George Ferguson Column: A magical football season, at all levels

In today’s world of sports, success is always measured by a team winning its last game. Whether it’s the Super Bowl, a national championship in college or a state championship in high school, winning that last game is the measuring stick in this world of instant gratification.

But for me, football is much more than winning. Maybe it’s because I’m 40 and I don’t play or coach the game, or maybe it’s because I get to cover the great game of football on all levels, and that’s why I see more than just winning or losing.

Whatever the reason, the game of football is much more to me, and this past football season, which is all but over, at least for me, was about as much fun as I’ve had in a long, long time.

Starting at the high school level, this season was one I’ll never forget. Chinook did indeed win its last game, a Class C state championship, and it was as memorable as it gets around here. Chinook capped a perfect season, with a team that was perfect, and that’s a memory that will last a lifetime.

But as great as the Sugarbeeters were this season, and they were great, this high school football season in the Hi-Line was one for my history books no matter the outcome.

It was an absolute joy to watch the Havre Blue Ponies make a great run into the Class A playoffs this season. The Blue Ponies were fun to watch; they played with an exuberance and a fire that makes any fan gravitate to a team like that. Above that, they were really good. It was fun to see Mark Samson on the sidelines in Blue Pony blue, and to see former HHS greats like Scott Leeds, Jerrod Wirt and Kendall Griggs coaching right along side him.

Then there’s the story of the Box Elder Bears. I’ve been covering high school football long enough on the Hi-Line to have gone through two different stretches where Box Elder didn’t even field a team. Yes, there was a time not long ago when there wasn’t even football in Box Elder.

But this season, the Bears weren’t just a good football team that almost won a state championship. They were a history-making and perception-changing football team that galvanized a community. The mark Box Elder left on its school, the community, and Six-Man football will be ever-lasting and won’t be forgotten.

And that’s high school football. Win or lose, it’s the game of football in its purest form. And this past fall was about as entertaining and enjoyable a high school football season as I’ve had in a long time, and I owe that to all of the great student-athletes and coaches who work so hard to make it that way.

Of course, the college football season for me wasn’t a slouch either.

Here at home, it was a difficult season for the Montana State University-Northern Lights. In a rebuilding process, the Lights didn’t win a game this year and that is tough. I know how tough it was for everyone involved with the program, and it’s a building process that is going to continue to be tough for a while yet.

But I’ll say this — I didn’t see one ounce of quit or give-up in the Lights this season, and honestly, as much as I respect football players, when a team goes through a season like the Lights did, that’s not always the case.

No, I have a tremendous amount of respect for how the Northern football team handled this past season. Players and coaches conducted themselves in the manner that this community should be very proud of. They represented the name on the front of the jersey with pride and toughness every week, regardless of what the scoreboard read. And, if that attitude continues, it won’t be long before the Lights start to turn corner.

And on the statewide level, things were just as entertaining, and at times, downright crazy. Both the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats had some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows this past fall. Fans on both sides of the divide can say one thing — it was a spellbinding season for both the Cats and the Griz, and one that culminated with yet another intense Brawl of the Wild.

Now, both teams are going through transition periods. Montana is just one year removed from hiring a new head coach in Bob Stitt, and MSU is now just three weeks into the Jeff Choate era. But if this past season of Cats and Griz’ football taught us anything, we’re in for some fun, fun times ahead.

So of all the teams I follow closely, only Chinook won its last game — as I’m quite certain my Minnesota Vikings have about as much chance of winning the Super Bowl this year as the Cubs did the World Series. But the end result of teams like the Blue Ponies, Lights, Bears or Griz won’t diminish one bit just how special this football season really was.

I can honestly say that every team I saw gave it their all, they played with pure heart, they played the game the way it should be played, and at the end of the day, for a fan of football, I can’t ask for anything more.

Yes, for me, this football season was a success story times 10. And it makes me wonder what great things are we in store for next fall?