The Malad Dragon athletic teams had a stellar year across various sports as they competed throughout 2025.  Through it all they highlighted their talent, dedication, and determination to outpace the competition.  More importantly, they showed grit and grace as they focused on their own improvements, bit by bit, to not only bring about individual results but team glory.  2025 will be a year to remember for so many athletes, coaches, and MHS fans.

Boys Wrestling

The Boys 3A State Wrestling Championship team with coaches, and others who made led to the program’s success.

 The MHS Wrestling team had an impressive 2025 wrestling season, traveling to new tournaments to take on unseen competition, the Dragon wrestlers challenged themselves in new ways to hone their skills and improve their on mat game. 

The season culminated in the long awaited District tournaments, the deciding brackets for State Tournament.  At district, the Malad athletes rose to the top with eleven wrestlers fighting for the individual district champion title.  When the matches were over, seven of Malad’s finest claimed first place, five earning the runner up spot, with two third place finalists qualifying to wrestle at state as well.  As a team, the Dragons dominated on the scoreboard, accumulating 308.5 to win the district title, their 12th title in 13 years.

Not only did Malad lead the district, their team also led the state in the classroom.  Before competing in the district tournament, it was announced that the Malad wrestlers had won the title of Academic State Champions.  Coach Morrisoon said, “As coaches we hope to teach these boys how to be great wrestlers but also to work hard at everything they do. Making their good grades and successes in the classroom a priority.”

There was nothing given to the MHS team as they competed at the state tournament with highly competitive teams from Ririe and Kellogg flooding the brackets.  But as the bouts on the mats played out, it was clear that Malad had brought the most skilled and enduring athletes to the tournament.  Jack Willie, Drake Morrison, and Orri Miller fought their way to the top of their brackets, an impressive result for the MHS team.  Equally impressive, of the 13 MHS athletes at the state tournament, 11 wrestled in the medal rounds.  Their final results led Malad to outscore Ririe in their close race for the top team, securing first place with 211.5 points, the most they have ever scored at the state tournament.

Girls Wrestling

The MHS girls wrestling continued to grow as the program competed in its third year on the mats.  Their new found experience and growth continued to surpass expectations, finding them great success as they competed in meets and tournaments throughout the season.

On their path to the season final state tournament, the Lady Dragons wrestled in the southeast Idaho regional tournament.  There the MHS team showcased an impressive performance, securing a third-place finish out of 26 teams. The competition was fierce, but the Malad lady wrestlers demonstrated grit and determination, with several athletes placing in their respective weight classes.

The Malad girls wrestling team put on a strong performance at the state finals, with three wrestlers, Bella Smith, Cale Carter and Aubrey Shulz, representing the Dragons on the mat. Despite tough competition, the team demonstrated determination and resilience, led by Smith’s impressive 5th-place finish in the 235-pound division. Making her the first Malad Lady Dragon to place in the state finals. 

The Lady Dragon coaching staff commented, “The girls have grown and improved a tremendous amount. As coaches we are so proud of how far they have come. If you were to compare where we were on the first week of practice to their final weekend you wouldn’t even recognize the team. So many have worked through sickness, injuries, and personal challenges to continue to battle it out on the mat both in practice and in competition.”

Girls Basketball

The Lady Dragon basketball team accumulated an impressive record over their 24/25 season, ending 24-2.  Starting the season with a tough loss to Bear Lake on their home court, the MHS team had a high level of excellence they chased throughout the season.  Working to achieve their lofty goals first as district champions, then as state competitors, and finally as state champions, Malad accomplished great things throughout their season.

The Lady Dragons dominated the annual Ririe Bulldog Shootout, winning the tournament for the second year in a row.  The team went undefeated in their district season play, defeating Soda Springs both home and away for the first time in years.  It was a redeeming matchup to host Bear Lake in January of 2025 where they defeated them 44-39.

February saw them accomplish their first goal, claiming the “Champion” title, the first time in 15 years for Malad.  Their path through the district bracket included a physical game against the West Side Pirates in the semi-finals before defeating Soda Springs in the championship game.

Qualifying for the state tournament, the Lady Dragons focused on their next goal- a state tournament.  The MHS team won their opening game 49-31 against North Fremont in a game dominated by defense.  Next, Malad faced the Grangeville Bulldogs, a quick northern Idaho team.  Trailing at half, the Lady Dragons worked to outpace the Bulldogs at the hoop, tallying 21 points in the fourth quarter to win 48-36.

Pitted against the only team that had rivaled their 3A #1 ranking, the Lady Dragons were set to play against the Parma Panthers in the championship game.  Trailing the Panthers for more than three quarters of the game, the MHS team quickly chipped away at the lead in the fourth quarter.  Suddenly, they found themselves ahead, but with only minutes left, Parma inched ahead.   As the clock wound down and Malad’s last minute efforts to connect with the basket were in vain as they fell 55-58.

“It was a heartbreaker, for sure,” shared Head Coach Trevor Jones.  “Winning a state title was our final goal to accomplish this season.”  He continued, “But at the same time, we couldn’t be more proud of what these girls did.  They showed what Dragon basketball is really all about- the fight and desire within them isn’t something you can teach. We tell them the game isn’t over until the last whistle and they played with hope to the very end.

Season records won’t clearly illustrate the season the MHS boys basketball played out over 2025.  While they only tallied 6 wins to 17 losses, the Dragon basketball team worked through one of the toughest schedules throughout the state. Facing a number of the best teams from across Idaho, Malad competed with Declo, Wendell, West Side and Firth- teams that dominated the state tournament.  In most of their games, the Dragons hung right in with their competition until their opponents finally found a way to exploit their weaknesses.  

Commenting on their final game and the end to their season, Head Coach Zach Beutler shared, “We were the youngest program in the district by age and varsity experience.  At times our thin upperclassman depth combined with 9th & 10th graders competed well vs jr and sr laden programs.  We had several coaches express how they admired the fight and skill our boys displayed. We played the best teams in the state and competed well.”

Baseball

Jumping into their season despite the chill of an Idaho spring, the MHS boys baseball team filled the dugouts with a fresh team under the direction of new head coach Jeff Snow.  Focusing on the fundamentals of the game Coach Snow slowly began to help his team make steady improvements to their game around the bases.  

Your 3A State Champion Baseball team.

 Overcoming adversity in the challenging teams they faced played out in the post season tournaments for the Dragons.  Playing a new tournament format, the MHS team first hosted and played through the district games.  Malad swept their three tournament games against Declo and Wendell, twice, to finish their conference contests undefeated against district teams for the 2025 season.  Head Coach Jeff Snow shared how proud he was of his team’s accomplishment to become the 2025 district champion team. 

In their next step of the post season play, Malad hosted the Regional Play-In series Southern Qualifying tournament.  The double elimination tournament featured only three teams including Malad, Parma, and Grangeville, the winner of the tournament moving on to the four team state tournament. 

The Dragons faced Parma in their opening game, winning 3-0 in the defensive battle.  Malad advanced to the semi-final matchup to play against #1 seed Grangeville.  The 10-5 win landed the Dragons in the championship round where they faced Grangeville once again.  The MHS outpaced the Bulldogs, ending the game early as they went up 10-2 in the fifth inning.  Coach Snow couldn’t have been more proud of his team as he commented, “We dominated this tournament all the way around.  Malad should be so proud of these boys!”

The Malad Dragon baseball team went to state as the fourth seed and set to play the #1 Orofino Maniacs.  Surprising their opponents in an 6-3 upset, a game won with a diving catch by Easton Green in left field to keep the loaded bases from scoring, the Dragons advanced to the semi-final game against Nampa Christian.

In another knock down, drag out sort of game, Malad squeaked by with an 11-10 victory, making a comeback after Nampa Christian started out with a 5-0 opening inning.  The comeback win required two things in the final inning- holding the Trojans scoreless for two innings and putting up two MHS runs.  Like it was scripted, the Dragon defense held Nampa Christian scoreless, while Montgomery and Green rushed across two MHS runs.

Now in the championship game against Nampa Christian for their second matchup, it was almost a formality to play out the game.  The Dragons dominated the game from the very first pitch, making their biggest gains in the third inning as they went up by 6 runs to win 8-6.

Reflecting back on the tournament games, Coach Snow couldn’t stop talking about how proud he was of what the team accomplished.  “It was amazing to see the things we preached together all season finally come together in our final games.  After working towards a zero strikeout game, we finally accomplished it in that championship game.”

Softball

It was a softball season to remember as the Lady Dragons finished their season 29-4 and as the state runner up.  What may have seemed like a disappointing season to some was full of highlights, impressive feats, and memorable moments for the MHS softball team.

As the season rounded out, the Lady Dragons played their final regular season game on the new field, an exciting end for the nine seniors that had played together from a young age.  As the undefeated #1 seed of the district tournament, Malad hosted the games.  Unsurprisingly, the MHS dominated the tournament to claim another district title and advance to the state games.

But the state tournament turned out to be anything the Lady Dragons had expected.  Winning their first game against the Firth Cougars 14-4 in the fifth inning, Malad was set to play the North Fremont Huskies.  In the Huskies’ best game of the season, they connected with the pitch in a way they never had against Malad, tallying 7 runs on 12 hits.  The MHS team failed to keep up as they fell 5-7.

Determined to still make it to the championship game, their path now had to go the long way.  Over the following two days, the Lady Dragons took down Declo, Parma, and North Fremont before having their chance at the championship title.

Playing in the pouring rain, Malad and Nampa Christian battled out the intense game that was decided on a single play.  Down 3-5 with one runner on and two outs, senior Teagan Daniels stepped up to the plate, eventually sending a deep fly ball to the left field.  Just before it could sail over the fence for a home run and to tie the game, the Nampa Christian outfielder reached up to catch the fly ball to end the game.

Feeling the disappointment of the loss, especially for so many that had worked and hoped for a different outcome, Coach Adams said,  “This season we went 29-4, outscoring opponents 423 to 70.”  To describe her team she just used one word, “Dominant!”

Track and Field

It was an exciting and unexpected year for the Dragon Track and Field team in 2025.  With new athletes, new interests, and new events, the season included improvements, progress and successes in ways the MHS track coach staff, led by new head coach Caleb William, never would have guessed.

Culminating in the district meet, the Lady Dragons track team won first place with 141 points.  Coach Williams, commented about the win, saying, “Our girls won the team title for the first time since 2002 which is super cool.”  The MHS placed third, the team and individual placing qualifying a total of 21 Malad athletes for the state meet.

Despite the nerves, the less than ideal weather, and the fierce competition, the Dragon competitors brought their best efforts to not only medal but also set nine personal best records were set at the state meet.

Senior Brycen Talbot competed in the 800M race medal in 5th place, setting a PR in his final race.  Gabe Hooste qualified in the javelin in its inaugural year with a throw of 155’ to claim second place.

Boston Burbidge ran a personal best time of 9:42.44 to take third place in the 3200M race and 4:23.77 in the 1600M race for another 3rd place finish. Braun Nalder managed to PR in the pole vault, despite the pouring rain, jumping 13’ for third place, also tying the school record.

Levi Angell had two Top 10 finishes with PRs, taking 8th place in the 3200M, with a 10:20.14, and 9th place in the 800M with a 2:02.46.  Jumping nearly as high as he is tall, Justin Toone set a new personal best in the high jump with a height of 6’.  

Kaycee Venable medaled in each of her individual events, the 300M hurdles with a time of 47.92 for second place as well as 16.93 to earn a fourth place finish in the 100M hurdles.  Jumping 8’6”, Venable took sixth place in the women’s pole vault.

Racing and placing at the state meet for the second year in a row, sophomore Halie Palmer took fifth place in the 200M dash with a time of 26.77.  Joni Beck ran in her fourth and final state track meet, placing sixth as she competed in the 800M race with a time of 2:26.06.

Brielle Bastian ran in the 400M race to place fifth with a time of 1:01.48.  Racing in both the 1600M and 3200M races, Aezlyn Summer easily PRs with fifth place in the 3200M (12:06.99) and eighth place in the 1600M (5:45.88).  Samantha Shrenk competed in the 300M hurdles, placing eighth with time at 53.44.  The women’s team also medaled in each of their team relay events, taking second place in both the 4X400 Relay and the Medley Relay.  

Coach Williams was impressed with the MHS track and field team, sharing, “We took a total of 39 medals home by 18 athletes, with girls taking 3rd overall as a team and boys taking 5th by 0.5 points, breaking 6 school records this year.  It was an amazing meet!”

Cross Country

It was an unprecedented year for the MHS Cross Country team, a year that began long before the season was underway.  Putting in the time and miles to start the season in the best condition, the Dragon racers hit the ground running as the season began. 

Taking the top spots in a number of races as both individuals and teams, Malad’s athletes began to rise to the top of the competition, proving that they belong with the best of the best.  Throughout the season the racers continued to see new personal best times, despite a number of illnesses and injuries.  

Seeing the potential in her athletes, Head Coach Tia Talbot knew they could do great things in the post season meets, they just had to believe in it themselves.  Competing in Soda Springs, the teams went to work to accomplish their first goal- winning the girls and boys district races. 

Aezlyn Summers led the MHS pack in the girls race, finishing second with a time of 20:58.70,  Kaycee Venable following close behind in third place.  Ellie Angell crossed in sixth place, Kallie Talbot in seventh place, and Brielle Bastian in eighth to round out the scoring contributing runners.  With their top five runners placing in the Top 10, it was no surprise that the Lady Dragons were announced as the 2025 champion team.

Malad’s Boston Burbidge outshown the competition as he placed first and claimed the district title with a time of 16:47.11.  Jace Nalder, Levi Angell, and Braun Nalder slipped in the top ten racers to help the team tallied 30 points, 18 points ahead of Soda Springs in second place.

 Qualifying for the state race in the very best way, the MHS team had high hopes that they could do it again, this time against the very best of the state.  

Right on pace in the state meet, Summers came in first for Malad at 19:12.4 for seventh place, Venable and Angell trailing just behind. Brielle Bastian and Kallie Talbot managed to catch several runners ahead of them, with Jenna Talbot and Somerli Nalder rounding out the MHS racers. The Lady Dragons were proudly announced as the 2025 XC State Champions, each of them setting PRs in the undertaking.

In the men’s race, Boston Burbidge and Jace Nalder sprinted their way to the front of the pack, a position they maintained through the course. It was an exciting sight to see Burbidge as he gutted out the final sprint to claim the title of state champion with a time of 15:18.6.  Jace Nalder trailed by 20 seconds to place third with his brother Braun accomplishing an eighth place finish.  With a 16 point lead, the Dragons men’s team was announced as the winners and the 3A State Champions.

For some the championship was a sweet finish to their high school XC career and for some it was the beginning and hope for the future.  For all of Malad, it was history years in the making.

Volleyball

 Going undefeated on their home court for their second season in a row, the Lady Dragons accomplished challenging feats in their 2025 season.  Putting up an impressive 30-11 record, the season featured big achievements, rival victories, and comeback wins.

Their season was plagued early with injury, forcing them to make a number of changes that were only further complicated as the season wore on.  But despite the shuffle, the Lady Dragons battled on and continued to see amazing success on the court.  Taking on some tough teams in various tournaments, Malad had an early look at teams that they could see in the post season tournaments.

Sweeping their district games, including a near perfect set against Wendell where they went 25-2, the Lady Dragons stepped into the state tournament weekend as the #3 seed.  Unfortunately, they faltered in their first game against Melba as they lost in 5 sets.  Playing through the true double elimination tournament, the Lady Dragons still had a chance to play in the championship match, just with far more games on their path.

The Firth Cougars were next on their schedule, a game they quickly won in just three sets.  Their morning win led to an evening match with the Priest River Spartans.  The Spartans were unprepared for the Lady Dragons and their gritty, persistent play, winning again in three.  

On the final day of the competition, Malad faced the scrappyNampa Christian team that contended well with Malad but in the end couldn’t keep pace.  Despite trading the lead back and forth over the three set game, it was the Lady Dragons that claimed the win.  With another win to their record, Malad was scheduled to play in the semi-final game against the loser of the game featuring The Ambrose School and Melba.  Playing out just as the Lady Dragons had hoped, The Ambrose School won the match, landing them in the championship game and pitting Melba against Malad.

The rematch was meaningful for the Lady Dragons, not only for redemption they wanted after their previous loss but also for championship loss they suffered to the Mustangs in 2024.  In an equally tough battle as their previous game, Malad came better prepared to take on the Mustangs.  Ready to go the long haul of five games with the Mustangs, the Lady Dragons dominated set after set to sweep Melba in just three games.

Exhausted, worn out, but still filled with drive, the Lady Dragons stepped to the court to play in the championship match against The Ambrose School.  With two sets to both teams, Malad and Ambrose were sentenced to a tie breaking fifth game.  Playing on reserves, Malad fell into a slump and The Ambrose School went ahead 13-7.  Just as suddenly, the MHS team turned up the heat and began to climb out of their deficit.  

Six crucial kills and three big blocks brought them back into the game to tie the game at 14, and again at 15. The Archers managed a final surge, gaining two quick points to put them up 17-15 to finish the game and claim the title.

The loss was heartbreaking but also a relief for the Lady Dragons that were exhausted and drained.  The final game of the match truly demonstrated their courage, tenacity, and determination, the culmination of everything they worked for and accomplished. 

Football

It was a challenging season for the MHS football team, a strong team full of talent, strength and drive led by a team of coaches that both love the game and their players.  The challenge came with the impressively tough schedule placed ahead of them as they took on the toughest teams of the state, including state runner up Ririe, Declo, West Side, and Aberdeen.  

In the midst of games against such competitive teams that the Dragons just barely faltered to, Malad managed victories against Lyman, Firth and Soda Springs.  While their record might not grasp what the season truly looked like, results, stats, and first hand watching illustrated that the Dragons were no team to be overlooked. 

Looking back over the 2025 season, Coach Price shared, “In the end I am so proud of my players and their performance. This year our team has taken steps forward and it has been through the leadership of our seniors. They have helped to start a new standard that the underclassmen will build upon. I want to thank them for the work they have put in the last 4 years.”

Soccer

The Lady Dragon soccer team had a new look this year with Head Coach Sherry Blasidell taking the reins and adding new coaches to her staff.  The switchover as well as new players brought a little life to the team that had their best season in several years.  Playing up against teams of 4A/5A schools forced the MHS team to play at a whole new level, and while they faltered in many instances, their coaches, fans, and even opponents were impressed with the level of skill they played at.

The season highlighted wins against Aberdeen, Firth, and Snake River as well as close matches with American Falls where they trailed by just one point.  The season also featured a night game held on the football field played under the lights in an unforgettable night of soccer.

The team went 1-2 through the district tournament games, a disappointing defeat after hanging in with the top teams throughout the season.  Already the MHS soccer team is looking ahead to next year after seeing what growth and progress they had made in the 2025 season.  Coach Blaisdell exclaimed, “We are excited to come back strong next year!”