Curt Synness

Helena

Sports Columnist at Helena Independent Record

Freelance sports writer, local veterans column, human interest stories, local area sports historian and statistician.

Articles

Bengals edge Bruins in back-and-forth crosstown game

1 month ago | helenair.com | Curt Synness

In a topsy-turvy Western AA boys basketball tilt in the Bears’ Den on Saturday, Helena High came out on top over Capital in the season’s first crosstown match, 49-43. The game featured 10 lead changes and five ties, with the largest margin of the night being just seven points. The Bruins held narrow leads at the end of every quarter: 11-10 after the first, 23-20 at halftime, and 34-33 heading into the final frame.
Kloker, Pickens spark Bengals' 1st crosstown win in 5 years

1 month ago | helenair.com | Curt Synness

“We survived.”No, that’s not Gloria Gaynor singing her 1978 hit song. It’s Helena High girls basketball coach Eric Peterson’s initial comment after his team’s 46-39 win over Capital in the season’s first crosstown game. Helena fell behind by five early on in the Western AA tilt in the Bears’ Den, and trailed by three after the first quarter. Then the worm turned, and the Lady Bengals outscored Capital 15-4 in the second and took a 22-14 lead into halftime.
Helena's Benson headed to Montana State

1 month ago | helenair.com | Curt Synness

Chase Benson, one of Helena High’s most imposing modern-day football players, has committed to play for the Montana State University Bobcats. Benson, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive lineman, is a rare three-time all-stater, making honorable mention as a sophomore and first team his final two seasons.
Curt's Replays: Pat Racicot among Carroll’s greatest grid defenders

Oct 3, 2024 | helenair.com | Curt Synness

HELENA — Fifty years ago, Carroll College gridder Pat Racicot completed one of the finest seasons ever achieved by a Saints defensive end in the fall of 1974. In the midst of his three All-Frontier Conference selections, Racicot finished his junior year on the Hilltop with school records of 19 quarterback sacks and 22 QB hurries (in only 8 games). At the time, both marks were believed to be national records.
Curt's Replays: Pat Racicot among Carroll’s greatest grid defenders

Oct 3, 2024 | 406mtsports.com | Curt Synness

HELENA — Fifty years ago, Carroll College gridder Pat Racicot completed one of the finest seasons ever achieved by a Saints defensive end in the fall of 1974. In the midst of his three All-Frontier Conference selections, Racicot finished his junior year on the Hilltop with school records of 19 quarterback sacks and 22 QB hurries (in only 8 games). At the time, both marks were believed to be national records.
Sidelines with Synness: Karen Boyd, Taryn Gilliam capture State O-Mok-See titles

Sep 23, 2024 | 406mtsports.com | Curt Synness

Local (Helena) equine riders Karen Boyd and Taryn Gilliam recently won State High-Points titles at the 77th annual Montana Saddle Club Association O-Mok-See Championships. MSCA District 2, composed of members from Helena Trail Riders, Helena Valley Blues, Western Valley Wind Riders, Anaconda Saddle Club and host Helena Trail Riders, entered 83 riders to compete against 252 other statewide riders in patterned horse races at Lewis & Clark Fairgrounds over Labor Day weekend.
It happened when… Latest August Trail Race, 2004 Soccer, 1979 Football

Sep 10, 2024 | 406mtsports.com | Curt Synness

It happened three weeks ago, when Milo Kauffman and Nicole Murray captured the annual August Trail Race championships. Kauffman, at 15 years of age, led a charge of “Young Guns” to victory against a field of 119 other males, traversing the 5K course near Spring Meadow Lake in a time of 16:07.1, while crushing the race record by a whopping 55 seconds.
It happened when… Latest August Trail Race, 2004 Soccer, 1979 Football

Sep 10, 2024 | helenair.com | Curt Synness

It happened three weeks ago, when Milo Kauffman and Nicole Murray captured the annual August Trail Race championships. Kauffman, at 15 years of age, led a charge of “Young Guns” to victory against a field of 119 other males, traversing the 5K course near Spring Meadow Lake in a time of 16:07.1, while crushing the race record by a whopping 55 seconds.
Sidelines with Synness: McGowans pace O-Mok-See riders, Phillips wins Montana Women’s Triathlon

Aug 26, 2024 | 406mtsports.com | Curt Synness

Four Montana Saddle Club Association District 2 riders recently placed in the High Points top-10 standings at the 2024 National Saddle Club Association O-Mok-See Championships in Craig, Colorado. One of the club’s oldest horsemen, Bill McGowan, 71, crushed it in 40-plus mens, earning No. 3 in high points, by virtue of six top-5 placings, including championships in pole bending and 360-8 race.
Hebgen Lake quake: Helena’s Sandiland, Hurley families avoided 1959’s 'The Night the Mountain Fell'

Aug 17, 2024 | helenair.com | Curt Synness

Sixty-five years ago, on the morning of Aug. 17, 1959, a discussion took place between Lloyd and Amy Sandiland of Helena. The Sandilands were camping in Madison River Canyon, several miles downstream from Hebgen Lake, with their three children. The couple were deliberating whether to stay another night at their campsite on the Madison, or to relocate to Wade Lake, which was about 12 miles away. Mrs.