"Class C" deserves a higher grade (Guest Blogger)

Sometimes on the blog, I'll have other people from the station come in and give commentary on an area they know much more about than I do.

This post comes from one of my good friends, and Q2 Weekend Photographer Carl "Slim" Kimmel (from here on out I'll always refer to him as Slim).

Slim went to Winnett for High School, a small Northern Class C school, where he played Varsity Basketball all four years. He still follows his team when he can, along with the rest of the C, which is his topic today:

Hey everybody! It's good to be here. Let me preface this entry by saying I am only talking about the C schools I have seen in person...so if I don't mention a team you feel is deserving of more attention, please feel free to comment and I will try to take it into consideration.

This is the time of year when Class C basketball in Montana starts to get some media attention. The schools are small and typically out of range of the larger media outlets, so they don’t get the coverage of the larger schools. And let’s face it, more people are interested in how the Billings schools (West, Senior, Skyview, and Central) stack up than how Class C schools (Custer, Broadview-Lavina, Park City, and Bridger…just to name a few) are playing.

The lack of media coverage dedicated to Class C basketball really is unfortunate. Some of the games rank among the most exciting sporting events in the state. Anyone who was at the District 6C Championship game between Plenty Coups and Bridger can attest to that. The game was played at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings, the gymnasium was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans for both teams were as excited as the players and seemed to be just as emotionally drained at the end. Plenty Coups played an excellent third quarter and rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit to tie. Ultimately, though, Bridger maintained their composure better than the Warriors and pulled the upset. Nothing portrays complete jubilation like the look on players’ faces after they pull an upset like that, and nothing compares to the defeated morale of the team who just suffered their unexpected loss.

Entering the game, Plenty Coups was ranked as Class C’s number one team in the state. That championship game was their first loss of the year (they had beat Bridger twice during the regular season), leaving the door open for unbeaten Winifred to assume the top spot.

Winifred (a member of District 7C in the Northern Division) is consistently one of the top two or three teams in their district thanks to good coaching, starting in elementary school. I had the privilege to watch Winifred play a road game at Winnett-Grass Range (a recent co-op, also in the 7C). Entering the game both teams were receiving votes in the Montana power polls—Winifred being ranked second and Winnett/Grass Range tenth.

The game was hyped by the locals, and attended by most of them—the bleachers were full, leaving standing room only. In fact, I had to sit on the floor in the isle of the bleachers. The game didn’t play out quite as expected. Winifred won much more easily than was expected. That’s partially what makes Class C basketball so entertaining. You never know what to expect, except that both teams will play their guts out and get the undying support of their fans. A struggling Class C team gets the same hometown support as a winning team.

Winifred and Winnett-Grass Range begin their District Tournament play this week, with Winifred being as close of a thing to a lock to win the tournament as you can get.

Then again, so was Plenty Coups.