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.”