We've Got The County Covered
The winter sports season is just around the corner and the Chinook Sugarbeeters, Harlem Wildcats, Hays Lodge Pole Thunderbirds and the Turner Tornadoes are counting the days until the first practice. The first day of practice is Thursday, November 16, and the first day of allowable competition is Friday, December 1.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters and Fairview Warriors have left the Class C ranks and moved up to Class B. Fairview joined the District 2B alongside the Harlem Wildcats/Lady Cats, Glasgow Scotties, Malta Mustangs/M-ettes, Poplar Indians and Wolf Point Wolves. Chinook joined the District 1B along with the Choteau Bulldogs, Conrad Cowboys/Cowgirls, Cut Bank Wolves, Fairfield Eagles, Rocky Boy Stars and Shelby Coyotes. District 9C remains the same minus Chinook.
Last year there was a big adjustment with the implementation of the shot clock. There were a few hiccups early on, but for the most part, it seemed to be a great addition to the game and kept things interesting. There aren’t many changes this year that fans may notice but there is one, the elimination of one and one foul shots.
According to the Montana High School Association (MHSA) website, mhsa.org, the new rule states: 4-8-1: Eliminates the one-and-one for common fouls beginning with the seventh team foul in the half and establishes the bonus as two free throws awarded for a common foul beginning with the team’s fifth foul in each quarter and resets the fouls at the end of each quarter. Rational: Improves flow by providing an opportunity for teams to adjust their play by not carrying over fouls from quarters 1 and 3 to quarters 2 and 4 while significantly reducing the opportunity for correctable errors to occur. Minimizes risk of injury by eliminating the one-and-one and reducing opportunities for rough play during rebounding opportunities.
B/C Wrestling remains the same, the Chinook Sugarbeeters and Harlem Wildcats/Lady Cats will once again be part of the Eastern C Division. There is one rule change fans may like to know: 1-4-3 Section 4 Representation, Art. 3 - No wrestler shall represent the school in more than one weight class in any meet or wrestle in more than six matches (championship or consolation), excluding forfeits in any one day of competition. Rationale: With the rule change to allow six matches in post-season events after experiments were conducted by state associations last year, and there was no reported increase of injuries. Allowing six matches during the regular season events is a normal progression and will be monitored throughout the season.
Officials are always in need; referee pools are shrinking while the need continues to be high. Many games were postponed or even canceled during the fall sports season. Some games were forced to move to odd days and times just to get a crew on hand. Basketball and wrestling require an even deeper pool and the situation is dire.
The ones hurt the most are the kids, especially the younger ones. Varsity contests will take priority, meaning if there aren’t officials available, the junior varsity and “C” squads will see their games canceled first. If you are fit enough and like sports, look into becoming an official. The rewards are fantastic. If you’re just a fan who likes to watch, do your part and treat the officials with the utmost respect. Bad calls are part of the game and yelling at them only leads to them walking away. They walk away and the gyms will go dark.