BFHS 23-24 sports success celebrated

BONNERS FERRY — Bonners Ferry High School athletes had a successful year with many earning state champions, placers, district champions, all league and all state honors. 

Soccer

Four Badger soccer boys received Intermountain League and Central Idaho League honors for their efforts and accomplishments during the 2023 season. Center back Jesse Fess, a junior, and midfielders Eli Blackmore and Nikita Rawson, both juniors, received “all-league” honors. 

Senior striker Eli Newell was voted MVP for the league. Newell was the top scorer in the league this year and also one of the top scorers at the state level in 3A, with 26 goals this season 

In addition to the players being honored, Bonners Ferry boys soccer head coach Paul Bonnell was named the IML-ICL Coach of the Year and the team earned the sportsmanship award at the state championship. 

For the girls, seniors Brenly Hymas and Markynn Pluid were named all-league players for Bonners Ferry. 

Hymas has been the team’s top scorer for four years and team MVP for two years. 

“She has shown strong skills since her freshman year but has surpassed even her own records by scoring 20 goals this year, with almost as many assists,” Bonners Ferry girls soccer coach Emily Winebark said.  

Pluid has overall been the team’s most improved player over the past four years, something the other coaches in the league noticed, Winebark said. 

Volleyball

For the 2023 season four Badger volleyball players nabbed Intermountain League All-League honors.

Seniors Sara Cummings and Aspen Hill received the honor with junior Helene Rae and freshman Taren Bateman. 

As outside hitter Helene Rae led the Badgers in kills per set and kills for the season with 2.9 per set with a hitting percentage of 0.195 and led the team with kills for the season with 172. She averaged 2.6 digs per set, the second-highest on the team, and earned 157 digs this season. 

Taren Bateman earned 1.9 kills per set, a hitting percentage of 0.186 and earned the second most kills on the team with 112 kills for the season. Bateman also led the team in aces for the season with 40 and averaged 0.7 aces per set. 

Rae earned 36 aces this season earning 0.6 per set. 

Aspen Hill led the Badgers in blocks for the season with 21, followed by Sara Cummings with 15. 

XC

At the 3A State Championship in Pocatello, Sydney Beckle finished 35th with a time of 21:45.92 and sophomore Matisyn Stiern finished 59th with a time of 23:17.34.

Beckle finished fourth at the District I 3A Championship with a time of 21:37 on Oct. 19. 

Football 

Trey Bateman was named one of the Top 10 Defensive Lineman in Idaho to watch out for in the 2023 football season by IdahoSports.com  

This last season Bateman played running back, tight end and nose guard. He led the team with 22 receptions for 310 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 150 yards and two scores. Defensively, he made 40 tackles, including five for loss. He also had an interception, two blocked field goals and one blocked punt during the season.

Badger football (3-6) lost districts to Timberlake. 

Basketball 

Boys 

The second-seeded Bonners Ferry boys basketball (22-3) won the 3A State Championship for the first time in school history. ), the culmination of four straight trips to state under Nathan Williams in his fourth year as coach. In 2022, the Badgers reached the title game for the first time in program history, losing to Sugar-Salem. 

Asher Williams, a junior on the Bonners Ferry boys varsity basketball team, joined the 1,000 point club on Saturday, Dec. 16, off a jumper against 2A Orofino. He was named 3A boys Player of the Year for a second straight year, announced by The Idaho Statesman newspaper of Boise following voting by coaches statewide. Williams averaged 28.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Badgers won their first state title.

Bonners Ferry boys basketball head coach Nathan Williams was named Coach of the Year.

Bonners junior guard Thomas Bateman (15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists) and Badgers senior forward Trey Bateman (9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists) were named to the 3A boys second team.

Girls

The Badgers beat Timberlake for the first time in nine years and had a nine-game winning streak which started Dec. 6 with Rogers Pirates and ended Jan. 10 when the team lost to 4A Sandpoint. 

Timberlake won the league title, defeating Bonners Ferry 2-0. In the first matchup on Jan. 20 at the Backwoods Brawl, the Badgers led until 2 minutes left in the game, when the Tigers went on a 10-point run to win 66-61. Four days later, Timberlake won league, defeating Bonners 51-37. 

Badgers, Asha Abubakari and Markynn Pluid were named IML All-League, with freshman Taren Bateman receiving MVP honors. 

Senior post, Asha Abubakari surpassed the 1,000-point milestone, against Stillwater Christian in the third game of the season. 

Senior post, Markynn Pluid nabbed over 15 rebounds in the district tournament and is a steady and consistent force for the Badgers.

Breakthrough freshman point guard Taren Bateman was named MVP. Bateman scored a season high of 40 points against Lincoln County on Jan. 23. She leads the Badgers in points scored per game, free throw %, assists and steals. 

Wrestling

Boys

Thirteen Badger boys wrestling qualified for state, with freshman heavyweight Taylor Dodd taking fourth.

 Saber Blackmore (120), Brandon Williams (126), Israel Johnson (145), Eli Leyden (160) and Taylor Dodd (285) won the district championship for Bonners Ferry at the two-team state qualifying tournament at Timberlake High on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Girls 

Bonners Ferry girls wrestling finished third at the Idaho All Girls wrestling state championship, with senior Aubrey Wells (165) and freshman Eva Willis (185) taking second place.

Also placing was junior Sofia Brown (132) in fifth and Savannah Rickter (152) finished sixth for the Badgers.

The Badgers girls reclaimed the District I-II girls wrestling title on Feb. 15, with five wrestlers competing in the championship round. Neveah Therrien (107) and Savannah Rickter (152), claimed individual titles as well.

Track and Field

 Senior Asha Abubakari took second place in the discus and shotput at the 3A State Championship with a throw of 136-2 and 42-08.25. Sophomore Makenna Baisden earned a new personal record of 59.15 when she took second place in the 400m race. 

Abubakari, a four time-time state champion, and now five-time district champion, will continue her track and field career at Fresno State University, a D1 school. 

Junior Helene Rae took third in the shot put at 41-10.25. 

Fellow Badger, sophomore Hallie Hartman, took fifth at the discus with a throw of 111-11 and fourth in the shot put at 40-07. 

The Bonners Ferry girls 4x100 relay team (Asha Abubakari, Makenna Baisen, Ireland Grady, Taren Bateman) took fifth with a time of 51.81. At the 3A IML District Championship May 10-11 the teams ran 51.00 and broke the school record from 1978. Kimberly won the championship in the event with a time of 50.18.  

A dozen Bonners Ferry track and field athletes earned district championship honors at the 3A IML district meet. Twenty-three Badgers advanced to the 3A state championship in Middleton.

Senior Eli Newell took first place in the 100m and 200m race. He also qualified for state for the high jump and long jump. 

The 4X200 relay team also won districts with a time of 1:35.66. 

James Morgen won the discus with a throw of 131-2 and qualified for state in the shot put with a throw of 39-5. 

Asher Williams took first in the high jump at 6-0 and Sam Genys took first in the triple jump at 41-9 1/2. 

For the girls, Asha Abubakari is again district champion in the discus and the shot put. 

Taren Bateman, a freshman, is the 100m district champion with a time of 13.09. Makenna Baisden won the 400m race at 1:00.18.

Golf

Badger girls golf took second at the 3A State Championship at Twin Lakes. 

Bonners Ferry senior Braylyn Bayer, who has signed with Weber State, won a playoff to win the state 3A girls individual championship, her second straight title.

Bonners Ferry senior Avery Bayer, who signed with Idaho State in November, was fifth with a 87-80-167.

Bonners Ferry senior Eli Blackmore finished 13th with 86-86-172. 

Softball

Jodee Curtis, Ava Frederickson and Taylor Sumpter, now Bonners Ferry High School alumni, led the league in stats and were named softball All League players for the 3A Intermountain League. 

Jodee Curtis was third in league for batting average at .439 and was second in league for stolen bases with 14 this season. 

Ava Frederickson was first in the league for batting average with .473 and in fielding percentage with .988. She also was third in league for slugging % at .709 at on base percentage at .554.

Taylor Sumpter was first in the league in strikeouts with 148 and was the only pitcher with a no hitter. She was second in the league with a slugging percentage of .780 and batting average of .458. She took third in the league for earned run average with 8.59. 

Sumpter also hit the all-state rankings, taking 17th in strikeouts and fifth of those having a no hitter.

Baseball 

Trey Bateman was named 3A Intermountain league baseball MVP for the third year in a row. He shared the recognition with Timberlake’s Caden Robinett.

63nd North Idaho Sports Banquet

Bonners Ferry High School senior Trey Bateman shared the 3A-1A male athlete of the year honors at the 62nd North Idaho Sports Banquet on Saturday, April 6 at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Bateman, who has shined in baseball, basketball and football for the Badgers, shares the award with Ty Koepp, Kendrick. 

He was nominated for the male athlete of the year award last year. 

Asher Williams received the (3A-1A) Boys Basketball player of the year, which he shared with Kase Wynott, the new Idaho all-time scoring record holder from Lapwai High School. 

Braylyn Bayer was named (3A-1A) Girls Golfer of the Year, and Asha Abubakari (3A-1A) Girls Track Athlete of the Year. Both have received the award before.