Friday Night Lights: Hi-Line teams begin playoff runs

Right now, there are 32 Class C football teams in the state of Montana with state championship dreams still alive. This Saturday, those 32 teams will put their dreams on the line, including local teams Chester-Joplin-Inverness and North Star.

The Hawks of CJI, who play in the 8-Man football division and the Knights, who play Six-Man football, are both going to be big underdogs on the road this week, but that isn't dampening their enthusiasm.

CJI, which finished 5-4, will make the long trip to take on Charlo (8-1) the top team out of the Western C. North Star also has a huge challenge ahead of it, as the Knights will pay a visit to Hot Springs, the top-ranked team in Six-Man. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. Saturday for both games.

"It's going to be really exciting," North Star co-head coach Shawn Rettig said. "The kids are really looking forward to the challenge. We really have nothing to lose and we want to go see if we can surprise some people."

North Star (5-4), which is also coached by Tyler Han and Bill Mulvaney, comes into the game against Hot Springs (9-0) as a heavy underdog. Yet, the North Division of Six-Man football is no cake walk and with talented players like Dylan Miller and Cade Chvilicek, North Star believes it can pull the upset.

"They are a great team." Rettig said of Hot Springs. "It's going to be tough, but we play in a tough division. There were five teams, including Big Sandy that probably would have made the playoffs in another division. So I think that helps us and we are looking at it like we have something to prove."

Rettig said the biggest challenge for the Knights would be slowing down Hot Springs running back Trevor Paro. Paro, Kane Lawsone and Blaine Carr lead an offense that is as explosive as any in Six-Man football.

"We have been studying film on them like crazy," Rettig said. "And I think I would have to say that (Pario) is about as good as any running back in Class C."

Yet, the Knights have their own talented back in Miller, who has had some really impressive performances this season. However, Rettig pointed out, that the Knights do everything, including winning and losing as a team.

"I know it may sound kind of corny," Rettig said. "But this team does everything together. It's like a family and we really do everything as a team. Our mindset is that we are North Star; we are one team; one family. I think that was the biggest reason for our success this year, is that we do everything as a team."

While North Star wrapped up its playoff berth fairly early, CJI had to beat Power-Dutton-Brady in the second-to-last week of the season to clinch its spot. And after starting the season 1-3, it was the Hawks' fourth consecutive win, which made it that much sweeter.

"Starting out 1-3, is definitely not what we wanted," CJI head coach Jim Vinson said. "But we had some great senior leadership, and I think that was the biggest factor for us. We have a tradition of making the playoffs and I think a strong program. We lost some good kids, but we came back and had a good year, and that's something I am really proud of."

Besides facing the top team from the Western C, the other issue facing CJI right now is an abundance of injuries. Starting quarterback Cory Richter didn't play last week in a loss to Fort Benton and a slew of other key players are also banged up.

Vinson said that Richter should be able to play, which is a good thing for the Hawks as they get to take on Charlo and its talented roster that includes All-Conference lineman Jay Randall and running back Garrett Greslin.

"Some of the challenges we are facing have to do with the size of our program," Vinson said. "We don't have as much depth, and that can make it kind of tough at the end of the season when you are trying to get through injuries. But we are going to go down there and do the best we can do. We play in the North, which is a tough division, and I think that helps prepare for these kinds of games."

Both North Star and CJI will start their playoff games Saturday at 1 p.m. The winners advance to the quarterfinals.