Bulldogs ready to kick off season in Class C, 8-man

Mission High School football coach Tyler Murray acknowledged one of the successful fundamental components of football is communication and he and his coaching staff expect his team to apply this crucial element of football throughout the season.

The Bulldogs will prepare to play their first-ever Class C, 8-man home game against Flint Creek at 7 p.m. Friday night at Mission High School. Currently, Murray and his coaching staff are studying film on as many successful Class C, 8-man programs as possible as they continue to work on various aspects of the game with their players.

“We will go through a ten-minute period of 10 or 15 reps, talk about what we are doing, throw situations (at them) and run it to them,” Murray said. “If they are correct, they move to the next play. Communication is important and we want them to talk to each other and make calls on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. We want them talking to each other until the ball is snapped. We have our own terminology so we aren’t giving away our plays to the opponents.”

Murray and his coaching staff put a lot of emphasis on what they refer to as “chalk talk” as they get acclimated to a new style of play transitioning from Class B, 11-man football to Class C, 8-man football.

“We don’t hand our players a playbook so we expect them to write (the plays) down so they understand the playbook thoroughly,” Murray said. “We have a lot of sessions in practice. One session we have low repetitions and a high volume of thinking.”

The Bulldogs began their contact drills after the third day of practice that required mandatory helmets.

“We got them in half pads in the next practice and then got them into full pads,” Murray said “We were doing Oklahoma drills and got them really hitting each other. We try to get them ready for full contact during the early portion of camp by using the bags and then start hitting each other. We don’t go full live to the ground but in football, it is always important to keep up your physicality and see where your team is as far as tackling.”

The Bulldogs will have some of their more decorated athletes at their key skill positions. At running back they will have Gus Bosley, who is Mission athletic director Jake Bosley’s brother. He will get the bulk of the carries as one of the feature backs in Mission’s offense Murray said.

“He is a senior captain, a great guy and a great leader,” Murray said. “He is doing a great job for us and is going to be very good for our team. He is really making an effort to learn football and why we do things and what we are trying to accomplish. He is fast, physical, and smart. I am really excited about Gus and I think he is going to have a great year. He is ready and it’s nice to see what he will do as a team leader.”

Murray said he felt he will be able to use Bosley’s athletic versatility in the 8-man team.

“I feel like Gus is going to be one of those guys that could be dangerous and he is going to be a very good asset for us,” Murray said. “He is a fast and physical player and is smart. I am excited that Gus is going to have a great year.”

Murray has several multi-sport athletes on his Bulldogs’ squad.

“It really helps to play other sports to enhance your performance for 8-man football,” Murray said. “By playing multiple sports, we will have better tacklers and more physical players. We just want to have a bunch of players that are flying around the ball that are athletically skilled.”

Another player that will be a key member of the Bulldogs’ backfield will be freshman Lane Spidel.

“(Lane) is going to be a freshman and is catching on pretty quick,” Murray said. “He will also play some time in the slot receiver and our tailback position.”

After an lengthy debate, the Bulldogs have finally decided on a signal caller at quarterback. Mission will go with Troy Mitchell. The now senior will be one of their veteran players on Mission’s program this year. He has already demonstrated his ability to throw the ball zipping tight spirals and connecting on several short and intermediate passes during the Bulldogs’ live scrimmage against each other Friday night at Mission High School.

Backing up Mitchell will be Isaac Dumontier this season.

Mission’s offense will run out of a base three wide receiver set and a running back by committee.

“Our skill guys are going to be the strength of our offense but that is not to say that our lineman are not doing a great job,” Murray said. “We have a rotation on the line and in other positions. We have five or six kids that we can rotate. We will be very young up front.”

Last season, the Bulldogs were very young on defense and this year will be no exception as they continue to try to improve a defense that was one of the youngest in Class B, 11-man.

This season, the stakes will be even higher for the Bulldogs’ defense as they have more territory to cover sideline to sideline as they prepare to transition into the 8-man game.

“In 8-man, if you miss one of your assignments, an opponent could be off to the races,” Murray said. “It is crucial that each player has to do their job and remain focused on their task.”

As the team enters into the uncharted territory of the 8-man game, Murray is trying to study other successful 8-man programs on tape.

Murray said he is intently studying the 2016 Montana State championship football game film between Ennis and Charlo. By studying the defending champion Ennis team and Charlo, a team that has been in 8-man program for nearly five decades, Murray said he is getting a better grasp on the game that will be new to him, his coaching staff and his players.

“I watched some film and those teams really emphasized blocking, tackling and wrapping up at the pursuit of the ball,” Murray said. “In the championship, both teams made a lot of plays and had big plays off missed tackles. Making your tackles is so important in this format.”

Murray said he felt his team will be tested “right away” in the opening game against Flint Creek.

Murray said he felt the first game will be a good “test” right out of the gate because of Flint Creek’s long-term success in the 8-man format.

“We will learn a lot in the first quarter in the first game with Flint Creek,” Murray said. “Our kids will really learn what 8-man is all about. In football it is all about blocking and tackling. The teams that do that win. No matter if it is 4-man, 8-man, or 11-man, football is about blocking and tackling.”