2008-09 MAXPREPS TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR
Ranking: No. 4
What: The Huntley Project High School won the Class B Montana state football title only two months after the school was burnt to the ground by four arsonists.
When: Fire occurred on Sept. 18, the state championship win – 41-28 over Fairfield – happened on Nov. 22.
Where: Worden, Mont., 20 miles east of Billings.
How: Despite coaching out of trailer houses and practicing off campus, the Red Devils won 12 straight games and outscored foes 610-86.
Why significant?: The team symbolized perseverance and excellence and proved to be a rallying point for a community ravaged by the fire.
MaxPreps Stories of the Year: A panel of six MaxPreps national writers established the top 10 stories of the year, and voted them in order in terms of national interest, importance and possible future significance.
Wednesday: No. 3 – How the nation’s economic downfall effected athletic fields throughout the land.
NEVER HAS A high school football team risen from the ash with quite the vengeance as the Huntley Project Red Devils.
On Sept. 18, two weeks into the school year, four teens – all either current or former students at the school – broke in during the wee hours and went on a vandalism spree.
They actually left the school grounds but apparently unsatisfied with the damage they had unleashed, came back and set fires in the chemistry room and an office.
The school after the fire.
Courtesy of Jonathan McNiven
By the time the fire department arrived, little could be done. The K-12 school, that served about 750 students strong (225 in high school) in southeastern Montana, was burnt to the ground, causing more than $9 million in damages.
The emotional harm couldn’t be measured.
Makeshift classrooms with second-hand furniture were built inside utility trailers. The school was jokingly referred to as HPTP – Huntley Project Trailer Park.
There were no halls to roam, gyms to run through or banners to salute. Nerves were pinched, morale was stomped and memories lost.
So the school and community turned to a football team for strength, pride and a little diversion every Friday night.
And every Friday for 12 weeks, the Red Devils delivered in a most dominant fashion, with 12 straight wins while outscoring opponents 610-86.
The only game they were challenged all season fittingly came in the Class B state championship, a 41-28 victory over Fairfield.
It was the school’s first state crown in 10 seasons.
Fittingly, three-time All-State fullback Eric Buer did most of the damage, rushing for 250 yards on 18 carries and one score, an 80-yard jaunt in the second quarter to put his team in control.
Buer, only 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, epitomized the team and school’s persevering spirit. He sat out the team’s semifinal victory with a cracked collarbone, but he wouldn’t be denied in the finals.
Class B state champions
Courtesy of Huntly Project
Either would the Red Devils, who were state runner-ups in 1999, 2005 and 2007.
Not this time. Too much was at stake and playing on a field that was just a few flames from where the horrific event took place somehow inspired.
“Maybe it was destiny,” Project coach Jay Santy told Billings Gazette reporter John Letasky. “I’m so proud of these guys. They set the goal early. … I'm glad it was on our home field. And with the burned school in the background, this will be the first trophy that goes in the new one.”
Said Buer: “We had a lot of adversity. We just had a great group of guys.”
Buer was as good as they had, rushing for 1,503 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Though quarterback Wes Kragt didn’t pass often, his efficiency was off the charts, typified by the championship when he completed 9 of 13 for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including 61- and 63-yarders to Joe Medina.
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He also ran for two touchdowns in the title game.
For the season, Kragt averaged more than 25 yards per completion, while throwing for 1,461 yards and 27 touchdowns. He threw just two interceptions.
Gavin Schagunn added 631 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and was the team’s leading receiver with 21 catches for 554 yards and eight touchdowns.
Brady Decock, Trevor Gilreath and Spencer Clampitt were other big offensive producers.
But it was the sum of all parts that made Santy and the community most proud.
“These kids set a goal early on to win a state championship, and they've just been focused on that,” Santy told the Gazette. “The fire didn't slow these kids down - nothing did, really. I (didn’t) have to motivate this group at all.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at
mstephens@maxpreps.com
.
