by Scott Sacry
The 2026 spring high school sports season is underway in the Bitterroot Valley. Spring practices started on Monday, March 16, so up and down the valley you’ll see runners on the tracks, batters on the diamonds, players on the courts, and golfers on the links.
As always there’s a plethora of sports teams in the valley. Here’s a quick rundown of the spring varsity sports for the six Bitterroot high schools.
Track
Darby, Corvallis, Florence, Hamilton, Stevensville, and Victor all have boys and girls track and field teams. The Corvallis boys are the three-time defending Class A state champions and both the boys and girls look strong again this year. Hamilton also has a deep group of track and field athletes, as the Hamilton girls took 3rd at state last season. Stevensville, Florence, Darby, and Victor all have athletes who will contend for individual state titles this year.
The following are the returning individual track and field state champions from the Bitterroot Valley: Corvallis senior Ella Varner was state champion in the triple jump in 2024 and 2025, and the long jump in 2024; Hamilton senior Gracie Werst was the 2025 shot put state champion; Hamilton junior Anna Lewis was the 800m and 1600m state champion in 2024 and runner up in 2025; Stevensville sophomore Reagan Johnstone was the 2025 state champion in both the 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles.
Tennis
Corvallis, Hamilton, and Stevensville all have boys and girls tennis teams. Hamilton girls and the Stevensville boys were the state runners up last year and Hamilton’s Ciara Hanley is the returning girls’ state champion. Corvallis, Stevensville, and Hamilton all have strong tennis traditions and they will be competitive as always this season.
Softball
Corvallis, Florence, Hamilton, and Stevensville all have girls softball teams. The Florence girls are a perennial powerhouse with state championship aspirations – they took 2nd at state last year. Hamilton and Stevensville both qualified for the Class A state tournament last season. Along with Corvallis, these teams hope to make state this season.
Baseball
Florence, Corvallis, Hamilton, and Stevensville all have baseball teams (this is the fourth season of high school baseball in Montana). The Hamilton boys took 4th place at state last season. Along with Corvallis, Florence, and Stevensville, the Bitterroot Valley schools look poised for another strong year.
Golf
Both Florence and Darby have boys and girls golf teams. In Montana, Class B/C golf is in the spring and Class A and AA is in the fall. The Florence girls were the Class B state champions last year and Florence’s Kipley Solari is the returning girls’ state champion. Along with the boys, Florence looks to be competitive this season. Darby had increased participation last season and looks to have a solid team this year.
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