Page 72 - Flathead Beacon // 8.20.14

72 | AUGUST 20, 2014
FLATHEAD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Flathead Seeks to Regain Winning Ways
WITH A NEW HEAD COACH, THE BRAVES BEGIN A NEW ERA AND LOOK TO RESTORE A ONCE PROUD TRADITION
A t 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Kyle Samson was the smallest play- er on the 2003 Montana Griz- zlies football team. That didn’t matter. He held his own on the gridiron and his reputation preceded him — as a senior quarterback at Helena Capital the year before, Samson passed for 2,000 yards and rushed for 1,200 yards, combining for 34 touchdowns and winning the Montana Gato- rade Player of the Year award ahead of such
prolific talents as Lex Hilliard.
“Something my father taught me at a young
age is you don’t have to be the biggest guy to be successful. You have to have the biggest heart. You have to outwork people,” he said.
That’s the message Samson is now preach- ing to his team at Flathead High School. As the Braves’ new head coach,
Samson has the task of
rebuilding a once proud
football program that has
struggled in recent years.
Flathead’s last appearance
in the Class AA playoffs
was in 2011, and following a
3-7 season a year ago, head
coach Russell McCarvel re-
signed after seven seasons.
Enter Samson, who
served on the football staff
at MSU-Northern in Havre
for seven years and is now
returning to the Class AA
ranks he once dominated
as a player. “I can’t be hap-
pier with my decision to come here and every- body at Flathead and in this valley have been very supportive of me,” he said. “I’m excited to be a Brave.”
Samson hit the ground running as soon as he arrived with his wife and two kids in late June. He scheduled regular workouts in the weight room and traveled to camps with returning players and coaches. He also scheduled a handful of community volun- teer events, taking players throughout town to help with children’s events and other civic engagements.
“I really believe you can’t be great in one
part of your life and not in the other. We’re really talking about our kids as a whole, as a student athlete, being better in the classroom, being better at home and better in the commu- nity. And then being a better football player,” he said.
On the field, the Braves have a few key returning standouts, including quarterback Easton Johnson, who will be leading a new style of offense, dubbed by Samson as “pow- er spread.” “We’re not going to talk about the past. We’re just going to move forward. I told all the kids, they have a clean slate with me,” he said. “Every kid will have to earn a job. It’s a new year and a new system.”To help lead the rebuilding process, the new head coach has enlisted one of his close friends and former high school foes: Hilliard. The former star
running back at Flathead has spent the past several years playing in the NFL for various teams. Now re- covering from an injury he suffered a year ago, Hill- iard is back home helping rebuild the tradition of excellence as an assistant coach, along with several other former Braves.
“We’re not worried about how much talent we have or how big we are. We feel that if we can be physi- cally and mentally tough, and work harder than any- body, we’ll have a chance,”
Samson said. “We’re really priding ourselves in being the ultimate team and playing for each other.”
He added, with excitement in his voice, “They’re hungry. They want to be successful and now it’s my job to hopefully steer them in the right direction.”
ABOVE: Flathead quarterback Easton Johnson (3) is pursued by a trio of Wolfpack defenders as he nears the endzone during last season’s crosstown rival game.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
HEAD COACH
Kyle Samson (1st season)
2014 SCHEDULE
AUG. 29 SEPT. 5 SEPT. 12 SEPT. 19 SEPT. 26 OCT. 3 OCT. 10 OCT. 17 OCT. 24 OCT. 31
7 P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M. 7:30 P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M. 7P.M.
FLATHEAD BRAVES
GREAT FALLS
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AT BOZEMAN MISSOULA HELLGATE MISSOULA SENTINEL GLACIER
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2013 SEASON
3-7 overall
RETURNING
STANDOUTS
Jess Beaman, Sr., S; Easton Johnson, Sr., QB; Aaron Siderius, Sr., LB/DE; Will Clark, Sr., OLB/L; Alex Croymans, Sr., WR; Anthony Holm, Sr., RB
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