High school honors the best

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork High School honored the best of the best May 31 at its annual Bigfork High School All Sports Banquet.

Recognized were students Bobby Denning, Julian Taylor, Alyssa Fierro, Kelsey Smith, Andrew Whittaker, Carly Hilley and John Butts, as well as Boosters Lloyd and Rita Hall and coach Nate Hammond.

The big winners of the evening were Hilley, Butts and Hammond, who were named Valkyrie, Viking and coach of the year.

Hammond's win of coach of the year came as no surprise, as he led the BHS girls' basketball team to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament with an undefeated home record, 16-2 season regular season record and divisional championship in his sixth year as coach.

Emcee and BHS Activities Director Shannon Smith mentioned Hammond's passion and evident care for his players as other reasons Hammond was awarded coach of the year.

"We don't do this by ourselves," Hammond said of all the coaches. He said he benefited from the other coaches' work with the athletes, especially Sue Loeffler's and Jim Epperly's work with them in speed and strength class.

Hilley, who was named all-conference in both girls' soccer and basketball this year, received the Valkyrie of the year honor. She also qualified for the state A track and field meet in the javelin. She thanked coaches, fans and the community for their support throughout the years. Hilley will attend the University of Montana in the fall, and is a possible walk-on for the women's soccer team.

Also nominated for the award was Kaemyn Meagher. She also qualified for the state track and field meet and played on the state girls' basketball team, as well as being a member of the golf team.

A large number of Vikings were nominated for the Viking of the year award, but it was John Butts that stood out the most for his coachability and work ethic despite not always being the best in his endeavors.

"My family's been a huge support," Butts said.

BJ Hattel, Forrest Schiltz, Travis Boughton and Bobby McDonald were also nominated.

Hattel and McDonald competed on the football team. Hattel was a wide receiver and McDonald played on the line. McDonald was also a member of the cheerleading squad during the winter. He and stunting partner Kayla Carlson competed in a state competition and qualified for nationals.

Boughton competed in the state golf tournament after a tie-breaker at divisionals. He placed ninth at state.

Schiltz played on the Viking soccer team and ran in the 4x100-meter relay team at the state track and field meet.

Three new Wall of Fame inductees were honored at the banquet - Fierro, Smith and Whittaker.

Fierro received the honor after being named all-state at the end of the girl's basketball season. The 6-foot-three-inch post helped the Vals dominate many opponents underneath the basket.

Smith was the 2007 state champion in Expository Speaking for the speech and drama team. Smith won with her speech on "Alice in Wonderland" and its references and connections to math and science. Smith, a junior placed seventh at state last year in expository speaking.

Whittaker had just come off of his state champion run in the 100-meter dash the previous weekend. An athlete on the track, as well as the football field and basketball court, Whittaker is a junior and will return for all three sports next year.

Taylor received the fan of the year award, which is voted on by the coaches who said he had a zest and vitality for all sports, and was loud in a good way.

"I love being crazy. It's fun," Taylor said. He said he hopes to lead by example and encourages other fans to cheer loudly and be supportive of Bigfork's athletes.

Also supporting BHS in a creative way this past year was Denning. Denning took it upon himself to strap on a tool belt and take the goods of the concession stand into the stands during basketball season. He and other members of the junior class worked in the concession stand and were able to raise $1,000 for prom. Jodie Thole of the Bigfork Booster Club awarded Denning the first ever "Popcorn Award" at the banquet.

Thole and her husband Doug were one of three couples nominated for Boosters of the Year. Also nominated were Paul and Christine Sandry and the Halls. The Halls — Lloyd and Rita — received the honor due to their dedication and attendance at a number of Booster Club events and tireless efforts and work for the boosters, school and community.

Hard work was one of the themes keynote speaker and BHS alum Adam Bork spoke about. He also touched on goal setting and confidence.

"Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy," Bork, a former decathlete at the University of Montana and assistant track and field coach there, said. "Practice isn't always fun, but it's worth it in the end."

He competed in the pole vault at BHS and holds the school's record at 15-1, a height he was able to win the state championship with his senior year. Bork spoke of personal experiences while he competed at BHS and UM, explaining how he grew as a person through sports and how sports benefit everyone.