For one CMR senior, the motivation to play a sport came from the rejection of another.
Varsity basketball player Isaiah Collins developed a talent all because he couldn’t play baseball.

“I sucked at baseball and thought it would be fun to play basketball,” he said.  

Collins has been playing basketball since the second grade with his supportive parents continually there for him.

“They cheer me on and help me in every aspect of my life,” Collins said.

Even though Collins has parents behind him when it comes to basketball, they also are behind him when it comes to schoolwork.

“Schoolwork comes before anything else,” Collins said.

Living a lifestyle that is structured and orderly gives Collins a motivation to stay on the right track.

“My dad is my inspiration because he is a good role model and he shows me a good way to handle things,” he said.

Managing the stress between home life and school life, Collins said he finds it simple to manage both lives and still have time to relax.

“I work very hard at everything I do. I think our team has very good potential to compete with any team in the state,” Collins said.

Keeping in shape and having a healthy lifestyle are factors that allow him to play.

“Staying in shape [is important] because you won’t be able to play at your full potential,” he said.

Collins values the opportunity he has to be a positive role model for the school.

 “I represent the school in a big way.”

After one half, only a single point was scored by senior Ali Zimmerman; after that came the barrage. Seven more goals went on to be scored as the Rustlers heightened the Homecoming festivities with an 8-0 win over the Bison. Senior Alyssa Malisani had an assist and a score of her own at the end of the shutout.

“It’s just another game,” Malisani said. She added that in the eyes of her coach and the team, a game against their city rivals is no different from any other matchup.

The winning continued on Thursday when the girls completed a regular season sweep of the Butte High Bulldogs in a 7-1 rout.

When asked about her team’s confidence riding back-to-back wins, Malisani admitted it was “definitely going up.”

“I definitely think our defense is solid,” she said.

The girls will take on Bozeman and Billings Senior this weekend Oct. 7 and 8, and still have some things to improve on as their record sits at 4-2-2.

“Our middle field has some holes, and we need to finish games earlier,” Malisani said. “But we are feeling good, and that’s a pretty big deal.”

The boys team also had reasons to celebrate after a 1-1 tie with Great Falls High, and a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs, which completed a season sweep of Butte by CMR. The boys now have a 2-4-2 record, and are hoping to continue to improve.

The Rustler men will play host to Bozeman and Billings Senior the same day as the girls this weekend.

During the rainy, cold weather, the track and field team worked out in the fieldhouse.

For C.M. Russell’s track and field squad, one opponent has ruthlessly dominated the team no matter the date: Mother Nature.

What will soon be a mere memory, this winter season has fought the entire JV and Varsity group with no mercy the past month and a half. With gusting winds derailing javelins from their courses, hail raining down on distance runners, and icy roads quickly halting competitions outside of Great Falls, the recent weather has pushed and tried all the athletes and coaches.

“It’s a challenge to get quality practices in when the weather doesn’t cooperate,” said Danielle Ross, a sophomore javelin thrower who’s especially felt the effects of Montana’s climate. “It can be hard to compete to my full potential when the wind is so bad.”

Yet CMR has prevailed, disobeying the forecasts and making it out to Memorial Stadium to compete and practice whenever possible.

And as spring starts to creep into town, a silver lining becomes apparent as it thaws from its frozen state. The coaches are still pushing, and the athletes are still performing as personal records are shattered and the team prepares for the anticipated meet against Great Falls High on May 12, divisionals, and state.

“I really got into powerlifting when I didn’t bring home anything my first year. It really put a chip on my shoulder, and gave me more motivation in my training,” Lehotsky said.

Since he started lifting in fifth grade “when my dad gave me some 5-lb. dumbbells to play with,” Lehotsky has made great strides.

He started lifting competitively three years ago, and he won the award for best overall lifter at the 2011 State Powerlifting meet, which took place at the Community Recreation Center on March 5.

Powerlifting coach Travis Crawford says the best part of coaching is, “seeing the kids be successful.”

The team has definitely been successful in recent years, winning back-to-back state championships.

Competition is not the only reason students powerlift.

For senior Liz Ramsey, lifting is more of a family affair.

Her biggest accomplishment was beating her sister Remick’s deadlift record at the high school powerlifting meet this year.

Ramsey added, “my dad has been a trainer since I was little, so I grew up with it.”

Crawford said, “early exposure makes [lifters] successful,” and “getting kids involved when they’re younger” is better so that they can improve.

The competitiveness and structure of powerlifting is what sets it apart, according to Crawford.

Overall though, Lehotsky feels that he can accomplish things through lifting that he couldn’t otherwise.

“The thing that got me hooked on lifting is the results. My favorite feeling in the world is when you accomplish something that has been eluding you for a long time. Lifting gives me another place to goal set, and gives me a place in which I can feel accomplishment.”

Junior Jenni Peer high-fives her teammates prior to the April 28 cross-town game.

The CMR softball team has gone through a lot this season: a perfect game by pitcher Alissa Keeler, bipolar weather, and a near-perfect season putting them in the top of their conference.

Topping it all off, they have a new head coach.

“She stepped up to the plate really well, pun intended,” junior outfielder Jenni Peer said. Coach Lindsey Graham, herself a four-time Rustler champion in softball, was assistant coach to and took over for Roger Spring.

“Coach Spring was a huge mentor [to me],” Graham said. Graham grew up “playing baseball with the boys” and doing Little League. Her dad was a coach and her brother is a baseball player.

 As coach, she has been leading the girls to victory all season with a record of 10-2 as of press time.

“She challenges us every day to make us better softball players,” senior short stop Alex Lowry said. Graham has worked to improve all of the players’ skills by filming them and reviewing the tapes to see what can be changed.

“[We do film study] then they coach each other. They can call each other out when they do something. It’s like peer-editing,” Graham said.

In addition, this year’s seniors have worked especially hard to lead the team to success.

“[The] seniors have been taking leadership roles. I’m proud of them,” Graham said.

Junior catcher Haley Rowe agrees.

“The seniors really stepped up this year with defense and offense,” she said. Rowe is confident in her own abilities, as well.

“I’m a good teammate; I like to help our team and JV. I’ve improved my infield skills,” she said. She’s not the only one improving.

“In years past I was always used as defense and running. This year I’m making a name for myself. I’m not a power hitter, but I can get on base,” Peer said. The confidence instilled in the players is most likely a product of Coach Graham.

“Coach Graham is doing great. We all love her as our coach,” Lowry said. The feeling is mutual.

“It’s been a pleasure coaching these girls so far. They’re like my own kids,” Graham said.

Overtime: one of the most exciting situations in all of sports. On March 11 the CMR boys basketball team tied Billings West 44-44 at the end of regulation in their second round game after defeating Glacier High 51-46. The final score was 55-49, with Billings West coming out on top. The Rustlers then faced Missoula Sentinel in the loser-out round, where they lost 47-43. It was a strong showing at state that capped off a successful season for the defending state champions, who finished the season with a 15-9 record.

“It was pretty darn successful… we did some really, really good things when people outside of our locker room doubted us,” Assistant Coach Brian Crosby said.

“When we step back and look at this, the fact that we played Friday night at the state tournament… and that we had a chance to play for the state championship…it’s a tremendous benefit to our kids and our coaching staff,” Crosby said. “I think that where we got better is where we turned into a defensive team, and we could just flat lock people down,” he said.

Both Crosby and senior forward Gavin Hagfors identified the loss of senior point guard Jake Bleskin as a huge loss for the team.

“I think Jake Bleskin getting hurt really hurt our team as far as ball handling, and Tyler [Stanich] did a great job of stepping in, but it really would have helped to have a natural point guard,” Hagfors said. 

Even though the Rustlers hit a rough patch and lost several consecutive games on the road, Crosby credits his team for persevering.

“Our kids stayed positive, the kids bought into what the coaching staff was trying to tell them,” Crosby said.

“I think we took it [the streak] pretty constructively; we knew we had to work harder in practice and just become better… start in practice and it will transfer over to games,” Hagfors said, adding that he and his teammates were excited to go to the state tournament.  

“I think we were all really optimistic; we were playing well at that time, and I think we all felt we had a good shot at taking state,” Hagfors said.

Kurtis Parsons of the Rustlers received All-State honors for his average of 12.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

“Looking back I know all of our kids tried our hardest, and that all you can really ask for,” Hagfors said. “You give it your best, and I feel like everyone on our team did this year, and hopefully that continues in years to come.”

Girls share highlights of rollercoaster season

The last second three-point shot by Hannah Vining in the March 4 playoff game against Great Falls High to send the CMR girls basketball team to the state tournament marked the beginning of a “rollercoaster” state tournament, according to Assistant Coach Steve Yates.

 The girls started the tournament with a 55-38 loss in the first round to Missoula Sentinel, but then bounced back to beat Helena High 50-32 and Butte High 61-48 in the loser-out round. They advanced to the consolation championship, where they lost to Bozeman 54-33, but still secured fourth place in the state tournament.

“Sometimes we let frustration get the better of us,” Yates said, adding that the team almost always “bounced back.”

Yates emphasized how proud he was of the team for what it accomplished this season — especially the seniors.

“It’s anticlimactic when you don’t win it all, and [the seniors] have set a good example,” Yates said. “They have really worked hard and put in the time, and unfortunately even when you do that sometimes it doesn’t work out.”

Yates said that the girls’ lack of consistency was their biggest shortcoming throughout the season, but noted how the players were “very coachable,” and when there was a problem in their play, they “always did their best to fix it.”

Team manager Lindsey Mosley said that turnovers were the Achilles heel of the team this year. Although Mosley wasn’t able to be in the game with the player, she said she would like to have advised them to “stay calm and take good shots.”

Senior point guard Haley Vining expressed her frustration of not being able to contribute to the team due to injury. She also commended her teammates for staying positive throughout the season.               

“We came to practice each day wanting to improve,” Vining said. 

On top of a fourth place season, sophomore Diondra Denton of the Lady Rustlers was recognized for her contributions to the team by being named an AA All-State player. She was the top scorer for the team with an average of 11.4 points per game, helping to lead the Lady Rustlers to a 17-8 season.

All in all, both Vining and Yates had a definite sense of accomplishment and pride in the season when it drew to a close.

Rayl, a sophomore, took fifth in state in the two mile last year, and is currently working hard to maintain his winning streak.

Rayl, who also runs the one-mile, said he has been “preparing to work hard to get to state.”

During a long Montana winter, however, this isn’t easy. Rayl has been preparing by running on the stairs and by running in the cold, but he won’t run if it is too snowy out.

“If it’s really cold out, I just work on endurance,” Rayl said. “It seems harder to breathe.”

But track coach Doug Darko thinks that this will end up paying off for Rayl in the end, and he has even made a bet with Rayl to inspire him to a win.

“If he wins the state meet, Coach Darko will shave his head,” Darko said.  “It would be well worth it.”

Darko recognizes the work Rayl has put in over the winter.

“He’s trained pretty hard all winter long,” Darko said. “He’s quite a ways ahead of where he was last year.”

Along with looking for a time improvement, Darko hopes Rayl makes all-state, or places in the top six.

Rayl is simply proud of how far he has come.

“It makes me feel like I worked really hard to get to where I am.”

Aaron Duffy, 17, has decided  to join the Army National Guard.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Duffy said. “My family has a lot of military background.”

Senior Lauren Dinkins also has family in the armed forces.

“My brother is active duty,” Dinkins said. “And since I don’t live with my family, it makes me feel closer to him.”

Dinkins plans to make a career out of the Army National Guard, which, due to armed forces rules, can only be 22 years long.

However, other future soldiers have different plans for their careers.

A future police officer, Spencer Mellinger, 18, decided to join the Marines after graduation. He will head to boot camp in August.

“I get money for college to go into the police academy,” Mellinger said. “It’s the most direct route there.”

But while some might think making the choice is the roughest part, they haven’t hit boot camp yet.

The Marines require a mile and a half in 13 minutes and 30 seconds, 44 military crunches in two minutes, and four pull- ups.

“I see the other kids slacking off [in weight training class] and I know I can’t afford to do that,” Mellinger said.

The Army National Guard also has strict standards for sit-ups, push-ups, and a two -mile run.

“All winter I’ve been working out three times a day with a run, some cardio, and lifting weights,” Duffy said.

Senior Bryce Kent, 18, has also decided to join the Army National Guard.

“So far I’ve done some hand -to -hand combat training,” Kent said.

Dinkins has lost 42 lbs. since joining the Army National Guard due to her intense cardio classes. She has been running every day, doing power step classes, and kick boxing.

“I know what I have to do to get where I need to be,” Dinkins said.

The basic training might be physically exhausting, but these future soldiers need to worry about the mental exhaustion as well.

“The hardest part has been keeping motivated to work out,” Kent said.

Dinkins knows the importance of keeping a strong mind and pushing through the physical training.

“I am not weak minded,” Dinkins said. “[The military] will break you down and then build you back up.”

And others have expectations after they break through the basic training.

“I just hope to come out more of a man,” Duffy said. “I want to be more mentally mature.”

Dinkins also has anticipations, but on a bit broader spectrum.

“I want to get women into the infantry,” Dinkins said. “One day they’ll have to use a woman just as much as they’ll have to use a man.”

The wrestling season is finally over, and CMR is home to two state placers.

Seniors Ryan Otto and Phil Selin both took second place in the state tournament in the 189-lb. and 215-lb. classes, respectively.

Otto wrestled Glacier’s Boyce Ballard in the championship, and lost in a 3-2 decision.

“It’s a big accomplishment to take second at state, and I’m not complaining,” Otto said.

Selin went against Marc Evans of Bozeman in the 215-lb. final, and lost 3-1 in a controversial match.

His overall view on the state tournament is, “I took part in something that most people wouldn’t be able to in their whole life, win or lose.”

CMR took 12th place overall.

“I want to become the greatest intramural baller of all time,” Martinez said.

Martinez, a senior, stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and looks like a full-fledged candidate for a varsity basketball program, but because of other academic and extra-curricular commitments Martinez’s love of and talent for basketball is on display only in CMR’s intramural program. 

“We have long practices on Saturdays. We do shooting drills, passing drills, advanced mechanical drills, and 2-and 3-zone box shots,” Martinez said.

Intramural basketball offers athletic release for students who participate. Martinez, who devotes himself to a rigorous academic schedule, said that “it is a good distraction,” and he can “focus on perfecting it.”

 While the competition may be steep and the wait arduous, Martinez values the social opportunity that intramural basketball offers,

“We do pool-play up until we have the playoffs,” Martinez said.

Mike Henneberg, intramural advisor, said, “It is an opportunity for those kids who like to play basketball compete on a semi competitive level. We still keep score, so there is some level of competition.”

Henneberg said intramural basketball started in early January and will wrap up with a tournament in mid-March.

Students play from 8 to 10 o’clock at night on Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursdays a time that Henneberg said, “Is a time where they can come back to school and spend time with friends.”

With an upper-classmen and lower-classmen boys league and a girls league all eyes will be on these “semi-competitive” students this March as they compete for the coveted intramural title.

In the mean time, Martinez and his teammates will continue to practice, drill, and strive to become “baller” legends in CMR’s intramural legacy.