LEWISTOWN — The Lewistown Golden Eagles have gone undefeated all season and they look to finish it out with a championship.
After a 49-32 win over Polson in the Class A semifinals, Lewistown will play host to Billings Central in the championship game on Saturday. Central will enter the matchup coming off a big win against defending champion Hamilton. The two teams met earlier in the season where the Eagles walked away with a 17-7 win.
Lewistown has made extreme progress over the last three seasons. Two years ago they Eagles missed the playoffs, last year they lost in the semifinals, but now they have gotten over the hump and look to finish it out on top.
“The kids are excited, the community is excited, but they are locked in,” said head coach Derek Lear. “Job's not finished though. We have to be 1-0 again.”
Lear has been with the program for eight years, but this is just his second year as the head coach. In the two years up to this point, he has gone 19-2 and is on the verge of winning his first title.
“You have a vision when you take over a program,” said Lear. “This is an ideal vision of what you want this program to be tuned into. To ultimately get over the hump, take care of business, and win one would be high for me but more importantly for our boys and the community.”
This is the moment every high school athlete dreams of, playing for a chance to win a state title. Growing up in the area and having the opportunity to win one has now gone from a dream to reality.
“Its like a dream come true,” said quarterback Gage Norslien. “Ever since I was a little kid up on the hill watching our guys play, it was everything I’ve ever dreamed about.”
The game will kickoff at 1 p.m. in Lewistown.
