Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Caden Rettig, North Star Basketball

When you get to know Caden Rettig, it doesn't take long to understand that he was basically born to do two things: Be a farmer and an athlete.

So far, on both fronts, things are working out pretty well for the three-sport standout at North Star. Rettig, now a junior, has been making an impact for the Knights for the past three years, playing at the varsity level in football, basketball and track since he was a freshman.

Of course, his athletic development was aided by Shawn Rettig, his father and coach for just about everything growing up. Rettig was the head football coach for North Star this past season and has also coached track for years.

"He's basically been my coach my entire life," Caden Rettig said. "He has taught me a lot of things, and he has really shown how to be a competitor."

In terms of being a competitor, Rettig learned a lot about playing for the love of the game this past season on the football field. The Knights are a Six-Man football program and this past season, following the graduation of a bunch of players, North Star struggled to field a team for each game, but regardless of that, when they were on the field, Rettig was out there, leading the way from the quarterback position and on defense.

While football was a struggle with numbers this past season for the Knights, Rettig is already a proven commodity in track and field, as well as on the basketball court. Looking back to last spring, Rettig was a key part of the Knights track team, which won both the District 9C and Northern C Divisional titles. At the 9C meet, Rettig took home the title in the long jump, as well as placing second in the pole vault, third in the triple jump and fifth in the 100-meter dash.

Rettig followed up his district title in the long jump with a divisional crown in the same event. He also qualified for state in the triple jump and pole vault. Competing at the state track meet in the pole vault is nothing new for the Rettig family, as Caden's sister, Tylynn Rettig was a Class C state champion during her high school days at North Star.

"I was pretty young when she was in high school," Rettig said. "But I remember watching her and by her freshman year she was starting and that kind of put in perspective that I want to be like that and contribute. She won state her senior year and that is kind of where I want to be. She was just really competitive in everything she did and I really look up to her as a role model. I want to try to fill those shoes."

On the basketball court, Rettig was also part of a historic run last season made by the Knights, who made it the divisional basketball tournament in Great Falls for the first time in a decade. Beyond that, the Knights reached the 9C championship game before getting second to Chinook. The Knights also beat Sunburst at divisionals to add the cherry on top of what was a magical run. For his part, Rettig, a point guard, earned Second-Team All-District honors in the 9C.

When he's not playing sports, Rettig said his focuses are school and the family farm/ranch, which he said he wants to take over someday. He said farming and ranching is likely what he will pursue as a career later in life.

"I love farming," Rettig said. "That's what I like to do the most in my spare time and that's probably what I will do after college. I love farming and ranching. That's pretty much what I do."

Right now though, his focus is on basketball and with the 9C tournament just a few weeks around the corner, the excitement is about to ramp up, and following a recent battle with Chinook, the Havre Daily News caught up with Rettig for five questions.

HDN: How is the basketball season going?

Rettig: "It's going pretty well. We are very young and lost four out of our five starters from last year, so we knew it would take some time to get our chemistry back, but it has been getting a lot better each and every game."

HDN: What does it mean for you to get to represent North Star in so many sports?

Rettig: "It means everything to me. It's pretty much my life. If there wasn't sports, I probably wouldn't even be at school. Between basketball, football and track, I don't know what I would do without them. They are kind of the main thing I focus on during the year."

HDN: Do you have a favorite sport?

Rettig: "Football. Football has always been my favorite. My dad coached when I was really young and so I was always around it when I was younger and I have just always loved football."

HDN: What has it been like having your dad around coaching you in different sports?

Rettig: "He's pretty hard on me, but I couldn't see myself getting coached in track or in football by anyone but him. He has been coaching me since junior high in most sports and I just like it. It's nice to get that father-son bonding. I can't really see any other way."

HDN: What do you guys need to do in this next month to make another run in the postseason?

Rettig: "We have to get way more consistent. We go through stretches where we have one half that is really good and the next half we get beat by 20. But if we can just get consistent and get that chemistry and get used to playing with each other. Hopefully, it will happen at the end of the year."