It turns out that St. Regis and Sheridan share some rather peculiar football history with each other. Call it a rather long-term rivalry with an interesting twist.

According to St. Regis coach Jesse Allan, it seems that the only three times that St. Regis has qualified for the playoffs that anyone can remember, the fact is that they have ended up meeting Sheridan in the first round each time. In 1989 and 2002, with both games being played at Sheridan and this past Saturday, in the first round of the 2025 Montana 8-Man playoffs in good old St. Regis.

Although it’s not clear whether it really mattered or not after all these years, the third time turned out to be a charm for the Tigers in this bizarre time-tested rivalry.

Of further interest to all involved, Allan pointed to the fact that the starting center for the St. Regis football team back in the ’89 season was Tiger fan and parent Devin Hill. Devin has watched the story go full circle as his son freshman Chet Hill is the current starting center for the Tigers, and was playing for the home team Saturday.

Actually, Devin watched his offspring do him one better as the Tigers lost to the Panthers back in ’89 (and St. Regis lost in 2002 as well) while Chet and the current Tigers defeated the Panthers 28-0 Saturday.

“Just thought it was a pretty cool thing with Devin and Chet, history repeating like that,” Allan said. “And overall, it was a great day in St. Regis football history Saturday.”

Coach is right about that judging by the enthusiastic support the Tigers have been receiving from their school and community, which was in evidence on full blast Saturday. Their fans cheered, their players competed and the Tigers completed play on their home field for the season on a high note, with a playoff win on the home turf. Maybe the first one ever in St. Regis football history.

NOT JUST good, this year’s Tigers were GRRRrrreat!

Pardon the pun but this St. Regis football team, now in the full glory of the final eight of all 8-Man teams in Montana, have had a great run this fall, one they continued with their convincing win over Sheridan and they merit attention for a job well done. But there are a lot of other teams out there, teams thinking they might have what it takes too.

Who is that, that thinks they are the best? And then goes out and proves it?

Decision time has arrived again in Montana sports. It’s time to decide, on the fields and courts of the Big Sky Country, which teams are really the best in 2025.

This year’s football playoff and volleyball tournament season officially launched last week with first round football games and district tournaments at various locales all across the state.

Of local interest, also in the 8-Man football playoffs, Western No. 1 Seeley-Swan defeated Lone Peak 56-28, No. 3 lost 52-38 at Ennis and No. 4 Superior fell 54-12 to Flint Creek in Drummond.

On the 6-Man scene, from the Northwest division, the Noxon Red Devils lost 67-20 at Grass Range, Power-Dutton-Brady defeated Big Sandy 30-16 and Lincoln survived a 60-47 encounter with Custer-Melstone.

In the Class B 11-Man ranks, Western teams Florence (49-0 over Conrad) and Eureka (47-13 over Fairfield) both won at home but Anaconda (32-14 to Malta) and Missoula Loyola (22-6 to Glasgow) both lost on the road.

DIVISIONAL VOLLEYBALL tournaments this week in Mission and Manhattan will determine which teams – with that being two each from the Western B in Mission and the Western C in Manhattan – move on to the Montana All-State Volleyball tournament in Bozeman Nov. 13-15.

This week’s Western B will feature the use of both available courts at Mission High School to facilitate the timely completion of that event.

Thompson Falls and Plains will be the area teams playing in Mission this week and Hot Springs, Superior and Charlo will represent these parts in the Western C at Manhattan.