I posted these in response to an older thread in the General Discussion about SHHS inspirational teachers and coaches, then decided they'd fit in this forum, too (and, being a new post, maybe more people will read it here anyway).

These were originally in response to one poster who was wondering who coached the SHHS boys' basketball team to the 1965 Class C State Championship, and another who commented on Glenn Hageman coaching the football team to the 1980 Class B State title:

PART 1
It was before my time, but the Sacred Heart basketball coach in 1965 (the year they won State) was Dan Connors. Harold Schwann came later (late 1960s or early '70s), and then Glenn Hageman by the late 1970s.

The best player on that 1965 team was Marty Derrig, who's about 6'4" and was very talented. For a few years in the mid- to late-1980s SHHS had an alumni tournament over Christmas vacation. In 1985, my brother Daren (who's also about 6'4" and had just graduated in '84) was playing in that tournament on the '84-85 team against a team of alums from the 1965 team. I figured the young guys would run those old men into the ground (I was 12 at the time - now that I'm 37, or about the same age as the "old men" were at the time, I realize maybe they weren't so old after all). Of course, I was wrong. The old guys blew out Daren's team, and Marty Derrig scored 27 (I think Daren had 8). After the game, my dad asked Daren if he'd ever met Marty Derrig before. Daren said, "I met him tonight." That answer's always cracked me up.

By the way, someone mentioned Reed Reyman earlier - he's a great guy and was my 7th grade math and P.E. teacher at SHHS, the last year it was open. I also remember him telling the class once about how, when he was just little, he saw SHHS lose its only game of the season in that 1965 championship year. They lost at Terry (where Reed is from), and he said Connors was so mad he got two technicals in that game.

PART 2
Somebody also mentioned earlier that Glenn Hageman coached SHHS to its only state football championship in 1980 (my brother Conan was a junior on that team). Glenn's a great guy and has gone on to be a very successful school administrator around the state. All respect and thanks to him for helping SHHS bring home the title that year.

It should be remembered, however, that SHHS most likely would have won several state Class B football titles in the 1960s and '70s, much of which time they were coached by Dan Connors - except that back then, there was no state championship for Class B football. You could win your division, which SHHS did many times, then the season was over. Considering that the football team won 99 conference games in a row during one stretch (think about that - an entire class went from 1st grade through high school graduation without ever seeing SHHS lose a conference game), it seems likely that they also would've won state during some of those seasons.

[This message has been edited by Richard Bonine, Jr. (3/16/2011)]

How's it going, Sean?

Once again, you are making me nostalgic.

First off, in the "teachers" thread prior to this one, I am the one who mentioned Mr. Hageman having coached the 1980 Shamrock football team to the state championship. I also had brought up Reed Reyman - a teacher I think pretty-much everyone liked quite a bit. they're both good guys.

There's one particular memory with Mr. Hageman that stands-out for me: several years after SHHS closed, I finished college and started working at KATL as the sports director. As my first year on that job evolved, I headed to the CCDHS gym to air the District 4C girls basketball tournament. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Mr. Hageman had become the Principal at Ekalaka High and his daughter, Heather, was a senior on the team and one of their better players. Anyway, I was surprised to see him in the lobby of the gym and even more surprised that he recognized me! I figured that, by that time, he had crossed paths with so many students that he wouldn't remember me, but he did! We talked a few minutes about how each of us was doing. It was a pleasant surprise. Anyway, last I heard Hageman was the principal at Glasgow High, but that was a couple years ago so I'm not sure that he's still there now.

Then you brought-up the SHHS Alumni B-Ball tournaments that took place in the mid-80's...one guy who could tell you quite a bit about those would be my '86 classmate, Scott Kimball. He was the guy who planned, organized, contacted all the alums and made it happen...and you've GOT to give him a ton of credit for doing that when you consider that he was just a high school senior at the time! I was the class treasurer that year, so it was my job to man the ticket booth and collect admissions for the first tournament. I peeked-in on the games here and there, but didn't see much. Anyway, that FIRST tournament during Xmas break in '85 was probably the best. The 80's classes had one team per year through '80, I think, then there was a '70's team, a 60's-and-older team (that's the one Mary Derrig played on), and a former-coaches team. The championship game that year ended-up as the class of '83 (Ken Lang, Pat Harn, Rich Perkins, Dick Jochim, Jon Super, etc.) vs. the coaches team...I don't remember many of the players of that coaches team, but I DO remember that Mr. Hageman was one of them and he pretty-much led the charge with his outside shooting and won the tournament for the coaches team that year. That was pretty cool, too.

It should be remembered, however, that SHHS most likely would have won several state Class B football titles in the 1960s and '70s, much of which time they were coached by Dan Connors - except that back then, there was no state championship for Class B football. You could win your division, which SHHS did many times, then the season was over. Considering that the football team won 99 conference games in a row during one stretch (think about that - an entire class went from 1st grade through high school graduation without ever seeing SHHS lose a conference game), it seems likely that they also would've won state during some of those seasons.

Obviously, we'll never know for sure...but I wouldn't bet against this assertion, at all.

By the way, Sean, I do remember that you and I were in Dr. Vadheim's Taekwondo class "back in the day". Thanks for the extra dose of nostalgia! I hope you are well wherever you ended-up.

Now I am feeling old. Not only was my high school boyfriend Doug Larson on that 1965 SHHS team with Marty Derrig and others who won the state championship, my first husband was the fraternity "little brother" of Lew Vadheim when we attended Montana State University. Saw where Dr. V recently retired. Not there yet myself....hoping, hoping, hoping that it won't be a premature retirement as school districts are hurting in Texas and I am the math coordinator at the district level. Trying not to cut teachers, but my job may not be as secure as those with direct contact wtih students. Sad, as I have a major and good impact on student and teacher learning.

Shu,
Great to hear from you and thanks for adding to my post. I'm up in Great Falls now - I teach U.S. History and American Government at Great Falls High. I head back to Miles City as often as I can, but it's just far enough away that it's tough to make it on a regular weekend, so I usually am limited to holidays and summertime for my trips back with the kids (I have four now - ages 7, 5, 1, and 2 months - they keep me on my toes, for sure). Taekwondo from Dr. Vadheim - that was a lot of fun. I only kept at it for about 6 months, then stopped going because of basketball tryouts and just never got back to it. Oh well.
I saw Glenn Hageman at the state administrators' conference in Missoula back in fall 2009 - he was still the supt. at Glasgow then, but his contract was up after last school year ended and I'm not sure where he is this year. I also saw Mark Irvin at that conference - he's now a principal (elementary or middle school, I think) at Box Elder, although I think he lives in Havre and just commutes to work.
Yeah, Hageman was a great athlete. Which reminds me, I knew a guy from Jordan named Ed Kreider (graduated from there in 1990) who was their star basketball player at that time and almost broke Hageman's single-game scoring record (for Jordan), which was 49 points. Ed had 48 with several minutes left in the game and was taken out for the night as Jordan had a big lead already - only after the game did they find out he'd only been 1 point shy of the school record! Or that's how it was told to me at the time.
Back to SHHS sports, I play city league basketball with Shawn Hazelton, who's been a highway patrolman up here in GF for the last several years. Last year we got to talking about what a good basketball team SHHS could've had if it had remained open for 1987 and beyond - Scott Minkoff and Scott Kirby would've been seniors in '87, Shawn and Mark Irvin would've been juniors, Joel Larson and Terry Kellum would've only been sophs, but were already very good. In class C, that would've been a team with some good size and a lot of weapons. On the flip side, if SHHS had stayed open, CCDHS may not have won its 1988 B-ball state title, since Shawn, Joel, and Terry were all key players on that team.
Shawn also told me he thought SHHS would've been pretty tough in football if it had still been open in fall of '86 - he reminded me that Minkoff was a heck of a QB, and Kirby went on to be a very good college FB player at Rocky.
Well, for better or worse, we'll never know. Lots of good memories, though, that's for sure.

Thanks, all, for the recap of the "glory days" of SHHS sports. I haven't much to add, except to note that the mighty Shamrocks also went to the State Class C boys basketball tournament the year before, although they didn't take home the title that year. You only get recognition if you win, but just getting to the state championship was thrilling, and meant winning local and divisional titles. Those were awesome teams, and Dan Connors was an awesome coach, in both football and basketball. Initially, I think, SHHS was in Class C football also, based on the number of students attending, but when they became unbeatable at the Class C level, they were bumped up to Class B, where they still kicked major derriere!

Those were my 8th and 9th grade years at SH, and I was privileged to sit in the stands in Helena for both of those b-ball championship tournaments in 1964 & 1965, certainly the most exciting times of my young life. Being a less-than-athletic girl, cheering the team on from the stands was the extent of my participation, but I almost never missed a game, thanks to my mom, who was willing to brave the Montana highways at night in mid-winter to drive me and a few friends to the out-of-town games and tournaments. Those teams, both basketball and football, brought sports glory to the school, we all took great pride in our team and our school.

I also have to give kudos to the alums of that time. I can't remember any of the individuals, but as a group, they made it all happen by their fundraising and volunteerism.

Go, Shamrocks!