3 on 3 Classic set for February 19th
The Great Falls Chargers 3 on 3 Basketball Classic is set for Sunday, February 19th, at Swarthout Fieldhouse, on the Great Falls High School campus.
The Basketball Classic is open to Girls' and Boys' teams in grades 3-8. Entry Fee is $60. An entry form is available here. Entry deadline is February 14th.
For further information call 781-8586 or email tknowles1@bresnan.net.
Napierala named new manager
Chris Napierala has been named to lead the Great Falls Chargers, the city's Class AA American Legion baseball team. He succeeds Aaron Johnson, who in six years overall as manager of the Electrics and Chargers accumulated a record 209-163.
The announcement came from Todd Knowles, Chargers board president, Thursday morning.
"Chris has a wealth of knowledge and experience through coaching a variety of sports," said Knowles. "He's especially passionate about baseball."
Napierala, 47, is a 1983 graduate of C.M. Russell High who played Legion ball for the Chargers. He also played baseball at Concordia University in Moorhead, Minn. The Great Falls High health-enhancement instructor has worked the last few years with the combined Chargers, and before that the Electrics.
Napierala was named Class A Manager of the Year in 2010 after leading the Electrics, a Chargers' feeder team, to the state championship game. The Electrics finished 60-16 that year.
Napierala, who served as Johnson's top assistant on the Chargers last summer, was selected from a pool of four finalists for the job.
"Now I've got to hit the ground running," Napierala said. "I need to get my coaching staff assembled. I plan to surround myself with as good a group as I possibly can. I won't be a micromanager, but I need to hire people I can trust."
Napierala 's son Cayden, 17, is a senior at GFH and will be a returning veteran for the Chargers. Cayden's sister, Rennie, is a sophomore swimmer and cross country runner for the Bison.
"I'm hoping we can be as successful as some of the other top programs in the state," Napierala said. "Aaron built a great foundation and I'd like to pick up where he left off."
Napierala said he will be an aggressive manager.
"We'll try to get guys in scoring position," he said. "I'm big on situational hitting. We'll do a lot of bunting and running. I think we'll have decent speed this year."
Many regulars from last summer's 35-23 Chargers' team have exhausted their Legion baseball eligibility.
"We'll be a little young, but we have some good talent coming up," Napierala said. "I've seen it on both sides of the river. I'm excited about it."
Napierala was a head basketball coach in Frazer before joining the Great Falls school system in 1988. Since then he's been an assistant coach in the GFH softball, boys' basketball, track and football programs.
"I'm a pretty intense coach," he said. "We'll be focused on the fundamentals. I want kids to execute the right way, plus I want them to understand that hard work and commitment pay off.
A heartfelt thank-you
On behalf of the Great Falls American Legion Baseball Board of Directors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the success of our program this year.
Our program had 56 young men ages 13-19 on four teams. With the success from the previous year, we added a Babe Ruth team, the Sparkies, to help develop younger players. The Sparkies regularly played against much older teams, and were able to win a game at the State Tournament.
The Stallions, composed of primarily 15-16 year olds, showed tremendous improvement over 2010, increasing their win total by more than 20 games. They also won the Lewistown Round Robin Tournament, finished second at the Deer Lodge Tournament, and finished 4th at the Titan Wood Bat Tournament in Spokane.
The Electrics had another outstanding season. They finished with a record of 55-12, winning the Aaron’s tournament in Billings, the Jon Taft Memorial Tournament in Great Falls, and the Northern District Tournament. The Electrics went a perfect 25-0 in the conference season, and finished 3rd at the State Tournament.
The Chargers finished with an overall record of 36-25, which included a win at the Vauxhall Baseball Academy Tournament, which no team had won other than Vauxhall since its inception. The Chargers finished 2nd with a 14-6 conference record, qualifying for the State Tournament for the second consecutive year.
To our sponsors, without whom we could not have had the financial backing to run a successful program, our volunteers, and all who participated in our fundraising activities, including the 30 Guns in 30 days raffle, the Chargers Dance/Auction, the 3 on 3 Basketball Classic, and the Marathon Game, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for your support.
See you next season!
Todd Knowles
President, Great Falls American Legion Baseball Board of Directors
