Ryan Antos

Republic School District recognizes that the field of competition is an extension of what we do in the classroom. We hold competition in high regard for the life skills that our student athletes can develop by competing in our various competitive athletic programs.

rantos@republicsd.org

509-775-3171 ext 103

Dena Fletcher

Dena Fletcher has been the ASB/Athletic Director Secretary for Republic School District since 2016. She absolutely loves her job and the interaction she has daily with the students. Dena believes that there are many positive reasons for students to participate in sports and other extra-curricular activities. When asked she said that participating in sports and other activities aids as a natural stress reliever, boosts students’ self-esteem, helps develop leadership skills and helps students develop healthy lifestyle habits. Dena has been married to Travis for 24 years and they have 3 children. Tandice, Damon and Trace, all whom graduated with honors from Republic High School. When Dena is not being the number one fan in the stands, she enjoys the outdoors. She enjoys farming, camping, gardening and riding horses. She is also a seasoned tennis player who recently discovered pickleball this last year and plays the sport as often as she can. Dena along with her family raise Suffolk sheep and grow alfalfa. Dena has made her home here in Republic for the past 18 years and says she cannot imagine living anywhere else.

A 1996 graduate of Republic High School. I competed in track starting in jr high and continued all through high school. Was one of five male athletes that qualified for state and placed 2nd as a team in 1996. Our track teams were consistently strong, and we had dedicated coaches that stressed the importance of progression through all phases of our events. I loved the fact that Track & Field offered the opportunity to compete on both an individual basis and as a team as well. I was never that great at team sports, but was able to excel in my individual events. We were a 2B school then, and we regularly competed against 1A and 2A schools during invites. I didn't have a ton of confidence in myself as a teenager, so it was big for me when I started to consistently place in my events regardless of the competition. It was not lost on me that the coaching style we had developed under had as much to do with both our teams, and our personal success. We had pretty large teams then, and were often asked to mentor the incoming classes. I found that I really enjoyed the "coaching" aspect, and always felt like I would love to come back to coach some day. When I returned to the area helped out as a volunteer for a few years, and officially made the jump to coach in 2008.  We have had some large teams and some pretty tiny teams over the years, but have been pretty successful over the course. We have sent athletes to state every year, have placed in the top three as a team several times, have had many top 3 placers, a number of state champions, and even multiple state record holders! Sure coaching has its challenges but it has been extremely rewarding and filled with so many great memories!

Noah Theckston

Noah Theckston is entering his 3rd year as Head Softball Coach here with the Lady Tigers and 12th overall. The team is coming off a season that saw Republic's first ever appearance in the fast pitch regionals tournament. He is excited to be working with a great staff that includes Cindy Watson, Jaquelin Maycumber, Steven McGinley as well as other volunteers and a really fun and talented group of athletes.

Ryan Antos

Coach Antos graduated high school from St. Regis MT in 1990. After high school he attended the University of Montana Western in Dillon MT where he competed in football. Antos graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Sociology in 1998 and received his Master of Arts in teaching in 2016. Coach Antos has coached football in several schools over the past 15 years and came to Republic in 2022.

Dan Graham

Went to Republic Schools and graduated in 1983. First state trophy was 5th place in basketball in 1983. Baseball state champs 1982 and 1983 (back to back). Attended college from 1983-1987, playing baseball for Whitman College from 1983-1985. Worked at the local mines from 1983-2017. Coached youth sports soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, AAU basketball, and Tiger Cubs girls and boys. Last ten plus years have been spent helping coach high school girls basketball.

Talon Venturo

Coach Venturo graduated from Lakewood High School in 2004. Placed second in state in 2004. Earned a full ride Scholarship for wrestling to Lindenwood University. After College moved to Republic Area in 2008. Started coaching wrestling with the Curlew little guys Wrestling club and help facilitate the Curlew High School Wrestling and combined with Republic. Been coaching with the Republic Mat Club and Helping with the High School Program over the past decade. Venturo has been the head coach since 2022.

Frank Harris

I was always an athlete. Whether it was playing baseball at 3 years old or football and basketball all through school. Being a part of a team has always been a part of my life. After moving to Republic in 2019, I started coaching the JH and High School Basketball program in 2021. I have a program focus of excellent fundamentals and teamwork as well as instilling core values and principles that players will carry with them on and off the court. It is important to me to lead by example. The unseen hours put into your team as a player or coach, the inner voice that tells you to keep going, keep pushing and don't give up, this is my inner voice. This is the drive that I hope to inspire in those I coach.

Ed Forsman