‘A celebration’: Montana’s top 8-man football players appreciate opportunity to participate in ‘The Clev’
BUTTE — The state’s top 8-Man football players landed on the Mining City on Tuesday, beginning a week that will culminate in the 40th annual Bob Cleverley 8-Man All-Star Game on Saturday.
While all eyes will be on the game once the ball is kicked off about 7 p.m. on Bob Green Field, “The Clev” signifies much more to the players and coaches than a few hours of football action.
“We’re here to play football and showcase, but the relationships you form at this game last a lifetime, and that’s what’s so great about it,” Red team and Fairview head coach Derek Gackle said.
The Red team, captained by Gackle, boasts five Warriors state championship players on a roster that includes athletes from the Eastern and South Central divisions.
Belt head coach Matt Triplett leads the Blue squad, which includes five former Huskies state runners-up. The roster includes players from the Northern, Western, and Southeast divisions.
“It’s been nice getting along with everyone, including students from across the state who you weren’t friends with before but are now, or who were once your rivals but are no longer. So it’s been quite exciting and different,” Ennis’ Clintin Buyan remarked.
“It’s been an awesome experience,” Fairview’s Jeff Tjelde remarked. “Some of these guys have been your rivals your entire life, and now you get to come out and play with them, practice with them for a week, and hang around. It has been a terrific time.
And for many of the athletes competing this week, it will be their final opportunity to put on their pads and play their favorite sport.
Other than the Fairview representatives, the players believed their high school football careers had finished in defeat. However, they now have another chance to finish first and simply enjoy playing the game.
“That’s really cool,” Buyan said. “To be able to put the pads on one more time, come out here on Montana Tech’s field with a bunch of good athletes and play one more game.”
Along with receiving another chance to play, the players and coaches appreciate the opportunity to draw greater attention to the 8-Man game.
“I think it’s pretty important to represent 8-Man football in Montana, because it doesn’t get a lot of recognition throughout the year,” Buyan stated. “I don’t think a lot of players get recognition like they should, there’s a lot of good 8-Man football players.”
After four years of representing their little Montana communities on the gridiron, the players in “The Clev” have one more night to play the game they enjoy.
“It’s a celebration of their four years of dedication, culminating in an all-star game. You get the greatest 8-Man players in the state here, and they get to show off what they’ve accomplished over the last four years,” Gackle said.