Bigfork sends two to All-Star football game in Billings

When Bigfork High School's Brandon McDonald and Kenny Patrick were selected to play in the Class B All-Star Football Game they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

The boys traveled together to Billings where they were to spend a week practicing with their teammates from the northern region of the state.

On the first day of practice Patrick broke his foot while trying to make a tackle during a kick-return. He was unable to continue on with practices or play in the final game.

"It was disappointing, but I couldn't really do anything about it after it happened," Patrick said.

McDonald continued on without him, though, as the team had two days of two-a-day practices and two days of three-a-day practices in preparation for Saturday's game at Herb Klindt Field at Rocky Mountain College.

Last year the North lost to the south 39-6 and the South leads the all-time series 12-10, but the tables turned this year.

The teams were tied at 7 points apiece at halftime after both teams scored with a little more than 7 minutes left in the second quarter. The South put in a 14-yard field goal to take the lead in the third quarter. With under 2 minutes left in the game the North answered back with the help of McDonald.

Conrad's quarterback Josiah Moerkerke was able to get the ball to Troy Thomas thanks to a block by McDonald, who was playing left guard.

"The coaches said that if I didn't make that block we wouldn't have been able to make the last touchdown that we won the game with," McDonald said. "I just blocked the guy that was in front of me, though."

McDonald said that he enjoyed his time with the North team, especially the experience of playing on a team with such a large roster.

Even though Patrick didn't get to play, he was still a part of the action as he helped the coaches from the sidelines and acted as the teams waterboy.

"The whole week was still really fun," Patrick said. "It was just great getting to be able to hang out with people who play football from around the state."

McDonald agreed that getting to know his former enemies was as rewarding as his time on the field last week.

"Most of those people you don't really get to talk to off of the field," McDonald said. "We were there for a week, though, so you got to become friends with all of those people. By the end of the week it was like you had been on the team with all those guys for a whole year."