Central Montana Sports Round-Up With Karl Koontz

Country Football on KMON Week #11 (11-5-23)

Nearing The End Of The Season

The clock ticks inexorably on as the 2023 high school football builds towards its finale, a Saturday less than a fortnight away that will complete the dreams of many young men across the Treasure State. In two weekends, the Montana High School Association will crown five state champions, capping a season and for many a career with the biggest prize of all. The quarterfinal match-ups represented a mixed bag, with some incredibly wild games and a as many blow-outs, but that’s just how small town football works. KMON Radio is delighted to be a part of it every weekend.

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There Were Big Games On Saturday

Chris and Karl went back to Choteau County for a contest between the Superior Bobcats and the Fort Benton Longhorns. It was a nice day for game, with little wind and the temperature hanging in the mid-50’s, nothing like the wintery day the prior Saturday. The Longhorns kept their season, and championship hoes, alive with a 44-30 victory in front a large and enthusiastic crowd. It was a close game for the first three periods, but the Horns took control in the final frame due to fantastic line play stellar defense. A 22-22 halftime tie evolved into a two score Fort Benton win. The win propels the Horns into a semifinal match-up against the top ranked team in the state, Fairview. It’s a long trip (368 miles), but the boys will be excited for the chance to play their way into the state title game set for November 18th.

Fairview took care of business Saturday with an impressive 70-28 victory over Western Division champ Arlee. It was never very close for the #1 team in Montana’s 8-Man ranks. The Warriors led 48-14 at the half and coasted to the win. Talk about a long bus ride; Arlee is 580 miles from Fairview. For reference, Seattle is 466 miles from Arlee. The other 8-Man games weren’t very close either. Central Division kingpin Ennis kept their record unblemished with a 67-26 rout of Circle and defending state champion Belt waxed Wibaux 70-6. So the battles in the semis will be Fort Benton @ Fairview and Ennis @ Belt for 8-Man.

The top half of the 6-Man bracket brought two amazing games. 2021 champ Froid/Medicine Lake travelled to Chester and prevailed over the CJI Hawks 79-75. Despite those giant numbers, it was settled in regulation; it was on those offensive games where the last team with ball won. Harlowton-Rygate-Judith Gap survived a donnybrook as they with a 65-60 win over Hot Springs. The Engineers will host the next round game in Harlo after everyone on both sides has a chance to catch their breath. Closer to home, the Centerville Miners continued their unbeaten ways with a 48-15 win at home against West Yellowstone. The Miners are in search of their third state championship and their first since 2006. To get to the chipper, the Orange and Black crew will have to get past Custer-Hysham-Melstone on the road. The Rebels upended the MonDak Thunder (Westby, MT & Grenora, N.D.) by a final of 65-28.

AA and Class B Contests:

The big schools are also down the Final Four in race for hardware. Semifinal contests at the AA level include: Gallatin @ Bozeman and Missoula Sentinel @ Helena Capital. Both those games will be played Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Lewistown has a chance to go back-to-back in the A Division. The Eagles host Polson on one side of the bracket while Billings Central heads west to take on Hamilton in the other semi. Florence-Carlton is two steps away from a 3-Peat in Class B. The two-time champs are at home against Boulder while Bigfork will play at home against Missoula Loyola.

Coming Up On Saturday:

The KMON broadcast crew is heading to Remington Field in Belt for that contest. Belt is also trying to repeat, but it could be a tall task for the Huskies against the Ennis Mustangs. Ennis is undefeated at 11-0 and has four state titles to their credit including two of the last ten. Belt lost their opener against Fairview by a single point, and has not been challenged since. It could be a good one, so don’t miss it. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday with the pregame set for 12:50. Don’t miss any of the exciting action as the games get bigger very week!

Stream all the action here, or on our app or listen at 560 AM KMON