Daily Inter Lake
SPORTS EDITOR
Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast.
IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together.
ARTICLES BY FRITZ NEIGHBOR
Flathead Crusaders claim national title
The Flathead Valley Crusaders, a local home-schooled basketball team, made a bit of history in February when they overcame injury and made a late-season push to the Montana Christian Athletic Association boys state title. They weren’t done.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 3 DAYS, 6 HOURS AGO
Baseball: Wolfpack 9 ready to take to diamond
Erik Brink didn’t move to the Flathead Valley to teach and coach; it just turned out that way.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 DAYS, 6 HOURS AGO
Full Count: Have to ask, Will it play in Meridian?
When we sit back to watch the Big Sky Conference absorb another lopsided loss at the NCAA Tournament — Idaho's men play Houston at 8:10 p.m. local time Thursday on that channel we watch once a year, TRUTV — we can at least root for the home-grown kids.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 6 DAYS AGO
Full Count: Bulldog spirit exemplifies young squad
When we last checked in with Bob Bolam and the Whitefish girls basketball program, they were on the verge of breaking a state tournament drought in 2021.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 2 WEEKS, 6 DAYS AGO
Full Count: Masters class in making a big comeback
Maria Phelps discovered her talent in the 800 meters too late to excel at it in high school — she was already chucking the javelin, hurdling and jumping (triple and long).
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 3 WEEKS, 5 DAYS AGO
Full Count: None of this should seem at all radical
Bobby Kennedy, the freshly-minted head football coach of the Montana Grizzlies, had some highlight moments during a Thursday press conference ahead of the start of spring drills.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH AGO
Dayton Naldrett stays on the family course
Life took a certain direction for the Naldrett boys when the oldest, Damien, was 7 years old and came home from school with a flier for a youth wrestling club.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 1 WEEK AGO
Full Count: Zip-lining to near glory off African coast
One of the coolest things about “Trainer Games” for Dan Holguin, the Kalispell resident who competed in the reality show competition, was what he was able to do after it wrapped last May.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 2 WEEKS AGO
Time to wrestle: Glacier’s Katelyn Sphuler is a busy girl, on and off the mat
Katelyn Sphuler comes from a bit of a wrestling family, with her dad Calvin wrestling in high school in Clarkston, Wash., and being involved in coaching younger brother Jonah in the Glacier Wrestling Club youth program.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 2 WEEKS AGO
Column: Fastest retirement I ever saw
Let me see if I have this right.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 2 WEEKS AGO
Bobby Kennedy introduced as Griz coach
Bobby Kennedy was officially welcomed as the Montana Grizzlies’ 38th head football coach Thursday, and he immediately thanked his roommate of eight months: Bobby Hauck.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 3 WEEKS AGO
Griz head coach Bobby Hauck retires in surprise announcement
Bobby Hauck, the University of Montana alumnus who just finished his 14th season leading the Grizzlies football program, announced his retirement Wednesday in a surprise move.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 3 WEEKS AGO
Knights take defensive battle from Pack
The puzzle for Missoula Hellgate was what to do to win a physical defensive battle with the brawny Glacier Wolfpack, who forged a 27-21 lead early in the third quarter of their basketball game Tuesday at the Wolf Den.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 3 WEEKS AGO
Patrick O'Connell: 'Stay ready so you don't have to get ready'
This journey that has Patrick O’Connell’s next stop in Santa Clara, California, for Super Bowl LX seems amazing enough.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 3 WEEKS AGO
