Football coach Hunter Johnson reported 45 kids hit the field this year, similar to last. Returning seniors Henry Carlson (offensive/defensive lineman), Trent Scherfenberg (offensive/defensive lineman) and Sam Plummer (running back and defensive back) will serve as team captains and are expected to be standout players this season.  

“We have a lot of kids who have worked hard and are very coachable. They are all ready to step up and excited for the season,” Johnson said.  

Although only three seniors are returning, 18 juniors are ready to work hard this season for the Vikings. Johnson described the team as “young in an old way.” 

Their first game will be Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. on home field, taking on the Polson Pirates. 

“That game will be a good gage on how we will compete in the conference this year,” Johnson predicted.  

Girls soccer will see a full roster this season with returning players junior Brynn Bagley, senior Braeden Gunlock and junior Paeten Gunlock. Junior goalkeeper Irelynd Vigil will return, and coach Park Schara predicted she could be the best in the state.  

“She is the most naturally gifted goalkeeper I’ve ever coached,” coach Park Schara said.  

Schara expected a breakout year for Bagley and predicted the best season of Braeden’s career. He was also excited to note that the team has as many underclassmen as upperclassmen, which will hopefully provide a continuous balance of incoming and outgoing players.  

“We have a really talented team...We’ve had good results in the past years, and I think we’re going to be better this year than we were last year,” Schara said.  

The Valkyries will take on Corvallis High School in the newly redone Carlyle Johnson Park Thursday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.  

Boys soccer will see back sophomore forward Quinn Kerr, second team All-Conference player. Senior defender Corban Benson is also on the roster, an honorable mention for All-Conference. A lot of new and young players will fill out the team. Their first match will be against Corvallis Thursday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. at Carlyle Johnson Park.

On the volleyball court, coach Ariel Putman noted that her roster is completely full.  

“We had more girls try out this season than we’ve ever had before and it’s great to see such an interest in the program and such an interest in girls playing volleyball in the valley,” she said.  

Returning players include senior hitter and team captain Piper Lee, as well as senior hitters Ava Davey and Natalie Vick. Both Davey and Vick are recovering from knee surgeries and hope to be back in the game as soon as possible, giving younger players the opportunity to step up. Junior setter Taylor Howlett will also return this season. Putman noted that juniors Olivia Claybourn and Cassy Schlicht are some of the best defenders she has had the opportunity to coach and will be a force in the back row. 

As for new blood, sophomores Raegan Waller, Lillie Suffia and Emily Wisman alongside freshman Maddie Corona will be taking on big roles in this year’s roster.  

“Being down two of our three seniors has really put the younger girls in a position to step up,” Putman said. “It has also put pressure on our senior captain, Piper Lee, to lead these younger girls, but thankfully she’s the right girl for the job.” 

The Vals start out on the road, first in Hamilton Friday, Aug. 31, but will host their first home game of the season against Libby Sept. 19.  

The girls golf season is off to a good start, led by senior Keni Wade who won the Ronan Invitational last week. Sophomore Keegan Campbell is also looking to qualify for state again this year. At the recent Browning Invitational, Wade finished second, Campbell seventh, and Morgan Piazzola tenth, giving the girls team a second-place finish.  

Fourteen total kids went out for the golf team this season, down slightly due to many seniors graduating. New faces will be prevalent on the green, the boys team in particular is very young. Mason Petersen and Keenan Voelker have a good chance to qualify for state. 

The team traveled to Columbia Falls Monday and Whitefish Tuesday, they will play in Frenchtown Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. First home tournament will be Thursday, Sept. 5 at Eagle Bend Golf Club starting at 9 a.m.  

Cross country had several runners clock over 200 miles this summer in preparation for the upcoming season.  

“We’ve never had a group go this many miles and work this hard in the off season, it was great,” coach Ryan Nollan said.  

Boys numbers are down slightly, with 10 going out; girls are up to a full team with seven runners. Leaders on the boys team include senior Sean Cotman, who recorded over 300 running hours this summer, and junior Noah Hamilton-Dixon. Sophomore Hadley Nollan will lead the girls team, which has no senior runners.  

“I think all the runners are going to be stronger than they were last year...,” Ryan Nollan said. “Sometimes this first race is really exciting because we have no idea where anybody’s at, usually it takes a while to get back to where you were last year and meet your personal record, but I think we might have a few kids actually meet their PR this first meet which would be pretty exciting.” 

The first meet will be Friday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. at Cabinet View Golf Course in Libby. Follow the cross country team @runfunded on Instagram for updates.