Local fall athletes earn state and conference honors 

And not just the players; soccer coach Tony Coppola wins boys Class A coach of the year 

By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Lone Peak High School athletics are catching the attention of coaches across the division and state, as evidenced by awards from this fall season.  

Big Horn football saw numerous players recognized following the season which ended in a first-round playoff loss to Fort Benton High School, 36-33. Both Big Horn soccer teams also saw players recognized, including four all-state awards and a recognition of boys’ coach Tony Coppola.  

Two football players earned a spot among just 12 players selected for Montana eight-player all-state: Juliusz Shipman, senior quarterback and team captain, finished at No. 2 on the all-state team. Ebe Grabow, sophomore receiver, finished at No. 6 out of 12. Both Shipman and Grabow also made significant contributions to the Big Horn defense.  

Junior Grady Towle earned a first-team all-conference selection for his work as an interior defensive lineman, with six sacks across nine regular season games—Towle is on pace to graduate as Lone Peak High School’s all-time sack leader. On offense, Towle earned second-team all-conference at the guard position.  

Senior David Perdue made first-team all-conference at two positions: kick returner and outside linebacker. In his nine-game season, he returned three kicks for touchdowns with an average return of 18 yards.  

“These guys are all deserving of individual recognition,” head coach Dustin Shipman wrote in an email to EBS. “David and Grady are both great players and I am happy that they got the individual accolades from the other coaches in the district.”  

In addition to their all-state honors, both Shipman and Grabow earned multiple all-conference nods.  

Shipman played in seven regular season games, missing some time due to an ankle injury in week 2. At quarterback, he passed for 950 yards and rushed for 850 yards. The dual-threat QB combined for an astounding 28 touchdowns in six-and-a-half regular season showings. He made second-team all-conference at quarterback.  

On the other side of the ball, Shipman made second-team all-conference at inside linebacker.  

Grabow put his speed, height and vertical jump to work at the wide receiver position, with 775 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns across nine games. He made second-team all-conference.  

The sophomore also tied for first-team all-conference in the defensive back/safety category.  

“Julek Shipman, to come back from an early injury and put up those numbers is just incredible and speaks to the time he put in during the offseason,” coach Shipman wrote. “Ebe Grabow was the only sophomore to be placed on the all-state team, in fact the only underclassman at all, he is just an unstoppable athlete on the football field and the will to make plays is really evident in his performance.” 

Soccer earns four all-state nods, coach of the year 

The Big Horn boys soccer team made a historic run in the Montana Class A state tournament, reaching the semifinal round for the first time.  

“The boys can look back on this season and know that they all had substantial growth as young men, teammates and soccer players,” head coach Tony Coppola wrote in an email to EBS.  

This year’s team set Lone Peak records in wins (9), goals scored (50), fewest goals allowed (21) and fewest losses (2)—the team’s only losses came against Billings Central Catholic High School and Whitefish High School, who faced off in the state championship game.  

“The team records are very significant to the coaches as they are reflective of all players, team managers, coaches, parents and the entirety of the program,” Coppola wrote. 

United Soccer Coaches named Coppola the boys coach of the year from Montana Class A. Coppola was nominated by Lone Peak Athletic Director John Hannahs.  

“In my opinion, the award is not just for me,” Coppola said in a phone call. “It’s for the team and the program. We’ve only been a program for four years, and the substantial growth… That speaks volumes for the program, for the feeder program with Big Sky Futbol Club.” 

He said he’s been congratulated by a handful of his players, and it means a lot to hear it from them.  

“I’m just humbled to be honest with you,” Coppola said. “It came out of left field. Getting that email… I was definitely walking a lot taller that day. I was definitely emotional about it.” 

From Coppola’s team, senior captains Beckett Johnson and Cash Beattie made the all-state team for Class A. Both were also selected to the first-team Montana Class A Eastern Conference roster. 

Johnson scored eight goals with six assists, and Beattie scored 15 goals with one assist.  

Senior Mason Dickerson and juniors Arlo Hurlbut and Finn McRae earned second-team all-conference.  

Dickerson, a team captain and four-year starter, returned from injury for the state semifinal. Hurlbut scored six goals with one assist, and McRae added five goals.  

Sophomore Brady Johnson received honorable mention for the all-conference team. His hat-trick sent the Big Horns to the state semifinal for the first time in program history. He scored five goals with two assists during his sophomore season.  

“I would also like to add that this season was full of outstanding moments and individual player and team growth,” coach Coppola wrote. “It was a total team effort that led to the many successes of the Bighorns’ season. Coach Harder and I continued to uphold the mantra of building better humans first and soccer players second. With up to 16 players returning next fall and another sizable freshmen class, coach Harder and I are looking forward to another successful season in 2024. To all the players that make up this amazing program, thanks again for your continued dedication and trust in the process.  Know that we are super proud of all of you and the team’s accomplishments this season.” 

Coppola sees future championship teams in Big Sky’s growing pool of youth soccer talent combined with this year’s playoff experience.  

The girls team missed the playoffs, but coach Kim Dickerson still applauded her team’s growth in just four years. Two players made the Class A all-state team: sophomore Harper Morris and senior Astrid McGuire.  

Morris scored 15 goals this season and McGuire plans to continue her soccer career at Bowdoin College in Maine.

McGuire, Morris and sophomore Maddie Wilcynski earned first-team all-conference selections. 

Sophomore Hana Mittelstaedt, eighth grader Maeve McRae, and freshman Marley Chapin made second-team all-conference.