On Saturday afternoon, Bridger will visit Hot Springs in the first round of the 6-Man state football playoffs. Inclement weather is in the forecast, as snow is expected to dump throughout Friday and into Saturday morning, likely causing slick conditions.
“We’ve been working on ball security, ball handling. We’ve been trying to make sure we’re getting balls wet, using different balls. Just making sure everybody gets a certain feel for the ball, because it will come in to play," Bridger head coach Mike Mathis said.
For the Scouts, the overnight trip to Hot Springs won’t be anything out of the ordinary. Bridger has had four-plus-hour road trips each of the past two years in the postseason traveling to Jordan and Richey-Lambert, where it fell both times. Bridger will leave on Friday afternoon to embark on its 422-mile trip to Hot Springs, with a pit stop in Butte at Montana Tech.
“We’re used to it by now. The last couple of years we’ve had away trips of six-hours-plus in consecutive seasons, so we’re kind of used to going in hotels," Bridger quarterback Chance Goltz said. "It’s just business trips.”
“They’re excited to (practice at Tech). It's going to be a lot of fun to be on the college turf. They’ve got turf, so it will be a lot of fun for them. They’re really excited," Mathis said.
In a new twist with a fifth conference in the 6-Man fold, both Bridger and Hot Springs are No. 2 seeds from their respective conferences. This has the potential to be one of the weekend’s best games.
“They have a two-headed monster. They have two pretty quick juniors. It’s (Jack) McAllister and (Kyle) Lawson. They like to go to those two a lot. They’re a load. They’re both pretty good," Mathis said. "Hopefully for them, they get those other guys involved. We’ve been preparing for those two, so we’ll see if they choose to get those other guys involved. They’re definitely putting the ball in No. 3 and No. 7’s hands.”
Kickoff is slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Wibaux/Big Sandy game, which will be played Friday at 1 p.m.
