If you’re an extra-celebrated high school football player, June can mean a whirlwind tour of Montana. Same if you happen to coach.

Carson Oakland, recently hired at Polson after two successful years at Mission, is coaching defensive backs at Saturday’s 47th East-West Shrine Game at Butte’s Naranche Stadium.

This is a couple weeks after he participated — along with six Mission Bulldogs — in the Bob Cleverly 8-man All-Star Game in the same city.

That was planned; the Shrine Game was a pleasant surprise. The best 8-man players in the state is one thing. “Then you go to this game and it's the best of the best of the Western part of the state,” Oakland said.

The Glendive native has a host of area athletes under his care: Whitefish’s Fynn Ridgeway, Isak Epperly of Bigfork and Thompson Falls’ Eli Ratliff are all playing cornerback for the West team.

That’s not to mention two Bulldogs who are doubling up on All-Star games: receiver Bryce Umphrey and linebacker Canyon Sargent. The duo helped Mission make the 8-man title game last November.

Oakland noted that he’s seen enough of Polson’s Jarrett Wilson, who along with Florence’s Patrick Duchien will play QB, to wish high school kids had a Covid season like college athletes have.

Not that he’s not excited about the likes of Brock Henriksen and Holden Emerson suiting up for the Pirates this fall. “They’re too good of guys not to have on the field,” Oakland said. “It’s nice to have an O-line coming back, and it’s going to be fun to coach under those lights, that’s for sure.”

As far as his Shrine Game position group goes, he’s been impressed with Missoula Sentinel safety JJ Dolan, a Montana State signee who is a team captain for the West, and Ratliff.

Ratliff just played at the Class B All-Star game last Saturday in Billings, traveled home and then made it to Butte Sunday in time for a noon check-in.

“There’s a couple kids like him who have been grinding, and he is impressive,” Oakland said. “He’s been getting better and better every day.”

It wasn’t Oakland’s first look at the athlete, of course. Ratliff quarterbacked the 2021 Thompson Bluehawks to the 8-man title, before the school moved up to Class B.

“I think it was my third game ever as a head coach,” Oakland said of the 63-6 loss. “It was a rude awakening, that’s for sure. Three kids had Covid that Friday morning. We forgot the game balls. I don’t think it could have gotten any worse.”

From there, though, the Bulldogs won 18 of 20 games. Now Oakland has accepted a Class A job, the same level he played as a Glendive Red Devil. Which means, among other things, his schedule won’t slow down any time soon.

“We actually move in a week and a half,” he said.

Glacier High is represented at the game, which kicks off at 7 p.m., by defensive end Cameron Shaw.

Whitefish’s Kai Nash is suiting up at offensive guard for the West. Libby’s Cy Stevenson is listed at inside linebacker as well.

Bigfork’s Jim Benn coached the North at the aforementioned Class B All-Stars game played at Lockwood High School.

His team lost 14-8 to the South in a heavy rain, and it’s an understatement to say his squad had a local flavor.

Five Vikings suited up: running back Joseph Farrier, linebacker Bryce Gilliard, guard Ethan Rodriguez, and defensive linemen Nick Walker and Manny Galdi.

It was Galdi who was the North’s defensive Most Valuable Player.

“He was in on a lot of tackles,” Benn said. “It was kind of a wild one, because the ball was pretty soggy on both sides. It was really nice right up until the game kicked off and really nice again once the game ended.”

Four Eureka Lions also suited up: linebacker Remington Little, tackle Trent Truman, safety Tyson Brouillette and quarterback Caleb Utter.

It was Utter who scored the North’s touchdown and was named his team’s offensive MVP. This was after his senior football season was erased by a knee injury.

“Which is kind of a cool story,” Benn said. “All the coaches were onboard with him coming to the B game, and we’re glad he got that opportunity.

He’s a great kid. I’m happy he got one last crack at a high school game.”