Move to Class B brings new tradition

Libby’s move from Class A to Class B has sparked a number of changes for Libby High School athletics. Old rivalries have ended and new ones have formed. 

One of the new rivalries sprang from the mind of former athletic director Wayne Baker, who retired at the end of last year. Baker’s idea was to have one night of winter sports competition that encompassed boys and girls basketball as well as wrestling and provided a single night of entertainment for sports fans of both communities to enjoy together.

“The move to Class B has been very positive in the fact that we have new rivals developing,” said Libby vice principal and athletic director Jim Germany. “Each game has had a new intensity to it that has added excitement for the kids and fans.”

From Baker’s idea came the Highway 37 Battle of the Kootenai, and a traveling trophy was built by the Eureka shop students to commemorate the annual competition.

Libby’s move to Class B means there will be 12 different team competitions between the two schools every year. In the spring season the schools will square off in softball, boys and girls track and boys and girls golf. The action resumes with football and boys and girls cross-country in the fall and culminates with boys and girls basketball and wrestling in the winter. In instances in which the teams meet more than once in a season, the first meeting will be the one counted toward the overall Battle of the Kootenai score, except in track, in which the head-to-head meeting that counts will be the countywide meet each year.

For the first year, only the fall and winter sports were figured into the mix, with Eureka winning 5-2. The Lions swept the fall sports, football, volleyball and both cross-country teams. They also picked up an additional win Tuesday night when their wrestlers overpowered the Greenchain. Libby’s boys and girls swept the basketball games the same night, but it was not enough to push the Loggers to victory in the overall battle.

The battle will begin its second year during the spring season, with softball, track and golf. Germany said it will help create a positive spirit and competition between the in-county rivals.

“This battle will only help keep that ball rolling and spawn a positive rivalry between our schools,” he said. “We’ve already started thinking about getting our entire school involved by showing positive spirit at all events to be counted in to the overall records as a possible tie-breaker. So there are lots of positives that might spin off from this event.”