BUTTE — Come fall, Carson Oakland will be at the helm of a Polson football team fresh off a consecutive appearance in the Class A semifinals.
In the meantime, the former St. Ignatius head football coach is grateful to have one final ride with some of his seniors that were instrumental in guiding the Bulldogs to the 8-Man state championship game in November, where St. Ignatius fell 52-24 to Belt.
Oakland, a Glendive High School product and Dickinson State University graduate, will be head coach of the Blue Team when the 39th Annual Bob Cleverley 8-Man All-Star Game kicks off at Bob Green Field on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
Among his Blue Team roster are six St. Ignatius seniors: Canyone Sargent, Carmine Adams, Kellen McClure, Chance Bockman, Kenny Ness and Bryce Umphrey.
"I get goosebumps thinking about those guys," said Oakland. "Our senior class is going to be missed. They set the tone, they've done everything the right way."
While the Bulldogs have the largest presence on Team Blue, Oakland is enjoying the camaraderie of all his players and his time in Butte.
"Being here and being around a bunch of all-stars is awesome," he said. "Butte's a great place, they kind of roll out the red carpet for you here. They treat you well here."
Team Red will be coached by second-year Flint Creek head coach Jason Ostler, who said guiding a team in the 8-Man All-Star game is something he's looked forward to since taking over for previous Titans coach Mike Cutler.
"The 8-Man football game is such a blast," Ostler said. "It's so fast and the kids play so hard. A lot of these kids are never gonna see the field again and they just get to fly around."
Ostler will have five seniors from Belt's championship team on his roster: Bridger Vogl, Garrett Metrione, Keaghn McDaniel, Memphis Black and Zach Feldman.
"It was a great experience," said McDaniel of helping lead the Huskies to their first title in 28 years back in November. "It was finally nice to see all of our collective effort come together and see the final end product."
With just a week to script a gameplan and get everyone on the same page before kickoff on Saturday, success for the defending champion Red Team will come down to gelling quickly and making marked improvement in every single practice.
"We walked in the dorm and just started clicking with all the guys," said Joliet senior Paxton McQuillan, who will join Rocky Mountain College's football team this fall. "Now we're buddies and just trying to create some chemistry before Saturday."
39th Annual Bob Cleverley 8-Man All Star Rosters
Red Team
Ben Haley, Seeley-Swan
Paxton McQuillan, Joliet
James Lewis, Cascade
Andrew Tallon, Drummond-Philipsburg
Ty Cook, Joliet
Paysen Kuhbacher, Broadus
Tyler Schoen, Chinook
Trenton Emerson, Shelby
Stockton Zimdars, Park City
Landis Arganbright, Fort Benton
Bridger Vogl, Belt
Garrett Metrione, Belt
Bryce Lee, Shelby
Keaghn McDaniel, Belt
Connor Sawyer, Cascade
Tyler Burden, Flint Creek
Seth Bailey, Joliet
Memphis Black, Belt
Aedan Dotson, Flint Creek
Brodee Ward, Joliet
Cooper Anderson, Forsyth
Ben Bradshaw, Flint Creek
Tucker Carpenter, Joliet
Nicholas Johnson, Ennis
Flint Annis, Chinook
Reece Rigby, Flint Creek
Zach Feldman, Belt
Head Coach: Jason Ostler, Drummond-Philipsburg
Blue Team
Canyon Sargent, St. Ignatius
Easton Tommerup, Plentywood
Boen Tande, Scobey
Carmine Adams, St. Ignatius
Adam Paine, Westby-Grenora
Orion Plakke, Superior
Kellen McClure, St. Ignatius
Beau Beery, Circle
Justice Bengochea, Culbertson
Jaron Taylor, Circle
Colin Avance, Culbertson
Decker Milender, Superior
Tucker Love, Charlo
Kobe Nickoloff, Culbertson
Chance Bockman, St. Ignatius
Hooper Reed, Darby
William Buchanan, Superior
Grady Richardson, Circle
Roan Jackson, Victor
Wyatt Haworth, Superior
Tucker Aanstad, Scobey
Kenny Ness, St. Ignatius
Bryce Umphrey, St. Ignatius
Keaton Piedalue, Charlo
Hunter Sharbono, Fairview
Payton Perkins, Culbertson
Jaden Pardee, Ekalaka
Head Coach: Carson Oakland, St. Ignatius
