The Bobcat Nation

The Fairfield girls lost 50-38 to Choteau on Thursday night, ending their 120 game winning streak which was their first loss since the state title game against Malta in 2010. It was the longest HS winning streak in the nation, boys or girls, it was tied for the 6th longest HS girls win streak of all time, and was far and away the longest win streak in any HS sport in Montana history. Making it even more impressive is the fact that Fairfield is one of the smallest Class B schools in the state, with a current enrollment that's actually below the B/C cutoff. They lost quite a bit off of their 2014 team, which won a 4th straight state title (all four went undefeated), so it's actually pretty impressive that they managed to start this season 16-0, before finally losing. They also won the state title in 2008 and 2009, so last year made it 6 titles in 7 years, plus the 2nd place finish in 2010.

They have been so dominate over the last few years. Sorry to see them lose!

I didn't think they would even get to 16-0 before they lost, with all the talent that graduated last year


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BigBruceBaker wrote:They have been so dominate over the last few years. Sorry to see them lose!

I didn't think they would even get to 16-0 before they lost, with all the talent that graduated last year


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I agree. It's a testament to the value of good coaching and a winning tradition, that they made it this deep into the season before finally losing a game, as they did lose a lot from last year. Although they did get the Klinker girls back from Great Falls High, which was a big addition.

I would guess that a lot of the other impressive winning streaks around the country were by private schools that essentially recruit the top talent from the surrounding area, giving them a huge advantage over everyone else (think De La Salle in Northern California football).

For a small school to pull off that kind of streak with homegrown talent is amazing.

Bay Area Cat wrote:I would guess that a lot of the other impressive winning streaks around the country were by private schools that essentially recruit the top talent from the surrounding area, giving them a huge advantage over everyone else (think De La Salle in Northern California football).

For a small school to pull off that kind of streak with homegrown talent is amazing.

In the past, Fairfield has occasionally recruited players from nearby towns, although I don't believe they've done that very much in recent years. Of course, recruiting players to Fairfield from towns like Augusta or Power, is obviously completely different than the sort of recruiting you're talking about, i.e. putting together an all star team from a major metro area. I don't know if they had any transfers on the team during their winning streak, but regardless, their streak was indeed an incredible feat. The girls who were seniors last year, including Jill Barta who is playing for Gonzaga now, won the state title all four years, and didn't lose a single game during their entire careers.

By the way, what's up with Winifred this year? They've been a traditional Class C power, with a couple of state titles in the last few years, with the last one being just a couple of years ago, but I don't believe they won a single game during the regular season this year.

John K wrote:By the way, what's up with Winifred this year? They've been a traditional Class C power, with a couple of state titles in the last few years, with the last one being just a couple of years ago, but I don't believe they won a single game during the regular season this year.

It's something of a demographic issue -- very few boys basketball players in high school right now.

For schools that small (30 kids or so), it's almost inevitable that you will eventually have a drought of a few classes worth ... which is exactly why I find the Fairfield thing so impressive.

Malta used to do a little recruiting out of Turner as well.

Fairfield girls lost to Choteau again in the 1B title game, 46-32. After 120 straight wins, they've now lost 2 of their last 4 games. Choteau appears to have a pretty strong team.

The most amazing thing about Fairfield over the years wasn't just girls bball. They seem to have been good all the way around, not just in sports, but also in band and FFA as well. Must be a heck of a school or something in the water.

kwcat wrote:The most amazing thing about Fairfield over the years wasn't just girls bball. They seem to have been good all the way around, not just in sports, but also in band and FFA as well. Must be a heck of a school or something in the water.

Lots of good genetics up there as well. Plus success breeds success a lot of the time


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kwcat wrote:The most amazing thing about Fairfield over the years wasn't just girls bball. They seem to have been good all the way around, not just in sports, but also in band and FFA as well. Must be a heck of a school or something in the water.

Kermit Young was one of my favorite basketball players for the Cats. That entire area produced some great athletes: Wade Jacobson, the two Gustafsons, Fellows. The area still has some outstanding talent.