Following the football game on August 25, which the Chinook Beeters lost, 8-18, Julian Powell wore a chain with a railroad spike pendant to school. The interesting accessory wasn't a fashion statement but evidence of his having won the Hardest Hit Award for his defensive role in the game against the Culbertson Cowboys.

Powell, a freshman at Chinook High School, plays Nose Guard for the Sugarbeeters. When asked about his reaction to receiving the award, Powell said: "I was shocked, really, because I'm just a freshman."

Head Coach of the football team, Mike Jones outlined the origin of the award. "So, a few years ago, having props on the sidelines at college games started to gain popularity. As a program, we wanted to reward and use something as a motivational tool to recognize athletes on our team that do not normally get recognition. That boiled down to lineman. They rarely get credit for things because they don't get to see the football and score."

With that shortcoming in mind, Chinook's coaching staff began teaching some blocking techniques to their lineman. In the process, the phrase "pretend you are on tracks" was frequently used. Coaches told the linemen that if anything gets in their way, to run it over like a train; after all, nothing stops a train.

"This was our way of motivating our athletes to be physical and maybe get some glory in an otherwise non-glorious, but essential, position on the team. We have a coach on staff that works for the railroad, so it was kind of fitting that we used a railroad spike on a chain as the award for the best lineman," Jones stated.

After a couple of years, the award morphed into a way to recognize the person on the team that is not only the hardest hitter but the most physical player, regardless of position. "We let the captains of the team choose nominees for the chain winner each week, and then the previous holder gets to give the chain to the new recipient," Jones added.

In Culbertson, however, Coach Jones told his players after the game that he was awarding the chain differently. "Because Julian stepped up and was probably the most physical interior lineman we have seen since I have been coaching in Chinook, I felt he was deserving of the honor. I think it is kind of fun to give these kids a little taste of what the bigger schools and other programs are doing. Plus, such an award gives recognition to a certain group of players that usually do not get the notoriety and credit that those who score touchdowns or make interceptions from week to week do," Jones explained.