Noxon Red Devils deserve the respect of a talented program

Letter to the Editor,

Ryan Murray’s “season wrap-up” article regarding the Troy Trojan boys basketball team appearing in the March 1 edition of The Western News, begs a response.

Ryan lists the 14 losses suffered by the Trojans to various teams, and includes the comment, “strangely, two to Class C Noxon.” 

I would not accuse Ryan of purposely maligning the Noxon Red Devils. He is obviously unaware of the rich basketball tradition, passion, superb coaching and collection of outstanding athletes Noxon has garnered during the years.

Noxon completed a remarkable run to the “Class C” state tournament last year, an achievement more difficult than in any other athletic classification in Montana, and their success this year continued to feed off that achievement.

Even in the best of seasons, winning on the Red Devils’ home court feels more like an escape. 

Furthermore, with declining enrollments in many western Montana schools, the line between smaller Class A, mid-size Class B, and larger Class C schools, is indeed very fine when it comes to athletic endeavors. 

In fact, a strong argument could be made that the Lady Trojan teams of the early 1990s to mid-1990s were possibly the best in Montana, regardless of classification.

Finally, many Noxon athletes co-op within the Trojan and Logger baseball systems, and we welcome their continuing participation, rather than alienating them.

— Tony Smith

Troy