Final farewell for Hawks

School is out for the summer, but a few Blue Hawk senior football players suited up for one last rally on the field last weekend. The Bob Cleverly All-Star game was held in Butte on Saturday. Hawk Coach Jared Koskela took newly graduate seniors Erik Strom, Nathan Schraeder and Trae Thilmony to Montana Tech for the week. While the players are used to facing off against other teams from across the state, at the all-star game they must work together. "The camaraderie they get all week is unbelievable," Koskela said. "They go from rivals to friends."

Koskela was defensive coordinator for the Blue Team. He said working with rivals on the field is more of a shocker for the coaches, who tend to not talk to each other much during the season. "There you have one common goal instead of playing against each other."

Koskela took the same defense he uses with his Blue Hawks, but said it takes a lot more than eight practices to get used to playing different styles. The all-stars practiced at Montana Tech, where Koskela attended as an Oredigger and played football, and stayed together at the college as well.

Thilmony was a defensive captain for the Blue Team, which lost 46-30 to the Red Team. "Trae stood out as a leader," Koskela said, adding that Thilmony initiated a sticker exchange among the all-stars. The players traded school stickers and affixed them to their helmets, creating a new team atmosphere.

Nathan Schraeder was an "unsung hero" for the Blue Team, Koskela said. "He's so coachable and open to anything." Schraeder scored two touchdowns, though one he scored on defense was called back, and had the most receiving yards.

Hawk Erik Strom suffered a pulled tendon early in the week, but was able to get some sacks in the opening series of the game before his injury forced him to sit out during the third quarter. "He left it all out there," Koskela said.

Coach Koskela said he and his players had to up their game, even though they went in as state champions. "This was our last hurrah for 9-man," Koskela noted, as the Blue Hawks will move back to 11-man football this fall. Koskela already is looking forward to the next football season. He is taking 22 players to a team camp at Montana Tech later this month, stating that for those kids who have been playing 8-man since junior high, this will be their first exposure to 11-man.