The Thompson Falls Blue Hawks will open the prep football season hosting the Cut Bank Wolves in a non-conference Class B game at Previs Field in Thompson Falls at 7 p.m. Friday.

Fresh off a 3-7 season which ended in the first round of the State B 11-man playoffs with a 45-8 loss to the eventual State B champion Malta Mustangs in Malta last fall, coach Jared Koskela and his Hawks are finally at least getting a break on travel to away games this season. 

Forced into numerous long distance road trips for much of the campaign last fall, the Hawks appear to have gotten a reprieve with this year’s schedule. Thompson Falls gridders will travel to Whitehall on Sept. 5 and to Butte on Sept. 12 to face Colstrip in their final two non-con tests, but those are the two longest road trips of the regular season. 

Thompson Falls will open Western B conference play hosting Anaconda at Previs Field on Sept. 19. 

“The schedule is more favorable, we won’t be traveling as much as last year,” Koskela said. “We have good numbers but need to figure out who fits best where in these first few weeks.” 

Gone from last year’s team is All-State B quarterback/linebacker team leader Bryson LeCoure, who is on the Western Montana College football team this fall. Bryson McCormick, a second team Western B selection at linebacker, and Ian Myers, a first team kickoff returner, have also graduated from last year’s squad. 

Still, Koskela has 36 boys out for football, a pretty good number that has allowed him some flexibility in coaching thought. Jay Deal, Ray Buchanan and Jake Helvey return as assistant coaches, and Forrest Wagoner has also joined the Blue Hawk coaching staff.