Montana football fever still high
Montana football teams have done the state proud this year, and there’s potential for even more pride in the days to come.
The University of Montana Grizzlies will square off tonight against Sam Houston State in Texas for the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision, with the winner going on to the national championship game. The Griz are on a roll, winning their last nine games, most recently a convincing 48-10 route of Northern Iowa in a quarterfinal playoff. They will need to maintain their momentum going up against the 13-0 Bearkats.
The Carroll College Saints, meanwhile, maintain their tradition as a powerhouse in the NAIA, winning a berth in the league’s championship game against St. Xavier on Saturday.
Montana State University also had a strong year, winning a share of the Big Sky Conference title with Montana. But unfortunately the Bobcats did not capitalize on quite an opportunity when they fell to Sam Houston State 49-13 in a quarterfinal game. Had they won, it would have been a Cat-Griz rematch in Missoula, a rare intrastate playoff game that would have been quite a spectacle to behold.
But the attention now turns to UM and Carroll College. Go Griz! Go Saints!
SOME FOLKS in the Flathead aviation and law enforcement communities are undertaking an ambitious effort to enhance aerial search and rescue capabilities and they deserve support.
In forming a non-profit organization called Flathead Emergency Aviation Resources, the hope is to subsidize pilots and aircraft used for law-enforcement and search-and-rescue endeavors that often make a big difference in achieving timely success.
Northwest Montana is rugged, timber-covered country where aerial assets can be critical in reaching or searching remote areas, and it’s fitting that there be support to make aircraft available for those efforts. To learn more about the new organization and how to support it online, look for: http://www.embracefear.com
HELPING AMERICA learn may have a lot of complexities, but it all starts with something simple — reading.
That’s why the America Reads program is such an important component of promoting our culture, advancing our civic life, and creating a climate for education.
Flathead High School has been participating with its own FHS Reads program since 1999, and whether it is encouraging students to just read for pleasure or to dig deeper for the meaning of life, the goal of increasing readership is vital to the health of our republic.
Congratulations to the students, and thanks to the mentors for taking part in this program.