Bigfork players lead North to 26-0 victory

It’s been seven months since Jerry

Rose, Travis Knoll and Christian Ker helped the Bigfork Vikings

football team capture the Class B state title, but their months off

of the gridiron weren’t evident Saturday afternoon as they played

key roles in the North’s 26-0 victory over the South in the 23rd

annual Big Sky Class B all-star football game.

The South was nearly the first team to

put points on the board as they attempted a field goal during their

second offensive possession, but it was unsuccessful and the North

took over from there.

With 8:23 left in the first half on

third-and-10 from the North’s 31-yard line, Ker connected with

Knoll, who was wide-open and took the ball into the end zone just

like old times. Ker added to the North’s lead with a two-point

conversion on a run-play.

“Christian played like a college

quarterback Saturday,” said Bigfork football head coach Todd

Emslie.

Emslie was supposed to serve as one of

the assistant coaches for the game, but was unable to due to his

commitments as a teacher at Swan River School. Bigfork’s defensive

coordinator Ed Buttrey went in his place and helped coach the North

team. Emslie did make the trip over to Billings for the game,

though.

“They did absolutely incredible,”

Buttrey said. “The Bigfork boys did just like they did during the

regular season. They excelled on the field and were the shining

stars of the all-star game.”

The South did what they could to

respond after Knoll and Ker’s points rally, but were intercepted

during their next possession. Four plays later, Knoll returned to

the end zone with the ball on a 24-yard run to give his team a 14-0

lead at halftime.

“It was pretty cool to see No. 24 go

streaking down the field again,” Emslie said.

Knoll took in a third touchdown off of

the second-half kickoff, running through the middle for a 95-yard

score.

Knoll, who was named MVP for the North,

racked up 248 all-purpose yards during the game, though he handled

the ball just 12 times.

Ker was solid during his time at

quarterback. He completed five of his 13 passes for a total of 112

yards.

While Ker and Knoll were in a familiar

spot, Rose took on a role that was new to him. Rose, who usually

plays center for the Vikings, played at guard for the North.

“Jerry did a fantastic job,” Buttrey

said. “He was put into a position for the first time and he played

really, really well.”

Buttrey helped coach the North’s

defense, so his time working with the Bigfork boys was limited, but

the feedback he received from other coaches during the week of

practices that preceded the big game was positive.

“They are humble kids and they were

hard working kids,” Buttrey said. “I was getting comments all week

about that. It was great.”

Despite at one time being the team that

took away a lot of other team’s dreams of a state title, Buttrey

said the Bigfork boys worked well with their North teammates.

“A lot of the kids on our team were

from Fairfield, Cut Bank, St. Ignatius and folks that we had been

adversaries with during the season, but there was no tension,”

Buttrey said. “They came together and played really well as a

team.”

Saturday’s victory marks the second

consecutive win for the North over the South, however the South

still leads the all-time series 12-11.

“I’m really proud of the kids,” Buttrey

said. “They represented Bigfork really well and they ultimately won

the game. They did everything they did all season long. They worked

hard, they played hard and they won. That’s just what they do.”

The football all-star season is just

getting started. Knoll will compete in the Mon-Dak on Saturday and

the Shrine game on July 16. Emslie will serve as an assistant coach

for both of those games.