George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor
gferguson@havredailynews.com
If your a sports fan and don't want to wait for the final four to start this weekend, then there is plenty of sports for fans to take in all across the Hi-Line this weekend.
If basketball is your cup of tea then look no further than the Rudyard gymnasium. Tonight marks the beginning of the 11th annual Jason Groseclose Memorial basketball tournament. The tournament, which raises money for the Jason Groseclose Memorial Scholarship Fund, always features exciting collegiate and ex-collegiate players and always showcases quality basketball.
This year's tourney should be no different. Among the all-star players in attendance will be former Montana Grizzlies Dan Trammell, Deldray Carr and Matt and Bob Sidensticker. The tournament will also feature several former and current Frontier Conference stars including MSU-N and former Havre High standout Cory Brothers as well as UM-Western stars Jeff Feenstra and Chester native Jeff Graham.
The tournament will showcase 12 teams and will get under way tonight at 5 p.m. in Rudyard. Play will resume on Saturday morning and run through Sunday afternoon. The consolation game will tip off at 2 p.m. on Sunday and the championship game is set for 3 p.m.
If track and field is more your speed then the Havre Middle School track is the place to be on Saturday morning as the 2006 high school track season kicks off with the annual Cal Wearley Invitational hosted by North Star High School.
The Cal Wearley will feature several top notch boys and girls Class B and C programs including Chester.J-I, Geraldine, Chinook, Highwood, Valier, Belt, Geyser, Centerville, Big Sandy, Turner, Sunburst, Hays-Lodge Pole and Augusta among others.
The meet will also be bolstered by the addition of the Havre High varsity teams. Normally, the HHS teams send a small contingent to the meet, but both full HHS squads will be in attendance on Saturday.
Individually, the meet should be exciting with stars all over the field. Chinook's Crystal Roseberry is one of the top long and triple jumpers in Class C and teammate Jacque McMaster is a sprinter who could make some serious noise in the Sugarbeeters first year in Class C track. The Beeters also have two quality relay teams, making them one of the favorites this weekend in the girls meet.
Chester/J-I is the defending champion on both the girls and boys sides and the Hawks are still a strong girls contender this season. The Hawks are led by Hannah Pimley who is considered one of the top high jumpers in the Northern C division and the multi-talented Keyla Briese. Turner's Ashley Van Voast and the Big Sandy duo of Shalayna Pearson and Naomi Williams will also be exciting to watch this weekend.
The boys meet should be wide open with Havre, North Star and Chester/J-I leading the way. The host Knights have a top notch performer in senior Cody Donovan, but they are talented in almost every event. Like Donovan, Chester/J-I's Kevin May and Big Sandy's Kyle Danreuther are also multiple point getters for their respective teams.
The 2006 Cal Wearley Invitational will get under way with the field events at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The running events are scheduled to start at 9:30.
Tonight also marks the start of the HHS spring sports season with the Havre High girls softball team hosting a double header against the defending Class A champion Polson Pirates. The first game will begin at 4 p.m. and the nightcap will start at 6 at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Softball Field in Havre.
