Fairview Warriors are re-organized and ready to defend the 8-man football title

BILLINGS – The Fairview football team has been a model of consistency in Eastern Montana for more than a decade.

The Warriors finally broke through at the state championship last year when they stole the 8-man title from Belt.

Some of the team’s key players have left, but coach Derek Gackle has a wealth of experience to draw on.

“Our senior class has played nine postseason games, which is an additional full season or more for most teams, so honestly they’re like fifth-year seniors,” Gackle told MTN Sports via Zoom.

Tyler Loan is one of the seniors expected to carry the load for Fairview, and he will do so primarily at quarterback this season. Loan and Deacon Gackle should emerge as the Warriors’ lead figures.

“(Loan) is going to be fun this year. Just super dynamic. Allows us to do a lot more with quarterback running and quarterback options like we saw last year,” Derek Gackle said. “I think he’s going to surprise some people with how well he throws, to be honest with you, but we didn’t throw with him last year. He just came to run the ball.”

The “Pound the Rock” shirt that Gackle wears not only shows the style of football he likes to play.

“One of the things we say all the time here is ‘winners win.’ That’s that mentality part. If you want to do the right thing, you have to do the work,” Gackle said. “You have to do the work before you see the result. That’s our ‘pound the rock’ mantra that we say all the time. You have to do the work even if the rock doesn’t break right away.”

In the MTN Sports preseason rankings in 8-man football, we see strengths like Fort Benton and Drummond-Philipsburg, but everyone looks up to defending champion Fairview.