January 2024

The quagga quandary

Decontamination stations and mandatory inspections should be put in place to prevent the invasive quagga mussel from taking hold in Payette Lakes and Lake Cascade, according to the Valley County Waterways Committee.“We need to be proactive; we need to consider recommending watercraft inspections, we need to educate the public to how big of a risk this is,” said Waterways Committee Member Dave Parrish, at the committee’s January meeting last week.Parrish previously worked at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Twin Falls, near the area where quagga mussels were first detected in the Snake River in September.September’s detection of the mussel was the first in 14 years of monitoring.

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4 McCall Nordic athletes compete in JacksonFirst IMD qualifier

Taylor Nalder led the McCall Nordic and Biathlon Ski Club to a first-place finish in the skate races in Jackson, Wyoming this weekend.Nalder finished first in the 5-kilometer skate races on Sunday and placed third in the 5-kilometer classic race on Saturday.It was the season’s first of three Junior National Qualifiers in the Intermountain Division.Four racers made the trip through blizzard conditions and a maze of closed roads on Friday, said Nordic Director and Head Coach Matt Galyardt.Racers traveled to the event in terrible conditions, but the weather cleared up for the race with sunny skies and chilly temps, Galyardt said.U18 racer Ivan Jensen brought the effort and skied hard in the deep U18 field and endured cold and slow conditions over the U18 10k skate mass start, he said.Jensen finished the classic race in 14th place and placed 19th in the skate discipline.U14 skier Colton Nalder finished fourth in Saturday’s 5-kilometer classic race and third in Sunday’s skate race.“Colton always brings the heat and narrowly missed the podium (fourth) in his classic race and then landed on it (third) in his skate mass start,” Galyardt said.For U12 skier Anya Anderson the race was her first taste of IMD competition, skiing against peers from across the region for the first time, he said.“She was a cool customer who learned just how hard she could push herself...which is what this racing business is all about,” Galyardt said.Anderson finished ninth in the classic races and eighth in the skate discipline on Sunday.

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Ramblers secure season sweep

Grant Whipple was lethal from long range and the Cascade boys basketball team remained atop Long Pin Conference standings with a 60-35 victory over Council on Saturday.Four Ramblers reached double digit scoring during the league tilt, which was played in Council: Whipple (13 points), Tyler Thurston (13 points), Sam Huckaby (12 points) and Cole Olson (11 points).With the win, Cascade moved to 4-0 in Long Pin action and 10-4 overall.“We had kind of a slow start, but our guys did a good job of sticking with the plan and finishing strong,” Rambler coach Josh Hurley said.

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Ramblers rounding into form

Freshman Lauren Taylor scored a team-high seven points as the Cascade girls basketball team lost to Council, 52-22, during a Long Pin Conference game played Saturday on the road.Lily Gerzine added six points for the Ramblers while Claire Pierce scored five points.Cascade coach Steve Yamamoto said his team suffered the loss, but are trending in the right direction as his squad enters the stretch run of its season.“The girls played well, just not a lot of scoring,” Cascade coach Steve Yamamoto said.

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Foster scores 23 as Vandals still streaking

Vandal big man Mike Foster put a scare into another Snake River Valley Conference opponent Saturday.The 6-foot-4 post delivered a monster game with 23 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as the McCall-Donnelly boys basketball team battered Weiser, 71-54, to win its ninth straight game.Luke Scott also submitted another sharp night shooting, scoring 18 points, as the Vandals continued a run of wins that began in early December.

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Mountaineers stung by Bozeman

Jacob May and Nathan James both scored twice as the McCall Mountaineers hockey team pushed the Bozeman Stingers to the brink Friday, but were stung with a late goal to fall 7-6.Mountaineers Chase Cooney and Tyler Forest also put the puck away during the first of two games played over the weekend at Haynes Pavilion in Bozeman, Mont.Tied, 6-6, late in the third period, McCall gave up a power play and the Stingers took advantage for a victory over a visiting team hoping to steal one on Bozeman’s home ice.The Mountaineers were not as sharp Saturday, giving up eight goals and scoring just once over two frames as the Stingers took advantage for the two-game sweep of weekend action.James was able to deliver a three-goal weekend by putting McCall on the board during the first period, but Bozeman notched four scores to exit the frame up, 4-1.

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