Before we charge ahead, a look back. Sports is a game of appreciating the highlights, of savoring the winning moments after all.

The high school sports seasons will be here before you know it. In fact, it is practically here already, literally only one week away.

Parents’ meetings with coaches are August 11 and actual practice for all fall sports officially begins Friday, August 14. Cross country, football and volleyball seasons then start later this month, and we will soon be tracking the action as it happens.

But maybe we should slow down, pause and appreciate some of those top-ten type moments more fully from what went down last year in those sports we will soon be watching so closely.

Some great performances were turned in, interesting stories were told and memories were made by area athletes and teams in the fall of 2025, let us review that time, a very special one for some, as they get ready to get out there and do it all over again.

IN FOOTBALL, the St. Regis Tigers had a season for the ages last fall, tearing through the regular season schedule and earning the school’s first home football playoff game in history, then winning that game in front of the hometown faithful on a rainy November Saturday afternoon, blanking the visiting Sheridan Panthers 28-0 in the first round of the Montana 8-Man playoffs.

Coach Jesse Allan’s Tigers finished the historic ’25 St. Regis grid campaign with a 66-24 road loss to eventual State champion Scobey Spartans in the 8-Man quarterfinals and an 8-3 record for their historic campaign.

Just down I-90 in Superior, coach Jeff Schultz’s Bobcats also qualified for the 8-Man playoffs but fell 54-12 to Flint Creek in a first round road playoff game, and ended up 7-4 for the season.

Barrett Bessette and Conner Lulis of St. Regis, and Logan Merrill, Gannon Quinlan and Landon Richards of Superior were later named first team All-Conference and All-State.

Nathan Bohn and Isaac Kelly of St. Regis, Sam Doughty and Phin Cataldo of Superior and Cody West of Plains were the other area gridders to earn 8-Man all-conference honors.

In 6-Man football, the Noxon Red Devils scored a rare late-season win over Hot Springs, rumored to be Noxon’s first-ever football win over the rival Savage Heat to clinch a spot in the 6-Man playoffs. Coach Lucas MacArthur and his Devils fell 67-20 in a first round road game at Grass Range-Winnett and finished play with a 5-4 record.

Just missing out on another 6-Man playoff berth, coach Jim Lawson and his Heat, undermanned to begin with, suffered devastating, season-ending injuries to star players Daniel Slonaker and Ben Aldridge earlier in the season and were eventually forced to cancel the last regular season game after falling to Noxon.

Justice Kayser and Cam Wengert of Noxon, and Aldridge and Samson Jakabosky of Hot Springs were later honored as 6-Man All-State selections. Alberton senior Shea Fredette also earned 6-Man all-conference honors.

This area’s only 11-Man football entity, coach Jared Koskela’s Thompson Falls Blue Hawks, playing on the light side of a running numbers battle of their own, went 2-6 for the season. Jason Myers earned Western B 11-Man second team honors at defensive back for the Hawks, and Michael Koskela (Headhunter), Jesse Buchanan (Best Lineman), Carson Kenney (Ironman) and Toby Susic (Most Improved) earned coveted awards voted on by the team following the season.

IN VOLLEYBALL, Thompson Falls and Plains represented this area in the Western B divisional tournament and Hot Springs and Superior were the local teams to earn berths into the Western C divisional tournament.

After finishing second to Eureka in regular season District 7B standings, coach Sandra Kazmierczak and her Lady Hawks proved to be the best team in 7B by defeating the Lions and rival Plains Trotters at the Western B tournament.

In a controversial move that affected both the volleyball and basketball campaigns last school year, District 7B did not hold tournaments in either sport last year.

Thompson Falls standouts Gabi Hannum and Addy Deal were both named first team District 7B all-conference and All-State B for the Hawks and Addi Pardee was named second team.

Kalli Tuma and Claire Lakko were named first team 7B all-conference for Plains and Hadyn Rice earned second team honors.

Hot Springs and Superior finished second and third at the District 14C tourney to earn berths into the Western C where both teams completed season play.

Kara Christensen and Callie Cano were first team 14C selections and All-State C picks for coach Maria Begger’s Savage Heat, and Lanet Jakabosky earned second team 14C honors.

Josie Crabb earned first team 14C honors for Superior, as did Shelby Simkins and Jamie Cleveland of St. Regis. Alberton’s Arya Ray and Maggie Haworth and Makenzie Reum of Superior were all named second team 14C.

IN CROSS COUNTRY, Plains’ John Owen Jermyn won the individual State B Cross Country championship to highlight this area’s efforts in the State All-Class Meet in Missoula, holding off rival Ethan Walker of Harlem down the stretch to win in 16.02.09.

Jermyn’s running soulmate Horsemen teammate Cord Greer won third place individually, also earning All-State B honors in 16:24.1 as the Horsemen finished fifth in final team scoring.

Marina Tulloch finished the 5K in 21:47.0 to lead the Trotters in the State B XC meet.

Weston Block led Thompson Falls by running down 11th place in the boys race in a final time of 17:11.9 to earn All-State B honors for the Hawk boys. Libby Franck finished 21st with the girls in 21:18.7 to lead the Hawk girls, just missing the top 15 finish for All-State B recognition.

IN SOCCER, the Plains-Thompson Falls-St. Regis program continued to grow under the guidance of coaches Michael Scharfe with the boys and Nick Lawyer with the girls. The Hawk girls, in fact, narrowly missed earning a playoff berth.

Kate Wrobleski of Plains was a first team Northwest A All-Conference selection for the Hawk girls and Ava Lawyer, also of Plains, and Solveig Nygaard of Thompson Falls were named second team.

For the Hawk boys, Jacob Howell was named second team all-conference and Liam Pallister earned honorable mention.

    RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYER Liam Pallister will look to lead the Thompson Falls-Plains-St. Regis boys soccer team this upcoming season. Pallister is pictured in action at Plains last September 6. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    DEFENDING STATE B CHAMPION John Owen Jermyn of Plains leads on his way to winning the boys Western B individual cross country title at River’s Bend October 16. Jermyn went on to cap his sensational sophomore season by winning the State B 1600 and 3200 meter run titles in Missoula this past May. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    TIGER NATHAN BOHN gains yardage for St. Regis during the 8-Man playoff game in St. Regis with the visiting Sheridan Panthers November 1, 2025. St. Regis won 28-0 for what is believed to be the first football playoff win in school history. Area football teams are set to begin practice Friday, August 14. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)