Column: As alum of 8-Man school, it was tough to be neutral about new championship format

Posted November 14, 2018 at 406mtsports.com.

BILLINGS — A few years ago, someone asked me what was the best game I’d ever attended. I thought about it and ran through my mental list of professional games in multiple sports, college games ranging from NAIA to Power Five programs and a variety of high school and community sports.

But as fun as some of those were, I realized the best game I had been to was an 8-Man state football championship. As I began to describe the experience, a bit sheepishly I admit, a smile spread across both our faces, mine fond and theirs slightly incredulous.

When I think about that moment, I realize that most of what made that particular game “the best” was how personal it was. Sure, it helped that the game featured a fourth-quarter double-digit comeback and needed overtime to decide the victor, but it was also in my hometown and it belonged to something I was a part of, not just a fan of.

So, I admit I was sad when I learned of the decision in April to hold 8-Man football championships at a neutral site. Before anyone gets upset, let me just say that I get it. I understand the logic of considering field conditions, distances, time of year, etc. But I also don’t think that prevents me at the same time from being wistful for the things that made that game so great for those of us who experienced it.

I was in college in 2006 when Centerville hosted its last state championship. It’s something entire generations may never get to experience, and programs exist without ever making the championship game.

The MHSA has records for football championships going back to 1900. In that time, the Miners have only made the championship twice in 118 years. Not only does a team have to be good enough and deep enough to make it through the season and all the way through the playoffs, but to host a home championship you had to earn both the right seed and matchup, according to the preset formula that changed every year.

So when it all aligned, all the stops were pulled out.

As soon as it was announced, people began finalizing plans to get there. I knew people who gave up their Cat-Griz tickets, rescheduled hunting trips and skipped college classes to travel back for that game. And I smiled every time I saw painted messages in the windows from playoff teams and fans crisscrossing the state as I drove to get there myself.

Having been on road playoff trips I always think the best part is actually getting to see the home of your opponent. Every town that dots the map around our state has its own flavor and traditions and when you actually visit them, you understand a bit more about them.

Many communities have experienced shrinking, but the opportunity to host a game of this magnitude makes it feel like they still matter, that they’re still there and haven’t been forgotten. It’s bigger than any homecoming game, encompassing everyone from elementary students all the way up to community members who have sat in the same seats every game for decades, united by a desire to witness this rare moment.

So preparations began as soon as the Miners won their 2006 semifinal.

The field was prepped, banners started going up and arrangements were made to have extra bleachers brought in on loan from Malmstrom Air Force Base. Scaffolding trucks from a lumber yard provided additional space and capacity for spectators. There were orange and black balloons filled for both decoration and to release during pregame filling the sky, and the rumor was that someone even arranged for a fly-over. About 10 minutes before kickoff, a pair of F-15s buzzed the small coulee south of Great Falls on their way to Bozeman for the Cat-Griz game. How arranged this actually was I’ve never been quite certain, but it happened nonetheless.

There’s something about seeing banners and balloons and flags in your school colors appear with more frequency the closer you get to the field, tied to fence posts, mailboxes, and landmarks I’d driven past hundreds of times before. Spray painted hay bales dotted the route and visiting cars were decorated in blue and yellow. From the windows of the Wibaux bus hung a giant banner proclaiming “The Beast from the East.” Vehicles lined the highway because the school, park and church parking lots were completely full, more than any other time I’d seen.

Fans from both teams mingled through the parking lots and outside the gate where ticket takers who I had known throughout my childhood greeted us. We all walked together across the bridge toward the field before reaching the red dirt track and separating to our opposite sides in a familiar rhythm.

I hiked up to the 'C' to get a glimpse of the whole scene and saw people lining the ropes surrounding the field. It’s a field made specifically for this kind of game, with no extra flags or marks needed and the ropes create a closeness to the action. Like usual, kids played their own mini-games around the end zones.

The familiar voice of the principal greeted us over the PA and provided updates on scores of the other championships, as well as the Cat-Griz game, bringing cheers and groans from both sides of the field. I remember the buzz of the crowd and the particular energy that I’ve only experienced when a game brings together people and shuts everything else down to pay attention to this one event. There’s a focus and unity to that energy that is harder and harder to find in our subscription-based everyday lives.

And as the shadows grew long and the Longhorns made their comeback in the fourth quarter to tie the game, the conversation in the stands and among those lining the ropes turned to how many and which cars may need to be pulled up along the track so the headlights could provide illumination in case it got dark before the game was decided.

It was poetic to see tears of celebration mingle on the same field that hours of sweat and effort and other tears of heartbreak have fallen before. After the Miners won the game, I saw fans and families mingled with both teams in the middle of the field acknowledging not just what had happened that day, but the season. It’s there where I saw friends from college, one from Wibaux and one from Stevensville, who tagged along to see the spectacle of it all, and we couldn’t help but shake our heads and laugh.

Now, I know we can’t live in the past and I do offer full congratulations to the Great Falls Central Mustangs and Drummond-Philipsburg Titans this weekend. I am confident new traditions will be established and whoever wins it will not mean any less.

But it feels like winning it at home just made it a little sweeter.

So, good luck to both teams, as well as the rest of all the teams playing for championships in the other divisions. Enjoy the moment, wherever you may be.