Area seniors close football careers on Montana all-star stage

Several area football players closed their high school careers on a statewide stage last week, representing their schools in Montana’s Class C all-star football games.

Chinook’s Ayden Alisch, R.J. Engstrom and Griffen Crowley suited up for the Red team in the 42nd Bob Cleverley 8-Man All-Star Football Game, while Chester-Joplin-Inverness standouts Ryland St. John and Cooper Streit joined North Star’s Parker Hansen and Riese Sattoriva on the Blue team in the 30th annual Montana 6-Man All-Star Game.

The Bob Cleverley game, often called “The Clev,” was played Saturday, June 6, at Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field in Butte. The 6-man game was played in Custer the night before. Both games gave graduating seniors one more chance to compete against many of the best small-school football players in Montana.

In Butte, the 8-man game delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the storied annual contest. Blue jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but Red answered and cut the margin to 8-6. Late in the first half, Engstrom helped keep it there. With Blue looking to stretch the lead before halftime, the Chinook senior broke up a long pass on third down, helping force a Blue punt on the next play and keeping Red within two points at the break.

Red seized control early in the third quarter. Crowley gave Red a strong start to the second half by recovering a short kickoff near the 35-yard line. Red turned the field position into points, scoring a touchdown and adding the two-point conversion to take a 14-8 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Blue quickly moved the ball back the other way, reaching the 15-yard line on its second play of the drive and later pushing inside the 5. Red’s defense held, stopping Blue on fourth down and keeping the lead intact.

Three plays later, Red quarterback Ebe Grabow broke free for a 77-yard touchdown run. Grabow also ran in the two-point conversion, extending Red’s lead to 22-8 with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Blue, however, had one more rally left. The Blue team cut the deficit early in the fourth quarter, connecting on a third-down touchdown pass with 12:19 to play and adding the two-point conversion to make it 22-16.

Red still held the lead into the final minutes and was looking to earn its first win in the series since 2022. Instead, the game turned on one of the biggest plays of the night. With 2:43 remaining, Red quarterback Slater Lords fumbled, and Blue’s Kaleb Frye scooped up the ball and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. Blue added the two-point conversion to take a 24-22 lead.

Red had one final chance and picked up one first down on the ensuing possession, but Blue’s defense answered with back-to-back sacks on third and fourth down. Blue took over with about a minute remaining and ran out the clock for its fourth straight Bob Cleverley win.

Though the Chinook players were on the losing side of the final score, each helped represent the Sugarbeeter program in one of Montana’s longest-running small-school football traditions. Alisch gave Red a presence in the trenches, Engstrom delivered a key first-half pass breakup, and Crowley helped spark Red’s strong third quarter with his kickoff recovery.

During a halftime interview, longtime game chairman Rick Miller said he has chaired the game since Coach Bob Cleverley’s passing in 2007. Before that, Miller served as Cleverley’s assistant in the game for 14 years, stating “I’ve been around this game a long time.”

Miller shared that the all-star game and banquet were designed by Cleverley to do more than showcase football talent, saying “the game and the banquet were set up by Coach Clev specifically to build relationships.”

That format is still reflected in how the game is played. Each team brings in 24 players and divides them into three platoons, rotating those groups throughout the game in a way that allows players to compete with and against a wide mix of the all-star selections.

The night before in Custer, CJI head coach Jim Vinson led the Blue team to a 72-46 win in the 6-man all-star game.

For Vinson, who guided CJI to the Class C 6-man state championship last fall and was later named 6-man coach of the year, the game offered one more opportunity to coach several familiar players.

The biggest turning point came late in the first half with the score tied at 30.

With 59 seconds remaining before halftime, St. John helped move the Blue offense into position and then threw a touchdown pass on second down to give Blue the lead. The Blue defense quickly forced Red to turn the ball over on downs, giving St. John and the offense one more chance before the break.

Two plays later, St. John threw another touchdown pass as the clock was winding down, sending Blue into halftime with a 44-30 lead. “That was the biggest moment of the game,” Vinson said. Blue took control from there, outscoring Red 28-16 in the second half to earn a 72-46 victory.

St. John’s late first-half passing burst gave Blue momentum it never relinquished. Streit also made his mark, this time on the defensive side of the ball. Vinson said Streit led the game in tackles and "controlled the game on defense," adding, "He was a difference maker in the game."

St. John and Streit were two of the anchors of CJI’s state championship team, and both closed their high school 6-man careers with one more win. Streit will continue his football career this fall at Montana Technological University.

North Star also had two players selected for the Blue team. Hansen, who will play football at Rocky Mountain College, scored the final Blue touchdown of the night and turned in what Vinson described as a solid game. Sattoriva gave North Star a second representative in the game, capping a senior season in which he earned all-state and first-team all-conference recognition.

Together, the weekend served as a final celebration for several area seniors who helped shape successful football seasons across the Hi-Line.

For Chinook, Alisch, Engstrom and Crowley carried the Sugarbeeter program into the Bob Cleverley game and competed in a two-point all-star thriller. For CJI and North Star, St. John, Streit, Hansen and Sattoriva helped the Blue team turn the 6-man game into a high-scoring win. For all of them, it was one final chance to wear a football uniform as high school players, compete with Montana’s best, and close their prep careers as all-stars.