Great Season To Remember
Walking out of the Honker Pit after a quick lunch on Saturday, I could hear the music already pumping from the nearby football field. I took hearing “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” by Meat Loaf as a good sign that it was going to be a great day for the Red Hawks.
Covering the Red Hawks this football season was a bit of a “paradise” for me during this fall. The journey culminated with the Red Hawks knocking off White Sulphur Springs for the Class C sixman state title on Saturday.
My coverage of this team started while watching a pre-season practice. Working on kickoff drills, assistant coach Jalen Hendrickson was very enthused about his instructions. Coach Michael Reiter told me, “It’s our time to be the upperclassmen. Athletically, we have a good chance this year.”
It sounded promising to me. Maybe they will win a few more games, but teams like Jordan, Wibaux, Savage and Richey-Lambert seem to always be awfully good. I was hopeful for a decent season, but what was coming up was truly remarkable.
Opening their season with a 60-12 victory over Bainville was a nice way to start. Next up was a contest in Savage, which opened its season beating Wibaux handily. The Red Hawks fell behind 13-0 early in that game that attracted a large crowd on a great fall evening. They bounced back for an impressive 50-19 win.
Reiter was excited after the game about qualifying for the playoffs. It was a great step for the program.
After cruising over defending state champion Jordan the next week, the Red Hawks faced another stiff challenge in Lambert against the Fusion during late September. The Red Hawks jumped ahead 20-0 and downed Richey-Lambert, 73-36.
These players, who didn’t even make it to the playoffs last season, were now conference champions. I took a moment to glance at the MSHA playoff bracket and was delighted that they will be playing at home throughout the playoffs.
After easy victories over Broadview/Lavina and Harlowton/ Ryegate in the first two rounds, the Red Hawks won a 42-26 battle against Big Sandy. The championship match-up against White Sulphur Springs turned into a celebration and a 44-19 win. This team and this journey to the championship will never be forgotten by area football fans. How these student athletes gained more and more confidence each week when very admirable. Some of the younger players kept stepping up and their entire team simply becoming unstoppable. It was great to see the growing excitement among fans as the Red Hawks continued to jump hurdle and hurdle on their way to the ultimate prize. In a year where many questions occupy our every day routines, this team’s rise was certainly uplifting. It was a super ride.
