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OROFINO BASEBALL

1st Round

Defeated Parma Girls Tennis (64% to 36%)

Quarterfinals

Defeated Shelley Girls Basketball (72% to 28%)

Semifinals

Defeated McCall-Donnelly Boys Track and Field (85% to 15%)

Head Coach

Scott Tondevold, 2nd Season

Key Athletes

Dash Barlow, 12, 1st Baseman

Gavin Christopherson, 12, Pitcher/Catcher

Silas Naranjo, 12, Pitcher/Catcher

Aiden Olive, 11, Pitcher/Center Fielder

Jaeger Tondevold, 10, Shortstop

A wild and unpredictable 2A State Tournament came down to two district rivals in the championship game.  Orofino defeated Grangeville 8-4 at Pocatello’s Halliwell Park to cap an emotionally draining run to the title.  The Maniacs had to hold by their fingernails in a 7-6 win over Firth in the opening round, and a back-and-forth 17-13 win over Wendell in the semifinals.

In a tournament with such variability and volatility, you need some help on your side.  Luck, faith, whatever you want to call it, there’s no denying that the Maniacs were helped out from their fallen teammate Drew Hanna from the skies above.

Hanna tragically passed away in a car accident in August, just ahead of his senior year at Orofino High School.  The three-sport standout loved baseball the most, and was Orofino’s top pitcher and emotional leader.  His passing left a void that was filled by nearly everyone else on the team, and as the team received their first place plaques, an empty hanger with Drew’s #2 jersey was on the field with the team as a poem written about Drew by an Orofino community member was read on air during IdahoSports.com’s broadcast of the game.  It’s a moment that the tight-knit community of Orofino won’t soon forget.

SUGAR-SALEM GIRLS SOCCER

1st Round

Defeated Skyview Volleyball (61% to 39%)

Quarterfinals

Defeated Kimberly softball (65% to 35%)

Semifinals

Defeated Kendrick football (51% to 49%)

Head Coach

Scott Terry, 9th Season

Key Athletes

Allie Christensen, 11, Forward

Andee Petterson, 9, Forward

Kamryn Teichert, 10, Defender

Isabelle Tuttle, 11, Defender

Dakota Weekes, 12, Midfielder

Sugar-Salem won its first championship ever in girls soccer this past season.  Veteran coach Scott Terry led the Diggers to the title just hours after also coaching the Sugar-Salem boys soccer team to a 3A championship, becoming the first coach in Idaho soccer history to accomplish that feat.

The Diggers were not merely good in 2023, they were dominant.  Sugar-Salem went a perfect 21-0.  They scored a total of 135 goals, or over six goals per game.  But the most impressive number came on defense, where the Diggers allowed a total of eight goals all season.

And lest opponents think the worst of it is over, there were only five seniors on this year’s team.  Freshman Andee Petterson was named the Mountain Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and junior Isabelle Tuttle earned the Defensive Player of the Year award.  So….yeah, these Diggers aren’t going anywhere.