SPOKANE, Wash. — Tim Hauck and Cass Bauer-Bilodeau went from small-town Montana to sports’ biggest stages.

On Saturday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the two Treasure State natives crossed another stage, walking into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame.

“I’m just honored to be here. I just feel really blessed growing up in a little tiny town and having the opportunity to go to Montana State, play Division I (basketball),” said Bauer-Bilodeau, who grew up in Hysham and then had a stellar career at Montana State from 1990 to 1994. “And I’m not going to lie to you, there were times when I was there where I was like, am I going to cut it?

“But basketball has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to get an education and go on and play all around the U.S. and then also overseas a little bit, too. So, it’s pretty amazing.”

Hear both Montanans visit about their Big Sky Conference HOF inductions:

Montana roots helped Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, Tim Hauck to Big Sky Hall of Fame

Bauer-Bilodeau and Hauck, who is from Big Timber and has had a long career playing and coaching football, were inducted in the Big Sky Conference’s fourth hall of fame class Saturday alongside eight of their Big Sky peers.

The other honorees were Charles “Chip” Dunn (Portland State football), David McNeill (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Ida Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Doug Nussmeier (Idaho football), Dan O’Brien (Idaho track and field), Naseby Rhinehart (Montana athletic trainer) and Arnie Sgalio (Big Sky Conference administrator).

“It’s a very special deal,” Hauck said. “I know the people that come through this conference — as a matter of fact, a lot of them were my teammates in the NFL — and so it makes you special to be in this group and be included in this group.”

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Hauck starred as a player at Montana from 1987-89, was a two-time All-American and is one of the originators of the Grizzlies’ No. 37 jersey tradition. He then went on to a 13-year career in the NFL, appearing in 183 games for seven different franchises and totaling 284 career tackles with four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 13 pass deflections and one interception.

But he’s arguably most known for his uncanny knack for blocking kicks, and he still holds the Big Sky record for blocked extra points in a single season with four in 1988.

“At Montana, I think we were down 2-0 my junior or senior year against Montana State and (I) blocked a punt, and it got returned for a touchdown,” Hauck said of one of his favorite memories as a player. “That was a turning point of the game. And obviously, growing up in a small town in central Montana, no love lost there, so anytime I could make a play against them, it was special for me.”

Hauck never lost to the Bobcats as a player, and the Grizzlies twice made the playoffs during his playing career. He now coaches alongside his brother, Bobby, at Montana after playing for his dad in high school.

“Growing up in a family where your father’s the head coach and probably the best coach you’ve been around, and having a brother like my brother, to say you’re around the two best coaches you’ve ever been around right in your household, you’re always striving to be better,” Hauck said.

“And it was really hard for people at the next level to get past the eye test, and so I had to make a couple turns here and there to get where I had to go. But my background and where I came from and the work ethic and everything that was instilled in me from Day 1 as a little kid paid off in the long run.”

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Bauer-Bilodeau faced similar challenges — and similarly overcame them — during her career. Though she was a high school standout, the adjustment from Class C Hysham to Division I Montana State didn’t come without its lumps, thanks, particularly, to her older sister.

“Of course it’s intimidating. I mean, you’re coming in against the upperclassmen, and they’ve been there, they know what to do, they’re a lot stronger,” Bauer-Bilodeau said. “I mean, my sister put me on my butt. When I went to Montana State, she was a redshirt senior. She’s four years older than me, and every day she put me on my butt.

“She was going to show me who’s boss, and I was either going to get up or I was gonna stay down. And of course I was gonna fight through it, so it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Bauer-Bilodeau was instrumental in sending the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament in 1993, when they beat Montana twice in eight days to win the Big Sky for the first time. She was the Big Sky player of the year in 1993 and was a two-time honorable mention All-American.

After wrapping up her MSU career, Bauer-Bilodeau won an American Basketball League championship and played in the WNBA.

“I was really the only girl that was coming from a smaller Division I school (to the WNBA),” Bauer-Bilodeau said. “Everyone else was coming from really big schools, and some of them would say, ‘Where’s Montana?’ They weren’t even sure where it was.

“But I think all the things that you go through and time kind of prepare you for that next step, and it’s pretty amazing kind of being the pioneer of the WNBA. And we wanted to have a little girls dream about something, too, so that was cool to be kind of one of the pioneers early on. Now look at it now.”

FAIRMONT — Amidst all of the current changes in the sports landscape at both the high school and collegiate level, athletic departments in Marion County and across the state of West Virginia are attempting to adapt to the new reality.

As of July 1, both middle school and high school athletic programs in Marion County have now officially converted to SportsYou, an application that allows athletic directors, coaches, parents and players to communicate freely in-app and share content that pertains to their respective sport seasons.

The app, founded by CEO Brad Matthews in 2016, is one that not only makes sharing content such as schedules, team documents, and medical forms more user-friendly and accessible for users, it also gives athletic departments a more secure way to privately and appropriately communicate with the necessary parties.

According to East Fairmont Athletic Director and girls head basketball coach James Beckman, the switch to SportsYou ultimately sprang from a meeting where a vendor from the app was present and attempted to persuade Marion County Athletic Departments to consider the product.

Beckman says that Marion County School Superintendent Donna Heston was searching for a platform that would guarantee “protection and security” for coaches, parents and athletes.

Despite being in the experimental phase, Beckman says that so far, he’s received nothing but positive feedback from all parties regarding the application.

“The app stores messages for nine years, it has calendars for our coaches, parents, and administration to use, and there’s a feed where we can send messages back and forth which is nice,” Beckman said. “I ran this idea to our Assistant Superintendent, Mr. [Chad] Norman, and gave him all the information, and he and Dr. Heston got on board.”

“So far, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback and no complaints with the way things are working.”

Beckman said that as a coach, the app is one that he finds extremely useful for situations where he needs to remain in contact with both players and parents, but also finds it helpful when considering the current sports landscape and navigating the pros and cons of social media use.

“Any posts our players and parents make, they have to be approved first by the administration,” Beckman said. “We get to see messages coming through first, and we have the option to approve or decline them. We can control pictures, polls, and host as many groups as we want as far as communication.”

“Our girls basketball program has been using this since May, but things went into effect and were made mandatory for Marion County Athletics July 1st. I wanted to have a heads up on it, so I introduced it to my players before introducing it to other coaches at the end of May.”

While SportsYou was ultimately the chosen platform based on multiple factors including accessibility, privacy and features within the app, Beckman said there are other applications being considered by athletic departments across the state. He does believe, however, that the use of these apps is gaining more traction in order to adjust to new realities, especially in high school sports.

“We were in limbo as far as choosing between SportsYou and ThrillShare, but after doing research we found SportsYou to be more user-friendly,” Beckman said. “For SportsYou, with where we’re going as far as athletics in the public school system, it seemed like the right fit.”

“From talking to other athletic directors across the state and especially after talking to the SportsYou representative, it does seem as if the app is gaining a lot of steam.”

Fairmont Senior High Athletic Director Jeremy Laird called the app a “major step forward” within high school athletics, ultimately echoing Beckman’s sentiments that the decision to use the platform has brought nothing but positive feedback overall in its early stages.

“The transition to the SportsYou app has been a major step forward for our athletic and band programs,” Laird said. “Coaches, the band director, parents, student-athletes, and student musicians are all getting acclimated quickly, and it’s already proving to be an invaluable tool.”

“It really serves as a one-stop shop for schedules, updates and communication, making it easier for everyone to stay informed and connected. It streamlined how we operate and strengthened the way we support our teams and performers.”

According to Beckman, SportsYou is also now the hub for student-athletes to store individual paperwork such as physical exams and medical records that are required to compete in their respective athletic activities.

If things continue trending in a positive direction, it appears that everything athletics-related, at least in Marion County, will be able to be managed by one application.

SportsYou can be downloaded on any electronic device, and prohibits the sale of any data that exists within the app.

I am reposting this one, as many new coaches are coming into the sport. I have 5 years of American Athletics Magazines (1989-1994) and 22 years of American Track & Field (1994-2017). I have them stored in an old church. I will begin offering them in groups of five, ten and then, five year packages. If interested, email me at runblogrun@gmail.com. Add subject line, ATF. I will throw in some copies of Coaching Athletics as well. 

I have been wanting to write this column for years now. I have been lucky to work with some of the finest coaches in our sport and developed friendships with some of the world’s best coaches. This will be an ongoing column.

Coaches change lives. My coaches at DeSmet, Bellarmine, and Santa Clara, changed my life for the better. Ralph Passarelli, S.J., Jim Marheinecke, Rich Grawer, Jesse Ochoa, Fr. Ray Devlin, Steve Pensinger, Steve Polley, and Dan Duranta all helped me see the possibilities in our sport.

I was fortunate to work with some amazing coaches, Terry Wary at Bellarmine Prep, Dan Durante at Santa Clara University, Hank Ketels Peanut Harms, and Joe Mangan at Foothill College. While I was coaching at Santa Clara, Bill Dellinger and John Chaplin always answered my naive questions very thoughtfully, as did Brooks Johnson. I am forever in their debt and believe that those relationships have shaped my responses to the sport for the past fifty years.

1. Go to Coaching Education clinics at least once a year. Coaches that I have met, new and old, young and not so young, told me that going to a Coaches Clinic each and every year. I used to go to one in August each year in California and one in Wisconsin in January each year. It is not just listening to great coaches but interacting with coaches that help you learn.
2. Subscribe to Coaching Journals. Track Technique, some of the old ones, Athletics Weekly Coach, old copies of American Track & Field, and American Athletics all have great pieces that can be referred to when you need them.
3. Follow YouTube Videos on Coaching. Check out the interview with great coaches and our #SocialingtheDistance on Sean Brosnan, Danny Mackey, Julie Culley, and Lance Brauman, among others.
4. Get a Coaching Mentor. Find a coach you trust, check with him or her a couple of times a year, and ask questions. Learn about how to manage tough athletes, get through to challenging athletes, and deal with parents who are over-enthusiastic. All those things help make you a better coach.
5. Learn something new every day. Stay open to new things. Listen to your athletes. Ask your athletes questions. Try and check out new things. Some of the most experienced coaches have told me that they try to stay open to new things each and every day.

A large thunderstorm that moved along the foothills Monday evening over Lindsay, then Strathmore and finally Porterville gave the Orange Belt the most rainfall out of Monday’s storm.

Amounts vary with some areas west of town easily receiving more than a quarter of an inch from the downpour that began about 5:30 moving south until it struck Porterville about 6:10 p.m.

Fields west of Road 224 in some areas were flooded as the torrential rainfall lasted for more than 15 minutes. However, other areas received less than a tenth of an inch.

Brent Gill who lives above River Island, reported he measured 0.38 of an inch of rain, 0.24 of that after dark.

Greg Chadwell, a local weather observer, measured just .04 for the entire day at his site on North Grand Avenue. The National Weather Service in Hanford said just 0.07 of an inch was measured at the Porterville Airport.

The massive thunderstorm also brought lightning and thunder and the threat of lightning postponed the water polo match at Monache High School. Numerous power pole problems were reported throughout the county from the first real winter storm of the season.

At Ponderosa Lodge above Porterville, about 10 inches of snow fell with about 6 inches still on the ground Tuesday.

Weather Service meteorologist Dan Harty said we have definitely gone from summer and fall to fall and winter.

“This is that time of year we transition into a wet pattern,” he said, adding the next chance of rain is at least a week away. This weekend is expected to be sunny with a high of about 70 in Porterville.

The rain delayed harvesting in some areas, but mostly just washed the dust out of the area. The rain and colder temperatures were definitely welcomed by citrus growers who are just beginning the navel orange harvest. The rain adds size and the cooler weather adds color to the fruit.

The rain is also beneficial to olives, but does hurt alfalfa and cotton growers, although much of the cotton has been picked and rainfall in most areas was too little to do any damage to the cotton. Harty said most areas got less than a tenth of an inch of rain, most less than five-hundredths of an inch.

Rainfall was heavier in the foothills and mountains, although it did not change the meager inflow into Success Lake that still has less than 5,000 acre feet of water in storage.

However, the storm did allow the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument to end to fire restrictions.

Campfires and charcoal barbecues are now allowed anywhere unless posted. Also allowed are stoves and lanterns with shut-off valves that use gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel.  In all cases, the visitor must possess a valid California Campfire Permit.  

Rainfall for the weather year — July 1 through June 30 — now stands at just .08 in Porterville, said Chadwell. Average rainfall in Porterville by the end of October is 1.03 inches.

“Last significant rain was in March,” said Chadwell. “We’re due now.”

CUMBY — The Cumby Lady Trojans have released their volleyball schedule for the 2025 season. This will be their second season under Head Coach Savannah Kurn and the Lady Trojans will be looking for their second consecutive playoff appearance.Last season, the Lady Trojans went just 11-23 in the regular season, but posted a respectable 9-3 district record, placing second in District 11-2A…

Women’s Water Polo World Championships: Greece Tips Australia, U.S. Eases into Semis

Greece pulled out a close game against Australia, and the U.S. routed Japan in the quarterfinals of the women’s water polo World Championships in Singapore on Saturday.

The four semifinalists are the same as at the 2024 women’s water polo World Championships in Doha, with Hungary and Spain also advancing in tight games over European opposition. Spain, the reigning Olympic champion, and the reigning World Champion Americans are on opposite sides of the draw.

The U.S. had no trouble with Japan in 26-8 decision. The Americans scored 11 times in the first quarter on 12 shots. The Americans shot 76 percent (26-for-34) for the game.

Ryann Neushul scored twice in the first quarter. She shot 3-for-3 for the game and added three assists. Emily Ausmus shot 4-for-4. Anna Pearson led the attack with five goals, and Jenna Flynn added four. Amanda Longan (eight saves) and Isabel Williams (six saves) kept Japan’s attack at bay.

The U.S. is chasing its ninth world title.

“There’s always a little pressure just representing Team USA, but this is a different group than before and we’re really excited,” Pearson said. “We want to create our own story but obviously, it’s amazing following the past world championships. In the semifinals, we just have to stick to our game plan, execute what we talked about before and make it happen in the pool.”

The day started with a dramatic 8-7 win over Greece over Australia. Danijela Jackovich tied the game for Australia with 47 seconds left in regulation. But Maria Myriokefalitaki scored on a fast break with two seconds remaining to send the Greeks through.

Myriokefalitaki dedicated the goal to her late aunt.

“I was so emotional,” she said. “This goal, I think somebody from heaven helped to make it go in. This is where I want to dedicate this goal. Before the world championships, I lost a very special person for me. That’s why I got so emotional after that goal.

“It was my aunt, and I was really sad. But this is how life works. We have to keep pushing and continue. I dedicate this goal to her. It was a little bit of help from heaven.”

Eleftheria Plevritou set up the goal and added two of her own. Stefania Stampa also scored twice. Ioanna Stamatopoulou stopped six shots. Greece came up with seven blocks and seven steals.

Charlize Andrews and Abby Andrews scored twice each for Australia. Gabriella Palm made 12 saves.

Hungary steadily pulled away from Italy for a 12-9 win. Rita Keszthelyi scored two of her four goals in the third quarter. She added two assists.

“We were just in the flow today,” Keszthelyi said. “We were not thinking about the result or what’s happening in the water. We were just doing our thing and concentrating on our defense. If it was a goal, then OK. If not, no problem, we just keep going. In crucial moments, we could find players that could help us go over the line when we were stuck, so I’m very proud of each one of us. We have a lot of young players who are in their first world championships and this is their first world quarterfinal. We learnt a lot from this and I hope we can still improve and show that we earned our spot in the top four.”

Dora Leimeter and Krisztina Garda contributed two goals and two assists each. Boglarka Neszmely came up with nine saves.

Chiara Ranalli scored four goals, and Sofia Giustini added three for Italy. Aurora Condorelli stopped 10 shots. Hungary limited Roberta Bianconi, Dafne Bettini and Agnese Cocchiere to a combined 2-for-16 shooting.

Spain outlasted the Dutch, 15-13, in a shootout. It’s a repeat of the Olympics, where Spain beat the Dutch, 19-18, in a shootout in the semifinals on the way to gold.

Two unanswered goals by the Netherlands’ Lieke Rogge, the last with 45 seconds left, helped the Dutch rally to reach the shootout. Rogge then made her first attempt in the shootout, but Bente Rogge’s attempt in the second round missed to give Spain the early advantage. Martina Terre consolidated the lead by denying Maartje Keuning in the fourth round. That allowed Ariadna Ruiz to win it in the next round.

Ruiz scored three goals, as did Paula Crespi. Bea Ortiz led the attack with four goals, albeit on 4-for-10 shooting. Terre stopped seven shots in goal.

Lieke Rogge kept the Dutch alive with seven goals on 11 shots. Kitty-Lynn Joustra shot 3-for-3 on the field. Spain’s defense limited Simone van de Kraats and Sabrina van der Sloot to a combined 1-for-9 shooting.

In Monday’s semifinals, Greece will take on the U.S. in the first semifinal. Hungary and Spain square off in the second semi. Quarterfinal losers head into the 5-8 placement.