High School Sports Year In Review

As the new year kicks off it is human nature to look forward with anticipation at what 2025 has in store for us.  However, a look back at what was accomplished over the past twelve months is also an enjoyable undertaking this time of year.  Our local high school athletes had some big wins and gutsy performances in 2024.  Here are some of my personal favorite storylines from the past year.

Girls Basketball

One of the first big stories of the year was the terrific run the Lady Grizzly basketball team had that culminated in a state championship.  The Grizzlies dominated Rimrock in the first game of the tournament before surviving a scare from Prairie where they ended up winning by four points.  This put Grace in the title game against a very tough Lapwai team.  The Lady Grizzlies would not be denied in this run to a championship.  Grace won the state championship over the Wildcats by seven points.  The win also cemented Coach Kyle Christensen as the 1AD1 coach of the year.  Senior Sydnee Smith won tournament MVP with teammates Jacie Christensen, Melodie Straatman, and Tessica Jorgensen all also earning tournament honors.  

Wrestling

The next big storyline of the year was a plethora of wrestlers that shone bright at the state tournament in Pocatello.  Both Grace and Soda Springs had wrestlers qualify for title matches on the final day of wrestling for the 2024 season.  Grace’s Cole Younger, Carter Kimball, Jack Eddins, and Wyatt Cutler all wrestled in championship matches while Tucker Bowen and Elijah Dilworth competed in title matches for Soda Springs.  By the end of the tournament Caribou County wrestlers had secured three state titles and three second place finishes.  Dilworth and Eddins both lost very close matches while Cutler had to settle for second place following a controversial injury to his opponent in the opening round.  Meanwhile a pair of youngsters from Grace, Younger and Kimball earned state titles.  Kimball was able to secure his second state title in two years by not allowing a single point to be scored on him the entire tournament.  The real star of the tournament though was Soda Springs Tucker Bowen who completed an amazing high school career with his fourth consecutive state title.

Following several great success stories from the winter sports season the spring season brought a whole new group of athletes to the forefront with track and golf.

Track and Field

The track highlights kicked off with the Grace Grizzlies boys team capturing a district championship in dramatic fashion.  With just one event left in the meet Grace trailed district rival Butte County by one and a half points.  That final event was a relay race and had five teams entered.  Grace would need to place two places higher than Butte to win the title.  The Grizzlies finished in third place and became North Gem fans as the Cowboys and Pirates were still racing on the track.  North Gem beat out the Pirates which in turn gave the district title to the Grizzlies.  The Grizzlies return the majority of that team this coming spring and should compete well again.

Not to be outdone the Soda Springs Lady Cardinals with a strong contingency of upper classmen dominated the competition on their way to a district title of their own.  Izzy Shelton led the way in the field events for Soda while Jinetti Garbett walked away with four first place finishes.  The Lady Cardinals were not done with winning following districts.  With several qualified athletes to the state championships the Lady Cardinals stood a great chance at capturing a top three finish.  Not only did Soda Springs finish in the top three they dominated the state meet and won the first ever girls state track championship in school history.

Golf

The other major spring sport, golf, saw its fair share of drama and suspense this past season.  The Grace boys team had a great season that ended with a district championship and a trip to state.  At the state meet the Grizzly men fell short of placing but still had a season to remember.  In girls golf both the Lady Cardinals and Lady Grizzlies had high expectations to start the season.  Grace ended up being the frontrunners in the district winning every competition they entered going into the district championships.  Unfortunately a small mistake on a scorecard cost the Lady Grizzlies the district title but opened the door for the Lady Cardinals.  When it was all said and done the Cardinals won the district team title.  With the team title decided Karlie Christensen and Kamryn Mansfield both from Grace had to have a playoff for the individual district title that Christensen eventually won.  Like the boys the girls teams fell short at state but the Lady Grizzlies did finish in third.  All of the local golf teams are relatively young and should be in the hunt again this coming season. 

Volleyball and Football

After a quick summer break the high school fall sports kicked off.  There was very little success for any of the local volleyball teams and despite the North Gem and Grace football teams making the playoffs neither team would earn a trophy.  The Cowboys fell in the opening round and the Grizzlies lost in the quarterfinals.  Despite the lack of success on the gridiron, who could forget what the Cowboys were able to do with just ten guys on their roster as well as the never say die attitude of a young Soda Springs Cardinal team.  Both of these teams exemplified what grit means.

Cross Country

Where local athletes did see some great success this fall was in cross country.  Both Grace and Soda Springs have built reputable programs.  At the district championships the girls teams reigned supreme as both the Cardinals and Grizzlies won district titles.  The boys teams came up short of winning a title but did finish in second place in each of their classifications.  With all four teams qualifying for the state meet it was a great day to be a cross country fan in Caribou County.  At the state meet the Grace boys would perform well and end up claiming their fifth consecutive third place trophy.  The Lady Grizzlies finished in second place as a team with senior Cally Coleman leading not only the team but all runners winning the first ever individual state cross country title in school history.  The Soda Springs boys team just missed out on a trophy finishing in fifth place while the Lady Cardinals came up a little short of a state title, slipping to second place as a team.

2025 Basketball

With 2024 over and done with, we are part way through the winter sports season.  Numbers are down a little overall in all three schools but several of the teams are on the upswing after slow starts.  Watch for the Lady Cards to compete well in basketball as well as both the Grace and Soda Springs boys teams.  The Cowboy teams are running in the middle of the pack currently but have potential to be spoilers come district tournament time.  Also keep an eye on several of the local boys and girls wrestlers.  Numbers will hurt the Grizzlies and Cowboys chances at team titles but both boast some great wrestlers that will be in contention for individual championships.  Meanwhile the Cardinal teams are looking very strong early on and could be looking at a team title for the boys as well as several individual titles.

The new year brings with it excitement and new hopes and dreams for several local student athletes.  Get out to some of their competitions and give them support as they battle for their respective schools.