Big changes are coming to Libby Middle High School sports.

Libby will field a high school baseball team in the 2026 season, joining the growing ranks of schools in Class A that have varsity squads.

The new program was approved at the Nov. 10 Libby Public Schools board meeting.

The Loggers would join other Class A, B and C Northwest schools Eureka, Thompson Falls, Polson, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Browning and Bigfork.

Troy was part of the conference, but it will not have enough players to field a team in 2026.

Libby Loggers American Legion baseball will continue, beginning after the high school season ended, which is typically the fourth weekend in May. While the Legion season would be reduced, games would still be played beginning in early June and continue through the end of July with the district and state tournaments.

Long-time Loggers Legion coach Kelly Morford said he never thought he’d support high school baseball in Libby. Morford doesn’t intend to coach the high school team, but he did say he would be around the program as much as possible. 

The school just began advertising for head and assistant baseball coaches.

“We do think it’s important for Legion coaches to be involved, but it’s also important for someone in the school to be a coach, someone the kids know and are around,” Morford said. “We are well positioned to link the two programs and we just need to make it happen.”

Morford always had concerns about the effect high school baseball may have on Legion baseball, but they are much less at this point.

“I don’t fear the demise of Legion baseball as much as I used to,” he said. “We’d be more competitive at this level, too. We have a lot of good, young kids returning, but with the Kalispell schools fully transitioning to high school baseball in 2025, our April and May schedules were not what they were and that reduces opportunities and development time for our kids.”

Morford said the new team would be funded partially by the school where possible and the Legion baseball program will provide the operational, logistical and financial support.

“We still need the support of the community to make this work,” he said. “We got $7,000 from the school, but it will take quite a bit more to run it. I do give the board credit for listening and asking questions. Getting this approved for next spring on such a tight timeline, we weren’t sure it would be done.”

One of the casualties of the new arrangement is the demise of the Loggertown Wood Bat Classic. One of the favored tournaments at beloved Lee Gehring Field will not be held in 2026.

“It was always a good fundraiser for us, so that’s a loss in revenue, but once we get our feet under us with the new team, we may have a high school tournament to make up for its loss,” Morford said.

The addition of high school baseball also meant a girls sport needed to be added to satisfy federal Title 9 requirements. Wrestling will be that sport as it also joins a growing presence in Montana.

The matter was discussed at length during a Libby School Board Activities meeting in October. 

Since there is no speech, drama and debate team, about $15,000 was available to support the new teams.

The school is also advertising for a second assistant wrestling coach - one who work with the program, specifically the girls.

While the teams will work together, the girls, who are expected to have two to four competitors, will compete on their own.

Libby athletic director Nik Rewerts said wrestling coach Dean Thompson said there were 26 wrestlers at the parents meeting. He also expects a few more to join and possibly some competitors from Troy.

While there was concern about adding teams with a projected decline in the student body in the kindergarten through sixth grade, other aspects lent credibility to adding the new teams.

“We could be in Class B in four years if these projections hold, but it’s something we really don’t know now,” Superintendent of Schools Ron Goodman said. “Montana public schools have lost 30% of its students over the last several years.”

Media outlets reported in 2024 that schools across the state were experiencing declining enrollment, some of it due to home schooling and some due to the extreme rise in the cost of housing.

The other changes include eighth-grade students playing on freshman, junior varsity or varsity teams.

Girls soccer had several eighth-grade athletes on the Loggers girls varsity team this fall.

With extremely low numbers on the girls varsity team, currently 12 are expected to try out, head coach Todd Boehmler said there won’t be a junior varsity team in the 2025-26 season.

“We have seven eighth-graders who want to come up and it will help us play 5-on-5,” Boehmler said. “We also get a year to see what’s going on and to make the transition easier.”

Rewerts pointed out that 17 of 24 Class A schools currently allow open tryouts for eighth graders. 

“If an eighth grader is skilled enough to make the team, they are placed on the appropriate high school roster,” Rewerts said. “With Libby being the fourth-smalles Class A school as of last spring, it’s no surprise that we rely on eighth graders to help fill team slots. We are one of only seven Class A schools that allow eighth graders to participate only when needed due to low participation numbers.”

Rewerts said many AA schools are also allowing open tryouts for eighth graders.

“Across the state, participation simply isn’t what it used to be — but we are fortunate in Libby to have such a strong level of commitment from the students who do participate,” Rewerts added.

The program is also advertising for a second assistant coach.

Some concerns brought up by athletic committee members included the effect on the eighth grade teams and how younger players will handle playing against, bigger, more experienced players.

“Our competition is brutal and I’m concerned our kids will get humiliated and the effect that could have on future teams,” Activities Committee member Rod Delmas said.

Boehmler and boys coach Josh Bean pointed out that eighth graders who come up wouldn’t likely play varsity.

“They’d play on the freshman team and depending on how things progress, they could move up to the j.v. or varsity team,” Boehmler said. 

Bean said one eighth-grader was asked to come up and he agreed.

“But it’s not something all parents agree to,” Bean added.