The Belgrade Panthers will remember last Saturday for a very long time. A remarkable day of competition led to a pair of state titles, and also made the school class A montanasports.com all-sports champions.
We added up the performances from every MHSA sanctioned sport throughout the school year; giving 10 points to a state champion, seven points to a state runner-up, six points to third place, down to one point for an eighth place finish. The math left class A a three-school race entering the spring sports season.
Columbia Falls held the lead with 51.5 points, thanks to state titles in volleyball and girls basketball. Billings Central was a close second with 49, after winning girls soccer. And Belgrade, which had won boys soccer, totaled 44.
Class A tennis championships finished on Friday, and Billings Central had reason to celebrate. The Rams won the boys titles, and tied for first in girls with Glendive. That raised Billings Central’s total to 67.5 points, while Columbia Falls didn’t score in tennis and Belgrade only gained three points.
But Saturday everything went right for a different team in green. Belgrade won their first ever state softball championship, also took the title in girls track and field, plus finished third in boys track.
The 26 point haul shot the Panthers into first place. When Billings Central didn’t score any points on Saturday, and Columbia Falls could only manage five points from boys track and field and 3.5 more from softball, Belgrade officially topped our standings.
Behind the top three, the race for fourth place came down to one point. Polson hung on to edge out Dillon 50.5 to 49.5
2016-17 CLASS A MONTANASPORTS.COM ALL-SPORTS FINAL STANDINGS
1. Belgrade – 73
2. Billings Central – 67.5
3. Columbia Falls – 60
4. Polson – 50.5
5. Dillon – 49.5
6. Corvallis – 42.5
7. Laurel – 38
8. Hardin – 35.5
9. Hamilton – 33
10. Whitefish – 31.5
11. Havre – 25
12. Sidney – 24
13. Frenchtown – 22
14. Glendive – 19.5
15. Lewistown – 19
16. Butte Central – 15.5
17. Miles City – 4.5
18. Livingston – 4
19. Stevensville – 1
