Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
YOUNG ATHLETES Billy Detlaff and Tristan Kelly lead their fellow campers during a drill Monday afternoon as Thompson Falls High School players Derek Anderson, Justin Miller and Luke Andersen, and junior high player Nick Tessier follow the action. Tessier was at Previs Field early, waiting for the older boys' group instruction later Monday.
THE NEW 8-MAN BLUE HAWKS won the unofficial team championship at the Montana Tech 8-Man football camp in Butte last week. Roman Sparks, Trey Fisher, Jordy Fisher and Peyton Whiting (front), and Brandon Fisher, William McPherson, Derek Andersen, Luke Comerford, Brad Lantz, coach Jared Koskela, Jack Jacobson, Lucas Andersen and Justin Miller celebrate at the conclusion of the camp Sunday.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET - Brandon Maloney busts through the line of defense provided by high school players during camp action at Previs Field.
Maybe 8-Man football will be a good fit for Thompson Falls after all.
Thompson Falls coach Jared Koskela accompanied 12 of his players to Butte last Friday through Sunday for the annual Montana Tech 8-Man Football Camp, and said he walked away from the Mining City feeling encouraged about what next fall – the Blue Hawks' first season as an 8-Man entity – may bring.
"It was encouraging," he said. "We were a little behind the curve at first but, by the end, we had learned a lot about the 8-Man game and battled everyone pretty much even up."
Koskela said there were 11 8-Man and two 6-Man teams in Butte last week. In addition to Thompson Falls, teams from Montana included Seeley-Swan, Charlo, Troy, Arlee, Centerville, Chinook and St. Regis-Mullan. Also from Idaho, Kendrick and Prairie attended the Tech camp as well.
Players from Thompson Falls in Butte last week included the Fisher brothers Trey, Jordy and Brandon, Derek and Lucas Andersen, Jack Jacobson, Brad Lantz, Luke Comerford, Roman Sparks, Justin Miller, William McPherson and Peyton Whiting.
Koskela said the camp wound up Sunday with a small tournament of sorts, with teams squaring off in scrimmage-like sets of plays, featuring teams' offensive and defensive units.
The competition came down to four teams at the end – Centerville, Kendrick, Prairie and Thompson Falls – and the Hawk squad defeated Kendrick in the final set to win the friendly camp-ending competition.
"That was a great way to finish up the camp for us, I think we gained a lot of confidence in ourselves in Butte," Koskela said. "The reality is this game is quite a bit different than what we are used to playing.
"Going to this camp was a reality check for us, an opportunity to get better at 8-Man," he added. "The field is a lot smaller and the action seems a lot closer up. It was good for us to get a taste of what we are getting into next fall."
The goalposts have already been moved at Previs Field to accommodate the new 8-Man field configuration, which is 80 yards long and 40 wide, as opposed to the standard 11-Man field which is 100 yards long and 53.3 wide. The end zones are 10 yards deep for both forms of football.
In Montana, the 8-Man field is the same size as that used for the 6-Man game.
This fall will represent the first in memory when no 11-Man football teams will be based in Sanders County. Thompson Falls and Plains will play in the Western Montana 8-Man league, while Hot Springs and Noxon will remain at the 6-Man level.
Reader Comments(0)