Big Sky High School - Sunrise Yearbook (Missoula, MT)

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F J d if 9 YMPICS' Big Sky juniorxJim ME. OL . - ' Sanders strains to hold the infamous 'L' posi tion with the thought of a perfect score in mind. ' ou'rA' HERE .. senior shane ti Dogman Smith executes an escape from the hands of a Helena Capital wrestler. 0 gg Sk Athletic mpemm i x 1 3 GRUELING MATCH - After a tough win, ' Russ Garrett is congratulated by senior several of his teammates despite his weariness. 'Ck i tt 104 - Reaching for Victory

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:I 8.1. 'IV 'I Eagle football team sujfers painful year by alling short of the endzone Several close losses tackle title aspirations inconsistency on the field and injuries to key players plagued the Eagle varsity football team during the 1984 season. The result was an O-9 record. What the scoreboard also did not reveal was that the Eagles were in the thick of the fight in several games, and could easily have won several with the right breaks. Much of the season revolved around four key games. In their first outing, the Eagles took on the powerful Helena Capital Bruins. Despite playing one of their best games all season. the Eagles came up short. 19-7. This loss took some of the wind out of their con- fidence and showed ir1 their next game against Idaho's Wallace Miners, where Big Sky dominated offensively and defensively. However, a fake punt and a 'hail Mary' pass completion. resulted in Wallace's go-ahead touchdown. Wallace defeated the Eagles, 20-16. The Eagles' next task was against Colum- bia Falls. lt was one game team members and coaches said they had no reason losing. This game was a defensive struggle and again Big Sky led in all statistics with the exception of the final score. The Wildcats edged Big Sky 16-3. Yet the Eagles were still not out of the playoff picture as they prepared themselves for their seventh battle against the Hellgate Knights. But once again inconsistency played a big role in Hellgate's 23-3 win over Big Sky. Their record was O-7 at that point and the team's fading consistency and confidence may have cost the Eagles in the remainder of their games. However, a team is marked by more than it's success on the scoreboard. And many players felt the teain fought from adversity to develop an inner drive and courage. Most players attributed the source of the Eagles' spirit to the coaching staff, and to head coach Kevin Hammond in particular. In his second year as head coach, Ham- mond added to the building of tradition by challenging his players. Hammond himself said he feels inner strength is where winning begins. As a team, we set some high goals which we felt were potentially realistic. As the season wore on we realized our original goals were becoming far- ther out of reach with each game. The players improved uemendously and it showed on paper. said Hammond, referring to several all-conference and all-state honors Eagle players eamed. Many underclass players were stunned when Hammond announced his resignation at seasons end. Hammond said he has an obligation to teaching first, coaching second. He added that he wasn't under any pressure to resign. I believe in this years team, Hammond said. lf l were to fight a battle I would choose this team to have in my corner. This past season showed their never-dying inner courage. As a team they never gave up once and proved that they really are winnersf 106 - Eagle Football SEAR- CHING - ln a futile search for victory, senior Shawn Heidrick wat- '- ches an in- - tense game. , Q ' W..--,.. . .tw DISCUSSING STRATEGY - During one of his many mid-game pep talks, Big Sky coach Tim McHugh urges his defense to try harder. ROUGH TIMES - Taking a breather, junior Don Hammack expresses the intensity of an emotional game. ANOTHER FIRST DOWN - Barrelling through the Wallace Miners' defense, senior Keith Kaster gains a few more yards, only to be disappointed when Wallace upset the Eagles 20-16. fl? fi