Tanner Harmon, all 180 pounds of him, toils for the Whitefish Bulldogs in the relative obscurity on the offensive line.

His role is different for the Alpine Theatre Project, a Whitefish-based entertainment company founded in 2004 that is roughly the same age he is.

“I’ve been involved there since third or fourth grade,” the senior said. “Just as long as I’ve been playing ball.

“I think I've been watching the shows from the time I was able to walk, so it was just a natural to join the program. Now I’m one of the senior members of the project. I interned there last summer. I’ve played some leading roles over the last couple of years.”

His mom, Dani, can be credited with the acting bug. His dad played some football at Whitefish, but Josh Harmon credits Flathead Valley Little Guy for his son’s gridiron jones.

“That’s the greatest program I’ve ever been around,” Josh Harmon said. “It’s run tremendously well.”

Meanwhile Tanner Harmon isn’t sure, after eight or more years, which one he loves more.

“I feel like football has been more influential on me as a person,” he said. “Football is really fulfilling. But theater is really fun.”

Whitefish football coach Chad Ross is a fan of his right tackle, a multi-year starter who has helped the Bulldogs go 7-2 heading into a Saturday home playoff game against Frenchtown.

“Offensively, he’s just so smart,” Ross said. “Even though he’s undersized, he uses his mind to get leverage and find an advantage. And pound for pound he’s the strongest kid on the team.”

Harmon brushes this aside, but adds: “If you’re 180 pounds you’d better be stronger than those big guys.”

He proudly considers himself a longtime member of “The Mules,” as the linemen call themselves (their name for the skill positions? The Monkeys). The cast includes 6-foot-6 Talon Holmquist, a first-year player who has excelled at left tackle.

“Talon’s new, and I’ve been really happy to see him doing well on the football field this year,” Harmon said. “The other guys, I’ve been playing with since I was in fifth grade.”

They are, from right to left: 240-pound junior guard Kai Nash, 235-pound senior center Ashton Akey and 200-pound senior guard Barrett Scott (295-pound senior Brian Sweeney also sees time at guard).

“I want to shout out my linemen,” Harmon added. “Because we never get our names in the paper.”

They might have had their names in lights after going well over 200 rushing yards against Polson last week. The unbeaten Pirates, though, pushed ahead late in a 38-24 win.

Harmon sees himself going to college, perhaps at Montana State, for computer science; his dad is the IT manager for Whitefish Mountain Resort.

“The people skills and the technical skills it takes, I think that’s something I’d really enjoy,” he said. But the 4.0 student has also thought about Harvard — shout out to former Crimson offensive lineman Tommy Lee Jones — and MIT and Division III schools in the Northwest.

“Ultimately I wouldn’t play football,” he said. “I do intend to coach in the future. Or commentate.”

He also sees himself as a Whitefish lifer, which is no reach for a sixth-generation Montanan born and raised there.

“I think I’ll end up here,” he said. “All my friends talk about, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to get out of here.’ But I like this place. I think this is my spot.”

Josh Harmon sees several possible future outcomes, on the other hand.

“Drama is Dani’s passion, and Tanner really grew into and did some great things there,” the elder Harmon said. “It works with his personality. From the time he was 4 he could stand in front of a crowd and talk, which was amazing.

“I think he should go into broadcasting, because he can be in front of a camera and in front of a crowd … that’s an ongoing discussion.”

First things first, starting with the Frenchtown Broncs, who lost at Whitefish 20-14 on Sept. 3. Now they return for a first-round game at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“They’re a good football team,” Tanner Harmon said. “I think we’ve gotten better since we played, and they have, too. There’s a lot of energy going into this one.”

Between Ty Schwaiger, Cody Berry and quarterback Fynn Ridgeway the Bulldogs average 5.6 yards a carry. Ridgeway’s quarterback skills balance the offense, but in Harmon’s perfect world, his Mules would rather run-block.

“Let me tell ya,” he said. “That’s what I like to do. The Monkeys can toss the ball around as they see fit; I think our front five is the best in the state, and we can match up with anybody.

“And I like it when we move the ball on the ground.”