The Independent-Record from Helena, Montana • 14

November 17, 2002 Section Sports Sports Desk: 447-4070 irsportshelenair.com Independent Record o) 0) To ppp CHS spikers claim state championship "Sarah moves on the volleyball court better than anyone I've ever coached or seen. She's the best in the backcourt. Katie is awesome and Jessica knows how to put the ball away." Barnhill, Polette and Petersen all made big contributions throughout the day and in the final match. More BRUINS, page 6B By TOM STUBER IR Sports Writer GREAT FALLS The Capital High Bruins not only came back from the dead, they became alive and aggressive as they stomped Great Falls High 25-16, 25-14, and 25-21 to claim the Class AA State volleyball title Saturday night. Capital played three matches on the day.

second game as she had a stretch where she had four kills and a block as the Bruins went from a 4-1 deficit to a 12-6 lead. Several other Bruins contributed major Dolan is one of the best athletes that I've ever coached," said Burk. "She's a little undersized, but she plays with a heart as big as a bruin bear itself." The play of Sarah Barnhill, Katie Polette and Jessica Petersen wasn't lost on Burk. Their two championship matches against Great Falls seemed anti-climatic after they started the day with a five-set win over Billings Senior. "Our kids started this year with the end in mind and they weren't going to be denied," said Capital coach Mike Burk.

"I thought we looked real calm and we just took (Great Falls') confidence Dolan put on a stunning display midway through the CARROLL COLLEGE FOOTBALL no (Scum Bruins use Mohawk mojo in win Maybe it was the Mohawks. Capital won its seventh Class AA state football title Friday at Vigilante Field, claiming it in dramatic fashion by coming back from a 14-point Francis deficit to DAVIS win 28-21 Saints earn automatic berth on tiebreaker forcing the Bulldogs to on their first possession and then using 10 Western 35 Carroll 17 over champion CM. Russell. Trailing 21-7 midway through the third quarter, the chances Ruley Stingley fell on the ball, putting the Bulldogs eight yards away from the end zone. Two plays later Kirby hit Dallas Mock, a former Helena High standout, with a 6-yard pass that put Western up 14-10.

A missed field goal by Crites with 5:42 left in the half allowed the Bulldogs to take that four-point lead into the half. "At halftime it felt like this team was down by 20 points instead of just down by four," Van Diest said. "We were right in it. It just seemed like in a few minutes the game changed completely." Western scored in its first drive of the second half when Kirby hit Joel Bothelo with a 26-yard scoring pass. The Bulldogs followed with a turnover when Carroll receiver Elijah Steenhoek had More CARROLL, page 6B About the Game By SANDRA KELLY IR Sports Writer A The UM-Western Bulldogs needed a big game and they got one, defeating the Carroll College football team 35-17 Saturday.

The two teams are co-champions of the Frontier Conference, but by virtue of greater margin of victory over Frontier Conference opponents, Carroll will get an automatic berth to the NAIA playoffs. Parings will be announced today. Western quarterback Travis Kirby threaded his way through Carroll's secondary, going 26-of-36 for 324 yards arid five touchdowns, hitting Jeff Bowman six times for 103 yards and a touchdown. made some critical errors in the play calling in the red zone on defense and put our kids in some bad situations," Carroll College head coach Mike Van Diest said. "They hit the open man.

Kirby did a great job of standing in there 'and throwing. We just didn't execute." The Saints started strong, plays to drive to the Bulldog 5-yard line where Rhett Crites connected with a 21-yard field goal to put the Saints up 3-0. The Saints added a touchdown with 1:48 left in the first quarter when running back Heath Wall took a handoff from Robb Latrielle, who was starting in place of the injured Tyler Emmert, and bolted for the left sideline. A big block by D.J. Dearcorn gave Wall running room and a missed tackle by Craig LeCoure allowed Wall to score a 58-yard touchdown.

After that it was all Western. The Bulldogs began the second quarter with a 36-yard scoring pass from Kirby to Jeff Bowman. Carroll took over on its 20, but a missed call had Latrielle pitching to no one on the option and Western's L.J-:' I i Mil the Bruins' evening would end with a championship jig at midfield were not very good. Still the team persevered. And if it wasn't the multicolored Mohawk hairstyles the players sported that helped Capital earn its third state title in four years, it certainly was the team's CohfidencerA Confidence? exemplified by the Mohawks.

A confidence that wouldn't let the Bruins quit. "We were a little bit down," Capital coach Mark Samson said. "But the one thing about this team is we responded all year long." Led by quarterback Kyle Samson, the Bruins marched 64 yards in 11 plays to pull to within eight of the Rustlers. And though Capital missed the extra point, the tide turned in favor of the Bruins with their second score. "When we scored that second touchdown I felt we started to play to win instead of playing not to lose," Samson explained.

"That was a big, big part of the game in terms of the mental aspect of it." And it was this mental aspect of the game that ultimately allowed the Bruins (13-0) to prevail. The Rustlers might have had more talent than Capital, but CMR couldn't match the Bruins' intangibles. "At the beginning of the year everyone thought CMR was going to win state," Samson said. "They were a very good team and we beat them twice this year. I'm still pinching myself.

I can't believe we did it." It was Samson's third state title in six years as head coach of the Bruins. His first two titles came in 1999-2000 when Capital posted back-to-back undefeated seasons. Carroll's Tyler Emmert was the Bruin quarterback in 1999-2000 and he was on the sideline Friday watching his old team. After the game, IT Tme- I I i 3 Ion Ebelt IR Staff Photographer (Above) Carroll College tight end Casey FitzSimmons can't quite reach a Rob Latrielle pass in the north end zone as Western's Nate Chiovaro closes in on defense Saturday at Nelson Stadium. (Right) Carroll College wide receiver Elijah Steenhoek makes a leaping grab for the Saints in second half action Saturday.

BIG SKY FOOTBALL i EWU knocks off Griz 'Cats upset Vikings B.7 "To beat a nationally-ranked Portland State team today without (leading rusher) Ryan Johnson, without Joey Thomas, without another for 59 yards. The Grizzlies tied the game on their first possession of the second half when Levander Segars capped a a four-play, 64-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown MSU 28 PSU 26 EWU30 UM 21 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Quarterback Josh Blankenship threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as Eastern Washington handed Montana its first loss in more than a year, 30-21. Rich Heitz kicked a 34-yard field goal with 3:40 remaining to seal the win. Montana (10-1, 5-1 Big Sky), the nation's top Division I-AA team, had won 24 straight games since a Sept.

8, 2001, loss to Hawaii. Head coach Joe Glenn came into the game riding a 20-0 record in Big Sky Conference games. The Grizzlies seemed prepared extend those streaks when John Edwards hit Tyler Peterson for a 9-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead with 14:48 left in the second quarter. But Eastern Washington (6-5, 3-4 Big Sky) answered with consecutive touchdown receptions by Eric Kimble before halftime, one for 25 yards and BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) Montana State overcame numerous injuries and an early deficit to upset nationally-ranked Portland State 28-26 on Saturday.

"We took a page from (Montana coach) Joe Glenn's book this week," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "No one's been more injured than Montana this year, and about a week-and-a-half ago he said, 'Every team is hurt right now. The next guy has to step That was a quality statement from a quality head coach, and we used that approach this week." Freshman Travis Lulay passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score Saturday as Montana State rallied from a 17-0 first-quarter deficit, despite missing several key players. (leading receiver) Junior Adams, without Aaron Hill, without Kahaim Hunter, without Kenneth Quails in the fourth quarter, without Brian Choi in the fourth quarter come on, now. That's a step for our program." Portland State, ranked 21st in NCAA Division I-AA, had a chance to tie the game with a 2-point conversion following Ryan Fuqua's 2-yard touchdown run with 1:37 left, but was penalized for delay of game on its first attempt.

Fuqua dropped a pass on the Vikings' next try. More CAPITAL, page 6B Carroll volleyball claims Frontier title BUTTE Mary Lester had 19 kills and 13 digs as the Carroll College volleyball team won the Frontier Confererence championship Saturday night. The Saints beat the University of Montana Western 30-26, 28-30, 30-27, 30-19. Natalie Conroy had 51 assists for the Saints. reception.

Blankenship wasn't done, though. He threw touchdowns of 8 and 55 yards to wide reciever Joe Pierce, and when the game was over he had set school records for single-season passing yards (3,243) and touchdows (30). Jovan Griffith ran for 199 yards for Eastern Washington, finishing the season with 1,130. It is the eighth season that EWU has had a rusher. Segars finished the game with 12 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown for Montana..