BOZEMAN — Austin Baller could sense it in the first quarter. From his spot in goal, he could see it all coming together. The Bozeman boys lacrosse team was executing well on offense already. The play was strong in the midfield, and the defense in front of him made a few crucial stops early on.
On Sunday afternoon in Helena, the team was playing for a fifth Montana High School Lacrosse Association championship in six years — a stretch of success interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 season. The Billings Bandits didn’t have enough to further disrupt Bozeman’s lacrosse dynasty.
“I think the best part of (Sunday) was right in the first quarter when we saw basically everybody on the team have their moment where they all realized this game, if we played exactly how we knew we should play, that we’re going to have this game in the bag,” Baller said.
Bozeman scored three goals in the first quarter, spurring the team to a 17-4 victory.
The Bandits were held scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, managing just two goals in the middle two quarters. Bozeman allowed just two goals combined in two wins on Saturday against Great Falls and Helena East to open the playoffs. The team’s defense was clicking all weekend, said Baller, who made seven saves in the title game.
“We have a pretty young defense this year, and we saw those young guys step up,” said Baller, who himself is just finishing up his sophomore year at Bozeman High. “We were communicating well, everyone was on the same page and that really showed on Saturday and (Sunday) again. That was really important for the young guys to get that down because they’re going to be the bulk of our team next year and through the next coming years.”
Bozeman head coach Dan Springer praised Baller’s growth throughout the season.
“He’s always been a good goal-stopper. What we started to see in the last half of the season was his ability to clear the ball became noticeably different which allows us to not have turnovers in the midfield,” Springer said. “His ability to recognize that was an area he needed to improve on and worked hard at it and listened to the coaching staff, what a difference it made. It’s one thing to save a goal, but if we don’t get a good clear then we don’t get an opportunity to go score on the other end.”
Bozeman’s offense certainly made the most of its opportunities. Harrison Wolpoe and Jackson Wanderer each tallied four goals, and Kaden Kinney scored three times.
Wolpoe, also a Bozeman High sophomore, transferred to town this year after previously living in Billings, where he played for both the Bandits and the Billings Bearcats. He knew most of the players on Billings’ sideline Sunday and said it was difficult to go against them, but he knew he had to “get the job done.”
Wolpoe joined what was already a talented offensive team in Bozeman, and he admitted it took some time to figure out where he fit.
“Coming from Billings to here and finding my position on the team was difficult, but I believe I found it,” he said. “It was nice to win a state championship for the first time, for me at least. Just super happy now.”
Springer said Wolpoe’s talent was always evident. But he’s still young, and it took some time to get comfortable. It ultimately culminated with him playing a large part in the season’s final weekend. He scored seven goals combined in the first two playoff games before adding four on Sunday.
“I thought he did a great job learning new kids and a new coaching staff and new offensive movement. That’s a tough spot to be in for a sophomore,” Springer said. “He was able to adjust to it eventually, and he had a big weekend.”
Jacob Johnson, Logan Springer, Connor Haupt, Sawyer Rogers, Wyatt Stoddart and Luke Smith each scored for Bozeman. Wanderer, Stoddart, Springer and Kinney each had two assists. Johnson and Hudson Wiens had one assist each.
Bozeman also excelled in the faceoffs and at picking up ground balls, rarely letting Billings have an opportunity to make a comeback.
“Billings played great, but we have a very talented team,” Springer said. “When they play their game and play for each other, they’re a very difficult team to beat.”
Bozeman finished the season with a 16-1 record and unbeaten in the league. The only loss came to a team from Idaho in April. Bozeman has lost just one game to an in-state team in the last two years.
The program’s run of success can be attributed to several different things, but chief among them has to be the demand for excellence from the team’s players.
“Usually it’s the coaches holding the team to a high standard,” Baller said, “but I feel like us as players hold ourselves to a really high standard because we know what we’re capable of. We wanted to ensure we were not going to let down the rest of the great season we had.”
Earlier in the day, Bozeman’s D2 team came back from a 5-4 halftime deficit to win 10-7 against Cody (Wyoming) to claim Bozeman’s first championship at the D2 level.