|
Click on photo for more photos and the full story . . .
July 1, 2010
The buck stops in Polson
Aaric Bryan/Valley Journal
Broadus Bulldogger Jason D. Schaffer pulls down a speeding steer at the PRCA Mission Mountain Rodeo Friday night. Schaffer wrestled his steer to the ground in 5.4 seconds to finish in third place.
PRCA Mission Mountain Rodeo returns to the Polson Fairgrounds for two days of action
By Aaric Bryan
Valley Journal
Most people wouldn’t even dare to get on a 1,000-pound plus animal that was bred to buck with nothing really to hold you on, except some simple leather rigging and spurs, but when Justin T. Miller was given a chance to ride a bronc for the third time Saturday night at the Polson Fairgrounds, he didn’t give have to give it a second thought.
The third time was the charm for the Billings cowboy, Miller held on for eight seconds for the third time that night and scored 75 points to win the bareback competition at the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Mission Mountain Rodeo.
In an event that is commonly viewed as the most physically demanding of the rodeo and even though bareback riders suffer more injuries and carry away more long-term damage than all other rodeo cowboys, Miller said he always takes the reride if he thinks he’s got a ..........
For the full story and more photos, click here
Mariners kept out of the Money in Championship at Big Bucks Tourney
Aaric Bryan/Valley Journal
Mariner second baseman Justin Evans puts the tag down on Twin Jake Rogers after he attempted to test catcher Kaileb Gillingham’s arm in the second inning of the second game of a doubleheader in Polson Thursday.
Valley Journal
LIBBY — The Mission Valley Mariners rode the arms of their pitching staff to the championship game of the Big Bucks Tourney Sunday, but when the money was on the line their gloves let them down.
The Mariners’ defense, which has been solid up to that point, committed an astounding nine errors in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to the tournament host Loggers in the championship game.
Mariner Manager Jami Hanson said that the nine errors in one game is an once-in-a-lifetime occurrence and can’t diminish what his team accomplished at the tournament.
The Mariner pitching staff only gave up five runs, only two of which were earned, in the four games at the tournament.
The Mariners opened up the tournament with a 14-2 rout of St. Maries Friday. Saturday, they recovered from a 1-0 loss to Moscow with a 13-1 thrashing of the Kootenai Valley Rangers to earn a spot in the championship game Sunday.
Against Libby Sunday, Mariner second baseman Kaileb Gillingham led off the game with a double and scored on ......
For the full story and more photos, click here
Mariners B team remain hot at wooden bat tournament
Aaric Bryan/Valley Journal
Mariner second baseman Jake Young gets out of the way of Helena’s Forest Rognet as he twists a game-ending double play.
By Aaric Bryan
Valley Journal
The Mission Valley Mariners B squad continued their accelerated learning curve by going 4-1 at the Mike Walsh Memorial wooden bat tournament over the weekend.
Despite winning four games at the tournament in Deer Lodge and shutting out three of their opponents, the Mariners fell on the wrong side of a tiebreaker between three teams and were kept out of the championship game Sunday.
As tough as it was for Mission Valley manager Chris Brown to see his team come home without any hardware, he has to be pleased with how they performed at the tournament, especially with the majority of the team making the jump from Babe Ruth ball to American Legion baseball this season.
Just a few weeks ago the Mariners had a 2-11 record as they tried to adjust to the new style of play, but since that time have went 7-2 in their last nine games.
“The kids finally found out how to play as a team and they really figured out how to ..........
For the full story and more photos, click here
Rockies mount furious comeback against the Cougars
Aaric Bryan/Valley Journal
Rockies shortstop Jame Petersen closes in on a Cougar grounder up the middle.
By Aaric Bryan
Valley Journal
BONNER —The Mission Valley Rockies rallied from behind to defeat the Clark Fork Valley Cougars and earn a spot in the Pioneer Daze championship game at Kelly Pine Park in Bonner.
It was the second week in a row that the Rockies had to come-from-behind to beat the Cougars, but this time they were able to dig themselves out of a much bigger hole. Last week, the senior Babe Ruth team erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Cougars 5-4. Sunday at the tournament, the Rockies trailed 10-2 at the end of four, before Eneas Inmee sparked their astonishing comeback in the top of the fifth.
Inmee led off the inning with a solo home run and tripled the second time he came to bat in the inning. The Rockies had 15 hitters come up to bat in the inning and pushed nine runs across the plate to take .........
For the full story and more photos, click here
Group effort scores tourney title for all-star team
Aaric Bryan/Valley Journal
Polson’s third baseman Brennan Schliep is crashed into as he attempts to tag out a Kalispell baserunner on a steal attempt.
By Aaric Bryan
Valley Journal
There were no growing pains for the Mission Mountain All-stars at the Fireball Invitational tournament in Polson over the weekend.
The newly formed 10U Cal Ripken Baseball team with players from across the valley were able to check their egos at the door and rattle off six straight wins to win the eight-team tournament.
“All the kids came together really well. The support between the kids was great. There were no egos,” Mission Mountain manager Lenny Hales said.
The M&Ms consist of two Arlee players, one St. Ignatius player, three from Ronan and six from Charlo. They only had two practices together before the tournament, but that didn’t slow them down at the tournament. They outscored their opponents 51-9 in their four wins in pool play.
In the championship game, the M&Ms trailed Columbia Falls 6-5 in the top of the fourth, when Charlo’s Sayre Perry tied the game with a home run.
Misson’s Kaleb Durglo led off the fifth with a triple down the .........
For the full story and more photos, click here
More sports...
Wyatt Lytton wins national rodeo award
Purple Wave silence Fury for bronze at Splash Classic
Lil’ Lakers upset top seed, take 4th
| .jpg)
