10 I The Lovell Chronicle I August 28, 2014
Bulldogs, Grizz prep for 2014 season
BY DAVID PECK
The Lovell Bulldogs
and Rocky Mountain Griz-
zlies are hard at work pre-
paring for the 2014 season,
and both will take part in
practice games this week
ahead of Sept. 5 openers.
With a "week zero"
game in Billings against
Forsyth, Mont., cancelled,
the Grizzlies will hold a
Brown and Gold intrasquad
scrimmage this Friday,
Aug. 29. The controlled
scrimmage is scheduled to
begin at 5 p.m.
Lovell will play a Week
zero game Saturday, Aug.
30, at noon in Buffalo
against the Bison. Coach
Doug Hazen said the game
will be played With modified
rules, where contact is lim-
ited on special teams but
the teams will go full speed
on offense and defense.
Hazen said the two
teams will likely play three
varsity periods and two ju-
nior varsity periods.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Grizzly coach David
Hayes said he has 42 play-
ers out for football this fall:
nine seniors, nine juniors,
nine sophomores and 15
freshmen. Hayes called the
high numbers "great!"
The Grizz are coming
off a 6-3 season that saw
them make the 1A playoffs
before falling to Lingle-Ft.
Laramie in the first round
of the playoffs.
The Grizz held three
days of two-a-day practic-
es before school started on
Thursday last week.
"The first week of prac-
tice went well," Hayes said,
noting that the team has
been working on condition-
ing and learning the offense
and defense.
"Our team has great
leadership with a solid and
fun-to-coach senior class,"
he added. "They are com-
petitive and ready to win."
SAM STH
Lovell junior quarterback Beau Green calls signals during the Blue and White scrimmage in Lovell
Saturday evening. The Bulldogs will play a "week zero" game Saturday at noon in Buffalo.
The Grizz graduated
seven seniors last year but
return nine this fall in Jor-
dan Arnold, Bill Despain,
Anthony Estes, Eisaac
Flowers, John Higgins, Ca-
leb Horrocks, Tyler Lind-
quist, Colton Wardell and
Kirby Winland.
"All players are work-
ing hard, eager to learn and
eager to grow with the pro-
gram," Hayes said. "At this
time we have six JV games,
which should bring oppor-
tunity and experience for
the younger players."
Hayes will be the defen-
sive coordinator and special
teams coordinator this fall.
He will be assisted by To-
bee Christiansen, offensive
coordinator; Justin Moss,
assistant defensive coor-
dinator; Pat Winland, of-
fensive and defensive line
coach and assistant offen-
sive coordinator; and volun-
teer Richard Despain, who
will assist Winland with
the lines.
"We are really looking
forward to Coach Despain
joining our staff," Hayes
said. "Coach Despain has
been a big part of the Pow-
ell Panther success, and we
are really excited to have
him. We are looking for-
ward to an exciting year."
The Grizz open the reg-
ular season at home on Fri-
day, Sept. 5, hosting 1A
East foe Tongue River at 7
p.m.
LOVELL
The Lovell Bulldogs are
coming off a Cinderella 9-1
season that saw them com-
plete the regular season un-
defeated and win a first-
round playoff game against
Wheatland before falling to
Big Horn in the Class 2A
semifinals.
Lovell graduated six
seniors in Morgan May,
Hyrum Hopkin, Calin
McArthur, Tyler Tillett,
Chase Rasmussen and Dil-
lon Pickett, but they re-
turn 13 seniors and also
have eight juniors, 13 soph-
omores and 10 freshmen on
the roster of 44.
There are six starters
returning on offense and
seven on defense. Start-
ers returning on offense in-
clude seniors Drake Welch
at wide receiver, Aaron
Monterde, Daniel Strom
and Zeke Collins on the line
and Cade Bischoff at run-
ning back, and junior Beau
Green at quarterback.
The team has seven re-
turning starters on defense
including seniors Welch at
defensive end, Monterde
at linebacker, Strom on the
line, Collins at linebacker
(line last year), Bischoff at
safety and Nash Jolley at
defensive tackle, as well as
part-time starter Green at
safety.
Other seniors are Erik
Ferbrache, Dylan See, Ga-
ret Fowler, Jaccob Mickel-
son, Tristen Snyder, Payton
Hetland and Rego Moreno.
"Our numbers are big-
ger in the senior class and
our leadership has come
along faster this year than
last," Hazen said, "The kids
are really enjoying football
so far. The guys are really
enjoying being around each
other."
The team has been
practicing at the middle
school field with the high
school practice field await-
ing a new sprinkler system
and the field at Robertson
Stadium off limits while
new sod gets established.
Hazen will be the defen-
sive coordinator for varsity
games and also works with
quarterbacks and defensive
backs. Bob Weber returns
as the offensive coordinator
for the varsity squad and
coaches the wide receivers
and linebackers. He is also
the associate head coach,
Hazen said, noting, "He has
stepped up and done a ton
for the team (with Hazen's
responsibilities as mid-
die school principal taking
time)."
Daniel Robertson re-
turns as the JV offensive
coordinator and works with
the offensive and defensive
lines, while Craig Lundberg
is back as the JV defen-
sive coordinator and coach-
es the running backs and
linebackers.
The Bulldogs will open
the regular season at home
on Sept. 5, kicking off with
2A East opponent and de-
fending state champion Big
Horn at 7 p.m.
LHS golfers tee off at
Sheridan Invite
BY SAM SMITH
The Lovell High School
golf team opened the 2014
season by sending five
members to the Sheridan
Invitational Tournament
last Thursday and Friday.
The Bulldogs shot two
consistent rounds of 394
for a 788 total, 18 strokes
ahead of Casper Natrona
for an eighth-place finish.
Senior CJ Murphey
was the top placer for the
Lovell squad, shooting a 94
on Thursday and a 92 Fri-
day for a two-day total of
186, tying for 38th place.
Senior McKay Baxendale
shot a 94 Thursday and
a 100 Friday to finish the
meet with a 194, tying for
46th place.
Also golfing for the
Lovell squad in Sheridan
were senior Justin Mick-
elson, junior Hunter Tip-
petts and sophomore Lane
Hoover.
The Bulldogs were
scheduled to travel to the
Worland Invitational this
Thursday and Friday, but
with a transition taking
place in the coaching po-
sition (see related story),
the Bulldogs will wait un-
til the Lander Invitation-
al Sept. 4-5 for their next
competition.
Fall practices under way for
middle school athletics
BY SAM SMITH
Lovell Middle School
and Rocky Mountain Mid-
dle School sports teams
have started their practices
for the fall season.
The Lovell Mustangs
football squad began their
fall practice Thursday,
Aug. 21, as they prepare for
their season opener in Pow-
ell on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at
4:30 p.m.
Kevin Walker will
coach the eighth-grade
squad again this year, and
assisting him will be Mi-
chael Jameson. Once again,
RJ May will coach the sev-
enth-grade team, assisted
by Will Zollman.
The Rocky Mountain
Grizzlies started practice
Monday, Aug. 25, and will
travel to a jamboree on Sat-
urday, Sept. 6, at 9:30 a.m.
Rod Winland will coach
the eighth-grade squad and
Ryan Boettcher will assist
him. Josh Collins will coach
the seventh-graders with
Joe Davis assisting.
VOLLEYBALL
The Lady Mustangs
also started fall practice
Thursday and will trav-
el to Cowley for the Rocky
Mountain Triangular Sat-
urday, Sept. 6, at 9:30 a.m.
Kim Bernstein will
coach the eighth-grade
squad, and Aryn Tip-
petts will coach the sev-
enth-grade team. Assisting
both coaches will be Kristin
Warner.
The Lady Grizzlies also
started practice Thursday
at 3:30 p.m. at the RMMS/
HS Auxiliary Gym. The
Lady Grizz will start the
season Friday, Sept. 5, in
Manderson squaring off
with Cloud Peak at 1 p.m.
Rocky will host a triangular
Sept. 6 at 9:30 a.m.
Jenny Christiansen
will coach the eighth-grade
squad for the Lady Grizz
and Ashlee Blackburn will
coach the seventh-grade
team. Haley Sorenson will
coach the sixth-grade team.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Lovell Middle
School and Rocky Moun-
tain Middle School cross
country teams started prac-
tice Monday Aug. 18.
Lovell and Rocky will
start their season at the
Rocky Mountain Middle
School Invitational Thurs-
day, Sept. 4, at 4:30 p.m.
Caleb Sanders will
coach the Mustangs, and
Tim Jones will coach the
Grizz.
Lovell harriers step up to the challenge of 3A
BY DAVID PECK
Meeting the challenge
of moving up to Class 3A
head on, the Lovell cross
country team has a record
number of runners in the
program this season with
36 out for the squad be-
tween the high school and
middle school squads.
And while the num-
bers are pleasing to Coach
Caleb Sanders, the move
to 3A is bittersweet for
Coach Sanders as he and
assistant Bret George
were building a boys team
that could challenge Wyo-
ming Indian for the state
title but now have a much
tougher hill to climb in
3A.
"Thirty-six is definite-
ly the most we've had,
which was really a sur-
prise to me and Coach
George," Sanders said.
Asked about the
growth of the program,
Sanders said, "We have
a lot of fun. I make prac-
tices fun but challeng-
ing. The kids are good at
recruiting other kids, as
well."
This is the first year
both the boys and girls
squads will field a full sev-
en-person team for var-
sity competition, Sand-
ers said, with the top five
scoring team points in 3A.
"The challenge of 3A
is that it's obviously a
deeper field so you have
better runners and more
competitive teams," Sand-
ers said. "If you were an
all-state runner in 2A (top
10), it's going to be a chal-
lenge to be an all-state
runner in 3A. It's a tough
transition.
"We were rebuilding
for a run at the 2A (boys)
title. We heard (about the
move to 3A) about a year
ago, so we've had time
for it to soak in, but it
still stings a little bit. We
won't be in the running
for a 3A title."
Sanders noted that
the team was in 3A when
he first started coach-
ing in Lovell seven years
ago, but there were only a
handful of runners.
BULLDOGs
The Lovell boys grad-
uated Derek Phelps and
McKay Mayes but have
six runners, including
two all-state runners, re-
turning. Senior AJ Dick-
son placed second at the
2A West Regional with
a time of 18:16, then ran
17:29 at State to place
third at State.
"It's hard to believe
(he's a senior)," Sanders
said. "He's in his fifth year
in the program."
Dickson is fighting
through a stubborn low-
er leg injury, Sanders
said, but he is cautious-
ly optimistic that Dickson
will have a strong senior
season.
Junior Jacob New-
man placed third at Re-
gionals with a time of
18:18 and eighth at State
at 18:10. He also won the
2A title in the 1,600 me-
ters at state track during
the spring and was second
in the 800.
Also back with state
meet experience are se-
niors Andrew Mayes and
Alex Sawaya and juniors
Dillon Schneider and Joey
Bassett. Senior Dylan
Ohman also returns.
New to the team are ju-
nior Chance Wilson, soph-
omore Kyle Burton and
freshman Will Lillard,
along with three other
freshmen who are each in
their fourth year with the
program and have great
potential: Brent Snyder,
Kyle Wolvington and Ben
Cornia.
"They have been run-
ning since the sixth grade
and right away will be
challenging for the top
seven spots," Sanders
said. "Some of the upper
classmen are going to be
pressed."
A strong middle
school team is led by re-
turning eighth-graders
Brenden Lundberg and
Hunter Steenbakkers and
seventh-grader James
Caldwell. New to the pro-
gram are eighth-grad-
er JR Dickson and
sixth-graders CJ Lindsay,
Aden Mayes, Tyler Nich-
ols and Zeke Newman.
LADY BULLDOGS
University of Wyo-
ming-bound Kim Shum-
way has graduated, but
the Lovell girls team re-
turns five other runners
with state experience led
by junior Jaclyn Cald-
well, who placed third at
Regionals with a time of
21:28 and fifth at State,
running 21:31. She was
also a state champion in
the 1,600 and 3,200 in the
spring at state track.
Even with all of that
success, Sanders said
Class 3A will be a differ-
ent challenge for Cald-
well, noting, "Jaclyn is go-
ing to have to fight to get
all-state in 3A. Some of
the best girls runners in
the state are in 3A."
New to the team but
showing a lot of promise is
junior Jamie Kite, Sand-
ers said.
"She may be our sec-
ond-fastest runner, based
on practice," he said. "She
ran a lot this summer and
enjoyed it, so she decided
to try cross country."
Also returning with
state experience are ju-
niors Caitlyn Lund-
berg and Afton George
and sophomores Jazmyn
See and Mylee McAr-
thur. Freshmen are Bai-
ley Mitchell and Hannah
Sawaya. Mitchell ran in
middle school, Sanders
said.
Members of the mid-
dle school team are
eighth-grader Megan Cor-
nia, seventh-graders Pat-
ti Sanders, Lauren Mitch-
ell and Adaline Dickson
and sixth-graders Ades-
sa Lundberg, Brooklyn
Walker and Maddison
Steed.
"Lauren ran the fun
runs this summer and
was impressive," Sand-
ers said. "Megan is in
her third year with the
program and is running
stronger than she ever
has. Patti will be in the
top three. Adaline ran
with Rocky Mountain last
year."
Sanders said practice
has been going well, not-
ing that the school gave
the team a huge boost by
allowing the use of a bus
to take the runners to dif-
ferent places to work out,
where they would run on
softer dirt roads, saving
wear and tear on their
legs.
"We can decide to run
on the river bottom or at
Eagle Rock, the Sheep
Mountain Road or John
Blue," he said. "That's
huge. Last week we hiked
Heart Mountain."
The team will take
its annual Five Springs
Challenge this Thurs-
day, where runners have
20 minutes to see how far
they can make it up the
steep Five Springs Road.
"It's painful, but the
kids love it because it's a
challenge," Sanders said.
SEASON SCHEDULE
The Bulldogs and
Lady Bulldogs will start
the season next Friday,
Sept. 5, at the Billings
Invitational. Running
begins at 4 p.m. Other
scheduled meets are Sept.
13 in Sheridan, Sept. 19
in Douglas, Sept. 22 at
Foster Gulch, Sept. 23 in
Worland, Oct. 3 in Ther-
mopolis, Oct. 9 in Pow-
ell, the 3A West Regional
Oct. 17 in Star Valley and
the state meet Oct. 25 in
Sheridan.
The middle school
team opens the season
next Thursday, Sept. 4, at
the Rocky Mountain Invi-
tational in Cowley at 4:30
p.m. and will also run at
a middle school meet in
Cody on Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.
