2019: A year of excellence for the Wolverines

The Wolverines started 2019 with a victory over the visiting Vale Vikings and picked up their second non-conference win in a week on the basketball court by the score of 51-38. The hoopsters (9-5 overall) were the better offensive team as they shot nearly 50 percent from the floor against Vale, including a season-high eight 3-pointers, and dominated the boards with 28 defensive rebounds.
 The Weiser High School wrestling team didn’t lose a step during the holiday break. The Wolverines traveled to Fruitland, where they beat Timberlake 51-22 in a dual meet on Jan. 3. The Wolverines also competed in the 45th annual Buhl Invitational on Jan. 4-5. The event attracted 27 teams from all over the region.
 The hours of practice shooting free throws paid off for the boys and girls who won their age group in the annual Elks Hoop Shoot in Weiser. The local competition was sponsored by Weiser’s Elks Lodge No. 1683 and held in the gym at Weiser Middle School. There were four girls and 20 boys signed up to compete in the various age groups. The ages of the participants ranged from eight to 13.
 Weiser High School senior and three-sport athlete Abbey Shirts committed to run track and cross country for the College of Idaho. She signed her letter of intent surrounded by her parents, Trish and Dave Shirts, school administrators and past and future coaches. Shirts was a top runner on the Weiser High School cross country team and among the five fastest 5,000-meter runners in the state in the 3A division.
 The Weiser Wolverine wrestling team traveled to Homedale for the opening SRV Conference dual. Weiser picked up a solid win 65-9 for the night and saw some wrestlers in some different weight classes during the evening.
 On Jan. 23, Weiser wrestling hosted Parma for a conference dual and senior night. Weiser had five seniors who were honored during the evening: Darrian Hoobery, Trae Gluch, Brody von Brethorst, Brian Harris and Paul Crawford.
 The Lady Wolverines finished the regular season in fourth place and found themselves matched up against the fifth-place team Payette Pirates in a play-in game on Jan. 31 to earn a spot in the SRV District tournament. With the post-season on the line, the Lady Wolverines played hard, winning the game 40-28 and earning a spot in the SRV District Tournament bracket.
 The Lady Wolverines moved on to face the first-place Parma Panthers. The girls kept up with the Lady Panthers early but faded and dropped the game 49-26. Weiser had one last chance to move if they could beat the Fruitland Grizzlies to make it to the runner-up game. Weiser dug down and grabbed a 38-30 win to stay alive in the district tournament. Next up was Homedale in the runner-up game with the winner going to state. Unfortunately the Lady Wolverines could not keep up with the Trojans and saw their post-season end with a 44-23 loss.
February
 Hall of fame rodeo cowboy Ken Stanton died in Weiser on Feb. 3 at the age of 77. The rough and tumble sport of riding bulls and bucking broncs is a young man’s game, and Stanton was one of the best during his glory days in the 1960s. During a decade of full-time rodeoing, he qualified for the National Rodeo Finals in two events six times and three additional years in bull riding for a total of nine consecutive years.
 The Wolverines defeated rival Fruitland on the mats to earn the title of Snake River Valley Conference champions. Weiser went on to also win the SRV District championship for the third year and qualified 23 wrestlers to compete at the 3A state tournament in Pocatello. Weiser recorded 40 pins during the meet and scored a whopping 390.5 team points, setting a district record.
 The Weiser High School cheerleaders showed judges that Weiser spirit and talent is among the best, earning first place in the 3A division at the Treasure Valley Cheer Invitational at Rocky Mountain High School on Feb. 9 and the District 3 Cheer Championship in the 3A division on Feb. 23 at Meridian High School.
 The Wolverines came close to earning a trip to the 3A state basketball championships. Weiser lost to Parma 56-35 in a do-or-die, runner-up game at the SRV District Tournament held at TVCC. The loss ended the post-season for the Wolverines just one win away from earning a spot at the 3A State Championship.
 Weiser’s record at the SRV District Tournament was 1-2. Weiser lost to Parma on Feb. 16 by the score 48-28, then came back to beat Homedale in a must-win game 58-44 on Feb. 19. That pitted Weiser against Parma again in the runner-up game with the winner going to state.
 The Weiser wrestlers finished in a solid fifth place in team scores at the 3A state wrestling championships at Holt Arena on the ISU campus in Pocatello. A total of 23 state qualifiers sported their crazy wrestling haircuts and boarded the bus for Holt Arena in Pocatello. The 3A is comprised of 19 teams from across the state.
March
 The first outing of the 2019 softball season for the Lady Wolverines was on the road to Emmett  to play the 4A Huskies on March 7. Weiser couldn’t get the bats going. The Huskies continued to add to their lead every inning and won the season opener 8-3 in 6½ innings. Weiser coach Brad Cordes returned for his second year at the helm.
 The Weiser High School baseball team traveled to Asotin, Wash., for the annual pre-season warmup tournament. Weiser has attended this tournament on five different occasions. This time it wasn’t necessarily the outcome the Wolverines had hoped for, going 0-3 in the tournament, but it was a lot of good baseball and a chance for the team to bond before the conference season started.
 The Weiser High School cheerleaders were judged best in state among 3A schools. The all-girl squad ended their short but exciting competition season at the state tournament at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. The squad earned top honors for academics and all-girl show routine and pom routine. With a second place finish in sideline routine, Weiser earned the top spot overall, making the Weiser Wolverine cheerleaders the state champions of 2019.
 The Weiser High School varsity tennis team opened the 2019 season with a 10-2 win at home against the visiting Vale Vikings. Despite limited outdoor practice on the courts due to recent inclement weather, Weiser’s No. 1 singles and doubles teams looked to be in fine form for the start of the season. The Wolverines swept the Vikings in boys singles and in boys and girls doubles.
 After 11 years as the head girls basketball coach at Weiser High School, and more than 20 years as a coach in the girls basketball program, Nick Reed stepped down from his position, the school said in a news release. Reed began his coaching career as an assistant at Weiser in 1996 under Tim Erhard. He had two separate stints leading sub-varsity programs before taking over the girls basketball program after Erhard’s retirement from coaching in advance of the 2008-2009 basketball season.
 Senior Rhett Kunz won the 400 meters and 800 meters at the Weiser Invitational track meet on March 19. The Weiser High School varsity boys and girls track teams put in strong performances on their home track. Both the girls and boys took second place out of a field of seven teams that made the trip to Weiser.
April
 First-place finishes in the 400 meters, 300-meter hurdles and relay events powered the Weiser High School girls to a second- place finish at the Probst/Walker Invitational track meet at Emmett High School. In team scores, the Weiser varsity girls took second place out of a field of six schools. The Weiser boys placed sixth out of six teams making the trip to Emmett.
 The Weiser High School varsity tennis team continued to impress with wins over Nyssa at home and league rival Payette on the road. The Wolverines traveled to Payette for their first SRV Conference match of the season and dominated the Pirates on their courts, finishing the day with an 11-1 win.
 The Weiser High School varsity baseball team continued to play solid ball in mid-April. The Wolverines traveled to Parma for a conference match-up and came away with a win over the Parma Panthers 15-7. Weiser held the No. 2 spot in the SRV Conference standings behind Homedale.
 The Weiser High School varsity tennis team beat Fruitland for the first time in six years by a score of  7-5 at home at Memorial Park. Weiser coach Angie Soulen was elated with her first win over the Grizzlies since she took over the Wolverines tennis program six years ago.
 The hot streak continued for the Weiser varsity girls golf team, which picked up another SRV Conference win at Timberstone Golf Course in Parma. The Lady Wolverines finished at the top of the leaderboard with a team score of 199 for the nine-hole tournament. Weiser’s Sara Lundberg medaled for the third event in a row this season with the best score of the afternoon.
 Weiser High School senior Darrian Hoobery committed to wrestling for TVCC by signing a letter of intent, and he’s excited to join an up-and-coming wrestling program that just got started in 2018. A senior captain on the wrestling team, he took third place at state at 220 pounds, one of the best finishes for the Wolverines. He was joined by his family, including mom Mandy, sister Natalya, brother Malachi, sister Kiearra and dad Scott.
May
 The Weiser High School varsity girls and boys golf teams qualified for the 3A state championships after placing first and second, respectively, at the SRV District tournament at Rolling Hills Golf Course. The Weiser boys earned a trip to state by a single stroke, a razor-thin margin of victory over Homedale. The Weiser varsity girls capped another winning season with a team score of 374 for 18 holes, easily clinching the SRV District tourney by 41 shots.
 Laraine (Skow) Harrison was named as the new head girls basketball coach at Weiser High School. Harrison was a former standout varsity basketball player at Weiser High School who went on to play college basketball on a scholarship at ISU and coached at Pocatello and Emmett.
 Weiser High School senior Sydney Cobb signed her letter of intent to attend TVCC and compete on the rodeo team. She was joined by her parents, Kelly and Matt, TVCC rodeo club coach Drew Pearson and WHS assistant principal Drew Dickerson, who is also her uncle.
 The Weiser Wolverines played three tough games during the SRV District tournament to punch their ticket for the 3A state baseball championships. The Wolverines faced the Fruitland Grizzlies first and lost 7-5. The Wolverines rebounded big time to pummel Parma 12-2, which matched Weiser up once again in the tournament against the Grizzlies. This time, Weiser had Fruitland’s number and won 8-4, earning a spot at the state championships. The Wolverines would face Kimberly in round one on May 16 in Idaho Falls.
 Weiser High School senior and all-around cowgirl Shelbie Allen committed to attending the College of Southern Idaho in the fall and competing on the school’s rodeo team. Allen chose CSI after doing research on the rodeo program and the team’s standings this year. She visited the Twin Falls campus in January and met with coach Steve Birnie.
 Weiser High School track team qualified nine athletes for the 3A State Championships at Middleton after strong finishes by the boys and girls at the 3A SRV District 3 meet in Payette. The Weiser athletes saved some of their best efforts of the season for the SRV District meet and posted a number of personal records.
 The Weiser High School varsity tennis team wrapped up a stellar year by qualifying 15 players for the 3A State Championships. The Wolverines placed in every event at the SRV District Tournament. Tennis coach Angie Soulen said the number of players going to state was the most Weiser had sent in years.
 The Weiser High School girls softball team finished the regular season with a 6-17 record, which placed them in fourth place in the SRV Conference. The Lady Wolverines and the fifth-place Parma Panthers were required to play a play-in game for a berth in the SRV District tournament, and the Wolverines showed grit and desire with a commanding 14-1 win over the Panthers.
 After advancing into the district tournament bracket, Weiser faced the No. 1 team Homedale. The Trojans’ bats were red hot and they ran up the score to get the 21-2 win. Weiser had another chance in the consolation game, but they couldn’t contain Payette and lost the game 13-3.
 It was a week of fun for the annual youth track camp. Never have there been so many young athletes participating in this camp, said organizer Joyce Taylor. Nearly 120 participants from the ages of 12 down to a year of age registered for the event. The meet was held on Saturday, May 4, with 117 competitors and scores of families to watch and cheer on everyone.
 The Weiser High School varsity girls golf team took second place at the 3A State Championships on May 13-14 at Canyon Springs Golf Course in Twin Falls to finish another winning year. The Weiser boys finished in sixth place at the two-day, 18-hole tournament.
 The Weiser High School track team did well in many events, including a repeat state title in the 800 meters, at the 3A state championship meet at Middleton High School. In the boys finals, Weiser’s Rhett Kunz successfully defended his title as the fastest 3A division runner in the state in the 800 meters.
 The Weiser High School varsity girls tennis team brought home a trophy for their second-place finish at the 3A state tennis championships. The varsity boys took sixth place out of a field of 14 teams that competed at state. Among the highlights, Grace Soulen took second place in girls singles and Andrea Bouvia captured third.
 A number of high school cowboys and cowgirls from Weiser, Midvale and Council qualified for the Idaho high school rodeo finals in June based on point totals at the end of the season. The last rodeo on the schedule this year was held in Cambridge on May 12. Points from 10 rodeos during the season were added up and the top six placers in each event earned a trip to the state finals at the Bannock County Event Center in Pocatello June 8-15.
 May was the month Weiser High School student-athletes committed to playing sports at the college level. Three seniors who played football for the Wolverines, including Trae Gluch, Nate Mink and Mikaid Wall, signed to play for the NCAA-affiliated Lewis-Clark Valley Loggers at Lewiston in the fall.
June
 Rolling Hills Golf Course hosted 68 kids the week of June 3-7 for the annual kids golf camp put on by Joe Malay and the Weiser Recreation Department. This year marked nearly 30 years of kids swinging clubs, yelling “fore,” and learning the game of golf. The age groups of the kids ranged from four to 18 years old.
 The Weiser Dolphins, a summer recreation league team, competed in their first meet of the season at Mountain Home. A dozen Dolphins competed against the Mountain Home swim team and the Hidden Springs swim club. The Dolphins hosted a meet at the Memorial Park pool on June 29.
July
 Amateur golfer Terry Fritts was playing a July 4 tournament at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Weiser when he hit a sweet drive on hole 8. He didn’t know how sweet it was. He thought he lost his ball at first in the rough. It was nowhere to be found on the green. That is, until he looked in the cup, and there it was with his initials on it.
 The Weiser Valley Round-Up marked 75 years of rodeo action. Although rodeo in Weiser dates back to the early 1900s, the Weiser Valley Round-Up and Fair Association began in 1944 and has been synonymous with summer entertainment in Weiser for 75 years. The three nights of rodeo at Fred Hust Arena brought top cowboys and cowgirls to Weiser to compete for nearly $13,700 in prize money.
 The Weiser High School’s girls volleyball summer team camp was held July 15-18. This was the second year the camp has been at Weiser High school put on by the Gold Medal Squared program, where three coaches visit Weiser to coach the girls while being hosted by some Weiser residents. There were two high school coaches and one college coach that came for the camp.
August
 The Weiser High School football team easily won its season opener over Buhl at home. In his quarterback debut, sophomore Brett Spencer passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more. The Wolverines put up impressive offensive numbers in their 41-14 non-conference win.
 “We had over 500 yards of offense, and that’s a big day,” Weiser coach Tom Harrison said.
 The Weiser High School boys varsity soccer team opened the season with a tough match on the Ontario Tigers’ field that ended in a 1-1 tie. Weiser’s Chris Cornejo scored the only goal for Wolverines and it came in the first half of play.  
 Weiser High School’s cross country team opened the 2019 season on Saturday against a crowded field of runners at the Jimmy Driscoll Invitational at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise. A total of 14 schools made the trip, including a mix of 3A, 4A and 5A varsity and JV teams. The weather was sunny and on the hot side for the 5,000-meter event.
 The Weiser girls varsity soccer team won their season opener against the visiting Ontario Tigers by the score of 5-2. Weiser’s Marissa Moyle puts on a soccer clinic with four goals against the Tigers. Andrea Bouvia kicked in the fifth goal for Weiser.
 The Weiser girls volleyball squad began their regular season play by hosting the visiting Baker City Bulldogs. According to varsity head coach Lindsay Grant, it was a hard-fought battle, but the girls managed to come away with the win in four sets, 27-25, 28-26, 15-25 and 25-21.
September
 The Weiser High School Wolverines held off a fourth-quarter rally by top-ranked Gooding to pick up a 45-42 win in a football game that was epic in its momentum swings and second-half scoring heroics.
 Cross country runners from schools around the Treasure Valley endured hot temperatures and a challenging course as the Wolverines hosted the Weiser Invitational. The 5K race was held at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Weiser, a hilly yet scenic course.
 The Weiser High School boys soccer team upped their conference record to 3-0 after they beat the McCall-Donnelly Vandals 4-1 for the first time this season on Sept. 10 at McCall. After a scoreless first half, Weiser scored four goals in the second half of play to secure the win.
 The winning streak continued in September for Weiser volleyball with two victories. The Lady Wolverine volleyball team traveled to the home of the Payette Pirates and came home with an impressive three-set sweep to start off their league play.
 The Weiser girls kept their winning string alive later in the week when they hosted the Homedale Trojans on Sept. 19 It took the Wolverines all five sets against the strong hitting of the Trojans, but worked hard to come away with the match win with set scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 18-25 and 16-14.
October
 The Wolverines shut out the once-powerful Fruitland Grizzlies football team at Roy Dickerson Memorial Field by the score of 35-0 to stay perfect on the season with a 6-0 record. The Grizzlies came into the game with a 1-4 record and desperate for an upset win, but the Wolverines had other plans. The Weiser defense didn’t allow the Grizzlies into the endzone once, while the offense scored touchdowns in every quarter.
 The Weiser girls soccer team were crowned SRV District champions for the second year in a row.  The road to the victory started with a 2-1 win over the Fruitland Grizzlies in the first game of the district tourney and ended two days later in a heated battle on the turf against McCall-Donnelly. At the end of regulation play in the championship game, the score was 0-0. In the second overtime period Madelyn Erickson kicked in a goal for Weiser for the win.
 The Weiser boys captured the SRV District soccer tournament with an 8-0 shutout over Payette in game one and a closer 3-2 victory over Fruitland in the championship game. After dominating all season, the Weiser Wolverines, who are coached by Kathy Bokides, were headed to the 3A state soccer championships to be played at Vallivue High School.
 In the most anticipated football game of the regular season, the undefeated Wolverines traveled to Homedale to meet the undefeated Trojans in an SRV Conference showdown on the gridiron. A large contingent of Weiser fans made the trip to Homedale for the final game of the regular season.
 Weiser got behind early to an aggressive Homedale team and could not get back into the contest. The Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season to the Trojans, who stretched their home field wins to 16 consecutive games. The final score of the grudge match on the gridiron was 34-14. At the end of the regular season, Weiser’s winning record stood at 7-1 overall and 3-1 in conference with the loss.
 The Lady Wolverines finished the regular season in fourth place and had to earn their way into the bracket play of the SRV District Volleyball Tournament. Weiser faced Payette for a play-in game against the fifth seed in the league. The match went an exhausting five sets with Weiser getting the win and moving on in the district tournament.
 Weiser’s next opponent was the No. 1 seed Fruitland. The Lady Wolverines fell behind early against the hard-hitting Lady Grizzlies, who pulled out the win in three sets.
 The loss placed Weiser in the loser’s bracket of the SRV District Tournament, forcing a face off against the Homedale Trojans. Once again, Weiser found the right stuff to win and beat the Trojans 3-1.
 Weiser advanced to the runner-up game and the winner would qualify for the 3A state championships. The Lady Wolverines found the energy to play another long match against Parma, winning it in five sets and earning a berth at the Idaho 3A volleyball championships in Coeur d’Alene.
 The Weiser High School girls cross country team qualified for the 3A state championships, while the boys barely missed the cut at the SRV District meet held on Oct. 22. Eight WHS girls and coach Scott Hale made the trip to Pocatello on Nov. 2. The team included Ellie Walker, Kiearra Hoobery, Libbie Rynearson, Emily Abramson, Stephanie Bodett, Ellie Eames, Ashlyn Walker and Taylor Wiles (alternate).
 The Weiser Wolverines ran over Marsh Valley’s defense in the 3A state play-in game, picking up 359 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in a convincing 28-13 win on the Eagles’ home field. With the win, Weiser moved on to the quarterfinals in the 3A state football championships. Their opponent would be Timberlake and Weiser would travel to Spirit Lake for the game.
 The Wolverines brought home the second-place trophy after coming up short against Sun Valley in the finals of the 3A state soccer championships. Weiser met up with Sun Valley in the championship game after beating the Bonners Ferry Badgers 2-1 and the Sugar-Salem Diggers of eastern Idaho 5-4. The 3A title game pitted the Wolverines against the Sun Valley Community Cutthroats, a high-caliber team that shut out Weiser 6-0. Weiser’s record for the season was a stellar 15 wins, 2 losses and four ties.
 After winning a thrilling SRV District tournament, the Weiser girls soccer team prepared for the 3A state soccer tournament in late October by working hard and focusing on their first opponent Grangeville. Weiser easily got past Grangeville 6-1. Round two of the state championships saw the Lady Wolverines take on Sugar-Salem. It was a close game that Weiser lost by one goal 2-1. In the consolation round, Weiser couldn’t get the ball in the net and fell to Marsh Valley 2-0. The Weiser girls finished with a winning record of 12 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties.  
November
 The 3A state football playoff quarter-final game between Weiser and Timberlake was a predictably high-scoring contest. Unfortunately, it ended with the Tigers getting the win over the Wolverines 42-33. The loss ended Weiser’s post-season and hopes for a trip to the 3A state football championships. It could have just as easily gone the other way. Weiser came prepared to play, putting up five touchdowns on the scoreboard and matching the Tigers score for score.
 The Lady Wolverines battled at the 3A state volleyball tournament, following an exciting SRV District volleyball tournament, where the Lady Wolverines worked their way through the loser’s bracket to earn a spot at the state championships at Coeur d’Alene.
 The Lady Wolverines began their state tournament play against the Filer Wildcats, who proved to be especially tough and beat Weiser in straight sets 3-0. The initial tournament loss to the Filer Wildcats sent the Lady Wolverines into the consolation bracket and an opportunity to advance into “Trophy Saturday” with a win or elimination with a loss. Their second pairing was against the Panthers from Snake River High School. After dropping the first two sets, Weiser came from behind to win the third set and then the fourth set. One more set and they would advance to day two of the state tourney. The Panthers went on a scoring run and narrow Weiser’s early lead in the fifth set. The surge had a big impact on the Wolverines, and they were unable to again shift the momentum in their favor and dropped the set 12-15 to the Panthers and the match 2-3.
 The Lady Wolverines began their 2019 basketball season on the road, traveling to the home of the Emmett Huskies. The Wolverines had not faced the 4A Huskies since the 2014-2015 season, when the Huskies were still in the 3A division. The game went to overtime and the Huskies hit a lot of free throws, getting the win over Weiser 63-54.
 The Weiser High School varsity boys basketball team traveled to Nampa to tangle with the Bulldogs in their nonconference season opener. Weiser kept the score close for much of the game, but the 4A Bulldogs had built a 10-point lead at the final buzzer and took the win 53-43.
December
 The Weiser High School boys basketball team picked up their first win of the season by out-hustling and out-shooting the Ontario Tigers down the stretch. The non-conference contest also was Weiser’s first home game at Tom Falash Gymnasium, and local fans were treated to a solid 72-58 win by the Wolverines.
 The Weiser wrestlers started the 2019 season with a second-place finish at the annual Buck’s Bags Invitational at Capital High School, a tournament that attracts schools from all over the valley.
 This is a dual competition that starts with four teams to a pod and then the No. 1 seed from each pod competes against each other. Weiser started off the evening in a pod with Boise High School, Mountain Home, New Plymouth, and Idaho Falls.
 It took them a few weeks to find their mojo, but the Lady Wolverines finally broke through into the win column, and they did it in grand fashion with a 21-point trouncing of the visiting Vale Vikings 64-43 on Dec. 10. The Lady Wolverines followed up with win over Vale by beating Ontario in a hard-fought game 44-41 on Dec. 16 on the road at the Tigers’ gym.
 The Lady Wolverines trekked across the valley to battle against the Homedale Lady Trojans in the first Snake River Valley (SRV) Conference game of the season on Dec. 17. Weiser came away with the win 56-34. The Lady Wolverines finished up 2019 with a 3-6 overall record and 1-0 in league play.
 Weiser placed first and five Wolverines won their weight classes in the finals at John Rysdam Memorial tourney at Elgin, Ore. A total of 37 Weiser wrestlers competed against seven other teams to take the first place trophy, scoring 185 points. Weiser had nine wrestlers in the championship matches, with five receiving first place finishes.
 The Weiser High School varsity boys basketball team finished with a 1-2 record at the recent three-day holiday tournament at Nampa Christian High School. The Wolverines trounced Compass Charter School in the opening game 54-15 on Dec. 19. In game two, Weiser lost 62-33 to Lighthouse Christian on Dec. 20.
 The Wolverines finished the tournament with a game against Meridian’s Ambrose Charter School on Dec. 21. It was a close contest that Ambrose won by six points.