Bulldogs football prepares for season in new conference

ST. IGNATIUS — Mission High School player Troy Mitchell not only survived last season but the now senior utilized last season’s struggles as a catalyst to motivate he and his team to have a successful 2017 campaign.

No longer will Mitchell and his Bulldog teammates be faced with the daunting chore of playing in Class B, 11-man but now will have the task of playing in the same Class C, 8-man format as their Mission Valley counterparts Arlee and Charlo.

The football schedule or conference doesn’t get any easier but armed with a total of 28 kids on opening day of football practice, newly-appointed Bulldogs’ coach Tyler Murray, who is in his first-ever high school season and will replace Bulldogs’ coach Jake Bosley, will have his hands full. Bosley stepped down as the Bulldogs’ coach to focus on his duties as the athletic director.

“Last year was tough and we had a lot of young kids that were fairly new to the game of football,” Mitchell said. “We were working with a new coaching staff and the coaches were learning the playbooks. Half our starting team were freshmen and it is very difficult to come in and learn right away.”

Mitchell, who is one of the senior leaders on the team, will now assume more of a leadership role to a still young but more experienced Bulldogs’ team.

“It is going to help that we have a big sophomore class,” Mitchell said. “Last year, we had a lot of freshmen playing varsity. They know what to expect and what they are going to see. They are not going to have freshman jitters (this season). They will know what to expect.”

Mitchell, who was considered one of the veteran leaders last season, said the leadership role he will assume this season will have a different feel.

“I felt like if I showed up to the weight room every day, got to know the new coach and we did really good showing up at the beginning that every day someone else was showing up and putting in the work,” Mitchell said. “(Our goal) is to just put in some work and win some games. Last season was no fun losing every single game”

With the change in conference comes a new opportunity to cultivate rivalries especially with Arlee, Mission and Charlo now all in the same conference.

“I am very excited to play Charlo and Arlee and they are both going to be very tough and dedicated,”: Mitchell said. “I want to give Charlo and Arlee both a run for their money. It’ll be fun. I can’t wait to play Charlo especially.”

Mitchell, who has never played Charlo before, said he wants to play them because he knows a lot of the kids that are on the star-studded team that finished second in the Class C, 8-man state championship game last year before losing to Ennis in the championship game.

“I’ve known a lot of the kids, never got to play them in football and it’ll be nice to play Charlo,” Mitchell said. “Charlo had a really good program and had quarterback Landers Smith. They were just inches away from becoming state champs and playing them will be a really cool experience, I think.”

Murray said he is “super excited” about the turnout the Bulldogs had for its 8-man team. The Bulldogs currently have 28 players on its roster. According to Vikings’ coach Mike Krahn, that roster is “huge.”

During midsummer, Murray, who graduated from Montana Western this spring, said it hit him he was on the cusp of coaching his first-ever season.

“It kind of hit me during midsummer that I am dedicating a bunch of time and that I am a driving force of getting them there,” Murray said.

Murray has also emphasized to his players this season transitioning from 11-man to 8-man football will not be an easy transition. The Bulldogs will have to face Arlee, Charlo and defending Class C, 6-man champion Hot Springs.

“We told all of our guys that just because we are in 8-man doesn’t mean the conference is going to be a walk in the park,” Murray said.