Move to a neutral site state championship for 8-man football causing a stir

High school football in Montana has undergone a lot of significant changes over the past few years and in 2018, Class C 8-Man football will undertake another.

With a vote of 30-11 in favor among member schools and a 6-1 approval from the Montana High School Association executive board, the measure to adopt a neutral site for the Class C 8-Man football state championship game passed Monday. It will end the practice of schools hosting the championship game in 8-Man football and in 2018, the state title game will be played in Butte at Naranche Stadium. The game will rotate between Butte and Billings.

While the change is only happening in 8-Man football for now, some are concerned that moving away from school-hosted championship games could have a big impact on Class C communities across Montana and lead to even bigger changes down the road.

"It just seems to me that we are moving many of our athletic competitions away from the small communities," North Star athletic director and head track coach Brian Campbell said Tuesday. "State championships in Class C and Class B seem to be one of the last remaining, highly significant contests that these communities could host. We are always looking to move into bigger venues for the big games, when realistically, for most of the student athletes, there is nothing bigger than their hometown field on a Friday or Saturday night."

Some of the arguments in favor of the change are to make the game more accessible to fans from across the state, which was the reason behind Billings and Butte as the two locations. It could also help even out the playing field. Previously, the host of the championship game was determined by the bracket, which rotated each season between the No. 1 seed. Now, in 8-Man football, the final game will be played on a neutral field. However, despite some of the positives, some prominent Class C coaches opposed the move.

"Sad deal," Belt head coach and former Chester football star Jeff Graham said via his Twitter account Monday. "Winning a (football) State Championship at home in Chester was so cool. Attending state chippers (and) seeing what they bring to a community is so cool. Sad Scobey could play Shelby in Butte. Older community members can't travel to that. Our Communities lose money."

Campbell agreed with Graham, but he did say that he believed the neutral site games would be a success.

"The Class C schools involved in 8-Man football have spoken," Campbell said. "I am sure that the games will be very successful in Butte, Bozeman, Billings, excetera. Change is never easy."

Yet he also expressed the same concern Graham did. Campbell also said he worries about the change spreading to the other classifications.

"I am afraid the other classifications are heading in that direction," Campbell said. "In the name of the exposure."

And like Graham, Campbell lamented about the loss of the small-town state championship game, which just about everyone involved agreed provide a special atmosphere.

"Title games in small towns are unique," Campbell said. "Most of them have a personal flavor that will not be matched by bigger venues that are not home to our small schools."

Another change that took place at the two-day MHSA meeting in Helena that will impact local high school football teams was the decision in 8-Man football to give a fifth playoff spot to the Northern C Division. Last season, the North got four teams, just like the Southern C, despite having five more teams. Now the Southern C will qualify three teams for the 8-Man playoffs, compared to five for the Northern C.