For Sanders and Mineral county high school sports fans, the 2024 season is about to kick into gear.

Beginning this Friday (Aug. 16) athletes who participate in football, volleyball, cross and country and this year’s varsity newcomer, soccer, will be able to officially conduct practices for the upcoming season. 

Student athletes from Noxon to Alberton will gather, check out equipment and get ready for contests that count after 10 days of practice, as required by Montana High School Association (MHSA) rules. 

Optimism runs high as several schools with promising up and coming classes take to field and indoor courts. 

‘Can’t wait for football, I love football”, said Superior head football and girls' basketball coach Jeff Schultz. The Bobcats open with a conference road game in Missoula against always tough Valley Christian, Saturday, Aug. 31. Superior plays its home opener the following weekend, September 6, when they host Troy. 

Superior’s Mineral County rival, St. Regis, which teams with Mullan, Idaho (co-op) will open their season at home Aug. 30 with what could be a headliner contest versus Mission, in St. Regis. This year the St. Regis-Mullan co-op will move from Idaho league play to take part in the expanded Montana West 8-player, league.  As is the case with Superior, both teams will be counting on big contributions from underclassmen. 

Mineral County’s third varsity football team, the Alberton Panthers, begin their 2024 season with a road game against Great Falls Central Catholic, Saturday, Aug. 31. 

Meanwhile, Sanders County’s two six-man teams, Noxon and Hot Springs, which are once again expected to battle it out for top conference honors, get their seasons underway the same weekend.  Noxon travels to Power for a game versus Power-Dutton-Brady on August 30, while Hot Springs is at home the same evening, taking on Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine. 

Plains’ Horsemen play an afternoon, Class B game at home Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. to kick off their 2024 campaign.  And the area’s only 11-player team, Thompson Falls begins its season on the road against Conrad Friday evening, Aug. 30. 

Volleyball is the first sport to see action this season, with Thompson Falls traveling to Choteau for an invitational, pre-season tournament Thursday, Aug. 29. Superior’s Lady Bobcats also open on August 29, hosting Seeley-Swan in Superior.   

Noxon’s Lady Red Devils open their volleyball season Saturday, Aug. 31 at a pre-season tournament in St. Ignatius at Mission High. Alberton’s season opener is in Drummond, also that Saturday. 

Plains High School opens play Tuesday, Sept. 2 with a home match versus Florence, then host Loyola Sept. 4. 

St. Regis opens its schedule at a tournament in Philipsburg, Thursday, Aug. 29. The Lady Tigers play their first home game against Two Eagle River Sept. 3. 

Hot Springs begins play in Drummond Sept. 5. 

Cross country is also getting ready for the 2024 season. The bi-county area has only two teams who compete in cross country, Plains and Thompson Falls. 

T Falls is scheduled to compete August 30 in the Canal Run outside of Ronan, while the first varsity meet for Plains listed on their web site is September 6 at the Flathead Invitational in Kalispell. Plains has a talented young team expected to be among the best in the area. 

Both cross country teams feature talented and promising lineups. 

Soccer is also expected to get it going when Thompson Falls hosts both boys and girls teams from Lone Peak High (Big Sky), Saturday, Aug. 31. 

This is the first year of soccer as a high school varsity sport for area schools who choose to take part. 

    Charlo versus St. Regis volleyball action from last year in St. Regis. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

    Hot Springs versus Alberton from the 2023 season in 6-player football. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)