The 7-1 Chinook Sugarbeeters will take on the 7-1 Ennis Mustangs in a first Round MHSA 8-Player Championship Game this Saturday afternoon in Ennis. The 'Beeter lone loss on the season comes to the No. 2 ranked Belt Huskies while the Mustangs lone loss was to No. 1 Ranked Flint Creek.

The 'Beeters have three wins over teams in the field. Chinook defeated Culbertson the No. 1 Seed out of the East at home. Fort Benton the North No. 3 on the road as well as South No. 3 Park City on the road.

This fall realignment called for a five division breakdown with four divisions getting three teams in the tournament and one, the Central, getting four. Normally a two seed would host a first round game but this year that just isn't the case with Chinook and Forsythe both having to travel.

This year's bracket is very strong with every team capable of a big win meaning no matter where you fall the road to a State Championship will be tough.

Heading into the post season Chinook Head Coach, Mike Jones had this to say, "Practice was great last week. We are getting back to basics and have a great week ahead of us. We have had our seniors step up as well as our underclassmen getting a sense of urgency about getting back to the top of our game as a team."

The 'Beeters look to bounce back following their only loss of the season, "This week at practice we are going to make sure we stay on our individual and small group work, as well as fine tune the game plan."

Chinook senior Tyler Schoen, left and seniors Daniel MacLeod and Lane Hasler, right, will look to lead the Sugarbeeters Saturday afternoon in Ennis for their first round playoff game.

Chinook will face a team that has plenty of options on both sides of the ball and the ability to run a number of different sets, "Ennis is a combination of pass and run. They have a good Quarterback and a couple quality skill guys that are good. Defensively they fly around the field and try to make you one dimensional," said Jones.

Senior Tyler Schoen has been a force for the 'Beeters on both sides of the ball and is confident in his team, "We are practicing physically, and the team is pushing and getting better each day." The team is focused on the task at hand, "We're focused on winning this game just like throughout the season and how we focused on winning each game at hand. I feel our senior class is definitely focused on leading this team to a strong playoff run." Tyler carries a heavy load offensively for the 'Beeters as Running Back, "Physically I feel great and ready for this game. Having this bye week really helped with getting the team healthy.