Bulldogs begin fall sports season

The Whitefish boys soccer team will look at defending

The Whitefish boys soccer team will look at defending a two-time State A title come October, but the team is taking it one day at a time with gratitude to just be on the pitch again.

With uncertainties surrounding the season all throughout the end of summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bulldog head Coach John Lacey expressed that the boys on the team are ecstatic to be playing soccer, period. But, that gratitude certainly doesn’t take away from the major goals Whitefish has for the season, including another run at a state title.

“We’ve set a pretty high standard and we want to maintain that,” Bulldog head coach John Lacey said. “We’re going to miss some of the guys who are gone, but we have plenty of people who were a big part of our success these years as well and I fully expect that they want to keep it going.”

Over the last two seasons, the Bulldogs established themselves as the team to beat in Montana Class A soccer. They have not recorded a loss in two years, going undefeated last season and recording one tie amongst a sea of victories in 2018. In the state title game last season, the Bulldogs capped their perfect season with a 4-0 victory over Laurel.

Although the Bulldogs graduated some key players from that team, Lacey is confident in the talent of the guys stepping on the field this season as well. The Bulldogs return seniors Niath Edland, Ian Grover, Joshua Gunderson, William Hyatt, Marvin Kimera, Brandon Mendoza and James Thompson. Many of the seniors have recorded all-state or all-conference honors over the last couple of years as well.

“They’re a big part of our success and they’re just ready to step into a little bit bigger shoes now.”

Lacey also mentioned he believes junior midfielder Gabe Menicke is primed to have a breakout year.

“I expect Gabe will absolutely be one of the top players not only for Whitefish High School, but in the whole state,” he said.

In addition to returning some highly experienced players, Whitefish also has a gang of promising freshmen joining the team. Lacey is hopeful that the talent of these young guys and the ability for them to learn alongside the veteran Bulldog players will help keep the Whitefish boys soccer legacy going for many years to come.

As they look to this season, the Bulldogs are striving to stay healthy and play Whitefish soccer, but Lacey said of course the team is keeping its eye on the potential of another state title.

“Our season is going to be defined by what happens in October,” Lacey said. “A, getting there and then B, winning those playoff games… We definitely are looking to continue, there’s no reason at all that we shouldn’t be back in the mix.”

Soccer kicks off the season Saturday at Bigfork.

Football

Over the past few seasons the Whitefish Football team has been progressively growing as a team, laying the foundation for a playoff-caliber team and improving each year.

Last fall the Bulldogs finished the season with an overall 6-4 record and qualified for the playoffs. The season before that, it was a similar story only their record sat at 5-5. Unfortunately Whitefish lost in the first round of playoffs both years.

Head football coach Chad Ross explained he’s seen encouraging progress as of recent years, and the goal was always to make it to the playoffs.

The goal this season though? Start thinking beyond making the playoffs and focus on progressing past the first round; this season the Bulldogs want to throw down some playoff victories.

“Take care of business one week at a time, but we’re looking forward to moving along in the playoffs instead of just making the playoffs,” Ross said. “For the last couple years we made the playoffs, that’s a great goal. That’s the goal again this year, but now we want to do a bit better than just make it.”

Ross said that although his team lost some great players who graduated, the team returns some key specialty players including its quarterback Fynn Ridgeway who started last year as a freshman. He also is encouraged by the number of kids that came out for the team, which is higher than years past giving the Bulldogs some new depth.

Seniors returning for the Bulldogs this season include Jack Alton, Trey Hunt, Max Shestak, Angelo Castro, Ty Cameron, Josh Nelson, Bode Wold, Ben Dalen, Camren Ross, and Morgan Adams.

Ross also explained that adjusting to the new rules in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge, but he is encouraged by seeing his players step up and do what is necessary to play.

“The kids have a good attitude, if this is what we need to do to play then they’re willing to make the sacrifice and be disciplined. So that’s been exciting to see their attitudes.”

Football plays Friday at Libby.

Girls Soccer

The Lady Bulldogs soccer team is hitting the pitch full speed ahead this season to continue its tradition of playing a fluid, beautiful brand of soccer.

Although sports this season have a complication in terms of the new regulations due to COVID-19, head coach Roland Benedict said his team is adjusting well and happy to be playing the game they love.

“The girls are positive, we have a positive mindset on most things,” Benedict said. “I think the hardest part is the regulations and restrictions on fans attending games. That’s just a bummer because the environment is gone.”

Last season Whitefish recorded a 9-5-0 overall record, finishing second in the north division behind Columbia Falls. The Lady Bulldogs won in the quarterfinals of the Class A state playoffs in 2019 against Loyola Missoula 4-2 after they scored early and managed to stay ahead the entire game. Whitefish then faced an even tougher match against Billings Central in the semifinals, bowing out with a loss.

Benedict said since he took over six years ago, the girls have consistently made it to the playoffs. But the Lady Bulldogs are zeroing in on one particular goal this season, becoming number one in the division.

“I think for us the conference title will be on our horizon and we’ll have our sights on that as well,” Benedict said, adding the team also has a less tangible goal of playing a beautiful game every time they walk on the pitch. “In terms of goals, something we’ve always had is we like to play quality soccer. We like to play a great brand of soccer, meaning we play the game right, play with our brains, we like to put on a show.”

Returning seniors this season are all-conference goalkeeper Sami Galbraith and defender Ali Hirsch. Whitefish also returns a solid line of all-staters including Emma Barron, Josie Schneider, Sophie Olson and Anna Akey. Benedict said he’s also been impressed with the new freshman class coming in and sporting a group of leaders in the junior class.

“Even though we probably won’t be as deep as we’ve been in the past, I think we’re not going to lose too much in terms of quality in our starting lineup,” Benedict said.

Soccer kicks off the season at Bigfork on Saturday.

Cross Country

The Whitefish cross country team hit the trails a couple weeks ago as practices began for the 2020 season.

Head coach Richard Menicke said they had quite a few kids come out and will sport a team of 22 boys and 12 girls. Leading returners for the boys side include junior Jacob Henson and sophomore Ruedi Steiner. The boys team also has an anticipated great freshman runner entering the team this year, Mason Genovese.

The boys team has a lot of talent in and Menicke said he is looking to have a successful season as a team.

“The key to successful team performance is to have a lot of guys in that four through 10 spot who are fighting for their position on varsity,” Menicke said. “That’s exactly what we’re going to have.”

For the girls, Menicke is expecting Paetra Cooke to lead the team along with two other juniors who ran at state last year, Maylani Horton and Alie Simpson. The girls also have a brand new runner coming to the team from the Kingdom of Jordan, sophomore Morgan Gruve. Menicke is expecting her to be a high quality runner, although she will begin the season sitting out with an ankle injury.

“Only 12 girls but they’re of high quality. They’ve been doing really awesome,” Menicke said.

Seniors returning for the cross country team include Turner Haugen, Christian Kyle, Patricia McDaniel and Abby Priest.

Cross Country kicks off its competition season at the Libby Invitational Saturday at 10 a.m.

Golf

Bulldog golf is already underway for the season and the Whitefish Boys are off and running, already recording two team victories.

The boys team returns Cameron Kahle and Wade Winckler as seniors this season. Last season Kahle became the Class A state champion and he looks to defend that title this season. He is off to a promising start, placing third at the Polson Triangular last Thursday and first at the Whitefish Invitational on Monday.

A new sophomore transfer from Texas, Billy Smith, is off to a great start as well after placing first at the Polson Triangular on Thursday. He shot two under 70 to take the medalist honors.

On the girls side, Whitefish has veteran squad returning six seniors including Chloe Cole, Anna Elm, Grace Jensen, Kendall Reed, Maddie Sramek and Makenna Woody. The girls had a nice showing at the Whitefish Invitational as well, coming in second behind Polson. Reed shot a 95 for third place overall in the girls division.

The Bulldog golf team plays in Columbia Falls on Wednesday, then travels to Ronan to compete again on Thursday.

Volleyball

The Bulldog volleyball team has been hitting the court all summer long with a great turnout at camps and open gyms, now the girls are looking to improve on last season’s 9-5 overall record.

Head coach Addy Connelly said she is excited to see the talent shine from a senior studded varsity lineup. Seniors for her squad include Mikenna Ells, Jenny Patten, Bethany Barnes, Gabby Herrick, Ashton Ramsey and Brook Smith.

Ramsey, a passer, and Smith, a hitter, return back to Whitefish as seniors after they moved away freshman year. Connelly is expecting both of them to fill some key roles for the Bulldogs this season. Another highlight for Whitefish is the lone freshman to make the varsity squad, Brooke Zetooney, who is expected to be an outstanding addition to the team.

“We’re really looking forward to it, we have a great group of girls that work hard and work well together, so that’s a big piece of it,” Connelly said.

Last season the Whitefish volleyball team struggled with consistency despite having a talented squad. The team got knocked out of divisionals after dropping two matches, first to Butte Central and then to Stevensville. Connelly said she is looking to put together a more complete lineup going into this season and striving to consistently take care of the ball.

“We’ve got a lot of great skills, so it’s just how do we put them together,” she said. “And being confident I think is going to be our biggest piece.”

The volleyball team travels to Libby on Sept. 3.