Syracuse and Box Elder high schools each drew No 6 seeds in their respective 6A and 5A boys volleyball state tournament brackets First-round matches are played at home sites Monday Both tournaments conclude with second-round and quarterfinals matches on May 9 Below are schedules and matchups for Northern Utah teams. Full brackets can be viewed online at uhsaa.org/tournaments Quarterfinal matches follow at noon and 1:30 p.m Quarterfinal matches follow at 6:30 and 8 p.m LLC | www.standard.net | 332 Standard Way Utah (KUTV) — UPDATE: The Utah Department of Public Safety on Wednesday identified the victim in the crash as Janet Hawks The original report from Tuesday continues below A 77-year-old woman is dead and another driver suffered critical injuries after a wrong-way crash on I-15 in Box Elder County The Utah Department of Public Safety reported the Tuesday crash happened around 11:45 a.m when a gray Ford Focus was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes just north of Exit 377 A white Toyota 4Runner traveling northbound struck the Ford Focus head-on The impact sent both vehicles into the median and against the cable barrier A witness reported possibly seeing the Ford Focus make a U-turn from the northbound on-ramp to head southbound immediately before the collision The 77-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Ford Focus died in the crash The woman driving the 4Runner was transported to the local hospital she was ultimately transported to another hospital by medical helicopter The nature and extent of those injuries were not shared as of the update time on this report All northbound traffic was diverted at Exit 377 while emergency crews worked the scene The Utah Department of Public Safety stated the investigation is ongoing as to why the driver allegedly made a U-turn on a freeway DPS' statement didn't say whether investigators believed any sort of impairment age or a medical incident possibly played a part in the crash The wrong-way driver was not publicly identified No additional information was shared as of this article's update time Matthew Jacobson reported from Salt Lake City Get 4 Weeks of Farm and Dairy Home DeliveredSign Up for your FREE Trial I’ve worked in the environmental field for over a decade and throughout my time surveying trees and encouraging people to plant trees I’ve heard person after person dismiss the boxelder while others even label it a “garbage tree.” But let’s not dismiss this wonderful underdog This scrappy tree holds many benefits like its fast growth and short lifespan how it holds onto its samaras and its ability to grow in diverse environments a rap or punk song or a biography for James Dean (all are true) but it could also serve as the motto for the boxelder This characteristic makes it an unappealing yard tree to most people but these characteristics make it a wonderful resource for stream health The boxelder is an early successional species meaning it grows quickly and can adapt to the harsher conditions of bare Without having vegetation on a stream’s edge or on disturbed soil Getting roots down fast after disturbing the land around streams Boxelders can grow 1 inch in diameter at breast-height a year making it a great resource when restoring streams or wetlands Fast-growing trees and shrubs like willows and dogwoods are commonly used to help stabilize and protect the land from erosion and shade out sun-loving invasive species from establishing Those species can have branches cut and staked directly into the ground Adding boxelder to the mix can require a bit more time what if the goal of a restoration project is to establish slower-growing large species like sycamores or oaks the short lifespan of the boxelder is a bonus If boxelders are planted in a grid-like fashion among other trees in a stream or wetland restoration site they create gaps in the canopy where other slower-growing species of trees can access more sun and grow Boxelders fill an odd niche in evolving landscapes that most other trees can’t The boxelder’s average life span is roughly 70 years but not when it’s compared to the 300-year lifespan of sugar maples and sycamores or 400+ of white oaks old habitats die and we head off in odd new directions birds and insects thrive when the boxelder starts to deteriorate Cavity nesters like flying squirrels and birds make nests in the holes left from falling branches raccoons and insectivores love to feast on the insects that move into the tree’s rotting wood the boxelder provides for a vast ecosystem also adds organic material to the forest floor creating healthier soil in a shorter timeline Another benefit that makes the boxelder a species to consider planting is its samaras they grow the iconic helicopter seed pods (samaras) Boxelder samaras are smaller in weight to those of other maples is that they make a large quantity and hold onto them throughout the winter and into the spring this species’ seeds persist and provide much needed secondary food source for wildlife when other trees are bare the boxelder makes due in many habitats: lowland floodplains They are a generalist that can serve as a food source for many generalist species throughout many habitats feed the hungry and give back to the Earth They are a bit of a rebel or a shooting star living hard and leaving a gap after they are gone Let us mix them into our buffers around streams use them to shade out Phragmites or invasives in wetlands or add a few to a newer woodlot forests and wildlife by planting boxelders that will make room for what’s to come and website in this browser for the next time I comment Note: This story has been updated to add a video and for a correction: Box Elder's Jeremy MacDonald has coached four state championship teams Tim Henry was the coach for the team's first in 1990 BUTTE – The Box Elder boys’ basketball team had 51 straight wins under its belt entering Saturday night needing one more to achieve Montana prep sports immortality The Bears needed to get through a familiar foe to get to 52: Manhattan Christian a championship program making its seventh state title game appearance since 2017 Box Elder captured its second straight state title holding off the Eagles 65-60 in a rematch edition of the Class C state championship game at the Butte Civic Center “I’m kind of relieved mostly,” All-State senior Tracen Jilot said “We had this mission from the start and we knew we could do it but we had to work hard every day and push each other I’m really glad we got it done and I’m just relieved Senior Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette led all scorers with 26 points hitting 11 of 16 attempts from the field while adding four steals defensively The North Country girls completed the Class C three-peat holding off Roy-Winifred 53-47 in a thriller in the early title round The win earned the Bears their fifth state title in program history - the fourth under head coach Jeremy MacDonald - and the eighth in hoops for the school overall The Scobey boys snagged third place with a 59-35 win over Fort Benton while the Melstone girls earned third place with a 51-25 victory over Scobey Bram Handran led the Scobey boys with 17 points while Kolton Machart dropped 14 points and Cooper Axtman and John Carney put up 10 and 9 points Kellan Diekhans paced the Longhorns against Scobey with an 11-point while Isaiah Smith poured in 10 points and Kelton Vielluex added 7 Box Elder trailed by as many as nine in the first half before rallying to take the lead at the break on a Tayshaun Seaton 3-pointer Jilot started off with just four points in the first half with only one field goal but caught fire in the third with 11 points The star guard hit a pair of 3-pointers and drew a foul with less than a second remaining in the frame Manhattan Christian cut it to a 3-point game late behind a huge quarter from senior Christian Triemstra Jilot played the closer as he hit 3 of 4 from the foul line on top of a bucket in the final stretch “I’m really going to miss coaching Tracen,” MacDonald said “He makes me look like a better basketball coach He’s one of the most talented basketball players I’ve seen He kind of struggled offensively tonight but he got going for a little spurt there and our boys stepped up and did enough to close it out.” Stiffarm-Rosette rounded out his gem with 9 of the Bears’ first 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter starting off with a 3-pointer on top of three baskets in the post and big-time players step up in big-time games,” MacDonald said “(In the semifinals) it was Dreyden (Anderson) The Eagles took a 13-8 lead after one quarter before leading by as many as nine in the second Following Andrew Kimm’s second bucket of the frame Stiffarm-Rosette kicked off an 8-0 Bears’ run with six straight points before Timothy Rosette III took a steal all the way for a bucket Dreyden Anderson again made it a one-point game with a drive late in the half before Tayshaun Seaton hit a corner 3 with less than 10 seconds to go to put Box Elder up 25-23 at the break Triemstra paced Manhattan Christian with 23 points as he shot 50% from the field while Kimm added eight points and 13 boards and Jack Scott kicked in 10 points whom Box Elder beat 68-64 in a championship thriller last season “We knew (Manhattan Christian) Coach (Layne) Glaus would have them ready,” MacDonald said “He had them working in the gym the day after last year’s game getting ready for this a championship program and one of the best in the state they took it to us at the beginning of the game We answered the bell to close out that first half The core group of Box Elder finishes with three state titles overall also going undefeated in the fall for a Six-Man state championship game Stiffarm-Rosette and Alex Four Colors all contributing heavily in both sports It means the world to win it with them and go out on top.” North Country girls win third straight titleThe Mavericks made it three in a row as they held off an upset-minded Roy-Winifred squad in a rematch of last year’s title round North Country (Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale) led by 10 heading into the fourth quarter but the Red Raiders cut it to three twice first on a Hannah Ewen 3-pointer and a Kinzlee Wickens score off a stolen inbound with 30 seconds to play the Mavericks held Roy-Winifred scoreless for the remainder and guard Shelbi LaBrie hit 3 of 4 foul shots down the stretch to seal the deal The Mavericks built a 10-point lead heading into the final frame with LaBrie completing a 3-point play off a fast-break and Bailee McColly tallying two scores inside to lead a 9-0 run out of the half Gracie Wasson added a 3-pointer in the third as North Country outscored the Red Raiders 19-6 in the third stanza The Red Raiders built a first-quarter lead before the Mavericks cut it to 19-16 at the end of one Roy-Winifred took a 28-23 lead at the half as it hit 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc with Hannah Ewen sinking 2 out of 3 and Lyla Ewen leading the charge with 11 points Saturday’s matchup was the fourth appearance overall in the last four years in the Class C championship game for North Country and Roy-Winifred’s fifth time since 2019 making it to the final round — winning it all in 2022 and earning co-champion status with Belt in the COVID-shortened 2020 tourney BUTTE — Box Elder comes at you in surges and waves Usually it's star guards Tracen Jilot and Dreyden Anderson providing the spark the Bears got a standout effort from another source to claim their second consecutive championship Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette scored a game-high 26 points and picked up much of the slack to keep his team in a back-and-forth game as Box Elder escaped Manhattan Christian 65-60 to win the Class C boys basketball championship in front of a huge crowd at the Civic Center The Bears finished their season a perfect 26-0 In a battle between programs that are no strangers to state title games Box Elder overcame a first-half deficit to claim the program's fifth crown and beat the Eagles for the second straight year "I feel like I'm on top of the world right now," said Stiffarm-Rosette "We've worked so hard to come to this moment especially two times in the last two years." fought through some early struggles to finish with 21 points But Manhattan Christian got the upper hand early.  The teams each had only one field goal four minutes into the game until the Eagles broke out to take a 13-6 advantage after a Jack Scott 3-pointer A driving layup later by Scott gave Christian a 17-8 lead early in the second quarter but a running dunk by Jilot and a blocked shot by Anderson on the other end gave the Bears a lift A corner 3 by the Bears’ Tayshaun Seaton with time winding down put Box Elder ahead 25-23 at halftime In the third quarter the lead went back and forth the second coming with 20 seconds on the clock gave the Bears a little separation with a five-point lead Jilot then heaved a desperation 3 at the buzzer at the end of the third but was hammered — the fourth foul on the Eagles’ Christian Triemstra Jilot then made all three foul shots for an eight-point lead entering the fourth A dunk by Isaac Hoekema started the fourth for Manhattan Christian but Stiffarm-Rosette got a 3-point shot to bounce off the rim and in to keep momentum on the Bears’ side Jilot later had a big blocked shot on the 6-foot-8 Hoekema which was one of the more impressive plays of the night He makes me look like a better basketball coach," said Bears coach Jeremy MacDonald "He's one of the most talented basketball players I've ever seen "He kind of struggled a little bit offensively tonight and then our boys stepped up and did enough to close it out." A Triemstra 3 from the corner with 4:15 remaining in the game pulled the Eagles within 54-49 and a Triemstra drive and hoop with his left hand later kept it a five-point game Triemstra followed with another 3 to make it 58-54 in favor of Box Elder with 2:50 remaining Hoekema converted a three-point play to trip Box Elder’s lead to 60-57 with 2:20 on the clock A spinning shot by Jilot with 1:32 left got it back to five points The Bears then stole the ball on consecutive Manhattan Christian possessions the second of which came with less than a minute on the clock Jilot made 3 of 4 foul shots to put it away Manhattan Christian fought foul trouble for much of the game with both Triemstra and Hoekema playing careful "They're a talented group," Eagles coach Layne Glaus said of the Bears because we had two guys out there that were worried about getting a foul Triemstra finished with 23 points to lead the Eagles Scobey beat Fort Benton 59-35 led by Bram Handran's 17 points and 10 rebounds The Spartans finished the year with a 26-1 record which got a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds from Kellan Diekhans Here are some of our most read articles that might interest you Utah (KUTV) — Traffic has been slowed on northbound lanes of Interstate 15 in Box Elder County after a semi slammed into the back of a farm tractor driving on the shoulder about two miles north of the I-84 interchange Cameron Roden from the Utah Highway Patrol said a farm tractor was driving on the right shoulder of the interstate but partially blocking the right lane As the semi approached the tractor from behind the driver tried to swerve but struck the back of the trailer The force of the impact separated the cab from the rest of the truck It was not clear if the tractor was working in the shoulder or using the interstate to get to the driver's destination Officials said debris was scattered all over the roadway and forced the interstate closed until one lane could be cleared The left lane on the northbound side of I-15 was closed while crews worked to clear the rest of the semi Officials expected the road would reopen around 4 p.m For the Standard-ExaminerBox Elder's boys wrestling team poses for a photo after finishing second at the 5A state boys wrestling tournament on Wednesday BRIGHAM CITY — The Box Elder boys wrestling team ended its 2025 campaign as the 5A state runner-up A continuing dispute over the disqualification of a Spanish Fork boys wrestler at the 5A state championships in February now has Box Elder preparing for legal action against the UHSAA 24 letter addressed to UHSAA legal counsel Mark Van Wagoner Box Elder contends the reversed disqualification of Spanish Fork senior Cahill Simons when Box Elder senior Bostyn Tucker sustained a bite mark on his left forearm during the final moments of the 138-pound semifinal round on Feb Tucker won the semifinal by technical fall moving on to meet Wasatch’s Daxton Bonner in the title round; Simons later returned to the tournament following what Box Elder considers an improper drafted by Salt Lake City-based attorney Taylor Hadfield outlines the following evidence supporting the school’s argument against the UHSAA’s reversal: Courtesy of Box Elder High SchoolA cell phone photo captured by the Box Elder boys wrestling coaching staff reveals a bite impression on Bees senior Bostyn Tucker's left forearm during the 138-pound semifinal match on Tuesday • A visible bite mark on Tucker’s left forearm was revealed to Bees head coach Jed Craner and his staff following Tucker’s technical fall win Craner said that Tucker received an “unnecessary roughness penalty” while performing a mat return a move forcefully restraining an opponent to the mat earlier in the match; Craner said both wrestlers shook hands following Tucker’s win UHSAA tournament head official Brady Cottam disqualified Simons and stripped Spanish Fork of 12 total points – nine points earned by Simons and three more for the penalty included under the NFHS wrestling rulebook’s definition of “flagrant misconduct” and grounds for disqualification and elimination from competition • Upon arriving in Orem for the finals on Feb inform Craner and the Bees staff that Tucker after reviewing video of the semifinal match “did not react adversely” when the bite occurred and that Simons’ disqualification would be reversed and his 12 points restored The official results of the 5A tournament show Simons returning to the 138-pound bracket but medically forfeiting his remaining matches with Olympus’ Pace Williams and Timpview’s Enoc Oteo Torgenson in the consolation rounds as he said no one is reported for medically forfeiting for a concussion,” Craner said so they put his (12) points back on the board we’re confused and we start hearing rumors that Spanish Fork had got a lawyer and threatened (the) UHSAA.” A phone conversation between Hadfield and Van Wagoner revealed that an attorney on behalf of Spanish Fork personally contacted Van Wagoner pursuing a reversal of the Simons’ disqualification following the semifinal round upon hearing of potential pressures handed down by Spanish Fork consulted tournament officials and was assured that no outside voices influenced the decision to reverse Simons’ disqualification you understand that would cause my confidence here to be shaken in the system if that were true,” Craner said UHSAA assistant director Jeff Cluff told said he was unaware of any legal discussions by either school and declined to discuss the matter further who oversees wrestling for the association also declined to comment further on Box Elder’s dispute Box Elder further argued in its letter that the UHSAA ignored its policy prohibiting players or coaches from appealing an ejection The NFHS wrestling rulebook also doesn’t contain any such policy or guidelines for overruling a disqualified wrestler Craner cited a Zoom meeting with multiple UHSAA representatives, including Van Wagoner and Hadfield, where a document entitled “Bite Identification Protocol,” was provided to Box Elder as the means for reversal of Simons’ disqualification “They said they’d been using this document for the last 10 years for their officials,” Craner said “I’d never heard of it and I’ve been coaching for close to 10 years I’ve asked some other coaches around if they’d seen that before and they said no… It looked like it’d been whipped up in two seconds on a Google Doc.” The official results of the 5A tournament declared Spanish Fork (331.0) as the state champion finishing 11.5 points better than Box Elder (319.5) as a team The 12 points restored to Spanish Fork were enough to decide the state champion including the UHSAA publicly declaring Box Elder as the “rightful state champion” in what the school considers accountability for reversing Simons’ disqualification and the 12 points tied with his eligibility “I keep telling people I just don’t want this to happen to us again or anybody else,” Craner said and with those (12) points off the board we win by half a point… Our guys worked they’ve set goals and all these things and to come up short like this is really sad.” Box Elder and the UHSAA last discussed the matter in mid-March when the school received the above bite protocol as reason for the disputed decision to return Spanish Fork’s wrestler and the 12 points to the team’s score Box Elder is currently considering its options as the current academic calendar veers toward summer break Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker That's the record for the Box Elder Bears boys basketball team over the past two seasons as the Bears capped off back-to-back unbeaten seasons with a repeat Class C championship 65-60 over Manhattan Christian this past Saturday night in Butte "I felt really relieved that we finally accomplished it," senior Tracen Jilot said at Box Elder High School on Tuesday like that was our biggest goal at the start of the year Just all the hard work paid off in the end." happiness," senior Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette said It's one of the greatest feelings in the world." "I just felt on top of the world and untouchable really," senior Alex Four Colors said it's like an unreal feeling," senior Dreyden Anderson said Four Colors and Anderson are four athletes who just know how to win Those three haven't seen a loss in football — with the Bears going unbeaten to win the 6-Man state championship this last season — and basketball combined dating back to last November Head coach Jeremy MacDonald — who almost stepped away as coach following last winter — has such high praise for the four seniors and said it was a blessing to be able to finish the journey with them "I can't say enough great things about them," MacDonald said make history by becoming the first boys team to go back-to-back in the school's history Finishing on top once again was something the four seniors all said they knew they wanted to do as they wrapped up their high school tenures and you always dream big and you want to win four we leave it and inspire the younger generation," Stiffarm-Rosette said we got a lot of people who believed in us," Four Colors said just leave it all out on the court," Anderson said Box Elder needs five more wins starting next year to match the longest winning streak in Montana boys basketball history There was an explosion at the Northrop Grumman facility (Photo: Box Elder County Sheriff's Office) Utah (KUTV) — A large blast at Northrop Grumman blew the walls off a building at the aerospace and defense company's Box Elder County complex Rocket motors for space and missiles are made and tested at the Utah facility Deputy Keith Palmer with the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office said the explosion happened at around 7:38 a.m Drone video from the scene showed the site where the building blew Photo from the scene showed scraps of metal that used to be the buildings frame Box Elder County Fire Marshal Kevin Lloyd said three people were inside at the time No information was released about the cause of the explosion Two local officials said Northrop Grumman asked them not to give any updates on the blast which may now have triggered a federal investigation Angie Nelson was home at the time and felt the blast - around 10 miles away in Thatcher My daughter and I were getting ready for school and it was a big boom and a little shake," Nelson said "We ran out the front door to see what it was It kind of felt like something ran into our porch." She said it ended as quickly as it started where everything shook for a couple of seconds,” Nelson said Nelson was concerned about what the explosion might have shot into the air KUTV attempted to contact a Northrop Grumman spokesperson and sent several questions - what work was done inside the building Despite the blast and the potentially-explosive work done at the facility Nelson did not have major concerns about living relatively close to the plant we've been over there to watch a rocket test a couple of years ago," Packard said adding the company has kept her "informed" and given notices when the booming tests happen there were hints of a possible information blackout after the explosion and fire Members of the public were asked to avoid the area ROY — James Cochran drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch and scored the winning run on a Cache Summers single to lead Roy High baseball to a walk-off Connor Robinson batted 2 for 3 for Roy (9-9 Jace Barela hit a single and earned the win on the mound with two hits four walks and two strikeouts in three innings Judd Howells batted 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI for Box Elder (4-13 Kellen Kohler hit two singles and Greyson Burt added an RBI single MORGAN — With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Luke Bauerle hit a double to drive in Kanyon Lionelli and Elliott Larsen to lead Morgan to a walk-off win over Grantsville (10-9 Lincoln Gilson batted 2 for 3 with a double for Morgan (16-6 Tyson Talbot hit a single in the seventh inning and was replaced by pinch runner Larsen one walk and two strikeouts in three innings of relief OGDEN — Ogden scored in all five innings in a run-rule win at Ben Lomond Kash Thompson batted 4 for 4 with a double and three RBIs for Ogden (4-18 Denver Rhodes went 3 for 3 with a double and drove in two Lucas Bushell and Rodrigo Torres each hit two singles Torres pitched a complete game with four hits three earned runs and seven strikeouts in the win Kale Ha’o batted 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs for Ben Lomond (1-15 Koban Moyes and Kai Langston each hit an RBI single FARMINGTON — Fremont scored six runs across the sixth and seventh innings to turn a 12-11 game into an 18-11 lead then snuffed out a Farmington rally for a region road win Jessica Broadbent batted 2 for 5 with a double and drove in seven for Fremont (8-11 Savannah Palmatier went 3 for 6 with a double Brooklyn Himelright and Aly Tobias each hit two singles and drove in two Brooklyn Wright batted 4 for 4 with a home run a double and four RBIs for Farmington (9-7 Lola Ogzewalla went 4 for 4 and drove in two LAYTON — Layton scored seven runs in the second inning to take an 8-4 lead and held off a Weber seventh-inning rally for the Lancers’ first region win two doubles and three RBIs for Layton (2-14 Nora Morrow and Ryleigh Newey each batted 4 for 4 and drove in two Serenity Overton hit a double and a single and drove in one Macie Clark and Kinsie Harper each hit an RBI single Himle gave up five earned runs and 10 hits while striking out seven in a complete-game win Kaitlyn Tolman hit a double and a single with one RBI Jade Kulpa hit a two-run single while Raegan Blaisdell and Hailey Merrill each hit an RBI single TAYLOR — After Clearfield took a 1-0 lead in the first inning West Field scored two runs in the second and one in the third in a home win Ayzlee Sessions batted 2 for 3 for West Field (12-4) Brinklee Hadley hit a two-run single and Brylee Leatherwood added an RBI single Ella Doxey and Ellie Koford each had a hit Hadley got the win in a complete game with five hits Alexandra Bingham hit an RBI single for Clearfield (11-6) Emma Dishongh and Lilly Lara each hit a single BRIGHAM CITY — Box Elder jumped out to a 9-0 lead after one inning in a five-inning home win over Mountain Crest Brooke Richards hit a three-run homer for Box Elder (21-3) Lucy Braegger and Kennadie Blackmer each hit a two-run double Kailee Hall hit an RBI double and Maclee WIllard added a double Braegger pitched a complete game with four hits 4-5 Region 5) scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a walk-off win over Bonneville Marley Chournos batted 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs for Bonneville (6-12 Ellee Summers hit a two-run single and Samantha Mills added an RBI single CLEARFIELD — Colby Frokjer kept a clean sheet as Roy grabbed a shutout region win at Clearfield (3-9 Danny Bugarin had a goal and an assist for Roy (8-6 PLEASANT VIEW — Weber won a marathon match at home over Layton Dallin Hurd tallied 18 digs and Jake Ahlmer dished out 20 assists LAYTON — Rachel Lee netted four goals to lead Clearfield to a region win over Northridge on Wednesday Sophia Miner and Jenika Wagstaff each scored three times for Clearfield (8-6 Ella McFaden scored twice and had one assist for Northridge (3-8 ROY — Taylee Zamora scored three goals but Roy took a home loss to Bountiful (4-5 Kyrie Hull and Anna Fisher each added two goals for the Royals (3-7 CLEARFIELD — Four hits and three runs are all Box Elder’s Lucy Braegger spared during Tuesday’s 11-3 series winner at Clearfield and the right-hander can expect a bit of overtime as the Bees chase a region pennant in the weeks ahead 8-1 Region 5) remain shielded region-wise following a two-game sweep of the Falcons (9-6 but not without the abrupt loss of sophomore Kennadie Blackmer (7-2) before the first pitch Blackmer sustained an apparent foot injury during a Monday sophomore game and is out of the rotation for “a couple of weeks,” according to Box Elder coach Brian Merrill Blackmer served up her fourth one-hit outing in a 5-0 shutout over Clearfield last Friday and they’re really like a (No.) 1 and a 1.0,” Merrill said of Braegger and Blackmer we’ve got (Blackmer) in a boot right now so that could be hard on Lucy She’s going to have to step up and carry a lot of the way.” A first-inning grand slam by Maclee Willard and five Clearfield errors set the stage for Box Elder’s third consecutive win Tuesday recording her ninth appearance with four or fewer hits allowed closed the final four frames with no runs allowed 1 RBI) stirred the pot early for a 10-3 lead on Clearfield’s Jenna Lloyd (7.0 IP The Falcons’ only answers came via Lyla Leonhardt and Skylar Davis in the first; Lilly Lara bunted into an error by Madeline Jeppsen in the third scoring Leonhardt clear from first base on the same error Braegger and the Bees held Clearfield hostage the rest of the way “I think our defense showed up,” Braegger said “We’ve had two big losses but I feel like we’ve learned from them and came back stronger … Thursday’s match will be real tough and it’ll be a good showing how we learn from our mistakes.” Two wins over testy Clearfield certainly bolster Box Elder’s case with nine games to go but Blackmer’s absence will be inevitably felt by Braegger senior Brooklei Merrill and sophomore Ashtyn Pingree with an April slate including the likes of Bountiful Box Elder welcomes in region frontrunner Bountiful and ace Ella Miller (1.66 ERA) as the Bees look to even the season series The Redhawks narrowly escaped Box Elder at home 2-1 in nine innings on March 28 While the matchup in the circle is yet to be decided “(Braegger)’s really good at bouncing back and keeping her emotions in control,” Blackmer said … We always want the mound for ourselves but we know that if we don’t get the mound that day we’re being our biggest cheerleader for that person.” outside of softball and volleyball at Box Elder grew up playing competitive softball together in and around Brigham City The ace combo made their first run at state last spring helping the Bees make it just two games shy of the 5A state championship brings her relief in more ways than innings pitched “Something I’ve learned is we’ll always have our ups and downs but we can use each other up from those,” Braegger said Brian Merrill and the Bees anticipate a full staff come postseason time but the sixth-year coach said this new stress test of his pitching staff comes with the territory of late-season softball “They have to kind of trust each other,” Merrill said we just put our trust in them and know when they go out there they’re going to do their job Clearfield’s a great team and being forced because of the rain to play them on back-to-back days it was just good to get through there and not take a loss.” Box Elder and Bountiful are set to meet at 3:30 p.m Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker @standard.net and X @ctbecker BUTTE — It was a game of punch/counterpunch between unbeaten heavyweights Box Elder and Scobey in the Class C boys semifinals Friday at the Civic Center In a matchup that could have easily passed as the championship game second-half flurries from Dreyden Anderson and Tracen Jilot allowed defending champion Box Elder to break away for a 68-55 win and reach the title game for the fifth time in school history 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as Manhattan Christian took care of Fort Benton 53-39 to advance to the title game setting up a rematch of last year’s final with Box Elder Fort Benton was seeking its first trip to the state championship game since 1960 Box Elder and Manhattan Christian will play for the championship Saturday at 8:30 p.m its ability to get to the rim and its full-court defensive pressure dictated the game especially in a fast-paced opening sequence Three-point plays by Anderson and Jilot allowed the Bears (25-0) to take a lead Anderson’s steal at midcourt and fast-break dunk helped Box Elder go ahead 14-3 at the halfway point of the first But John Carney shot the Spartans (24-1) back in the game with a barrage of 3-pointers and a hoop-and-harm three-point play by Cooper Axtman had Scobey ahead 20-17 entering the second quarter “We’ve been scouting (Scobey) kind of all season We anticipated that we were probably going to run into them at some point,” Box Elder coach Jeremy MacDonald said It was a one-point game at halftime with the Spartans up 26-25 and the lead kept trading hands as the third quarter moved along But an Anderson flurry allowed the Bears to get some separation entering the fourth ahead 47-41 He added the free throw to give Box Elder a 55-45 advantage Anderson had his second dunk of the night off a Scobey turnover with 2:22 remaining to give the Bears a 61-48 lead and put the game out of reach Anderson had 29 points while Jilot finished with 23 The duo combined to take 46 of the Bears’ 64 shots Tuarie Rosette-Stiffarm added 15 points and nine rebounds Box Elder ended up forcing 23 Scobey turnovers Carney had 23 points for the Spartans but couldn’t replicate his first-half shooting performance He hit seven 3-pointers but shot 17 of them Bram Handran had 15 points and nine rebounds for Scobey which will play in a loser-out game against Lustre Christian on Saturday at 9:30 a.m Fort Benton trailed by 11 after the first quarter but crept close in the second That’s when 6-7 Andrew Kimm executed a key sequence to give Manhattan Christian (22-2) a spark Kimm scored inside and then quickly stole the ball on an inbound pass and laid it through hoop again to complete a four-point swing in a matter of seconds The Eagles went to the dressing room leading 30-19 In the fourth quarter the Longhorns (19-8) got within eight points on a 3 by Brooks Diekhans but Manhattan Christian’s length was a decisive factor who had a big night on both ends of the floor knowing I’ve got to get to the hoop and just play basketball,” Hoekema said “I think being able to shut down some of their closer shots not letting anything easy down low … it’s definitely a big help letting our other guys get out to contest the 3s.” Hoekema’s alley-oop layup on a lob from Christian Triemstra with 6:22 left in the game gave the Eagles a 47-35 lead Jack Scott added nine points and five assists while the 6-3 Triemstra had eight points and six rebounds for the Eagles Manhattan Christian secured its 12th trip to the state title game and its fourth in a row The Eagles are seeking their fifth state title but they’ll have to contend with a powerhouse Box Elder team that’s looking for a repeat “I think big thing for us is playing with poise and playing together" on Saturday and they have a great press and put a lot of pressure on you I think we’ve got to be disciplined and (we’ve) got to hope they miss a few shots Fort Benton fell into a loser-out game Saturday at 11 a.m. BUTTE – The defending Class C champions surged into the state semifinals Thursday at the Butte Civic Center as the Box Elder boys’ basketball team toppled Terry 91-37 in first-round action at the state tournament Guard Tracen Jilot poured in a game-high 28 points for the Bears who built a 78-29 lead after three quarters Jilot shot 11 for 18 from the floor and hit four 3-pointers Dreyden Anderson hit 8 of 11 field goal attempts to pour in 20 Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette racked up 21 points while Alex Four Colors pulled down nine rebounds on top of two blocks and four steals to go with six points Box Elder snagged 16 steals and held the Tigers to under 26% shooting along with 27 total turnovers The Northern C champion Bears take on the winner of Scobey (No This story will be updated as the tournament progresses Thursday GREAT FALLS — The Box Elder boys rode another dominant performance to a second straight Northern C title after an 80-42 win over 9C rival Fort Benton in the divisional championship in Great Falls It’s hard to avoid hyerbole when describing the Bears performances over their two year undefeated run but they make the game look easy in all phases They put their foot on the gas and never let up in each of their wins at the Northern C Box Elder jumped out to a 17-3 lead early in the first quarter immediately taking any drama out of the contest and built a lead as large as 38 points who missed half the season with a foot injury led the Bears with 31 points and six steals on 12-of-17 shooting Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette added 23 points and eight rebounds while Alex Four Colors reached double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds The Bears recorded 14 steals and forced 20 turnovers as a team Kelton Vielleux led the Longhorns with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Truman Giese and Kellan Diekhans added 11 and 10 points respectively in the loss 1 seed at the Class C state tournament in Butte in two weeks in their quest to win back to back basketball titles — and two titles in the same season after claiming the school’s first ever 6-Man football crown in November The Longhorns will face 9C foe Chester-Joplin-Inverness in a challenge on Monday at 5 p.m 2 seed out of the North at the state tournament ROAD TO ZERO 11:24 AM | Updated: 11:24 am BY DEJA BROWN AND MICHAEL HOUCK, KSL TV BRIGHAM CITY — A teen could face serious charges for stunt driving over a snowbank at his high school And police are hoping this will deter others from doing the same A viral video shows the Box Elder High School student driving at high speeds through the school parking lot and hitting a snowbank while other students watch “Typical teenage thing. They’re out in what we call the ‘North parking lot’ of the high school. You’ve got a congregation of teenagers watching another one, decide to jump a snowbank that leads to like the bus lane,” said Brigham City police detective Crystal Beck A Box Elder High School student driving a car over a snowbank while driving at high speeds Beck said this isn’t the first time police responded to reckless driving at the school there’s a cop over there,’ and they’re like but he’s not paying attention,'” Beck said She explained that the student got a reckless driving ticket from officers “Getting a reckless driving ticket is huge any age but he could possibly lose his license until he’s 21 I feel like this was a peer pressure thing,” Beck said Parts from the car on the road after the car landed on the bus lane Police are hoping that giving the teen the ticket will serve as a reminder for others that split-second decisions can have long-term effects and consequences “This could have gone a completely different way; thankfully in the video you see so many others students are around You don’t know who’s walking by and we really don’t like hurt kids,” Beck said is facing charges for multiple child sex crimes He was immediately placed on administrative leave pending an investigation was arrested on suspicion of enticing a minor in sexual activity a second-degree felony; enticing a minor in sexual activity a third-degree felony; two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor both third-degree felonies; and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor investigators working on the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force became aware of an individual in Box Elder County using an app to communicate with others about sexually abusing Christensen was allegedly chatting with and sending explicit photos to several children RELATED: Former Latter-day Saint branch president charged with raping 14-year-old congregant the affidavit states Christensen expressed interest in young children and solicited child sexual abuse material from those users He is accused of distributing child sexual abuse material as well "These actions show [Christensen] is a clear danger to the community," the affidavit states The affidavit states that during chats with users Christensen made multiple references to having sexually abused relative children Because Christensen is a sitting court judge "he is a greater danger to flee to avoid prosecution," the affidavit states "The position of trust he holds in the community and the actions he undertook while in this position significantly undermine the confidence of the community in the legitimacy of the criminal justice system." Christensen was appointed to the Box Elder County Justice Court in May 1996 Christensen often spoke to various youth and civic groups about the structure and function of the court system Box Elder County provided the following statement: "Box Elder County was notified that Kevin Christensen was taken into custody by the FBI on March 6 Christensen was immediately placed on administrative leave pending investigation The Supreme Court of Utah has also officially placed Mr Christensen on administrative leave without pay as of March 7 The State of Utah Judicial Conduct Commission (JCC) performs investigations into allegations against sitting judges Box Elder County will defer to the JCC on the administrative investigation Because the criminal and administrative investigations are ongoing and being handled by outside agencies Box Elder County has no further information to share at this time." BUTTE – Down by a point at the half Friday after only shooting 30 percent from the floor Box Elder’s Jeremy MacDonald pulled aside his senior starters Tracen Jilot and Dreyden Anderson huddled with their head coach who reminded his team leaders of the last big game the program played at the Butte Civic Center More: Box Elder boys basketball looks to finish off dominant run with another title It was the 2014 Class C basketball championship game in which the Bears trailed Westby-Grenora by one at the break before winning 74-54 The star guard Jilot then reminded the group of last year’s state title game in Great Falls when Box Elder was behind Manhattan Christian following the first 16 minutes “These boys know how to handle adversity,” MacDonald said “They’re able to pick themselves off the mat trailing at times and just answering the bell The defending state champion Bears (25-0) held off Scobey in the Class C state semifinals 68-55 pulling away in the fourth quarter to move just one game away from a second straight perfect season Box Elder will take on Manhattan Christian in the state title game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m The Eagles downed Fort Benton 53-39 in the late semifinal with Isaac Hoekema leading all scorers with 25 points on top of 10 rebounds Truman Giese dropped 11 points while Kelton Vielleux added 9 and 11 boards for Fort Benton which will face off with Seeley-Swan in the consolation semifinals at 11 a.m Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine fell to Melstone 52-41 Friday afternoon which defeated Plenty Coups 51-49 in overtime Roy-Winifred and two-time defending champion Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale will square off in the title round in a rematch of last year’s championship game at 7 p.m Anderson led all scorers with 29 points for the Box Elder boys shooting 12 for 20 from the field on top of 4 steals and a pair of assists Jilot finished the contest with 23 points and six rebounds spearheading a fourth-quarter Box Elder run Jilot followed a step-back jumper with a 3-pointer on the wing falling to the ground after contact to draw the and-one before completing the four-point play Baskets from Timothy Rosette III and Stiffarm-Rosette preceded a steal and fast break from Anderson who threw down a dunk to make it a 13-point game with 2:20 to play “It just felt good to electrify the crowd and get them behind our back,” Anderson said of the dunk Stiffarm-Rosette tallied a double-double for Box Elder with 12 points and 10 rebounds The Bears ended the game shooting 42 percent from the field and caused 23 Scobey turnovers behind 10 steals as a team John Carney led Scobey (24-1) with 23 points scoring 12 in the opening frame on four 3-pointers Bram Handran added 15 for the Spartans and was near a double-double with 9 rebounds MacDonald said Scobey did a fine job countering Box Elder’s full-court press and making things difficult for the Bears offensively some teams can do a good job of handling it and obviously Scobey handled it very well tonight,” MacDonald said “Hats off to Coach (Jason) Wolfe and those Spartans They battled hard in a championship atmosphere We thought we had them early and then (Carney) got hot Then it was back and forth and low scoring and wasn’t our pace of basketball because they’re a great defensive team and they disrupted us.” racing out to a 14-3 lead behind 7 points apiece from Jilot and Anderson the latter of whom took a steal to the rack and finished with a dunk The hot shooting of Carney brought the Spartans right back hitting four 3-pointers in the opening frame Scobey took the lead as Cooper Axtman beat the buzzer at the end of the first on a fast break and completed a 3-point play The Spartans led by as many as seven in the second after Kolten Machart scored inside on a dish from Handran but Box Elder closed out the half on a 6-0 run – with Anderson weaving through traffic for the late bucket Avery Eike poured in a game-high 17 points as the Broncs took down DGSG in the consolation semis Bella Collins added 13 for Melstone while Emma Mhyre put up 10 points and 8 rebounds Freshman Ella Smith paced the Bearcats with 15 points while sophomore BriElla Becker and freshman Emma Smith each added 12 points DGSG’s season ends at 23-3 as it made its first state tournament appearance in co-op history — A Box Elder woman was sentenced Thursday to time served followed by three years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl on the Rocky Boy's Reservation pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of distribution of fentanyl the government alleged that Whitford worked with co-defendants to bring drugs from Washington to distribute to the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and nearby locations A Box Elder woman who distributed fentanyl in northern Montana and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to time served to be followed by 3 years of supervised release The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement received information that Whitford’s co-defendants were working together to bring drugs from Washington to distribute on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and nearby locations Dai Shawn Whitford helped distribute on behalf of the co-defendants a confidential source paid a co-defendant $800 for 30 fentanyl pills The co-defendant directed the confidential source to pick up the fentanyl at a residence on Rocky Boy’s The informant went to the house and was provided approximately 30 fentanyl pills from Dai Shawn Whitford and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods Utah — An explosion destroyed a building inside the Northrop Grumman facility in Box Elder County early Wednesday according to the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office although they said that could change as the investigation begins Video shared by a FOX 13 News viewer showed a plume of smoke rising from the building adding that the explosion rocked her house Video below shows aftermath of Northrop Grumman explosion: The sheriff's office reported the explosion occurred at 7:38 a.m Due to the remote location of the facility a shelter-in-place order was not issued for any homes in the area A photo shared by the sheriff's office appears to show that the building is a complete loss Officials also haven't been advised of any concerns regarding contaminants in the smoke being put into the air It does not appear that the building involved in the incident was the one where Northrop Grumman combines chemicals to make solid rocket boosters for the country's space programs Stay with fox13now.com and FOX 13 News for the latest on this breaking news story BUTTE — The State C boys state tournament kicked off on Thursday at the Butte Civic Center with the quarterfinal round 1 seeds dominate as the Northern C champion Box Elder Eastern C champ Scobey and Western C winner Manhattan Christian rolled into the semifinals with double digit wins The final quarterfinal was the lone game to see a No 2 seed advance as Fort Benton used a second-half surge to topple Southern C champion Bridger Defending state champion Box Elder will now face Scobey in the first semifinal on Friday followed by the second semi between Manhattan Christian and Fort Benton Here's a glimpse at all four quarterfinals: Three Box Elder players scored 20-plus points as the undefeated Bears quickly overwhelmed the Terriers en route to a runaway win led 25-12 by the end of the first quarter and expanded its lead to 47-22 by halftime before outscoring Terry 31-7 in the third frame to start a running clock The Bears were led by a game-high 28-point from Tracen Jilot 21 from Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette and 20 from Dreyden Anderson Box Elder converted 37-of-79 of its field goals was led by 6 points apiece from Milo Sackman and Eathan Meldinger Cooper Axtman led all scorers with 16 point and John Carney added 15 as the Spartans built a 29-5 lead by the end of the first quarter to setup a semifinal against Box Elder The Spartans led 49-14 by halftime as they converted 29 of their 50 shots from the field while holding the Blackhawks to 22.7 percent Kolton Machart added 9 points for Scobey and Axtman led the game with 7 rebounds Seeley-Swan was led by 8 points from Jay Garland Christian Triemstra piled up 26 points and Andrew Kimm notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds as the Eagles fended off the Lions to put themselves a game away from returning to the Class C championship The Eagles led 35-22 at halftime and watched the Lions eventually make it an 8-point game in the fourth quarter before pulling away for good Johnslee Pierre paced Lustre Christian with 17 points Kelton Vielleux piled up a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double Isaiah Smith scored 15 and Eli Arganbright added 11 as the Longhorns outscored the Scouts by 20 in the second half to score the only quarterfinal upset Bridger led 16-14 after one quarter before Fort Benton took a 28-26 lead into halftime The Scouts were led by 18 points from Cade Stringari and 14 from Gage Goltz One program repeated and another made history as Northern C divisional champions were crowned Saturday night at Four Seasons Arena The Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine girls earned the program’s first divisional title as a co-op with a 48-30 victory over Roy-Winifred while the Box Elder boys remained unbeaten heading into another state tourney with an 80-42 triumph over Fort Benton Fort Benton faces a challenging game on Monday against Chester-Joplin-Inverness with a berth in the state tournament on the line at Four Seasons at 5 p.m CJI defeated Winnett-Grass Range 49-45 in the boys’ consolation championship game Saturday Here’s a look at the divisional championship action from Saturday evening: the Bearcats’ trio of stars BriElla Becker and twins Ella and Emma Smith found their rhythm over the final two quarters to send the program to its first state tournament in co-op history “It means a whole lot,” Emma Smith said of the program breakthrough we just had to give it all we got and win it.” Emma led all scorers with 15 points on top of 10 rebounds while Ella poured in 13 along with a game-best 12 boards and four assists for another double-double Becker was held to only four points in the opening half but finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds The Smiths combined for an 11-0 run in the third frame to put DGSG ahead for good with Ella knocking down a pair of 3-pointers while Emma hit a jumper and took a steal to the rack as the cushion grew Becker knocked down a spot-up 3 early in the fourth to push the Bearcats’ advantage to double-digits for the remainder with Emma adding a make from deep to pile on The Red Raiders mounted an early advantage leading by as many as nine early in the opening half behind eight points from Lyla Ewen The Bearcats mounted an 8-0 run in the second quarter to close the distance with Becker earning her first bucket late in the frame on a drive to make it a two-point contest at the break The DGSG victory snaps a three-year reign atop the Northern C tournament for Roy-Winifred which still advances to the state tournament on March 12-15 at the Butte Civic Center Lyla Ewen dropped 14 points to lead the Red Raiders while Isabella Edwards pulled down nine rebounds That’s how close the Box Elder boys’ basketball team is from completing a back-to-back undefeated Class C state championship run And that’s not even mentioning the spotless season on the gridiron to which most of the same athletes contributed as the Bears won their first ever Six-Man football title in the fall Such dominance was on display Saturday at Four Seasons as Box Elder took down the Longhorns in the boys’ Northern C chipper hitting 6 of 8 shots from 3-point land and 12 for 17 overall from the floor on top of six steals Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette poured in 23 as he went 50% from the floor hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts along with 8 rebounds and 4 assists but then we kind of started settling for 3s so we had to focus on getting back to the rim,” Bears head coach Jeremy MacDonald said “We did everything that we could and came out with a win Hats off to Coach (Hardy) O’Hara and the Longhorns But I think our depth kind of wore them down They made it made it very close in the third quarter Following a 75-29 win in Friday’s semifinals over Power-Dutton-Brady the Bears kept their foot on the gas as they started 5 of 5 from 3-point range with Jilot hitting three and a pair from Stiffarm-Rosette Box Elder raced out to a 17-3 lead and led by double digits for the remainder of the half as Jilot and Stiffarm-Rosette combined for 31 points in the first 16 minutes Jilot his fourth 3-ball of the half in the second frame and Stiffarm-Rosette sank two more – including a pullup from the midway between halfcourt and the 3-point line Stiffarm-Rosette and Jilot each added another make from downtown while Alex Four Colors put in a pair of buckets down low Four Colors chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds for Box Elder while Dreyden Anderson racked up eight points and four steals “It means a lot and means we get to go back to the state tournament,” Jilot said of the divisional win “We’ll show these guys how hard we’ve been working We’ve even seen in this tournament some teams get upset Anybody can beat anybody on any given night so we’ve got to go back to work and not overlook anyone.” Kelton Vielleux led Fort Benton with 12 points while Truman Giese added 11 and Kellan Diekhans chipped in 10 Photos provided courtesy of Matt Ehnes of Jared's Detours. SAND COULEE — For the second time in a span of two weeks Box Elder and Centerville hit the hardwood in a non-conference Class C battle this time with the Miners hosting Saturday as Box Elder was able to remain undefeated in an 85-45 blowout victory Star senior Tracen Jilot — who sustained a foot injury during the 6-Man football playoffs — missed the first half of the season prior to returning to the floor for the first time this winter in Friday's 94-57 win over Hays-Lodgepole 5:34 PM | Updated: Mar 14 BY MICHAEL HOUCK AND DEBBIE WORTHEN, KSL TV SALT LAKE CITY — Two Box Elder County officials are being accused of sexually enticing minors while being in their own relationship was charged with eight first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor in the 1st District Court the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a tip that an account on the internet-based chatting application KIK was sharing videos and images of child sex abuse material on the platform This investigation led to Hansen’s arrest in January The scene included SWAT officers with guns drawn I would say 15-20 police officers in full SWAT gear,” Hansen’s neighbor said to KSL TV’s Debbie Worthen A woman caught the activity on her cell phone from next door “I was home alone with my dog.” he admitted to police that he saved the videos on his phone and owned the account associated with the tip “The Defendant stated he had a pornography addiction and that over the previous several years he had developed tastes for (girls),” court documents stated While searching Hansen’s electronic devices investigators found multiple chats with another person which was discovered to be Kevin Robert Christensen Hansen and Christensen spoke about how they could sexually abuse children including extended family members of one of the men the two discussed meeting up in person and engaged in a sexual relationship Christensen was the judge who preceded Hansen’s bail and released him despite law enforcement’s request to hold Hansen without bail “Christensen did not disclose that he had engaged in sexually charged chats regarding children with defendant Hansen and law enforcement believes that this fact materially affected the decision making of Christensen at the time he released Hansen,” court documents stated this prompted an investigation into Christensen and investigators discovered the two’s relationship On Monday, Christensen was also charged in the 1st District Court with two counts of enticing a minor using the internet one second-degree felony and one third-degree felony two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor three counts of attempted aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor A Spokesperson for Utah State Courts said Friday that Christensen had resigned on March 10 who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies: Personalized news alerts with our mobile app Please subscribe to continue reading… Box Elder defeated Manhattan Christian 60-65 March 15 2025 in Butte to put the finishing touches on back-to-back undefeated state title winning seasons BUTTE — Box Elder earned a second straight undefeated 26-0 season and another Class C boys state basketball championship Saturday night at the Butte Civic Center by defeating Manhattan Christian Scobey earned the first trophy of the boys tournament by defeating Fort Benton in the consolation game Saturday night at the Class C boys state basketball tournament at the Butte Civic Center Manhattan Christian and Box Elder set themselves up for a championship rematch by winning Friday night semifinals but the other four teams were left to battle it out Saturday morning for a spot in the consolation game and a chance at a trophy The final four Class C boys teams came down to the top seeds from the Eastern and Western C alongside both Northern C teams Eastern C champions Scobey took down Lustre Christian and then the Northern C's No 2-seeded Fort Benton defeated Seeley-Swan (the Western C's No the Bears embraced one another and their fans chanted "We're number one!" Box Elder outlasted Manhattan Christian in front of a nearly full Butte Civic Center in a rematch of the 2024 state championship game and put the finishing touches on a second straight undefeated 26-0 season Box Elder's Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette (23) shoots defended by Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) and Manhattan Christian's Andrew Kimm (23) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday "I feel like I'm on top of the world right now," Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette said after We've worked so hard to come to this moment especially two times in the last two years it just proves the kind of culture coming through Box Elder right now." special group of players," Box Elder coach Jeremy MacDonald said "We've got to pay our respects to Manhattan Christian we were able to score a couple more buckets and pull out a win." Bears fans explode in applause during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Tayshaun Season and Alex Four Colors - all had signature moments to lift the Bears past the Eagles was reinforced after by the number of fans and kids running among the celebrations asking for pictures and signed memorabilia Stiffarm-Rosette led the way with 26 points often stepping up during moments when the other Bears' scorers were having trouble hitting I was going cold the whole game," Stiffarm-Rosette described "I just felt like I had to step up this time it'll get everybody up because I'm one of the leaders on the team The Eagles take on the Bears during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Jilot scored 21 including three straight threes in the third quarter and then hitting all three foul shots on a buzzer-beating attempt to end the quarter "Timmy always pulls me aside and tell me to keep shooting it," Jilot said so they just instilled that confidence in me." Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) slaps hands with Box Elder's Dreyden Anderson (1) as the clock winds down during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Anderson had eight points and two thunderous dunks that answered momentum plays by the Eagles Four Colors led the Bears with seven rebounds and two points in spite of an injury Seaton had the crowd on its feet when he hit a three pointer in the corner after just entering the game to end the half and give the Bears' a 35-32 lead going into halftime "We have a ton of respect for them,” Manhattan Christian coach Layne Glaus said So we knew it would be tough to contain those guys." Box Elder's Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette (23) steals the ball from Manhattan Christian's Christian Triemstra (3) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Christian Triemstra scored 23 points to lead the Eagles often providing the answer to attempts by Box Elder to start running away Isaac Hoekema had nine and Andrew Kimm had eight points to go with 13 defensive rebounds The Eagles’ seven seniors finish their high school career with two state championships and two runner-up finishes "It kind of speaks to I think the time and effort that they put in and then just their ability to be selfless and grow as players and grow as a team," Glaus said Box Elder's Alex Four Colors (32) celebrates the Bears victory over the Eagles following the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday When the celebrations make their way back to Box Elder on Sunday it will be the third such occasion after these Bears have won three titles within the last year - two in basketball and a 6-man football championship from the fall "We're going to miss them," MacDonald said after "I don't know if we've fully processed everything they accomplished The Spartans pose with the 3rd place MHSA Class C state basketball tournament trophy after defeating Scobey on Saturday The Scobey Spartans were disappointed after falling to Box Elder in the semifinal game Friday night suffering their first loss of the season had to wake up Saturday morning and reset their expectations "Our next goal was to win this consolation game," junior Bram Handran said "So we kind of came together as a group and fought and won." Scobey's Bram Handran (4) looks to shoot defended by Fort Benton's Kelton Vielleux (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday It started with a Saturday morning victory against their Eastern C rivals from Lustre Christian and then they got a chance at a trophy against against the Fort Benton Longhorns Saturday evening we were one of the best teams coming in; I feel like you kind of have to have that confidence," Handran said We had to just pour our hearts onto the court and just go out and win." Scobey's John Carney (1) is defended by Fort Benton's Eli Arganbright (3) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday They came out swinging and built a 24-9 lead after the first quarter against the Longhorns "Confidence is also a key that also helps out a lot," junior John Carney said confident in your teammates and in each other and yourself too." Fort Benton wasn't going away and tightened it up in the second to draw within nine by halftime as Kellan Diekhans the lone senior on the floor for either team led the Longhorns with eight points and six rebounds Fort Benton's Kellan Diekhans (23) passes past Scobey's Cooper Axtman (32) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday "He's got such great patience and plays with good pace in the post that gave us some problems," Wolfe said "Coach really at halftime put an emphasis on playing four quarters of basketball and we didn't do that in the second quarter," Handran said and then we kind of stand off a little bit So push the push the ball up the board and transition." They recovered by holding the Longhorns scoreless for nearly half the third quarter and were keyed offensively by sophomore Kolten Machart Scobey's Cooper Axtman (32) shoots defended by Fort Benton's Kelton Vielleux (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday "Lots of experience together and finding the the hot hand," Machart explained "Coach Wolfe puts a big emphasis on defense," Carney said the defense will never fail you,' so that's what we did." With subs for both teams in for the final two minutes they pulled away for a 59-35 victory over the Longhorns and claim their first state trophy after winning it all in 2021 with their shot making and just the way their presence is out on the floor." Handran finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds including a dunk in the first quarter that brought the Scobey crowd to their feet "We've been through the Northern C tournament which is the toughest division in the state we're the only one with two teams playing on Saturday night at state," O'Hara said Kellan Diekhans finished with a double-double with 11 points 10 rebounds and Isaiah Smith had 10 points and Kelton Vielleux had seven for the Longhorns "We just couldn't get a bucket when we needed a bucket our defense was good enough," Fort Benton coach Hardy O'Hara said "Second quarter was a 12-6 quarter in our favor their only loss coming against Box Elder in the state tournament semifinal "The set goal at the beginning of the season was we wanted to win the state championship obviously "We got good experience with everyone on the team and they're going to get way better this summer I think we're going to bring this back and get back in the gym all summer and be ready for next year." "There's only four teams playing in the state with over 100 that started the season in Class C After staying close throughout much of the game the Longhorns had finally built a 14-point lead with just over three and a half minutes remaining The Blackhawks weren't quite ready to let their season just end though closing the gap to draw within six in the final minute when Seeley-Swan's Derrick Brovold launched a long three to bring them within five That was as close as they would get as Kellan and Brooks Diekhans finished it out for the Longhorns with rebounds and at the free throw line with the Blackhawks forced to try to stop the clock to lift Fort Benton to the 61-53 victory and a chance to play for a trophy Truman Giese led Fort Benton with 17 points Brooks Diekhans had 12 points and Eli Arganbright had 10 Dylan Wilkinson had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Blake Irwin had 14 points The Blackhawks lost to Scobey in their tournament opener but defeated Terry Friday to extend their season to the final day but by falling to the Longhorns Saturday morning finished their season 19-11 The Scobey Spartans secured a chance to play for a trophy by eliminating Lustre Christian 70-51 in loser-out play Saturday morning both teams sent in their subs with players exchanging handshakes with both teams before leaving the court to applause from both fan bases The Spartans went 4-0 against the Lions this season after earning the regular season win and both the 3C and Eastern C titles over the Lions Scobey won their opening-round state tournament game against Seeley-Swan then dropped to Box Elder in the semifinal Friday before bouncing back Saturday morning against the Lions The Spartans continued their hot shooting from Friday night by making a collective nine threes against the Lions five rebounds and four steals while Cooper Axtman had 20 points with 10 rebounds John Carney had 13 points for the Spartans Johnslee Pierre scored 13 points to lead Lustre Christian Byron Ewing had 10 and both Clay Reddig and Prestyn Klatt scored eight each as the Lions also made nine threes who fell one game shy of potentially earning another trophy to go with their third-place one from last season finished the 2024-25 season at 20-7 overall They opened their tournament by falling to Manhattan Christian in the opening round but defeating Bridger Friday morning to make it to the final day of the season Scobey cheerleaders lead the stadium in the performance of the national anthem prior to the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) high fives during player announcements during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Savannah DeJaegher (20) contests possession of the ball with Scobey's Kayla Carney (13) defended by Scobey's Kaytie Aanstad (30) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Avery Eike (12) shoots during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Avery Eike (12) contests possession of the ball with Scobey's McKenna Nieskens (24) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey head coach Jedd Lekvold addresses the Spartans in a huddle during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Savannah DeJaegher (20) looks to pass defended by Scobey's McKenna Nieskens (24) and Scobey's Avery Wolfe (10) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) contests possession of the ball with Scobey's Camrie Holum (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone fans cheer on the Broncs during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Abby Boyd (22) fights Scobey's Camrie Holum (22) for a rebound during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone head coach Ole Eike addresses the Broncs in a timeout during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Belle Collins (3) shoots defended by Scobey's Emery Rouse (33) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday performs with the Spartans band during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Kaytie Aanstad (30) shoots defended by Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) Melstone's Avery Eike (12) and Melstone's Abby Boyd (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's McKenna Nieskens (24) looks to pass defended by Melstone's Savannah DeJaegher (20) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) speaks with Melstone's Savannah DeJaegher (20) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Chloe Handran (14) shoots defended by Melstone's Avery Eike (12) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey head coach Jedd Lekvold addresses the Spartans during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's McKenna Nieskens (24) drives past Melstone's Belle Collins (3)4 during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Claire Lekvold (11) gestures during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Kayla Carney (13) shoots as Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) throws an arm up during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's McKenna Nieskens (24) drives into Melstone's Moragn Schiffer (34) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Kayla Carney (13) is defended by Melstone's Maggie Eike (14) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Emma Myhre (10) drives towards the basket defended by Scobey's Camrie Holum (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday The Broncs cheer from the bench during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Avery Eike (12) shoots defended by Scobey's Chloe Handran (14) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Melstone's Avery Eike (12) passes defended by Scobey's Chloe Handran (14) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Scobey's Claire Lekvold (11) covers her face with her hands near the end of the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday The Broncs pose for a portrait with the 3rd place trophy following their victory over the Spartans in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday The Broncs celebrate their 3rd place victory over the Spartans in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Melstone on Saturday Fort Benton's Brooks Diekhans (30) contests the ball with Scobey's Asher Handran (11) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton's Eli Arganbright (3) looks to pass defended by Scobey's Brecken Maher (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton's Eli Arganbright (3) contests a rebound with Scobey's Brecken Maher (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Scobey head coach Jason Wolfe addresses the Spartans in a timeout during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Scobey's Cooper Axtman (32) is defended by Fort Benton's Isaiah Smith (10) and Fort Benton's Kellan Diekhans (23) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Scobey's John Carney (1) shoots as Fort Benton's Truman Giese (12) looks on during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday The Spartans react during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Scobey's John Carney (1) shoots defended by Fort Benton's Eli Arganbright (3) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton head coach Hardy O'Hara shouts to the Longhorns during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton head coach Hardy O'Hara addresses the Longhorns during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton's Eli Arganbright (3) looks to pass the ball during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton's Elijah Miller (22) drives down the court defended by Scobey's Teagan Fishell (21) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Fort Benton's Kellan Diekhans (23) is comforted by head coach Hardy O'Hara during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Scobey and Fort Benton on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Gracie Wasson (4) greets Roy-Winifred's Isabella Edwards (21) during player announcements prior to the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred head coach Julie Ewen leads the Red Raiders in a huddle during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Red Raiders fans cheer during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred head coach Julie Ewen addresses the Red Raiders during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Shelbi LaBrie (2) shoots defended by Roy-Winifred's Lyla Ewen (23) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's BaiLee McColly (22) and Roy-Winifred's Lyla Ewen (23) contest a rebound during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Shelbi LaBrie (2) shoots defended by Roy-Winifred's Jennifer Ewen (24) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale head coach Amber Erickson addresses the Mavericks during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's CharLee McColly (20) is defended by Roy-Winifred's Kinzlee Wickens (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Berkley Hillman's hand collides with Roy-Winifred's Claire Wickens's head as she attempts to steal the ball during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Jennifer Ewen (24) shoots during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Kinzlee Wickens (22) addresses the Red Raiders during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Kinzlee Wickens (22) shoots a free throw during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Claire Wickens (1) contest the ball with Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Gracie Wasson (4) and Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's BaiLee McColly (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Berkley Hillman (24) slaps hands with the Mavericks while returning to the bench during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Isabella Edwards (21) shoots defended by Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's BaiLee McColly (22) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Mavericks fans erupt in cheers during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred head coach Julie Ewen addresses the REd Raiders in a huddle during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's CharLee McColly (20) shoots defended by Roy-Winifred's Hannah Ewen (30) Roy-Winifred's Isabella Edwards (21) and Roy-Winifred's Lyla Ewen (23) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday The Mavericks react during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Ainsley Erickson (14) charges down the court during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Isabella Edwards (21) gestures during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Lyla Ewen (23) collides with Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Gracie Wasson (4) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday The Red Raiders cheer from the bench during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday A Red Raiders fan explodes in cheers during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's BaiLee McColly (22) leaps for a pass as the Red Raiders look on during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Shelbi LaBrie (2) shoots a free throw during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Lyla Ewen (23) reacts to a referee call during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Roy-Winifred's Hannah Ewen (30) and Roy-Winifred's Claire Wickens (1) huddle up with the Raiders after their loss to the Mavericks in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale head coach Amber Erickson celebrates the Mavericks win over the Red Raiders in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday The Red Raiders pose with the 2nd place trophy following the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's Berkley Hillman (24) laughs as teammate CharLee McColly (20) puts a basketball net over her head following the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday The Mavericks pose with the championship trophy after defeating the Red Raiders in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Roy-Winifred and North Country on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Andrew Kimm (23) fist bumps referees during player announcements during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Dreyden Anderson (1) slaps hands with teammates during player announcements during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Eagles wear the number four on their socks in support of teammate Rance Hamilton who was injured and unable to play the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Timothy Rosette III (4) contests a rebound with Manhattan Christian's Isaac Hoekema (5) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Bears cheer from the bench during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Isaac Hoekema (5) contests a rebound with Box Elder's Dreyden Anderson (1) and Box Elder's Timothy Rosette III (4) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Eagles fans erupt in cheers during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Isaac Hoekema (5) shoots during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday A Box Elder cheerleader claps and shouts for the Bears during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) passes to Manhattan Christian's Christian Triemstra (3) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian head coach Layne Glaus addresses the Eagles in between quarters during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Timothy Rosette III (4) reacts to a foul call against him during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette (23) gestures as Manhattan Christian's Jack Scott (2) looks on during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette (23) charges past Manhattan Christian's Jack Scott (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Brandon The Boy cheers on the Bears during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald addresses the Bears in between quarters during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) shoots defended by Manhattan Christian's Jack Scott (2) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Zach Venema (32) contests a rebound with Box Elder's Santana Wells Jr (33) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) charges into Eagles defense to shoot during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) drives towards the basket during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Eagles react during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Jack Scott (2) is defended by Box Elder's Kenny Helgeson (5) and Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Andrew Kimm (23) shoots a free throw during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) charges towards the basket defended by Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian head coach Layne Glaus looks on during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Alex Four Colors (32) shoots during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Dreyden Anderson (1) is defended by Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) and Manhattan Christian's Isaac Hoekema (5) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Bears react during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald addresses the Bears during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Dreyden Anderson (1) is defended by Manhattan Christian's Carter Van Dyken (1) and Manhattan Christian's Andrew Kimm (23) during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald high fives the Bears congratulation them on a job well done during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Manhattan Christian's Isaac Hoekema (5) wipes tears from his eyes following the Eagles loss to the Bears in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Bears stand for a portrait with the state championship trophy after defeating the Eagles in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Box Elder's Tracen Jilot (0) hugs Box Elder's Jace Big Knife (2) as the Bears defeat the Eagles in the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Bears and the Eagles lock arms in a post-game prayer during the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday The Eagles pose for a portrait with the 2nd place trophy after the MHSA Class C state basketball tournament game between Box Elder and Manhattan Christian on Saturday Email 406mtsports.com sports director Lindsay Rossmiller at lindsay.rossmiller@406mtsports.com Email notifications are only sent once a day 2025 in Butte to put the finishing touches on back-to-back undefeated state title winni… Box Elder and Manhattan Christian will rematch for the Class C boys state tournament title with four other teams left … Two Northern C teams and the Eastern C and Western C champs advanced to the semifinals through first-round games at the Class C boys state bas… Scores from around Montana during the 2024-25 high school basketball seasons GREAT FALLS — Fort Benton built a lead and then withstood a challenge from Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine on Friday for a 54-52 overtime win to advance to Saturday’s championship game of the Northern C boys divisional tournament Box Elder and Power-Dutton-Brady clashed in the other semifinal with the Bears rolling to a 75-29 win to earn the other title-game berth In undoubtedly the best game of the weekend the Fort Benton Longhorns needed overtime to top Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine 54-52 jumped on top of the 8C champs 18-9 in the first and led by 16 midway through the second quarter But the Bearcats would claw back behind a heroic performance from Axel Becker who recorded 24 points They would tie the game just before the fourth quarter buzzer to seize the momentum and force overtime knotted up at 48 The teams traded buckets in the extra frame before Kellan Diekhans scored with under 15 seconds left to give the Longhorns a 54-52 lead Blaze Becker pulled up from 3 and connected with 3.2 seconds left but the points were wiped away after his coach called a timeout DGSG went 0 for 15 from beyond the arc in the game The Bearcats couldn’t get a good look as time expired and the Longhorns started the celebration after an improbable win to advance to the Northern C title game on Saturday night Diekhans led Fort Benton with 17 points and nine rebounds with Eli Arganbright pitching in 11 in the win Tyce Smith scored 14 points to join his teammate in double figues in the loss Fort Benton will face Box Elder on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. with the winner earning a guaranteed spot at the state tournament there’s not a lot any team can do to stop them they showed why their the undefeated defending state champs with a 75-29 win over Power-Dutton-Brady in the Northern C semifinals The Bears jumped out to a 25-0 lead in the first quarter before the Titans finally broke through late in the first quarter Box Elder led 31-2 after the first eight minutes The frame featured several highlight reel transition dunks from Dreyden Anderson who scored a game high 21 points in the win The lead ballooned to 48 in the third quarter before Box Elder pulled its starters Tracen Jilot added 19 points and three steals while Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette had 14 points and six assists Alex Four Colors also reached double figures with 10 points Tanner Vick led the Titans with nine points Box Elder will face Fort Benton Saturday’s championship game at 8:30 p.m. while Power-Dutton-Brady will face Chester-Joplin-Inverness in the consolation semifinals CRIME 1:38 PM | Updated: 4:52 pm Kevin Robert Christensen pictured during his time as a sitting judge at Box Elder County Justice Court Christensen was arrested after a police investigation revealed he had been sending sexual communication online to underage teens and solicited child sexual abuse imagery from them BY JACOB FREEMAN SALT LAKE CITY — A sitting judge in the Box Elder County Justice Court was arrested Thursday after police said they uncovered evidence he committed child sex crimes A probable cause statement for the arrest said 64-year-old Kevin Robert Christensen was suspected of two counts of enticing a minor two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of dealing materials harmful to a minor — all felonies The statement said the investigation began on Feb with agents from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force learning about Christensen using the chat platform KIK to talk about sexually abusing children “While reviewing the chats recovered from the suspect KIK account multiple chat threads of interest were found,” the statement said investigators found one chat where Christensen talked to another user who said she was 13 years old he “directs the conversation towards sexual topics and engages in graphic sexual chats with the child,” the statement said Christensen engaged in a “graphic sexual conversation with the child” and likely sent her explicit photos of himself although investigators weren’t able to see the pictures there is extensive evidence suggesting that the defendant has communicated with multiple underage people online,” the statement said “There is also evidence supporting that the defendant has engaged in distributing and receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) over the Internet These actions show that the defendant is a clear danger to the community.” The statement said Christensen “has special privileges to fly anywhere in the world for free,” making him a danger to flee prosecution if released on bail “The position of trust he holds in the community and the actions he undertook while in this position significantly undermine the confidence of the community in the legitimacy of the criminal justice system,” the statement said A judge granted an order to hold Christensen without bail due to the evidence provided by police A bio for Christensen on the Utah State Courts website said he “often speaks to various youth and civic groups about the structure and function of the court system.” KSL legal analyst Greg Skordas indicated that this should not have an impact on Christensen’s prior cases “He’s a misdemeanor court judge “So I don’t think that these charges alone would cause any interruption to any of the cases he’s heard or done.” Skordas said the courts will probably bring out a substitute judge to take on his case load The Utah State Courts are not commenting on this case at this time KSL NewsRadio’s Heather Peterson contributed to this story SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — After a judge in Box Elder County was arrested for child abuse and sex crimes some are wondering how previous cases he was part of might be affected Judge Kevin Christensen was arrested Thursday night in Davis County on six counts of child abuse and sex crimes which means he oversaw class B misdemeanor offenses and lower Many people are still disappointed about someone in his position of power possibly being capable of doing the things he’s accused of if this could affect previous cases he’s been on “He’s never presided over a case with allegations as serious as his are.” Lazaro said it still calls into question some of his court decisions and demeanor towards defendants she said just because Christensen might have done something wrong it doesn’t mean everything he’s ever done as a judge is wrong “I think that’s something that the judicial standards committee will take a look at,” she said “If there is a need to go back and revisit some of those cases it’s likely most of those decisions will stand.” Although we don’t know if the alleged victims knew Christensen was a judge this highlights a problem of people of power potentially abusing it A Box Elder County fire chief was also charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in January “When authority is wielded as a tool to harm children it becomes the most insidious of weapons because its wielder knows their victim has no choice but to comply,” former victim and advocate Brett Bluth said A judge being accused of serious crimes like this can damage trust in the justice system “Another of many reasons I have trust issues,” one person wrote on KUTV’s Facebook “And we are supposed to trust these people that make life altering decisions,” another person wrote “They’re supposed to be the ones making sure that the wrongs get righted and people are brought to justice and the integrity of the justice system is upheld,” Lazaro said but hasn’t been officially charged with anything yet Box Elder County learned he was arrested Thursday night and he was immediately placed on administrative leave Officials said the Utah Supreme Court also put him on leave on Friday BRIGHAM CITY — Criminal charges were filed Monday against a Box Elder County judge accused of sexually enticing minors via a chat app is charged in 1st District Court with two counts of enticing a minor using the internet one second-degree felony and one third-degree felony; plus two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor Christensen is a judge in Utah's 1st District Justice Court and was arrested and booked into the Davis County Jail on Thursday 28 that an individual in Box Elder County "was using the internet-based chatting application KIK to communicate with others about sexually abusing children sexually exploiting children and enticing children," according to charging documents The individual was later identified as Christensen and multiple suspicious chat threads were found on the KIK account Christensen discussed many personal details about himself and sent multiple photos of him and his family members to other people in those chats Christensen was talking to a user who said she was 13 years old and he "directs the conversation toward sexual topics and engages in graphic sexual chats with the child," a police booking affidavit says He is also accused of sending an unsolicited graphic video to her "(Christensen) continues to engage in graphic sexual conversations with the child and states at one point that he has watched child sex abuse materials .. depicting an adult female sexually abusing a child who was approximately 8 years old," according to the charges Christensen is accused of communicating with a user who said she was 16 years old Police say Christensen and the girl exchanged explicit photos "At no point in the chat does either party suggest that this is a roleplay or fantasy chat and the minor female at no point suggests that she is not a minor female," the charges state Christensen was asked what arouses him and he replied "I love young," the charges allege "This is common slang for (child sex abuse material) depicting young children." Christensen admitted to engaging in "fantasy chats," the charges state when pressed by law enforcement about soliciting (child sex abuse material) the defendant gave no alternate explanation other than having solicited and received" such material he deleted all evidence of the chats from his devices after learning a "suspected co-conspirator" of his was discovered distributing child sexual abuse material adding that he stopped using the app with the intent to avoid being discovered or arrested by law enforcement Christensen allegedly made "multiple references" to sexually abusing other children he said he wanted to make an explicit movie with that young teen and another child he knows Police said allegations involving other children are being investigated In regards to Christensen's job as a sitting justice court judge BRIGHAM CITY — Kevin Christensen resigned from his position as a judge in the 1st District Justice Court after he was charged with eight felonies the day he was charged with two counts of enticing a minor along with two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor three counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor The court spokesperson said he had previously been placed on unpaid leave during the investigation Charging documents said the judge engaged in disturbing conversations with Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen about sexually abusing children and the two men were also involved in a sexual relationship Hansen was charged on Tuesday with eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor denied a request to keep Hansen in custody in January after Brigham City police executed a search warrant at Hansen's home and argued Hansen would pose a risk to children in the community The criminal cases for both men have been moved from the Brigham City District Court to the Ogden Christensen has his first court appearance on March 20 The investigation into Hansen began in November when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information that an account connected to Hansen had engaged in distributing child sex abuse material An arrest report said Hansen admitted to possessing the videos related to the tip and subscribing to the application police found Hansen "had an extensive number of chats" with Christensen "that were graphically sexual and involved discussion of sexually abusing children," according to the arrest affidavit Charging documents for Christensen said FBI investigators found an account connected to him was being used to communicate with others about sexually abusing children It cited graphic sexual conversations with girls who told him they were 13 and 16 years old and said he shared personal details about himself and sent explicit photos on the app Hansen was fired on Monday after Tremonton officials learned of his arrest He said Wednesday that the city is doing its best to try to help the community mend while rebuilding trust in government "Our whole community is kind of reeling on this," Cobabe said "We're just trying to make sense of everything BOZEMAN — A video circulating on social media after the Class C state championship game last week between Manhattan Christian and Box Elder has drawn attention and raised concern from the public During the game on March 15 at the Butte Civic Center, a video shared on TikTok shows people chanting and also making gestures. According to a Facebook post from Manhattan Christian School the chants were coming from the school's student section Students are seen in the video cheering while making a "tomahawk chop" gesture Box Elder serves as the headquarters of the Chippewa Cree tribe Manhattan Christian apologized in a Facebook post and said the students' actions will be investigated and dealt with internally Manhattan Christian Head of School Joel Westa further stated in an email to MTN News: "We have worked closely with the Box Elder administration athletic director and coach (Jeremy) MacDonald to address this issue We have apologized for this unfortunate event and will use this to further educate our kids." "We congratulate the Box Elder Bears on their second state title and look forward to more hard fought games in the upcoming years." added Westa The Bears have a 52-0 record over the past two seasons 16 in the 6-Man football playoff semifinals Box Elder defeated Hot Springs in a shootout to advance to the championship losing standout senior Tracen Jilot to an ankle fracture which required minor surgery After being out for about two and a half months — watching his team win the football title and start the basketball season 12-0 — Jilot made his first appearance on the hardwood this winter last in a 94-57 win over Hays-Lodgepole on Jan I just couldn't wait to be back," Jilot said following Saturday's 85-45 win over Centerville he said it didn't feel like it would be that serious "I actually thought it was just like a sprain," Jilot said and once I got to the bench I couldn't walk on it anymore "Once they told me how long I was going to be out it was a little more serious than I thought but I was able to trust my guys to get it done without me." Jilot said in the two games he's now been back "I was traveling with (the team) and stuff but it's different being a part of the team and like going to practice with them and just overall pushing each other to get better," Jilot said He said he is proud of his guys for getting the team to the 12-0 record it had without him I feel like they could do this without me," Jilot said "That's why I feel like I can at times be second just because I know what they're capable of now and I feel we'll only get better from here." Even though it has only be a couple games since he's returned Jilot feels that chemistry is almost back to 100% with his teammates "Just because we've been playing with each other for so long," Jilot said The Bears are aiming for back-to-back Class C state basketball championships and Jilot said he feels confident that they can make a run at it "We still got to get in a little better shape and have a little more try "But I'm really confident we can make a deep run here Four more regular-season games remain for Box Elder (14-0) before the District 9C tournament Up next is a home game against Turner (6-8) on Friday A Box Elder man died in a single vehicle crash Saturday evening The name of the person involved has not been released pending notification of family members Preliminary crash information indicates the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling westbound on S Cabin Road and went off the road at a curve and rolled The driver was pronounced deceased at the scene The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash All information released so far is only preliminary The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Utah — A judge in Box Elder County has been arrested and faces multiple child sex charges after evidence allegedly shows that he distributed and received child sex abuse material online was arrested Thursday following an investigation by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force Christensen is currently listed as a judge with the Box Elder County Justice Court overseeing cases involving Class B misdemeanor offenses and lower crimes 28 of someone communicating online with others about "sexually abusing children In a November chat recovered from Christensen's online account the judge believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually graphic conversation and also sent a video of an adult male performing a sexual act Following more sexually explicit conversation Christensen allegedly told the child that the chat was "merely fantasy." Christensen engaged in more sexually graphic conversations with someone who said they were a 16-year-old girl The arrest documents added that there was evidence that Christensen "communicated with multiple underage people online In other chats with adults he expresses sexual interest in young children and solicits [Child Sexual Abuse Material] from those people." He allegedly claimed in chats to have sexually abused children with whom he was related "The position of trust he holds in the community and the actions he undertook while in this position significantly undermine the confidence of the community in the legitimacy of the criminal justice system," the report said who was appointed to the Box Elder County court in May 1996 was booked into the Davis County Jail following his arrest including enticing a minor and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor Box Elder County has placed Christensen on administrative leave without pay