Top 10 local sports storylines of 2019

With a new year upon us, it seemed like the perfect time to take a look back at the top 10 local sports storylines from the past year.

It was hard to pick just 10 given the remarkable moments from this past season but here they are in no particular order.

Redemption season: Bulldogs girls soccer claims state title

Sandpoint retook its throne atop 4A girls soccer in 2019 after falling in the state title game three straight years to bitter rival Bishop Kelly.

The Bulldogs secured a state title for the first time since 2014 after taking down Kuna 2-0 in the final match.

And to reach the title game they overcame Bishop Kelly in the semifinals, winning 10-9 on penalty kicks.

Head coach Conor Baranski called goalkeeper Hattie Larson the tournament MVP for her efforts as she had 13 saves in the title match and 25 against the Knights.

This was Sandpoint’s eighth 4A state title since 2000 when the IDHSAA started sanctioning state tournaments, tying them with Bishop Kelly.

It was a story book ending to a season built on redemption.

Sandpoint girls swim captures state title

Speaking of redemption, the Bulldogs’ girls swim got a bit of their own in 2019 winning the state title after placing third in each of the previous three years.

Sandpoint finished 25 points ahead of runner up Bishop Kelly and 88 points in front of defending state champion Idaho Falls.

After having a solid first day of competition, the Bulldogs came out and steamrolled the other schools on the final day to runaway with the title.

Anchored by a stellar performance from senior Mikayla Schoening, who defended her title in the 100 free with a meet record time, Sandpoint claimed first in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

With plenty of talent coming back next season, don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs defend their crown in 2020.

Clark Fork’s Brooke Stevens signs with NIC

Of course we couldn’t leave Clark Fork’s Brooke Stevens off the list.

The Lady Cat basketball alumna signed her National Letter of Intent to play at North Idaho College this past spring and is currently leaving her mark on the Cardinals program as we speak in her freshman season.

Stevens had a decorated high school career in basketball, volleyball and golf at Clark Fork, receiving offers to play collegiately in all three sports.

Ultimately, Stevens chose basketball due in part to her stellar senior season where she averaged 15.3 points, 4.5 assists and 6.9 steals per game en route to league MVP honors.

A dominant player on both ends of the court, Stevens earned a spot in last year’s Idaho High School All Star Game where she went toe-to-toe with future Division I athletes and showed she was more than worthy of a spot on NIC’s team this season.

Rest assured this won’t be the last time we hear Brooke Stevens name.

Priest River’s Colby Poe wins state shot put title

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Priest River’s Colby Poe who claimed the 3A state shot put title in May.

It was a memorable end to a historic senior season for Poe which saw him capture six straight shot put victories and six consecutive PR’s.

All season he was consistently amongst the top throwers in the state but on the final throw of his high school career, he had to toss his shot 51 feet, 10.25 inches in order to win the state crown.

Poe goes down as one of Priest River’s best throwers ever, earning marks in the shot put and discus that rank in the top three in program history.

Nikolai Braedt shatters Sandpoint’s 5K record

Easily one of the most impressive individual achievements of the season came courtesy of Nikolai Braedt who broke the boys 5K school record at the Inland Empire Challenge on Oct. 5.

Braedt ran a 15:35, breaking the previous mark set by Sam Levora by 13 seconds. He had aspirations of accomplishing the feat prior to the season and his hard work during the offseason payed off.

And did I mention the regional champion is only a junior? Which means he will get at chance at breaking his own record and making some noise at state in his final season as a Bulldog.

Priest River’s Annika Rantala earns regional title, places 10th at state

In her junior season, Annika Rantala showed just how good she can be capturing the regional title at districts and medaling at state with a 10th place finish.

And she secured the district title in dominant fashion crossing the finish line more than 20 seconds ahead of the next closest runner.

Week in and week out throughout the cross country season, Rantala led the Lady Spartans and helped catapult the team to a seventh place finish at state.

Rantala will get one more shot to cement her legacy during her senior season in 2020.

Sandpoint girls golf takes third at state

The Bulldogs fearsome five consisting of CeCe Deprez, Aly Lish, Hattie Larson, Annaby Kanning and Camille Neuder carried the Sandpoint girls golf team to a regional title for the first time since 2016 and a third place finish at state.

The young, talented Bulldogs squad wasn’t intimidated by the schools from southern Idaho at state as Hattie Larson led the way for Sandpoint. Larson was the Bulldogs lone medalist, placing ninth with a 170.

The best part is all the golfers from the 2019 team will take the course for Sandpoint in just a few months, giving them a great chance of doing even better at state in 2020.

Clark Fork Junior High football team goes undefeated

“The 72 Dolphins ain’t got nothing on us.”

Head coach Chris Shelton uttered these words to his Clark Fork Junior High football team when they huddled up for the final time this season on Oct. 21 after defeating Kootenai 54-14 to complete a perfect 7-0 year.

Just two years ago, the Wampus Cats were struggling to even get one victory, going winless in 2017. But Shelton took over the head coaching duties in 2018 and has now established a winning culture that the team has bought into.

The team accomplished the feat in dominant fashion, only allowing opponents to score six touchdowns all season.

The eighth graders from this undefeated squad will certainly make their presence felt as freshman on the Wampus Cats High School football team next season.

Sandpoint boys track smashes 4x800 school record

A 25-year old Sandpoint track and field record was obliterated this past spring as Sloan Woodward, Nikolai Braedt, Jett Lucas and Seth Graham ran a 8:22.45 in the 4x800 relay at the Christina Finney Relays.

The previous record in the event was a time of 8:22.5 and that relay team was anchored by current Sandpoint track and field coach Matt Brass.

An impressive feat for a group of runners that have all had successful high school careers. Braedt, Lucas and Graham are all coming off strong cross country seasons and will have a chance to break their record in 2020.

Clark Fork volleyball goes undefeated in North Star League

After losing four key, talented seniors from last year’s team, a step back for Clark Fork volleyball in 2019 wouldn’t have been surprising. In fact, it would’ve been expected.

But don’t tell the Lady Cats that because this season they showed they still had plenty of talent left going undefeated in the North Star League for the second straight season.

The Lady Cats were led by five seniors, including league MVP Ellie Kiebert, who helped push the team to a district title, their third consecutive state berth and an eighth place finish at state.

With plenty of young talent coming back, we could be talking about another perfect season in league play in 2020.