Blackhawk victories, senior nights approach for volleyball and football

This weekend the Lady Blackhawks experienced triumph and defeat. They faced off against the Valley Christian Eagles and the Noxon Red Devils and both games were demanding.

The first set against the Eagles on Oct. 17 started with the Blackhawks and Eagles going back and forth for points, but in the end the Eagles took the lead, winning 25-15.

The second set was a rollercoaster and both teams took the lead multiple times. Ultimately, both the second and third set went to the Eagles.

This week is the Lady Blackhawks' last week in the regular season, culminating in senior night on Oct. 26.

"For the last week of our regular volleyball season, I hope that our team continues to work well together and be there for each other no matter the outcomes of the game," Kylie Brewer, a senior on the team, said.

The Lady Blackhawks faced off against the Noxon Red Devils on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The Red Devils seemed like a challenging foe and the first set started off as anyone's game. The Blackhawks held the lead for a while but slowly the Red Devils advanced. They were no match for the Blackhawks though, who won the first set 25-23.

The second and third sets were also won by the Blackhawks and the final score was 3-0.

This week, the Lady Blackhawks travel and face Two Eagle River on Oct. 24. The Blackhawks will then play Bigfork at home, which will be the team's last game of the regular season and senior night, on Oct. 26.

On Oct. 25, the football team will play Superior. This will be the boys last football game of the regular season, and senior night as well, which starts twenty minutes before kickoff at 7 p.m.

With a win against Darby last week, the Blackhawk football team is officially in the playoffs, which Coach Jacob Haley said is the first time since 2007 that Seeley Lake has made it to the playoffs as an eight-man team.

Haley said the Blackhawks didn't play the best defense against Darby, but the offense remained pretty stable. Quarterback Blake Irwin locked in three or four passing touchdowns, Captain Tyler Haines ran for a couple of touchdowns along with Kolten ZurMuehlen, Dylan Wilkinson caught two passing touchdowns and Seth Dunster caught one and ran for another.

Friday night against Superior is a big game for both teams. If Superior wins, they're in the playoffs. If the Blackhawks win, they become number two in the west, sitting at 7-1 in the roster, and Seeley would get to host a playoff game. Valley Christian, against whom the Blackhawks lost their homecoming game, is at 8-0.

If the Blackhawks lose, they'd face Belt, which Haley thinks is the best team in the state right now, and would have to travel to Belt for that game.

It's nice to have the pressure of making playoffs off their shoulders, Haley said, but the Blackhawks have a big weekend ahead.