Whitefish U-10 All Stars win state title

The Whitefish Pilot

The Whitefish U-10 base-ball All Stars won the Cal Ripken league state championship this past weekend in Columbia Falls, blasting Mission Valley 14-4 in the title game.

The state championship weekend started early at Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Field in Columbia Falls with Whitefish facing Clark Fork and Columbia Falls taking on Mission Valley. Games continued on through Sunday afternoon, where an undefeated and No. 1 seed Whitefish eventually faced a scrappy Mission Valley team in the finale.

After an early 2-0 deficit to Mission Valley, the coaches huddled the Whitefish boys together for a pep talk.

"We told them it was gut-check time," coach Gary Watterud said. "This is what makes champions. When you overcome adversity, believe in yourself and get it done."

They got it done. Whitefish went on to a dominating 14-4 victory to snag the championship, earning them a trip to Cal Ripken Regional Baseball Tournament in Lewistown on July 22-25, where they will face the top state teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

"Our performance seems to be peaking at the right moment," coach Pete Kobelt said. "We just don't know how long they can sustain this level of play. Hopefully, the timing is perfect, and we can continue to win."

If the Whitefish U-10 All Stars are, in fact, peaking at the right time, it could mean a trip to Ocala, Fla., to play in the Cal Ripken World Series Championship. It's a trip no Whitefish team has made since 1983.

Earlier in the season, the team hosted the Whitefish tournament, where they took third. They placed third again at the Polson Fireball Tournament. The following weekend, Whitefish played in the annual Firecracker Tournament in Kalispell.

"This is where we really came together as a team and had fun winning tough games," coach Jason Schweiger said.

After grinding out four games in a single day, the Whitefish All Stars beat a strong, well-coached Colville, Wash., team in the finals to win the event.

Highlights included a towering grand slam by Forrest Kobelt and two blistering line-drive homers by Ryan Thompson and Hunter Watterud.

Strong pitching from Lee Wallburn and phenomenal catching from Luke Schweiger behind the plate, coupled with defensive performances from third baseman Caleb Meehan and second baseman Easton Holder, rounded out a near flawless weekend for Whitefish.

Earning multiple MVP awards through several games, Whitefish standouts included outfielder and first baseman Tatum Hanks, outfielders Kiyah Ingram and Jackson Marciniak, and Max Smyley turned in solid hitting and fielding.