Thoughts on the Montana Grizzlies season and what will be the most memorable thing about this year's squad. Some high praise for the Montana State Bobcats and their potent offensive attack. Plus, we recognize our All-State Prep FB athletes from the local area and look at some Winter sports action.
Local sports talk from Northwest Montana covering prep sports, Bobcats, Grizzlies and more!
Hosted by Josh Dugan
Special thanks to Nomad GCS and Hagadone Media Group Montana for their support.
Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and subscribe to us! Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel.
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Thoughts on the Montana Grizzlies season and what will be the most memorable thing about this year's squad. Some high praise for the Montana State Bobcats and their potent offensive attack. Plus, we recognize our All-State Prep FB athletes from the local area and look at some Winter sports action.
Local sports talk from Northwest Montana covering prep sports, Bobcats, Grizzlies and more!
Hosted by Josh Dugan
Special thanks to Nomad GCS and Hagadone Media Group Montana for their support.
Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and subscribe to us! Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel.
Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!
Welcome back to another edition of Inter Lake Sports Now. We have plenty of action to get to today. I can't believe the football season for the Griz just came to an end. In the sense, it's already December. This year's gonna be wrapping up soon.
We're going to dive into a little Winter Sports action today, but on the agenda for today, for sure, we're gonna talk about that Griz season two coming to an end, first the North Dakota State Bison. I'm just gonna talk about the Bobcats keeping their season alive with the win over Weber State. And as always, we'll get to those Prep Players of the Week and a couple of other local headlines in the valley and beyond.
But before we get to all that, just a quick reminder, today's episode is brought to you by Nomad, voted the Flathead's best manufacturer. Nomad is a long-time supporter of the local community and sports scene, celebrating 20 years of building great careers and mission-focused custom vehicles. Nomad is a Montana-based company making a global impact. Visit Nomadgcs.com for more info. That's Nomadgcs.com for more information.
Alright, quick reminder, you can subscribe to the Daily Inter Lake Edition for all your local news right at your fingertips. Check out thedailyInter Lake.com for more information.
Alright, let's get into a couple of headlines real quick. We'll take a quick look at the Griz/Cats playoff action, and then we're gonna dive into some more local stories and move to those Prep Players of the Week. And then we'll go in-depth on the Griz and the Cats.
Starting, I did mention that the Grizzlies fell to the North Dakota State Bison Saturday, 49-26, in the Fargo Dome. Montana made it a ball game early through halftime. They trailed the Bison 21-13. They were in it, but the Thundering Herd ran away with it in the second half, piling big run after big run to seal the deal and essentially end the Grizzly season. It was a roller coaster ride for the Griz. I'm gonna give a lot more analysis and thoughts on just kind of my thoughts on this season as a whole for the Griz and just kind of how that game went because it was an interesting one and it kind of was a microcosm of the whole season.
As for the Bobcats, they did come out victorious on Saturday with a 33-25 win over Weber State. In the game that felt like the Bobcats kind of dominated it despite the scoreboard only being an eight-point deficit, they rushed for 388 yards. Butte legend Tommy Malott ended the day with 158 yards rushing. Next up for the Bobcats is William and Mary. They got a home game. We're gonna see if the Bobcats can keep it rocking and rolling. Right now, they are machine-like on offense, poetry in motion, you could say, the way that they play football when it is clicking. So it's been very impressive. And like I said, we are going to get into that game a little more in a bit, and we'll dive into that Griz game a little more, just their season in general.
Alright, so we'll dive into those games, but here are some other headlines. This one, you know, we're gonna get into a little bit of winter sports for the first time this year. High school basketball tipped off in the local area this past Friday with Whitefish. The boys and the girls faced off with Eureka.
Both Whitefish teams came out winners, with the Whitefish girls beating Eureka 38-18, led by 12 points from Drew Perry. The boys, meanwhile, won 161-49. It was the coaching debut of Whitefish Bulldogs' brand new boys' head coach, Alex Gonzalez. This is a quick excerpt from our friends at the Whitefish Pilot on the new head coach, written by Whitney England.
Gonzalez takes over for Scott Smith, who resigned after last season. He joins assistant coaches Willie Roche and brings a significant amount of playing and coaching experience to the Whitefish programs. It's a bright future for the program. Excuse me, he is originally from Las Vegas and played in high school as well as college, including two walk-on seasons at UNLV. Gonzalez more recently was coaching at an elite travel basketball program called Vegas Elite, where he focused a lot on player development.
After retiring from his 22-year career in law enforcement with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Gonzalez, his wife, and son traveled in an RV beginning in 2020. They lived in several states but enjoyed Montana the most and put down roots in the Flathead Valley in August.
Here is a quote from Gonzalez that will keep the show rolling: 'Most importantly, they are great kids. That, to me, matters more in developing them into great young men. I told them my philosophy, and I want them to shine, whether it's in football or basketball. I believe in being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.' Gotta love that mindset from the new Whitefish head coach. Gotta have that mindset of 'I'm going to be comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.' It's always hard to put yourself out of your comfort zone, especially in sports. Let's say you're a three-point shooter.
You know, you do that well. All of a sudden, you become a three-and-D guy who plays a little defense. You add in that left-handed layup, a nice little hook shot in the post. Next thing you know, you have the complete game, the mid-range jumper. So, I like that. Gotta try new stuff. You're gonna have to fail to grow, essentially. So that's a great quote from the Whitefish head coach there. And thanks again to our friends at the Whitefish Pilot, Whitney England, for the coverage.
Now, a quick look at the Columbia Falls boys basketball team from our friends at the Hungry Horse News. The Columbia Falls boys basketball team has only one senior on its roster, but they don't lack experience or talent. The Wildcats come into the season with three players that have three years of varsity experience: juniors Alan Anderson, Jace Hill, and Cody Schweiker. Last year, as sophomores, they made their mark on Valley Hoops with entertaining games, even if the score didn't always go their way.
Hill led the squad, averaging nearly 18 points a game. Schweiker was a force at the post, and Anderson was excellent from the outside. The trio also played football together, with Schweiker as quarterback and Hill and Anderson as wide receivers. We might mention them a little later, actually, a little tease right there.
The Cats will also look for good things from Bryce Dunham, their lone starting senior, and guard Mark Robinson, as well as Hunter Goodman and Reggie Saber, coming off the bench. Chris Finberg, head coach, is in his seventh year with the team, and this is what he had to say: 'They'll be pretty fun to watch. We've got good athletes in the open court,' he noted.
So Figberg says the team's going to use its athleticism to its advantage, run and transition, make plays off turnovers, and play solid defense. Gotta like that.
The teams to beat at Northwest Air Brownie and Ronin beat Central last year. State champ also lost no one to graduation, almost lost no one, excuse me, so they should be a favorite again. The Cats looked to place in the top three in the conference to avoid any playoff games like they had last year. The top four in the division go to state.
Both the Columbia Falls boys and girls will play in the tip-off tourney next week in Frenchtown. Thanks again to our friends at the Hungry Horse News and the Whitefish Pilot for their excellent coverage of the local sports scene.
Before we move along to our Prep Players of the Week, let's get some cat grease talk. Here's a message from the team at Nomad: "The key to our success has always been the amazing talent and experience of our team. Based on one of the most beautiful places on Earth, our Kalispell, Montana headquarters is home to some of the most skilled engineers, integrators, software developers, welders, electricians, carpenters, mechanics, and professional staff in the market. Our team is dedicated to working collaboratively with our valued clients to ensure success in every mission.
Join our team, check out our careers page at NomadGCS.com/careers to view current job openings and to submit an application. Remember, go check that out at NomadGCS.com/careers. And remember, thanks again to our friends at the Hungry Horse News and the Whitefish Pilot for their help with the headlines this week."
Now let's move on to our Prep Players of the Week, presented to you by Hagadone Media Group Montana. The team in Montana is here to help you grow. Our skilled team will assess your marketing goals and craft ROI-focused campaigns to meet your business needs. Our integrated marketing solutions will help your target audience find you wherever they are looking, whether it's Google, YouTube, apps, or your local newspaper. Contact Anton at 406-758-4410 for more information. That's 406-758-4410 for more information.
Now let's dive into those Prep Players of the Week. This is going to be our last little bit of fall sports action. We kind of just kicked off the winter sports stuff. This is probably our last little piece of fall sports stuff from the prep scene. Let's get into it.
All-State football teams were announced for Class A and Double-A. So let's take some time to highlight some of our local athletes and their accolades from this season. And like I said, probably our last little bit of fall sports. It was a lot of fun covering football. I said it a few shows ago, but thank you to all those fall sports athletes for their hard work and effort. And just, you know, it's just a great year of sports, a lot of good sports in the valley. So looking forward to winter sports, but fall was a lot of fun. Great time covering the local football scene and everything else.
So let's start with our Class A All-State athletes for our Prep Players of the Week. And then we'll keep it moving along. A familiar face on the prep player of the week list, definitely not his first time calling the name, Glacier Wolfpack quarterback Gage Slider, who led all Class A-AA passers with 3,175 yards and 36 touchdowns while leading the pack to a 7-4 record and a trip to the Class AA quarterfinals.
Next up for Glacier was starting Junior offensive lineman Henry Sellers, who helped lead a great offensive line that gave Slider plenty of time to make plays this season. You don't see quarterbacks putting up those types of video game numbers without a few blockers like Sellers on the offensive line to keep the quarterback from playing in a hurry and taking too many shots. I do remember earlier this year we also gave the Glacier offensive line a group nod for the Prep Players of the Week, so we've been seeing all season long the hard work of that unit, and Sellers is the one who gets the nod for the individual accomplishment. Awesome to see.
Next up, Glacier senior Cameron Shaw earned the nod for a special teams play for the Wolfpack this season. He's officially our third player of the week to earn the honors for their efforts on special teams. It's cool to see that. You have to be tough, disciplined, and a team-first guy to be a great special teams player. It just means they're a selfless player. A lot of credit to him for being a team-first guy. Shaw was also named to the All-State second team for Class AA as well for being a great defensive end. So there's that too.
Last but not least, when it comes to our valley athletes earning All-State honors at the Class AA level, we have Flathead punter Nate Stoddard, who also got some play at quarterback this season. Stoddard now becomes the fourth prep player of the week to receive the special teams' honor. So now we have back-to-back special team nods. You know, I'm always kind of shouting out those people who do the dirty work on the football field and in sports in general. Whether you're the person getting rebounds or the person kicking the punts, you don't always get the credit, but you're an integral part of any successful team. And who knows, after seeing Valley product Patrick Rohrbach have a lot of success with the Griz, maybe Stoddard finds a spot to do little punt duties on Saturdays next year. We'll see how it goes. Either way, an awesome accomplishment for him, and kudos to the whole crew there—Stoddard, Cameron Shaw from Glacier, and Gage Slider and Henry Sellers, junior offensive lineman, from Glacier.
Those were your Class AA All-State athletes from the football field. For the full list, check out the Friday, December 2nd edition of The Daily Inter Lake. Look for the article on dailyinterlake.com.
Now let's move on to Class A. Let's start with the signal callers. We had some great quarterback play in the local area Class A. It was clear from the start of this year that it was going to be a special season with the football IQ of these three quarterbacks, and they all came out this year and had a great season. It was like you had a feeling it was going to happen, and it ended up happening.
Starting it out, your Western A football offensive MVP and All-State quarterback is Jared Wilson from Polson. Wilson has been a mainstay on our Prep Players of the Week. I thought you could almost jokingly name it the Jared Wilson Award because his name was called all season long. He's planning on continuing his football journey at Montana Tech next season, so it's safe to say the Orediggers got a good one. Wilson threw for 2,616 yards, and 35 touchdowns, and he ran for 886 yards and another 17 touchdowns as a senior on the ground. That's remarkable. I believe that's 52 total touchdowns. Yep, that was his second time earning that All-State.
Not last year, he shared offensive MVP with Hamilton QB and current Montana Grizzly, Tyson Rostad. Next up, Whitefish quarterback and cornerback, Finn Ridgeway, had his name called on both sides of the ball. Ridgeway threw for 1,866 yards and ran for another 1,308 while finishing the season with 34 combined touchdowns rushing and passing. I had the opportunity to see Ridgeway play a few times this year. He's a really fun player to watch on both sides of the ball. High football IQ and is just one of those dudes who has a knack for making plays when his team needs it, whether that's making a big hit on defense or coming up with a key touchdown to tie the game or take a lead. He seemed like that guy all season long, so it's awesome to see him get his name called on the All-State list.
To wrap up our prep quarterbacks who made the All-State team, we had the only junior of the group who will be back for more next year. Columbia Falls signal caller Mitchell Schweiker finished the season with 2,380 passing yards, 374 rushing yards, and a combined 33 touchdowns overall. Schweiker also landed on the All-State Class A first-team linebacker, so he's a two-way athlete making the All-State team on both sides. And now he's going to be playing basketball as well. Very cool to see. We'll be keeping an eye out for the Winter Sports action and how Schweiker does. He's got a nice post game according to that Hungry Horse News article, so we'll be seeing if he's got the hook shot or the turnaround jumper. We'll keep you updated. Just playing around with fun stuff.
Big credit to Schweiker. I also had the opportunity to see him play a few times this year. Same thing as I said about Ridgeway, he just has a knack for making a play when his team needs it. And I mentioned it before, this season I was impressed with his efficiency at quarterback. He gets rid of the ball quickly, he's decisive, and he gets the ball to his playmakers in the open field. That's what the game has kind of evolved into, so he has a bright future at the quarterback position.
Let's get to the rest of our local All-State selections from Class A. Like I said, Ridgeway led the way at QB for the Whitefish Bulldogs, but they also had a wide receiver and safety Mason Couch and running back linebacker Ty Schwager landing themselves on the All-State team on both sides of the ball. Kai Nash and defensive lineman Montana Kohandor were also on the squad.
Columbia Falls had some players join Schweiker. Kicker Kygo Lawn, who was also making his second All-State team in a row, and the Wildcats also had Brandon Roll, defensive lineman Tristan Crane, offensive lineman Justin Tower, safety Jay's Hill, and receiver Logan Bechtel all earn All-State honors. So kudos to those Wildcats and Bulldogs players.
Polson's Jared Wilson was named offensive MVP on the Western A football honors team's release. Wilson was joined by his brother Trent representing Polson, who was an All-State receiver and linebacker. The Polson Pirates, who were Class A semifinalists for a second straight year, also had Lincoln Burrow and Dawson Dumont make the team. Burrow was a defensive lineman and Dumont was a linebacker.
Lastly, our last local athlete who was on the All-State honors, Libby's Ryker Stevenson. I had the opportunity to watch this kid against Whitefish put up 337 rushing yards in one game.
I think he averaged like 18 yards of carry in that one, so Class A's leading rusher. He ended the year with 1,323 yards. He was the lone All-State pick at running back and linebacker for the Libby Loggers, and he made the All-State team last year. Stevenson has committed to play for the Grand Soul BC, and his journey continues next season with the University of Montana.
Again, those were your Prep Players of the Week presented by Hagadone Media Group Montana. The team in Montana is here to help you grow. Our skilled team will assess your marketing goals and craft ROI-focused campaigns to meet your business needs. Our integrated marketing solutions will help your people find you wherever they are looking, whether it's Google, YouTube, apps, or your local newspaper. Contact Anton at 406-758-4410 for more information.
Alright, it's that time, getting to the Cats and Griz a little bit, and we'll wrap this thing up. And like I said earlier, maybe I didn't say, but keep an eye out. We might have a little Griz end-of-the-season football special coming and a little Bobcats playoff preview on the horizon. I don't know if we'll mix them or kind of space them out, but keep an eye out. We'll have some more football content on the way soon here from Inter Lake Sports.
Now, let's get into that Bobcats game first, and then we'll dive into the Griz and kind my thoughts on the season overall.
For the Bobcats, we'll start with my stat of the day from this one: The Bobcats pushed their FCS-best home winning streak to 19 straight wins, and next week they're hosting William & Mary, so they're going to have a chance to push that home winning streak to 20 games. The longest home winning streak in FCS history belongs to former FCS School turned FBS School Georgia Southern, who won 39 straight home games at one point. So, that's the start of the day there. The Bobcats have accomplished something huge. They're about halfway there. You never know, I don't want to jinx it, but hey, if you win 20 more home games, you could set the record. It's very exciting. We'll see if they can keep it rocking and rolling versus William & Mary.
My biggest takeaway from that Bobcats game: going into this game, I don't know if anybody listened to last week's episode, or when I spoke with Fritz Neighbor of the Daily, we did a little playoff preview for the Griz and the Bobcats. I was a little worried, "Does this team have enough wrinkles in their offensive attack after just dominating teams on the ground all season long?" They showed so much first Weber State in that first game on the ground with Tommy Malott rushing for 270 yards, and then this, and then they've just finished the season with the game versus the Griz, where they ran the ball like crazy. I was a little worried, "Did the Bobcats have it in them to have those wrinkles?" The Weber State Wildcats, could they come out, and shut the run down, what happens next?
My biggest takeaway is that worry is completely gone. The Bobcats have a method to their madness. They are poetry in motion on offense. I said that earlier, but they utilize so many different weapons, and they have so many different looks and pre-snap motions that keep teams off balance.
And when you have two guys at quarterbacks like Tommy Mallot and Sean Chambers who are a threat to score every single time they touch the ball, whether it's running or throwing, teams are off balance without even trying. I mean, the Bobcats don't really have to throw the ball to be effective, but what is so great about this team, and this is probably my favorite thing about watching the Bobcats, is their offense starts with the rushing attack. They just kind of like a boxing match, they throw those jabs, they throw those jabs, and then all of a sudden they have that opportunity for a haymaker, and they seize the opportunity.
We saw it against the Weber State Wildcats, the play of the game to me that highlights what makes this offense so dangerous, is the double reverse. We saw Tommy Milot line up at quarterback, he tossed it to wide receiver Cleven Thomas on an end around, who then tossed it to Sean Chambers, who was lined up outside as a wide receiver. So you have one of the best quarterbacks at the FCS level, arguably, Sean Chambers, lined up as a receiver, taking a pitch from the wide receiver. So four guys have touched, and three guys have touched the ball at this point. And what does Chambers do? He hits Willie Patterson with a perfect strike for a 47-yard touchdown pass. So you've got three, four, five guys you have to worry about on every play when you're playing this team.
If Chambers and Milot are on the field at the same time, all of a sudden you have to account for that. You have to account for so many weapons. And when, like I said, they have four dudes touching the ball before you know it, it ends up in a touchdown. It's almost inevitable. So they're just scary to stop. I keep running that play through my head. I'm getting a little sidetracked. But it was one of the cleanest plays I saw this year in college football.
Great reverse. I posted it on my Twitter if anybody wants to go find that. Retweeted Big Sky's tweet. So, but I mean, Chambers, Milot, the rushing attack, they just have so many guys you have to worry about pre-snap. Like I said, four to five different guys. That puts pressure on opposing defenses. So my biggest takeaway is this team doesn't need to worry about adding too much to their passing game, but they show just enough to keep defenses on their toes. And they have to be respectful of that passing game because when Tommy Milot wants to throw a dart, he can. When Sean Chambers wants to throw a dart, he can. So that was my biggest takeaway.
I was a little concerned. Can you be a one-dimensional team in today's world of football with so much airing it out and passing? And I think the Bobcats have a nice blend where, although they might only throw the ball 15-20 times a game, they do it efficiently. And a couple of those throws are home runs. So it's not like they're just throwing a little dink and dunk underneath. They have a method to their madness. They throw those jabs like I said. They set up the haymaker and the knockout strike. So many of my questions for that offense were put to sleep after that one. Now, like I said, that play was a bit of craziness. It kind of set my brain into a scramble. So if I'm rambling, you know why. But I mean, this team, I think they have a lot more tricks up their sleeve.
They have a few more rabbits in the hat, as they say so that RPO rushing attack keeps defenses on their toes. No matter who they face off with, they are going to be the ones to put the pressure on and that's what makes the Bobcats so dangerous. My lone question after this game, coming off of that one, is whether offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright will get a phone call to take over a head coaching job somewhere. Maybe a big FBS-level school or Power Five conference comes calling and says,
"We're going to give you some money to be our offensive coordinator." I don't want to go too far down that road, but this guy has one of the best offensive game plans in the country right now at any level. The Bobcats are like a well-oiled machine out there. Their blocking and timing are just perfect. They always hit the right gap with the running attack. They're really special right now. It's always kind of a double-edged sword to have a great coordinator on offense or defense. Eventually, you're going to have to replace them. But it's a good problem to have for Brent Vegan and the Bobcats. They're going to be ready to rock and roll. It's just something to keep an eye out for because if they keep putting up performances like that, people are going to take notice and someone's going to come calling to make Taylor Housewright a head coach. He called a heck of a game, and Tommy Milat and Sean Chambers executed the game plan brilliantly. They play special football when they are rolling. Now, let's move on to the Grizzlies game and get into the stat of the day from the Grizzly game.
It's a little bit of the opposite for the Griz here. They were beaten by the big play on Saturday, and this stat pretty much sums it up. North Dakota State Bison running back Kobe Johnson carried the ball 12 times for 260 yards, averaging 17.2 yards per carry on the day. If a wide receiver averages 17 yards per catch, that's considered a pretty dang good day. But 17 yards per carry as a running back at the college level is almost unheard of. That pretty much summed up the game for the Griz. It felt like they were in it, and they kept fighting early, but the Bison, similar to what the Bobcats do, kept throwing those little punches, and then they set up the big play, and all of a sudden it was a blowout. That was the story of the game. Kobe Johnson's performance was impressive, with 206 yards on just 12 carries. It was crazy stuff.
There's a lot of talk going around on social media about the Griz needing to revamp their defense next season. Maybe they need to find a more hybrid version of their current defense. While they pitched a few shutouts this year and had some great games, they struggled when faced with teams that had a lethal rushing attack. Finding a balance might be key for the Grizzlies moving forward. Now, here's my analysis of this Grizzly roller coaster ride of the season. If you go on Twitter, you'll see a lot of question marks and a lot of fans who are not satisfied with the way this season ended, and that's understandable. There were preseason goals of a championship, and players were nominated for preseason accolades. There was a lot of hype around this team, and I understand that.
Now, this being said, I think we can always love the hype. We can do all that preseason fun, and it is fun to talk about. You go, "Wow, this team has so much potential!" But at the end of the day, the beauty of sports is that it all comes down to what happens through that regular season, what happens on the field. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies just had some bad luck at the starting quarterback position down the stretch. They had injuries at the starting quarterback position, whether it was in the NFL, high school, college, or any sport. Injuries seem to be a major factor late in the season, and it happened to the Griz. And, I mean, it is what it is.
Lucas Johnson, when he played, this team was different. The losses they had with Lucas Johnson were really bad. The Weber State loss, the Wild loss, you never want to go down like that. The loss against Idaho at home was tough too, but the Vandals ended up being a playoff-caliber team. That game was sort of their coming-out party for the nation. Nobody knew how good Idaho was, but now everybody knows. So, they're a good team. Those were tough losses. But, at the end of the day, the other losses for the Griz came with their starting quarterback injured or leaving the game due to injury. So, you never want to make excuses.
You want to win games, I understand, and that is very frustrating. But the Griz ended their season in a road game against arguably the best FCS team in the country, North Dakota State. They kept it close in the first half while Lucas Johnson was healthy, and then North Dakota State ran away with the game.
So, to me, you could easily be a little upset about this season, but I think you can also look at it the other way. How many teams in the country have had their season end in the Fargo Dome on the road? Quite a few. Minus your starting quarterback, you had to pretty much play a perfect game. I don't think many teams in the country are going to win that game. Maybe the Bobcats, with their dual quarterback approach, can survive one of those guys going down versus the Bison and make it interesting. But even then, it would be tough.
So, at the end of the day, the Grizzlies won a home playoff game in absolutely legendary fashion. They got their butt kicked for six quarters in a row against the Bobcats and SEMO, and then they came to life, rallied back on national television, and showed the Grizzlies' toughness. To me, that's what I'm going to remember most about this season. It was far from perfect, far from what you expect. But, as I said, the beauty of sports is you never know what's going to happen, and it's all about how you react to things.
In my opinion, and I've coached just a little in my life, whatever, played little sports in my life, whatever, the biggest thing that I've learned over the years is how you react to those hard times. The Griz losing badly versus SEMO, that could have been the end of the season. It could have easily been like, "Hey, let's put in the second unit, give those guys some playoff experience, and we'll start fresh for next year." But they came back, they won a playoff game, and people are going to be talking about that playoff game for a long time. I think that was kind of the silver lining in the season. Despite the injuries, despite the things they had to overcome, they continued to fight.
They showed a lot of heart, and I think that is what, as I said, I'm going to remember the most. So, hey, it is what it is. It wasn't the season Chris Nation expected. I know there are some criticisms that you could say about some of the defensive play calling at times, especially against the run game, and some of the ways things were approached. Fans aren't happy about it, and I do understand all that. But, as I said, unless you win a championship, maybe they get a better matchup than the Bison.
I understand if you get a higher seed in the regular season, but unless you win a championship, it's not getting much better than making the second round of the playoffs, getting to the Fargo Dome, and keeping it close. I know you want to win that game, but as I said, how many programs in the last 10 years or so have gone to the Fargo Dome in the second round of a playoff game, and that was the end of their season? So, it is what it is. I think it's tough. I think that when your starting quarterback, who, when healthy, changes the dynamic of the team, goes down, it is what it is. So, it was tough. It was not the season that Griz Nation expected.
But, as I said, we're going to dive into this a little bit more. I'm going to do a more full-blown season recap, kind of go over some of the highs, some of the lows, and just in general, some of the good times. You know, like I said, you can't win them all. You would have liked to take care of that Idaho game earlier in the year. You would have liked Lucas Johnson to be protected a little bit more in some of those games, take so many hits. First, maybe Sac State. If they pull off that game, it could have changed the momentum a little, kind of the perception of the season. But the fact that they were in it says a lot. So, it was a weird year, and you've got to take the highs with the lows.
And I think there was a lot to look back on and say, "This team never really gave up on themselves." They got blown out one time in a bad fashion by the Bobcats, and other than that, they showed a lot of grit. They had a lot of seniors who were leaders, and they were really impressive all year to keep this team poised. Because it's easy to start hitting that wall, hitting the failure, hitting those speed bumps, and just turning around. And they just said, "Nope, we're going to keep on trucking, kept fighting." So, I have a lot of respect for them for that. Alright, so I'll stop rambling here. It was a lot to cover this team this year.
It was a lot of fun. Started with such high expectations, and ended up kind of middle of the pack. But like I said, to lose to the Bison on the road, it's... There are a lot of teams that have ended their season that way, and it's kind of part of the game. You know, they're one of the toughest programs in the history of FCS football. That being said, we're going to wrap this one up. I will probably get to a little bit more Cat-Griz playoff stuff on a future show. But let's wrap this thing up. I want to give a special thanks to Hagadonekaday Media Group Montana and remind everyone listening that this episode was brought to you by Nomad, voted the Flathead's best manufacturer.
Nomad is a long-time supporter of the local community and sports teams, celebrating 20 years of building great careers and mission-focused custom vehicles. Nomad, a Montana-based company, is making a global impact. They have worked with NASA in various branches of the United States military, so you know Nomad is a name you can trust with your manufacturing needs. For more info, visit Nomad gcs.com. That's Nomad gcs.com. That'll do it for today. Thanks again to Flathead's best manufacturer, Nomad, and Hagadonekadome Media Group Montana for all their support.
Next episode, we'll be checking back in with the Bobcats to see if they keep that FCS best home winning streak going. And then we're going to dive into a little bit of Griz and Cats basketball action for the first time on the show. I've been talking about it, but there's been so much football stuff going on in our prep scene over here, also with all our local sports. So I'm going to blend in a little Griz and Cats basketball and start diving into that Winter Sports Action from around the valley and beyond.
Plus, keep an eye out, like I said, for a little Griz football special from Inter Lake Sports Now. At some point, we'll wrap up that 2022 season with a little bit of something. Get that together and keep an eye out for it. Central Bobcats playoff preview show, Tommy Malott and the crew posting another playoff game. We'll see how it goes. That team has been a lot of fun to watch. The game has received a lot of praise for their offense, and I'm hoping they keep it rolling. I mean, that has been so fun to watch. Maybe I'm a little old school, but I love the running attack that sets up the passing game. That's just day-one stuff right there, and they do it as well as anyone in the nation. And honestly, they might be the best at it.
So kudos to the Bobcats. And as I said, shout out to the Griz and all their athletes for all their hard work this season on the football team, on the football field. That'll do it, guys. I'm Josh Dugan. This was the Inter Lake Sports Now. It's an epic time to be a sports fan in the Northwest Montana scene. About to dive into that Winter Sports Action next show. You guys have a good one. Can't believe it's already this time of year.