Who will be the game changers this winter?

Who will be the ones that step up and make a difference in games and matches when winning or losing is on the line? Who will make the big pass or hit the big shot to win the basketball game, or be the one to score that last second reversal or takedown to win the wrestling match?

Which athletes will be the ones that change the narrative, that will make their teammates better, in turn making their teams better?

Rest easy sports fans, we are about to find out the answers to those questions ourselves, because all the high school winter sports – boys and girls basketball, and boys and girls wrestling – begin in the next few weeks, and we will be able to see who those ones will be.

Every sports season brings fresh promise, hope for those striving to be the ones that will make the difference. The upcoming winter sports seasons of 2025-2026 are no different.

Let’s find out. Let the games begin.

The 2025 Montana high school football season culminated with five championship games played at various venues across the Big Sky Country last week.

In games played under the lights Friday night, western Montana teams claimed state football championships on their home turf as Frenchtown upset defending champion Billings Central 31-21 in the Class A title game in Frenchtown, and Glacier stymied Billings West 16-3 at Legends Stadium in Kalispell for the Class AA crown.

Under the natural light provided by the Big Sky Saturday afternoon, the other three title games were played.

In Manhattan, the Manhattan Tigers defeated the nearby rival Three Forks Wolves for the second time this season, this time by a score of 28-7 to claim the State B 11-Man championship.

In Scobey, the homestanding Scobey-Opheim Spartans dominated the Flint Creek Titans from Drummond and Philipsburg 48-16 to snag the State 8-Man crown.

In Grass Range, in perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend, the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks came from way behind to stun the Grass Range-Winnett Rangers 46-38 in double overtime. C-J-I was the only road team to win in the Montana high school championship games played last week.