A look back at the 2022 High School Boys Sports accomplishments by Blaine County Athletes includes some pretty significant accomplishments. The following is a look back at four of those moments. There were many great stories that I had the pleasure to write about in 2022 and all were fun to put together. The following are four that stood out to me.

Harlem 2nd at Class B

State Tournament,

Bring Home Hardware for the First Time in 20 Years

Wildcats win Overtime Thriller Over Eureka 63-61, LeValdo Scores Five in Final 0:14.2 • Harlem outlasts Lodge Grass 69-67 to advance to State B Championship

The last time the Wildcats took the floor at the Class B State basketball tournament was 15 years ago in 2007. Harlem finished fourth that year and last won the Class B Boys State Championship in 2002. This years team had their sights on bringing home some hardware.

When the dust settled the Wildcats had picked up a pair of thrilling wins. First they knocked off Eureka 63-61 in overtime, scoring five points in the final ten seconds to advance to the semifinal contest. There they knocked off the two time defending state champion Lodge Grass Indians 69-67, taking the lead in the final seconds. Saturday night they fought hard all game long and trailed in the fourth quarter but in the end they fell to the Three Forks Wolves 72-57 to finish second at the state tournament. Their second place finish marked the first time the Harlem boys have brought back hardware from the state tournament since 2002 when they last won it all.

After all was said and done Wildcat Head Coach Geno LeValdo was excited to reflect on what his team accomplished, "This weekend we had one of the most exciting Class B games we have seen in a awhile. Down by three with :23 seconds left to Eureka, to come back and win it was epic! The next night we knew we faced a solid squad in Lodge Grass, led by my brother Josh Stuart, the two time class B state champions."

Heading into the state championship LeValdo said, "We met Three Forks on Saturday night, also a solid squad. They got the lead early and we battled within two-points late but unfortunately three of my starters fouled out and we ended up losing and placing second. Overall our boys were complimented on how classy they were and how furious they played."LeValdo was thankful for everyone who was a part of the weekend in anyway, "Our crowd was awesome! We also got very good compliments on them. A lot people had good things to say about Harlem. It was an honor coaching these boys who had been dreaming of this moment since they were in third grade. You can see the skill and savvy they have, and the composure and passion for this game."

Schoen a State Champion at 170 Pounds

The Chinook Sugarbeeters are once again home to a Montana Class B/C State Wrestling Champion. Junior Tyler Schoen claimed the B/C 170 pound championship Saturday night in Billings.

Schoen went 4-0 in Billings winning his first match by pinfall Friday morning and concluding his tournament with a thrilling 7-2 Decision in the title match.

Stroh and the team helped their state champion prepare for the title match, "We all had our own things to say to Tyler before the finals, some was strategy, but mostly it was just to remind him to be himself. We simply reminded him that this is what he has worked for years for and that he deserves it. However, nothing we said seemed to matter. Tyler knew what he wanted and he was ready to go out to earn his spot on top of that podium."

Schoen began the season wrestling at 182 pounds, "I wrestled the first three tournaments at that weight and placed third in two of them, after listening to some advice from the coaches I decided to make the cut to 170," said Schoen.

Following a great showing at the CMR Holiday Classic, Schoen was convinced of the decision, "This tournament showed me that I could do well in this weight class. After that tournament we stopped focusing on learning so much technique and learned how to execute moves." Schoen then finished 2nd in Cut Bank losing only to the Class A State Champion. After competing so well in these two tournaments Schoen's confidence was building, "I realized I could compete with the top wrestlers in my weight. The next tournament was Choteau where I took first, and defeated some of the top competitors in my weight class."

He was nervous on the big stage in Billings, "I was nervous at first but after my first match it all went away and I just wrestled one match at a time. After I won my second match my bracket looked almost the exact same as it did at divisionals. I won my semi finals match 2-0 and then I went and relaxed for a little bit before the finals match."

That wait ended up being a bit longer than expected, "When the time for finals came up I was awake and ready, but they decided to start the finals matches at the weight 205, which made my match the second to last one. I waited for about two and a half hours to wrestle my match. It was extremely nerve racking, my hands were ice cold and I just wanted to wrestle."

Tyler is very grateful for his coaches, "My coaches Ben Stroh, Kenny Pruttis, and Robin Stroh helped me a lot this year. In my opinion I've had the best coaches in the state throughout my high school career so far. With Perry Miller and Adam Tillman my freshman and sophomore year." Schoen added, "One thing I appreciate now but I didn't while we were doing it was the conditioning. Our team excelled in the third period because we still had energy to wrestle. My coaches made this season great by pushing us to make us better and still being able to joke with us."

Stroh is impressed all around with his state champion, "Tyler has been an amazing asset to our team this year. He does everything right and works hard each and every day not to mention that he is respectful to everybody, especially to his younger, less experienced teammates."

Niederegger Captures State C High Jump Title

The 2021-22 Montana High School Sports year concluded in Great Falls at the Montana Class B/C Combined State Track & Field Meet. 14 Blaine County athletes, nine from Chinook, four from Harlem and one from Turner competed in individual events. The 'Beeters also qualified the boys 4x400 and 4x100 Meter relays as well as the girls 4x400.

Chinook senior Toby Niederegger jumped his way to the Class C Boys State High Jump title, clearing 6'4" to win the event. At the conclusion of the day Saturday a number of local athletes had secured a spot on the podium. Chinook's 4x100 Meter Relay turned in a stellar performance in the finals on Saturday to finish second in the race. Junior Anna Terry ran her way to a podium finish in the 3,200 Meter Run, finishing fourth in the event.

Niederegger capped off an outstanding season in winning the Class C Boys High Jump. Niederegger had cleared 6'3" in his best effort as a junior and wasted little time in eclipsing that mark. At the Havre Lions Invitational Niederegger cleared 6'4" to establish a personal best as well as punch his ticket to the State C. In the meets following, he performed very well, clearing 6'2" three times ad 6'0" once to win each meet. At the Class C State Meet Friday Niederegger had to be at his best and he was. With the bar moved to 6'4" Niederegger was the first of three to successfully clear the height to capture the State C title.

Schoen Wins Holiday Classic

The CMR Holiday Classic can be the highlight of the season for anyone talented enough to win there. Of course everyone's goal is to be a State Champion in their respective Class. But a compelling argument can be made, at least for the boys, of being a Holiday Classic Champion. Unlike the State Tournament where wrestlers compete against others from their respective class alone, at the Holiday classic everyone is included in the bracket AA, A and B/C. Chinook has had dozens of State B/C Champions through the years, but when you talk about CMR Holiday Classic Champions, that list gets narrowed down to just a handful.

Schoen went 5-0 in the tournament. In the semifinal Schoen's opponent was AJ Lafurge from CMR. Schoen went the distance in this match collecting a hard fought 5-1 win to advance to the championship match. In the finale Schoen earned his fourth pin of the tournament just as the horn was about to sound. Schoen pinned Miles Hoerauf from Whitehall in 3:59 to claim the 182 pound title.

Chinook Sugarbeeter Tyler Schoen 2022 Class C 170 Lb. State Champion • 180 Lb. Holiday Classic Champion

Schoen was all smiles after crossing off one of his season goals, "It feels great to have won that tournament. I wrestled against some of the best wrestlers at 182 in classes AA, A and B/C." Entering the tournament Schoen was seeded No. 1 in the 182 pound bracket, " I started in a good spot. I wanted to come out aggressive in my first match so I could get my nerves out of the way. I ended up pinning the first three kids I wrestled in the first period.