MISSOULA- The Hellgate Knights kicked off the 2023-24 school sports campaign with a bang. Three out of the five teams saw athletes compete at the AA State level, as well as a program earning its first ever berth in a title game. Multiple seniors have signed to play at the collegiate level, and more underclassmen are emerging as a new light for Hellgate athletics moving forward. Here is a deeper look into each program and the success they have found throughout this fall.
Golf: Senior Anna Stensrud placed inside the top-5 at each AA tournament that Hellgate competed in, including three wins, the AA Western Divisional medal, and her second straight All-State finish. Stensrud has since signed her letter of intent to play golf collegiately for the University of Montana. The girls team won the MCPS invitational, and placed inside the top-4 at the Western AA Divisional tournament as all four athletes would make state. The boys team took two competitors to the state tournament through individual placement in Divisionals.
Volleyball: The volleyball team found success early through their heavily junior-filled class. They picked up a win at the Bozeman round robin tournament before returning home and defeating Missoula Big Sky in an early season crosstown matchup. Three seniors graduate from this class, before their heavy seasoned 2025 class begins their senior campaign next fall. Junior setter Moana Massey led the team in sets, and junior libero Morgan Meissner led the team in digs.
XC: The girls successfully defended their state title as they went back-to-back in their 2023 run to the top of AA schools. Five runners earned All-State honors, and all seven runners placed in the top fifty percent of athletes at the State meet. Senior Stella Diaz ran an 18:52.48 to place sixth overall and lead the Hellgate girls in Kalispell. The boys placed fifth at state, with three runners placing in the top-15 to earn All-State honors. Wilson Derry led the boys and placed 12th in Kalispell with a time of 15:59.07.
Women’s Soccer: The lady Knights earned their first berth in school history for the AA State title game in Bozeman. They scored 64 goals through 17 games in 2023, much thanks to the help of Central Washington bound Carmen Anderson. She broke the record for career assists this year in Class AA with 47, alongside 21 regular season goals. The Knights finished their season with a 14-2-1 record as they picked up their second straight Western AA berth, and their third straight city championship.
Men’s Soccer: The boys team scored 76 goals throughout the regular season, while only allowing opponents 11 through 16 games. They finished the regular season with a 10-3-1 record, as they took the third seed out of the West into the post-season tournament. The boys would go on to defeat Big Sky 5-1 in the first round of the playoffs, before going on the road to stun Billing Senior in a 5-3 PK win, as 100 minutes of play would go by without a goal for either team. Their try for five state titles in a row ended in the semifinals as Billings West would take a 1-0 thriller on the Fort Missoula turf. They look to keep their stunning program’s success alive next fall with a heavy class of seniors.
Football: The football team battled through adversity all year, as young talent highlighted their team. With a large group of seniors graduating out of last year’s lineup, Hellgate had a year of learning in their 2023 season. Junior Rylan Davis took the snaps for Hellgate in his first year as QB 1. Sophomores Parker Link, Vince Paffhausen,and Cooper Hogan led the Knights offensively. Juniors Jacob Finch and Corbin Weltzien, alongside Davis, look to lead the Knights as Seniors next fall. Hellgate looks to build off of this year as fall camp comes around at the end of the summer to get this team ready for a strong 2024 fall campaign.
