HELENA — Spring sports have arrived in Montana, officially starting last week with the first day of MHSA competition on March 20th.

While other local teams started their seasons last week, Helena High and Capital won't foray into the spring until this week, Thursday to be exact.

Softball, track and field, and tennis are slated to get underway. Here are some key storylines, what to know and key dates looking ahead to spring sports in the Helena area.

The Bengals graduated one of the greatest track and field athletes in their history, Logan Todorovich, who won four state championships as an individual last May at the Class AA state meet, as well as being part of the Bengals' 100-meter relay team that won state.

Todorovich is at Baylor now, where her sister, Madilyn Todorovich will follow. Fresh off an all-state selection in basketball, Madi, a senior, won two individual state titles last season (400 and 100 hurdles), was part of both relay championships (400 and 1,600) and also took second place in the 200-meter dash. 

Reghan Skogen was also part of three state titles last season, winning the pole vault and being a member of both relays, yet the cupboard isn't bare. Beyond Madi Todorovich, the Bengals return Hazel Bishop, a state placer in the 400 and a member of the 1,600-meter relay state title team. Kortney McKay placed in the 3,200, while Birdie Heuiser also placed previously at state.

Scoring 129 points at state as they did last season, will be tough to duplicate. However, the Bengals should be among the contenders to bring home a fourth consecutive state championship.

The Jefferson boys track and field team knows something about winning four consecutive state championships because the Panthers just won their fourth last May.

Jefferson graduated two state champions from last season but are slated to bring back Luke Oxarart and Dominic Hurlbert, who each placed in multiple events last season at the Class B state track meet. Jefferson had five athletes with eligibility left place last season in seven individual events.

The Townsend girls are also a team to watch. Kaitlyn Noyes won the Class B long jump as a sophomore. She also placed second in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump. Kyla Meissner is another reason to keep an eye on the Bulldogs after she took second, as a freshman, in the 1,600 and 3,200 to help Townsend take third last season in Class B last season. 

Not to be forgotten, the Capital boys are another team that could bring home some hardware. The Bruins were co-state champions in 2023, but dropped to fifth place last season, and hope to be formidable once again in Class AA. 

However, they return individual state champions in Gavin Mow, the defending Class AA champion in the 110-hurdles, as well as Tyler Crum, who won the javelin state championship. 

: Season starts March 28th; Top 10 Meet is April 22nd; Skor-DeKam in Helena is April 26th; State track meets: Class AA/A May 22-24 in Kalispell; Class B/C in Missoula. 

The Helena Capital softball team went undefeated at home last season on its way to a Class AA state championship. The Bruins clinched the championship on their home field with a win in the last game for head coach Mike Miller, who retired a few days after the state championship game.

Ashten Broadhead has taken over the helm. In addition to replacing Miller, she inherits a roster that graduated the Gatorade Player of the Year in Montana, Kathryn Emmert, the Bruins ace last season, as well as Anna Cockhill, who has already broken the University of Montana softball record for steals in a single season as a freshman. She also scored the game winning run in the state championship game.

Cockhill was the Western AA's Offensive Player of the Year. Emmert was the Defensive Player of the Year. Yet, the Bruins return all-state performer Kate Drynan, as well as second-team all-conference selection Ali Miler.

Drynan hit .438 last season and led Capital with 34 RBI in addition to 14 extra-base hits (2 home runs). Miller was also a force at the plate with a .427 average and 19 RBI. 

Helena High is just two years removed from finishing as the Class AA runner-up. The Bengals return ace Faith Howard (7-8, 3.58 ERA, 100 176 strikeouts in 2024), who was second-team all-conference last season, in addition to Kamryn Klemp (.366, 16 RBI). Keira Campbell is also slated to return after leading Helena High with a .370 batting average last season in addition to 16 RBI and two home runs. 

Both teams will open their seasons Thursday on the road. The Bruins will play at Sentinel at 5 p.m. Helena High will play Hellgate at 3 p.m. 

The home opener for Helena High is Saturday against Sentinel at 12 p.m. Capital will play Hellgate at home at the same time. 

Crosstown games are April 15th (Capital) and May 10th (Helena High). The state tournament is May 22-24 in Great Falls. State play-in games are slated for May 15-17. 

East Helena has opened its season with consecutive losses to Dillon (19-2) and Billings Central (15-5). The Vigilantes play their next four games on the road but will be back at home on April 17th. The Class A state tournament will also start May 22nd in Columbia Falls. 

East Helena baseball opened its season with a 12-1 loss at the hands of Dillon last Saturday. The Vigilantes will travel Butte Central on Thursday. Their next home game is scheduled for April 10th against Livingston. The state tournament will be played May 22-24 in Hamilton. A state play-in game if needed will be played May 17th. 

Townsend will also have a baseball team for the first time this spring. The Bulldogs will play East Helena at home on April 4th, then again in Helena on May 3rd. 

East Helena will play its baseball games in Helena once again this season at the Bob Ryan Baseball Complex.

Two of the top tennis players in the area graduated as Capital's Ryan Ashley and Helena High's Qayl Kujala each finished as the Class AA state runner-up in boys and girls singles last season, respectively. 

However, there are some talents to keep an eye on and one them is Townsend sophomore Violet Collins who took fourth in singles last season as a freshman. Carsyn O'Dell and Chloe Flynn also had a stellar finish to the season and should be back in the lineup after taking fourth at state in doubles for the Bulldogs. 

Bailee Silvonen is another name to keep on the radar. The Jefferson girls singles player was second at the Southern B/C divisional tournament and won two matches at the state tournament. 

Crosstown tennis matches in Helena are set for April 10th and May 6th both at 4 p.m. Class AA state tennis is set to be in Bozeman May 22-23. Class A will be in Billings the same weekend and the Class B/C state tournament is scheduled for Missoula (May 22-24).