining Bird outdueled North’s ace, Grant Boysun.

• Game Two: Poplar’s gifted nine overcame Wolf Point South, 14-9. Thirteen-year-old Danny “the Iceman” Jensen pitched for South, and former Wolf Point north sider Frank Gourneau picked up the win for Poplar. Mark Witte and Gourneau hit doubles for the winners. Paul Reddies and Manuel Running Bear added triples. Elmer Adams hit a triple for South. Mike Neubauer caught Jensen’s pitches and Donny Granbois was Poplar’s catcher.

• Game Three: Poplar jumped on Frazer early and raced to an 8-2 win. Manny Granbois hit two doubles and a triple. George Richman hit a three-bagger for the winners.

• Game Four: The North battery of Tim Heidinger and Bill Zimmer blanked their arch enemy South, 6-0. Heidinger, only 13-years-old, managed to deny South’s robust offense from crossing the plate. Mike Neubauer pitched for South with Richard Grow and Kevin Bushman catching. Ricky McGeshick unleashed a double for South.

• Game Five: Like poking a finger in an open wound, the Bearcubs did it again, as they smashed North 12-3. Blasting doubles were Raining Bird, Dassonville and Maynard Jackson. Terry “Pawshee” Thompson hit a double for North. Austin Spotted Wolf garnered the win for Frazer, while Bushman, Jody Lang and Duane Mahlum pitched for North in their final game of the season.

• Game Six: Frazer fans’ car horns reached a fever pitch, as the Bearcubs whipsawed Poplar 5-4. Clearly the darlings of the tournament, Frazer scored in the bottom of the ninth to secure a sudden-death playoff game with the tourney favorites. Raining Bird outdueled Gourneau for the win, while Granbois hit a double and a triple and Reddies added a two-bagger for Poplar. Big Brad Dassonville launched a double for coach Blount’s underdogs.

• Game Seven, Championship: Led by Howard Azure’s and Frank Gourneau’s hitting, Poplar dodged Cinderella Frazer’s last grasp for a title, 10-9. Both teams went through a myriad of pitchers and line-up changes. Donny Granbois, Richman, and Manny Granbois pitched for Poplar. Frazer threw Austin Spotted Wolf, Theron Raining Bird, Robin Blount and Dassonville. Jackson hit a double for Frazer.

• Poplar Babe Ruth team members for 1974: Head coach, Rich Dean, assistant coach Jim Rowe; players Dennis McGowan, Howard Azure, Manny Granbois, George Richman, Donny Granbois, Frank Gourneau, Paul Reddies, Greg Gorneau, Mitch Barsness, Mark Witte, Sonny Buckles, Larry Rowe, Melvin Eagle Boy, Manuel Running Bear, and batboys Steve Rowe and Rich O’Brien.

• Frazer Babe Ruth team members for 1974: Coach Dean Blount, players Gary Big Leggins, David Pyle, Harlen Nichols, Ronn Moccasin, Robin Blount, Gary Jackson, Theron Raining Bird, August Spotted Wolf, Maynard Jackson, George Blount, Austin Spotted Wolf, Doyle Raining Bird, and Brad Dassonville.

• Final standings, all games for the 1974 Hi-Line Babe Ruth League: Poplar, 6-1; North, 6-4; Frazer 8-14; South 4-11.

• Manny Granbois won the 1974 league batting title with an astonishing .628 average. Grant Boysun was the batting champion in 1973, with a remarkable .714 average for the season.

• By winning the tournament, Poplar’s Rich Dean earned the Hi-Line all-star head coaching position, and his assistant coach was North’s Duane Jensen. Together, they selected the all-stars. Hailing from Poplar were George Richman, Don Granbois, Frank Gourneau, Manny Granbois, Paul Reddies, and Mark Witte. From Wolf Point were Rick McGeshick, Duane Mahlum, Tim Heidinger, Mike Neubauer, Grant Boysun, Jimmy Kaatz, and Kip Harcharik. Representing Frazer were Doyle Raining Bird, Brad Dassonivlle and George Blount.

• The 1974 Hi-Line All Stars earned a trip to Bozeman by winning the eastern district in Glendive. Rick McGeshick led the team in tournament batting with a .476 average and Doyle Raining Bird and Grant Boysun starred on the mount.

• Now, the Hi-Liners had a chance to defend their state title. In Bozeman, the boys from the Fort Peck Reservation threw shade on their opponents all the way to the title game. But they lost a heartbreaker to Libby, 9-6 for the title.

• In 1976, these same Frazer Babe Ruth athletes would go on to win the state class C boys’ cross country title under the renowned coach, Albert Murdock. Making all-state for the Bearcubs were Austin Spotted Wolf (third), his twin August Spotted Wolf (sixth), and Ronn Moccasin (eighth).

• Frazer’s Dean Blount was a celebrated community leader for several decades in Frazer. He gave unselfishly and worked tirelessly to help the people of the small community. Later in the 1970s, Blount started an American Legion baseball team in Frazer, and many of the 1974 Babe Ruth Bearcubs participated.

• Rich Dean was hired as head football coach at Poplar in 1973. He was at the helm when the Indians played their first seasons of Eastern Class A football. Dean’s mighty Indians defeated Glasgow, Glendive, Sidney, Plentywood, and Baker in 1973. But Wolf Point beat Poplar on their old American Legion field, 20-0 – thus causing a pile up of contenders for first place in the conference. However, with one game remaining, the Indians (enrollment 250) still had a chance to win the Eastern A. For the final contest of the fall, they would travel to Miles City (enrollment 900) and battle the Cowboys on their home turf – the historic Denton Field. The winner would emerge as Eastern A champion and advance to Butte to play the two-time defending Class A champions, Butte Central Maroons in the first round of the class A playoffs.

• It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Miles City, and the reservation fans listened to the game on KVCK radio, Wolf Point. The spirited Indians played Miles City close for most of the game, but a few costly miscues eventually led to a 23-6 Poplar loss — and a three-way tie for second place with Wolf Point and Glasgow in the Eastern A.

• But the defeat would not deter the Poplar players, as they would go on to win the state class A basketball championship in March of 1974. They would repeat again, in 1975. The Indians also captured third place in 1976.

• Rich Dean left Poplar in the spring of 1976 and accepted the football job in Choteau. Coaching the smallest class A school in the state (enrollment 216), his Bulldogs won the Northern A championship in 1978 and the Northern B in 1980. Sadly, coach Dean passed away in an automobile accident in April of 1981. He had just been named as a coach in the prestigious Shrine Game for the summer of 1981.