Montana

Headwaters Classic hosts Montana's largest youth lacrosse tournament

Published

12 months ago

April 28, 2025

Headwaters Classic hosts Montana's largest youth lacrosse tournament

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Lacrosse athletes from all over the upper Rocky Mountains flocked to Bozeman for the weekend for the Headwaters Classic.

“We try and host a tournament in Bozeman every year, unfortunately, with schedules it doesn’t happen every single year,” Headwaters Lacrosse president Mike Bonville said. “This is the first time we’ve had a tournament this size though.”

The Headwaters Classic was put together primarily by Headwaters Lacrosse and Treasure State Lacrosse , with help from Bozeman Lacrosse and Montana State University.

The tournament brought in over 800 athletes from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to compete on the campus of MSU. There were over 70 youth teams from 11 different club programs for both boys and girls, ranging from kindergarten through high school.

“This is the biggest spring tournament in the state’s history I believe, which is super cool, and we’re happy to be a part of it,” Treasure State Lacrosse event coordinator Hailey Blachly said.

But the Headwaters Classic wasn’t the only tournament that MSU was hosting that weekend.

Montana State’s club lacrosse competed with seven other colleges in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Championship on the Bobcats’ field. The college club conference championship along with the Headwaters Classic gives kid an inspiration for their future lacrosse careers.

“You can see yourself in their shoes and I think that’s really cool for kids out here to be able to see that there’s a path outside of high school lacrosse. They can go to college, and they can continue to play the sport they love,” Blachly said.

“The thing that’s very special is they get to see the path progression of the game,” Bonville said. “They’re working hard as kids and if they stick with it, there’s an opportunity to play at a pretty high level for the Bobcats or maybe somebody else.”

But the tournament of this size not only helps with the level of competition for the youth, it also invites more athletes to grab a stick and help grow the sport in Montana.

“Having these types of events where we have teams coming from out of state, playing all of the talent in state is really important just to keeping the momentum going with the sport,” Bonville said. “It’s a very fun sport, lots of action, and kids are busy out there on the field, and once they get the taste of lacrosse, it’s tough to beat it as a spring sport.”

It is unknown at the time whether or not the Headwaters Classic will return in 2026 to fit other club schedules. However, this tournament set the new standard for what lacrosse can be in the Treasure State.

“Having all of these teams come to Bozeman is great sign that Bozeman’s a great place for people to come, bring their kids, and play lacrosse,” Bonville said. “Our goal is to make this something that people plan on every year and it’s on the calendar, and it doesn’t matter if you live in Bozeman, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, or beyond, you’re circling this weekend that you’re going to be playing in Bozeman at the Headwaters Classic.

“Sometimes its hard to get everyone from different areas of the state together in one spot, because there’s tons of different challenges,” Blachly said. “Headwaters, Bozeman, Treasure State, and MSU all being on the same page to support an event like this is awesome, and I think that bodes well for other places in the state in the future to say, ‘Hey, we can bring the youth, high school, and college together to have one event. We can work together,’ and that’s going to create awesome growth going forward.”

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The ugly truth behind ‘restoring Montana values’ • Daily Montanan

Published

3 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Restoring Montana values.

When you hear that term, your ears should perk up. This phrase isn’t folksy nostalgia; it’s shorthand for something else. It’s Republican code. It’s an old trick. Take one of grandpa’s old slogans and use it to mean something else. Usually something vile. Something about 50 or 100 years past its sell-by date.

Republicans like to talk about restoring “Montana values.” It’s like they are promising to bring back nickel candy. They aren’t. It sounds harmless, even virtuous. Let’s be clear: It isn’t.

So, what does “Restoring Montana Values” mean today in Republican speak? It means a never-ending stream of unconstitutional laws intended to deny certain groups of Montana citizens their constitutional rights. But, they won’t say that out loud. These laws are consistently unconstitutional. And, here’s the subterfuge – Republicans blame our nonpartisan judges. Not the legislature. Not the governor. Not the unconstitutional laws. Just the judges.

Republicans continue to adopt laws that violate basic freedoms under our Constitution. There is a pattern. Our courts find these bills to be unconstitutional. So, Republicans claim that the problem is woke, out-of-control, radical, liberal judges. (Whew! It’s hard to fit all that outrage into one sentence.) They blame all of the world’s problems on the judicial branch. What Republicans are doing is making “Montana Values” a campaign slogan for something sinister. It’s an attack on the independence of our judicial branch.

Republicans have a “solution.” Restore “Montana Values” by getting rid of our nonpartisan judges. Make judicial elections red team vs. blue team. Not more justice. Just more bad politics.

To be clear – when the legislature knowingly passes bills that violate the Constitution, and our judges find them unconstitutional – that has nothing to do with politics. That is the role of judges. It’s called judicial review. It dates back to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1803 in Marbury vs. Madison.

Republicans have gone so far as to attack Chief Justice John Marshall (and the unanimous court). They claim that the Supreme Court got it wrong. Courts do not have the power to find legislative actions unconstitutional. They are trying to erase 223 years of legal precedent.

State Sen. Tom McGillvary from Billings is a high priest in the “Blame the Woke Judges Order.” He has lectured on why the Supreme Court got it wrong in Marbury vs. Madison. I am sure that McGillvary prayed about it, but it might have helped if he had gone to law school and actually studied the Constitution. Bold. Or, just dishonest. You get to decide.

Republicans’ attack on judicial review just doesn’t ring true. It’s like proclaiming that the person with the fewest points is the winner of the Scrabble game. You can smell that argument; it isn’t perfume.

Blaming judges for doing their jobs. That is the antithesis of Montana values.

The real issue is why Republicans want to deny people their constitutional rights. Could there be anything more inconsistent with Montana values than that? Our Constitution is the foundation of our law. It is the social contract between the people of our great state. Our Constitution isn’t just the law; it’s how we treat each other; how we value every person; and how we respect the rights of all people. Violating our Constitution is totally inconsistent with Montana Values.

Montana has a libertarian streak. Independence is a good thing. You don’t have to agree with me or even like me for us to get along and be good neighbors. People get to believe what they believe and pretty much do what they want, so long as they don’t hurt someone. But, there is a line. You can’t deny people their Constitutional rights. That is over the line.

If Republicans want to restore Montana values: Easy. All they have to do is honor and follow the Montana Constitution.

In 1972, 100 Montana citizens crafted our Constitution. Delegates sat in alphabetical order, not by party. Pragmatism bent party loyalty to build a consensus. It’s not a Republican constitution or a Democratic constitution. It isn’t woke or fascist. It’s ours. Eighty-nine out of 100 delegates approved. Montana citizens –not Republicans; not Democrats. Montanans.

And then, in June of 1972, Montana citizens voted to approve the new Constitution. It holds our values.

Republicans want to deny some Montana citizens their Constitutional rights.

Well? That’s not Montana values.

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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for April 11, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 11, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 11 drawing

06-47-49-53-60, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 11 drawing

01-21-26-29-32, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 11 drawing

05-06-07-30, Bonus: 04

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 11 drawing

18-20-26-37-39

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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