I know Montana isn't necessarily the first state that comes to mind when you think of good collegiate or high school football, but the fact is that there is some very good programs to be found there.
This past weekend Carroll College won their fourth straight NAIA national championship by beating St. Francis 27-10. Going into the game St. Francis was undefeated and ranked second in the nation to Carroll. But get this; in the past three years, St. Francis has lost only 3 of 41 games -- all to Carroll in NAIA championship or semi-final games. Brutal. Carroll coach Mike Van Deist has built Carroll into a dynasty and has become the coach most talked about to take over one of the many higher-profile NCAA coaching vacancies.
At the high school level, the Drummond Trojans are making their own definitive mark in the history books, by winning their fourth straight Montana State Class C 8-Man Football Championship beating previously undefeated Park City 54-0 last month. The win brought Drummond's 4-year record to an amazing 35-0 with an average score of 54-2. Drummond finished the year as the top-ranked 8-man football team in the nation by MaxPreps.com. An amazing accomplishment by coach Jim Oberweiser (an Anaconda native) and his team led by his six senior starters.
Before this legendary run of championships, Drummond's football team was best known for playing their home games on a field that wasn't level. With the field carved into a hillside north of the freeway, teams winning the coin flip didn't make their decision based on wind direction; they chose to either go uphill, or downhill.
Drummond Football Photos from Flickr
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High school football is fantastic anywhere, but there's something special about football in Montana. Where else can you find teams with names like the Anaconda Copperheads or the Belfry Bats?
Related photo sets from Flickr:
tags: montana, drummond, carrol college, football