Montana Sports: AP-MT-SportsRightNow

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^Latest Montana sports:<
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     GRIZ SCRIMMAGE

     UM football team near end of spring drills

     

     MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) _ Spring drills are winding down for the
University of Montana football team.

     Their spring scrimmage is set for Saturday afternoon in Polson.

     Coach Bobby Hauck says the Grizzlies aren‘t the same team they
were the past few seasons, after the loss of nine starters on
defense, five on offense as well as their kicker and punter.

     Hauck says the team isn‘t really good right now, and it remains
to be seen who will be starting in the fall.

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     BIGFORK COACH RESIGNS

     Bigfork girls‘ basketball coach resigns after seven seasons

     

     BIGFORK, Mont. (AP) _ Bigfork girls‘ basketball coach Nate
Hammond has resigned, saying he and his wife want to move closer to
their families in eastern Montana.

     Hammond‘s teams posted an 84-67 record and won the past two
Northwestern A divisional tournaments. The Valkyries finished
fourth at the Class A state tournament in 2007.

     Bigfork athletics director Shannon Smith said there is no
timeline for finding a new coach.

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     TECH-PAINE

     Senior‘s Paine signs with Tech men‘s basketball<

     

     BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) _ Billings Senior guard A.J. Paine has
signed a letter of intent to join the Montana Tech men‘s basketball
team.

     Tech coach Nate Larson announced the signing of the two-time
all-state player.

     Paine averaged 16 points, four assists and three steals per
game, ranking second in Class AA in both assists and steals.

     Paine was also Senior‘s quarterback, leading the team into the
Class AA championship game, where the Broncs fell to Helena
Capital. He was a two-time all-state player in football, as well.

     Larson calls Paine a smart and unselfish player who creates
scoring opportunities for his teammates.

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     MSU-B SOCCER SIGNS

     MSU-Billings men‘s soccer signs two<

     

     BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) _ The Montana State-Billings men‘s soccer
team has signed two players, including the state‘s Gatorade player
of the year.

     Midfielder Garion Holian of Missoula Hellgate signed with the
Yellowjackets. The three-time all-state player earned Gatorade
honors as a senior.

     During his high school career, he scored 36 goals and had 10
assists and was a team captain as a junior and senior. He has also
played on club and Olympic Development soccer teams.

     Yellowjackets‘ coach Dan McNally also announced the signing of
Ross Carmichael of Dorset, England.

     Carmichael played center-midfielder on a team that won a state
title in 2003 and was named to the all-state team in 2006. He was
named his team‘s MVP in both 2005 and 2006. Carmichael also played
club soccer.

     

     (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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