Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Kordell Small, Rocky Boy Football

For years, the Rocky Boy football team was trying to get to the point of playing varsity football. In Class B, playing 11-Man, it was difficult, but last season it finally happened.

Yet, predictably, the Stars first go-around was a rough one, as Rocky Boy went 0-8. But now that they are playing 8-Man football, the Stars appear to have found a home and Saturday, thanks to a spectacular five-touchdown performance from Kordell Small, the Stars found the win column in a varsity football game for the first time in years, with a 36-35 win over Box Elder.

For Small and the rest of the senior class at Rocky Boy, it wasn't the first win ever in football. In 2014 and 2015, before Rocky Boy was ready to compete fully in Class B, the Stars played a JV schedule. The schedule featured different teams from along the Hi-Line and even games against the Havre froshmore team. During that time, the Stars won multiple games each season, but none of those wins can compare to the one Rocky Boy notched Saturday.

"We always knew that we could do it," Small said. "We have won games before, just not with the varsity. But we felt like we could compete with a lot of teams, we just needed to keep working and now, that hard work has all paid off. It's a great feeling."

The fact that Small led the way for the Stars was only fitting. The athletic quarterback/running back/defensive back, has been one of Rocky Boy's top players for years. And Saturday, he put together what can easily be considered his finest game ever on the gridiron.

When the clock struck triple zero in Box Elder last Saturday, Small had totalled three rushing touchdowns, one touchdown pass and a scintillating 65-yard interception return for a touchdown. The defensive score came right before halftime and helped the Stars take a 20-13 advantage into intermission. The play also prevented Box Elder from scoring, so realistically, it could be viewed as a 14-point swing.

"That was kind of a first for me," Small said. "I normally get a lot of rushing touchdowns, but I don't get many throwing and I don't remember having an interception return like that. The ball got tipped, and I just got my hands on it and was able to make it all the way to the end zone. It was pretty crazy."

While Small has turned into a playmaker for the Stars on both sides of the ball, he is also a varsity basketball player at Rocky Boy and also participates in track during the spring. But right now, Small's only focus is football and he said, he has bigger goals for his team than just winning a few games, he said he wants to make the playoffs.

On paper, that seems like a long shot, especially in the always difficult Northern C. But with a game coming this week against Hays-Lodge Pole, which forfeited to Centerville last week, another win is certainly possible, beyond that, who knows what could happen. But following the Stars' big win in Box Elder, the Havre Daily news caught up with Small for five questions.

HDN: What has the transition to 8-Man football been like for you guys?

Small: "It has been tough, there is a just a lot of different rules and things that we are still trying to learn, but once we learn them all and get it all down, I think we can be pretty good."

HDN: You guys have won games before, but not a varsity game, at least while you have been playing. What did that feel like for you?

Small: "It is a great feeling, especially when it comes to playing Box Elder. We wanted to show that we were the best team on this reservation and I think that we did that (Saturday)."

HDN: You have a chance to start 2-0 this week against HLP, what would that mean for you guys?

Small: "It would be great. I have heard that they are a good team, so we have to go out there and give it our best shot. But I want more than to win just a couple of games, I want to make the playoffs. Some people might think that's crazy, but I think we can do it."

HDN: What do you think was the biggest key to your team's success against Box Elder?

Small: "I think it was just all the work that we have put in, over the summer and these last couple of weeks leading up to it. We have all worked really hard getting ready and (Saturday) it showed."

HDN: So what are your goals for the rest of this season?

Small: "I just want to win as many games as we can. This (beating Box Elder) was a lot of fun and I want to have that feeling again. But like I said, my goal is for us to make the playoffs, that would be awesome if we could do that."