BRIDGER — A visibly emotional Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette talked about challenges that extend beyond the gridiron as he processed what he and his team had just done.
The senior Box Elder quarterback had just played a key role in helping the Bears prevail against Bridger 84-56 in the C 6-Man title game on a chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon while also propelling Box Elder to its first state football championship.
The Bears had advanced to the 2015 title game but fell to the co-op of Denton-Geyser-Stanford.
"We have a lot of adversity on this team, not just on the field but personal stuff," said Stiffarm-Rosette, who helped the Bears respond to a 38-36 halftime deficit by scoring three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to give Box Elder some cushion and put the Scout in catch-up mode for the remainder of the game.
"We find a way to overcome it and it makes us stronger."
That resolve was evident on the first play of the game, where the Bears opted for an onside kick, recovered it and then march downfield on a quick drive capped off by a touchdown pass from Stiffarm-Rosette to Dreyden Anderson.
That sparked a high-flying opening quarter that saw both the Bears and Scouts score on every drive en route to a 22-22 tie at the end of the first. The teams traded scores in the second quarter as Bridger grabbed a two-point halftime lead before Box Elder pulled away in the second half.
"I think four months ago there was only a handful of people in the state that thought this was possible, and they were all sitting in the locker room together," said Box Elder head coach Thomas Dilworth. "We were down a few players and we knew it was going to take a full team effort.
"They trusted each other and they got it done in that second half. It was just phenomenal."
Stiffarm-Rosette was also one of multiple players that were a part of Box Elder's Class C boys basketball title in March, and the significance of clinching those two championships in the same calendar year wasn't lost on him.
"It feels so good, know we have two of them under our belt," he said. "It's just the best feeling in the world, I'm on top of the world right now."
The Scouts were also playing in just their second championship game after falling to Westby-Grenora in 2017.
