Now two types of fighting Tigers with a little Panther blood thrown in, the St. Regis-Mullan-Alberton Tiger Cats will sport a new look on the football field this season.

Actually, it could be several new looks as coach Jesse Allan says the plan for this fall’s games is to wear each school’s colors in a game at least once. For the school colors record, the St. Regis Tigers compete in green and while, the Mullan Tigers in purple and white and the Alberton Panthers in maroon and white.

One year removed from an historic, signature season for St. Regis High School football, which included a fine 8-3 final record and the program’s first-ever Montana 8-Man playoff victory (a 28-0 shutout of visiting Sheridan in St. Regis), the Tigers will open 2026 season play hosting Noxon in a 6-Man contest August 29.

Allan said the special 6-Man game with Noxon was arranged at the last minute after it was learned that Victor has dropped out of the Western division of the Montana 8-Man ranks for the season, and the Tiger Cats lost their scheduled home opener with the Pirates.

Noxon was also looking for a game after the Red Devils had had their first 6-Man game canceled.

The new football co-operative with Alberton, combined with a strong returning cast from St. Regis and Mullan gives the Tiger Cats good numbers to play with this season, 20 players in all. Previously co-operators with Superior, and that combined team was called the Mountain Cats, Alberton officials have decided to cast their lot with St. Regis, Allan said indicating he currently has four players from Alberton, two from Mullan and the remaining 14 from St. Regis on the roster right now.

“Can’t say enough about how well the kids from all three schools are working together,” Allan said. “We appreciate having everyone on board and are looking forward to the season.”

Returning the entire front line and Western 8-Man all-conference picks Nathan Bohn and Conner Lulis (who was also named all-state), the Tiger Cats could be explosive again offensively, in spite of the loss of Barrett Bessette and Isaac Kelly to graduation.

Lulis is one of the best returning quarterbacks in the league and Bohn one of the finest returning running backs/receivers.

Speedy sophomores Tucker Desoto (who was also a big-play guy last year) and Chet Hill look to play a larger role in the offense, Allan said. Another speed-burner, freshman Hunter Slattery has also shown potential in practice Allen offered.

On the defensive side, Allan said the Tiger Cats will be searching for a new identity early in the season at least. “We need someone to step up on that side,” he said. "Barrett was our leader on defense, we need to replace him somehow.”

On both sides of the ball, Allan welcomes back senior lineman Demor Hostetler, who missed last fall with injury but returns to anchor the line now.

Lulis, Bohn, Hostetler, Dylan Arbogast and Cameron Bolen are the seniors on the Tiger Cat roster, Cael Sala, Sterling Gray, Ashtyn Ullrich, Evan Fehlings, Caiden Delaney and Michael Seidel are the juniors, Hill, Desoto, Jax Simkins and Spencer Wolf the sophomores and Flattery, David Baumbach, Hunter Slattery, Domanik Miller and Bryson Hurd the freshmen.