2024 Week 5 (Montana)
Week 5 was a slow week for games. There wasn’t a lot of options in central Montana. So, Thursdays were out. And a second game on Saturday was unlikely as well. Had I been in eastern Montana, I could have maybe seen another game. But, bouncing around Central Montana has its perks.
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I was not far from Great Falls, when I started driving over to the game for the night. Taking a new route through Big Sky Country that I had never taken before. US89 south from Armington Junction through the Belt Mountains. A range I was rather unfamiliar with. It was quite scenic. Feels out of place given the rolling arid landscape of much of this part of Montana.
Tonight’s game was one of a few options. There were games in and around Great Falls. But nothing too much to my liking. I had seen, erroneously, that White Sulphur Springs was hosting Noxon tonight. And realized I had missed it, somewhere, in the schedule. But saw that Belt, located west of Armington Junction, was playing Ennis in White Sulphur Springs.
A rare neutral site game due to extensive travel between the two teams. White Sulphur Springs, though not the school, was a place I had wanted to see a game in since stopping by here earlier this year on US12.
So, I decided a neutral site game would work. I took US89 south, meandering through the twists and turns of the Little Belt mountains, over a pass, and through twisting valleys to get to White Sulphur Springs.
I got into town about two hours before kickoff. Stopping first at The Town Pump, and then making my way over to the field in Rader Park.
It was a beautiful night, with a forecast of getting chilly. But before kickoff, it was exquisite. Ennis had their busses lined up behind their sideline. While Belt had their two busses behind the home stands. The White Sulphur Springs home stands include a back wall behind the upper row to alleviate the stiff breeze blowing west to east. Down on the field, it was much colder. And temperature was dropping fast.
#37 – Belt v. Ennis (@ White Sulphur Springs, Montana)
This was a rematch of the 2023 State Semifinals in Class C-8. Belt went on to lose the state championship game. This game, however, wasn’t as close. Early miscues tortured Ennis, and Belt jumped out to a decisive lead that started a running clock in the first half. But almost immediately, Ennis scored to abruptly end the timing rules.
With the air growing uncomfortably cool, Belt retook the mercy rule but gave it right back on another Ennis touchdown. Late in the game, after scoring a safety when an Ennis punt snap was lost through the endzone, Belt scored once more to start the running clock and end the game just before the two-hour mark. Belt 54, Ennis 12.
After the game, I had a few options to stop at, but decided I was going to head east at least to Lewistown. It was a long, slow, tiring drive to Grass Range. My second stop of the weekend.
I had been to Grass Range once before, in 2011, when I saw them host Rosebud. Who no longer play football. The game was near the end of the season, and a contest between winless teams. I remembered that Grass Range only had one senior on the team, and no juniors. And for 2012, did not field a varsity team.
I had always intended on returning. Ryan Field in Grass Range was quite picturesque, and my blackberry camera phone quality photos did not do it justice. But years went by. And I just hadn’t found myself consistently in this area of the world. Eventually, Grass Range and Winnett’s enrollment necessitated a co-op with Denton/Geyser/Stanford, creating the state’s first five-school co-op. After that dissolved, Grass Range and their perennial dance partner Winnett, joined with Fergus into an 11-man co-op. Ensuring no games were going to be played in Grass Range.
But heading into 2024, Grass Range and Winnett were back together again as a 6-man squad. And I was going to see them play.
In the morning, I stopped in at the Little Montana Chuckwagon, which used to be part of the Little Montana Truck Stop & RV Park. It wasn’t much of a truck stop or RV park. A small building at the corner of the main east/west street where it intersected with US87 heading south to Billings. The store side of the building had been closed. But the small Chuckwagon restaurant was still open. And serving pie that I remembered from my last time here. So, got two of the specials.
I won’t say it lived up to my memory, but they were both certainly very good. The Rhubarb especially. When I was last here in 2011, despite driving by this town several times in the years since both on MT200 and more recently this summer on US87, I didn’t stop in, and only remembered the Raspberry Pie. I didn’t want to sully the memory of this place, and this town, since I wasn’t returning for a game.
But today I was.
I left the Chuckwagon, and headed over to the school. The field sits on the far south end of the school. Along the dirt parking lot, sat rows of busses and horse trailers. Busses for the Harlowton Engineers, and horse trailers for what would be the pregame anthem. Along the east side of the lot were rows of hay bales. Spray painted with “GO RANGERS GO”.
It was homecoming, and a parade had just finished up that I had missed. The Junior High game had always finished up before I arrived, and had nearly an hour wait for the varsity game to start.
Things had changed since I was last year. Primarily, sidelines. Back in 2011, Grass Range occupied the northern sideline. While the visitors would stand along the southern sideline. Only one small set of portable bleachers were present on the home side back then. The tiny crowd for Rosebud ensured a great, nearly unblemished, view of the hills and buttes south of town.
Today, though, the home side sat on several small bleachers on the south sideline. A large pressbox facility built, and positioned, at the midline on the south side of the field. Small bleachers were erected for the visitors. But there were no other structures on what was once the home side. A chain link fence sat between the cars and trucks lining the field, and the back of the visiting bleachers. The crowd was much larger than the one I had experienced in 2011. For both the home side and the visitors.
Harlowton, the Engineers, were another team that has long been on my bucket list. Located at the intersection of US12 and US191, the town sits as a small oasis surrounded in all directions with very little. To the north is Judith Gap, part of the co-op. And to the east, the small town of Ryegate. Also apart of the co-op. Further still, is Lavina. To the west, is White Sulphur Springs. Where I was on Friday. Just 57 miles west.
For the longest time, Harlowton and Ryegate were pairs, before Judith Gap left their Tri-Cities Titans co-op with Hobson and Moore to join their southern pairs. I had been to Judith Gap, I’ve been to all three specifically, but stopped with my daughter so she could play on the school’s playground last summer. Judith Gap being one of stops on our way to Kalispell.
#38 – Grass Range/Winnett v. Harlowton/Ryegate/Judith Gap
To start the game, two riders carried the U.S. and Montana flags around the field. The game kicked off shortly, and the 0-3 Rangers and 1-2 Engineers, seemed evenly matched. Harlowton scored first, before two straight scores by Grass Range relinquished the lead. And the lead for the rest of the game.
Harlowton would score one more, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. A 30 yard TD run by Trey Jassak made it 22-12 after the first quarter.
Just as Harlowton looked to answer the call, on a 15 yard TD catch, Grass Range scored on another Jassak run. Two more scores started to see Grass Range pull away, 44-18 with 2:40 left in the ten minute second quarter.
And then the floodgates opened. After a Gabe Dill 35-yard TD run for Harlowton, Grass Range went on a tear. Adding two touchdowns in the final 55 seconds to go up 58-30 as the half expired.
The second half started slowly, but Hazen Arnston got on the board with a 3 yard run, pushing the lead to 64-30. Just 11 seconds later, Taylor Johnson was on the receiving end of a 31 yard TD catch. Ballooning the lead to 40 points, at 70-30.
Gabe Dill and the Engineers weren’t done yet, but the fourth quarter was moving quickly as he scored on a 4 yard run with 7:59 left. Randy Olson and Tyler Cox would finish the scoring on the day. The last, from Cox, was a 3 yard run with 1:03 left in the game.
Giving Grass Range/Winnett a comfortable and rewarding 86-37 victory over the visitors on homecoming day.
After the game, there was set to be a volleyball game, as well a street dance later that night. I didn’t stick around. As I had other things to do and concluded my weekend.
An enjoyable, if short, weekend of games. Finally seeing a game at White Sulphur Springs under their new lights, and returning to Grass Range for the first time in 13 years for a high school football game.
I added three new teams to my list. And one new stadium. Montana was now my 9th state of the season.
ECONOMICS
In total, miles driving for football games was just 213 miles. Between Armington Junction and Grass Range. I spent a total of just $17 on food. None for gas, tickets/miscellaneous or miscellaneous.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
2024 Statistics
38 Games
76 Teams
19 Stadiums
9 States
42 New Teams
14 New Stadiums
1,611 different teams
509 different stadiums
1,498 total games
NEXT WEEK
I will be back in Montana for two more games. Unfortunately I can’t get far enough east to see a Thursday night game.
Friday night will be in Hobson, as the Hobson/Moore Titans host the Great Falls Central Catholic Mustnags in a 6-man title. And Saturday afternoon, will be in Denton, where the four-school Denton/Geyser/Stanford/Geraldine Bearcats host the Grass Range/Winnett Rangers. Who I had just seen last Saturday. I would have liked to spice it up a bit, but there was no other Saturday afternoon games nearby.
For photos from this game, and others this weekend, click HERE.
For photos from previous weeks and seasons, visit http://www.flickr.com/sykotyk/sets/