High School football throughout the state was impacted greatly by Covid-19. Cancellations, postponements and even lost seasons were prevalent. Teams in Blaine County all had to deal with a multitude of requirements just for the possibility to play.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds were hit the hardest, having to cancel their season after just one contest. The Thunderbirds were shut down after a dramatic increase in the number of cases on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

The Harlem Wildcats won their first two games of the year and were sitting at 2-2 when their season was halted by the Harlem School Board. After taking their case to the Board the Wildcats were given the go ahead to resume their season. With just a week remaining on the schedule and not enough available athletes that never happened.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters had to do some rearranging of their schedule, but were able to complete a full season just missing out on qualifying for the Class C State playoffs.

The Sugarbeeters put together a season that saw a lot of ups and just as many downs. One thing was for certain - fans in attendance or watching at home sure got their monies worth.

The Sugarbeeters finished the season 4-4 with three of their losses coming by a combined eight points.

Head Coach, Mike Jones, was proud of his team's efforts this season and was excited to see four of his players earn post season recognition. "As a program and a coaching staff we talk a lot about culture. In that culture we preach team over individual stats. We think it is important to collectively recognize each other and the contributions made that make all of us successful on each play or in practice. With that said it is nice to see the recognition these young men received not just from us as a team or staff, but from others in the Northern Division as well."

Earning 2nd Team All Conference honors on both sides of the ball was senior Ethan Macleod. Ethan received the honor for his Guard play on offense and from his Defensive End position.

Senior Reese Elliot earned 2nd Team All-Conference recognition as a Tight End. Junior Drake Berreth was named 2nd Team All-Conference Outside Linebacker/Cornerback. Sophomore Tyler Schoen also received recognition for his defensive efforts earning 2nd Team All-Conference Middle Linebacker honors.

Chinook Sugarbeeter Senior Reese Elliot Northern C 2nd Team Tight End

Jones went on to say, "We play in one of the hardest divisions and you can see that on a yearly basis, which means there are a ton of great athletes that we are competing with, and to see our athletes on this list is great accomplishment for them. They have definitely worked for this and earned these accolades and we are very proud of how they have represented the program on and off the field.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds and Harlem Wildcats both faced tremendous uphill battles this fall and their student athletes always put their best effort forward.