Welcome back to another episode of the Interlake Sports. Now I'm Josh Dugan, and if the holidays weren't already exciting enough Montana sports fans, an extra present is in the works this year, with the Montana Grizzlies punching their ticket to the FCS National Championship game. Very exciting sports news for the Treasure State. First time the Grizzlies will be making the trip since 2009 after beating the North Dakota State bison.

Almost had the Jackrabbits jumping ahead of myself. They'll be facing the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the championship game, January 7th in Frisco, Texas, but the Grizzlies …

Welcome back to another episode of the Interlake Sports. Now I'm Josh Dugan, and if the holidays weren't already exciting enough Montana sports fans, an extra present is in the works this year, with the Montana Grizzlies punching their ticket to the FCS National Championship game. Very exciting sports news for the Treasure State. First time the Grizzlies will be making the trip since 2009 after beating the North Dakota State bison.

Almost had the Jackrabbits jumping ahead of myself. They'll be facing the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the championship game, January 7th in Frisco, Texas, but the Grizzlies they beat the bison, 3129, in double overtime. That's a game we'll be talking about. No doubt about it. Shortly before that, we're going to start the show out with a little quick piece of hockey news, something we don't get too often here in the Valley.

Then we'll roll through our winter sports update and dive in to the Montana Grizzlies football talk, including a quick look at their opponent, the South Dakota State jackrabbit. They'll be first in the national championship game, and a look back at the top five most memorable moments, from the Grizzlies run to a national championship game this season. So also just so you know we'll have more Grizzlies title game content drop leading up to the game right here on Sports now.

And keep an eye out for our other show the Big Sky. Now we're definitely going to be diving big time into the FCS championship game this week. The following week and the week leading up to the game. So will be loaded over there on the big Sky now. So before we get to all the good stuff today, a quick reminder today's episode is brought to you by Nomad.

Voted the Fly Head's best manufacturer, Nomad is a longtime supporter of the local community and sports scene, celebrating 20 years of building great careers and mission focused custom vehicles. Nomad, a Montana based company making a global impact. Visit Nomad geeks.com for more info. That's Nomad geeks.com for more information. All right, hockey fans in the Flathead Valley. You guys are in for a treat.

Next month is the Montana Grizzlies hockey team is coming to town to take on a college age team out of Logan Lake, British Columbia at the Woodland Ice Center at 6 p.m. January 6th. The Flathead Hockey Association is sponsoring the event, and the game will serve as a fundraiser for both the Flathead Hockey Association and the Hockey Club.

The Grizzlies hockey team is back for a third straight season after being inactive from 2011 through 2021. The team features players from Alaska, Canada, Maine and players from around the Treasure State. Hailing from Sydney, Missoula, Great Falls and Kalispell, the team is currently 14 and 11 on the year, so hockey fans, that'll be a fun one. Some outdoor hockey in the winter.

Can't beat that. That's a special moment right there. There to have in town. That should be a really fun one. So let's get to the winter sports update and then we'll get to some Grizzlies football talk like I mentioned. So starting with the Winter sports update let's get to some class double leg girls basketball action where Flathead split their weekend action in Bozeman after falling to Gallatin Friday.

Hallie Roth was leading scorer in that one for Flathead with 18 in the loss. The Bravehearts bounced back Saturday, though, with a 4233 win over the Bozeman Hawks, led by 16 points from Kennedi Moore and 15 points from Seeley Vanden Bosch. As for Glacier, they split their weekend slate in Bozeman as well with a 6236 win Friday over the Hawks.

The pack jumped out to a 22 to 7 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Reece Ramey paced the Wolfpack with 16 points on Saturday. Gallatin did pull off the sweep, though, of the Kalispell schools of their own by beating Glacier 61 to 56. The Wolfpack were led once again by Raby, who had 23 points and knocked down a trio of shots from beyond the arc in the loss.

As for the class AA boys, Kalispell schools both went oh and two over the weekend, with the small schools falling to Gallatin and Bozeman at home. Both Kalispell schools will be out of action for the next few weeks, so after the holiday break, Flathead heads into the break at oh and four. Will Glacier is 1 in 3 quick piece of class A basketball news where Jace Hill actually his name into the Wildcats record books for Columbia Falls after scoring his 1,000th career points in the Wildcats win over Glendive Friday, Hill and the Wildcats have a strong core group of returning players, so they're definitely going to be a team to keep an eye out on

the class A ranks and moving towards the postseason once again. So let's close out this winter sports update with one piece of wrestling news from over the weekend, with both Kalispell schools and Columbia Falls competing at the CMR Holiday Wrestling tournament in Great Falls, the Braves and Bravehearts had a strong showing, with both teams finishing in third place.

Ronan landed a second place finish in the girls bracket, and on the boys side, Columbia Falls finished seventh and Glacier ended up 13th. All right, that'll do it for this week's Winter Sports update. Before we get into the Grizzlies football talk, let's get to our Poster Player of the week, generously sponsored by your friends at Clark Auto Group here in Kalispell.

Featuring three local stars Clark, Nissan, Clark, Honda and Mountain Auto, a marine home of the 2999 oil change and the friendliest staff in town. Join us at Clark Nissan for our holiday coat, scarf and glove drive and help spread warmth in our community starting December 1st through December 22nd. Almost there folks, so drop off your new or gently worn coats, hats and scarves to Clark Nissan on Highway 93 South in Kalispell.

For more information, call (400) 661-2124 four. Let's brighten this holiday season with acts of kindness. All right, thanks again to Clark Auto Group. This week's Clark Auto Group Poster Player of the week goes to Liam Els of the Glacier Wolfpack basketball team. LS was the Western Double-A Soccer Player of the year in 2023, and now he's helping the Wolfpack basketball team, taking a chance on the hardwood and making an impact for the Wolfpack basketball team.

LS finished with a share of the team high and scoring in the loss of Gallatin over the weekend with ten points and had five points in the Wolfpack win over Great Falls earlier this season. Looking forward to seeing owls and the Wolfpack put it together down the stretch. Last year they made a deep playoff run, finished third in state, excited to see how they do this year.

Heading towards the postseason. Getting some time to gel the new core group of players. All right. Thanks again to Clark Auto Group for their support. And make sure to drop off your new or gently worn coats, hats and scarves to Clark Nissan on Highway 93 to help brighten this holiday season with acts of joy. Alrighty, moving along to the Montana Grizzlies football talk.

Let's dive into it as the Grizz punch their ticket to the FCS national title game for the first time since 2009, they engage in an instant classic with the North Dakota State Bison. They pull off the double overtime win, 3129. Junior Bergen was working his magic once again. He took back a punt return, and he threw for a two point conversion to Keelan White in double overtime.

That ultimately was the difference maker on a play that Grizz fans and likely bison fans. Two for other reasons we'll be talking about for a long time, play went viral all over the internet. Junior Bergen drops back, has a crazy play. We'll talk a little bit more about that later, but one of the wildest plays you will see in all college football this year to help win a playoff game just epic stuff has you on the edge of your seat.

I was definitely yelling at my TV when I saw that one. The Grizzlies last FCS national title came in 2001, when the Grizz beat the Furman powers into. They took on this year in the playoffs and got the hard fought win. Another one we might talk about a little later 13 six and that 1 in 2001. And prior to that, the Grizzlies other national championship was in 1995 when Montana outdueled Marshall 22 to 20.

The Grizzlies have finished as national championship runner ups five times, and their opponent, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. They will be playing for the national championship for the third time since 2020, so they've been a little more relevant in the top tier of the FCS the last couple of years, but the Grizzlies are definitely making a push. That being said, the Jackrabbits won their first natty in program history last year.

This year, they are led by a first year head coach, Jimmy Rogers, who was on the staff last year, and now he's taken over the head job and kept the train rolling. They got quarterback junior. He's a junior. Mark wrong for now, Steve Holmes, said. Gronkowski. You think of football but Mark Bronowski he's a. And then they have star running back Isaiah Davis who was one of the best talents at the FCS level.

Davis has 17 rushing touchdowns and over 1500 yards rushing this year. So the Jack Jack rabbits star running back for the Grizz front line and linebackers will definitely be a key matchup to watch. Davis is six 1 to 20 with the speed to break away when he gets in the open field. So not a guy you want to let beat you.

The Jackrabbits enter this game at 14 and oh on the year, and they're on a 28 game winning streak. Their last loss came in the 2022 opener last year to the Iowa Hawkeyes of the FBS. High quality program right there finished ranked in the national rankings this year, and they lost that game 7 to 3. So the Jackrabbits have not done much losing the last couple of years, and the only loss they have is to a high quality FBS team.

So the Jackrabbits, they're a force to be reckoned with, the FCS level. That being said, Montana is rolling at the right time. Ten straight wins for the Griz. We should have an evenly matched ball game on the horizon. January 7th in Frisco, Texas. The Jackrabbits are currently 12.5 point favorite ten to the game, according to multiple sports betting sites.

And the over is it 50.5 points? I think both those numbers are a little high. I expect a close game between two of the most complete defenses a nation, and I expect to be a little more low scoring. I know the Jackrabbits, they're coming off a 59 to 0 beatdown of Albany in the semifinals, so you might think they're going to put up a lot of points, but that's not typically how they roll.

They do put up points. But that was an outlier I think it's going to be a little bit more of a defensive battle. So like I said next week on our other podcast, The Big Sky now and on this, we'll be talking a little bit more about Grizzlies football, kind of getting you ready for that big game. Definitely want to be tuned into the big Sky now the next couple weeks because we're going to be going big on the Jackrabbits and the Grizzlies going to do a little tale.

The tape a little preview with the panel, all the fun stuff. So that being said, I couldn't be more excited for this. Grizzlies fan base, their players, the coaching staff. I mean, it's just one of those years where the team felt like they really had a wall. They lost to any year. Nobody knew what was going to happen.

They turned it around. Go on a run like this, and it's really just been a heck of a way to close out the year. It's been special, been an awesome way to end 2023 in the football scene for sure. And I'm sure the Grizz you know, and all their fans after seeing Montana State play their way in the semis in the title game the last few years that Grizz were ready to make a playoff run like this of their own.

That being said I do want to give a shout out to in general. It's been a special couple of years of football in the Travers. Treasure State, Montana State made a couple of deep runs. They've been awesome to watch. Montana's been awesome to watch. I know Grazing Cats fans, they're not liking this part right now, but you got to give respect in the sense it shows what the Treasure State has to offer in the football scene.

On the National level, one of the premier places to play FCS football in the nation, and two schools doing it, hyping each other up. It only helps a little bit more than you have. One of the best rivalries in all of FCS football, you could say even of college football. So it's just been a special couple of years of football in the Treasure State.

So that all being said, we got the championship game on the horizon and the Grizz have a few weeks off. So we're going to do this one. Take a look back at my five most memorable moment moments. Excuse me from Montana season so far. Obviously some more special moments to be had in the championship game. But it's been a special run to the championship game.

Grizz up rattle off ten straight wins since that loss at new. It seems like a lifetime ago, so let's look back at my top five favorite moments so far. Starting with number five. The Grizzlies playoff win over Delaware in the snow. The snow was falling. The Grizzlies steamrolled Delaware 49 to 19, in a game that went viral on social media.

Because who doesn't love some snow football and watching the Grizzly Stadium? Just one of those games just meant to be a great way for the Grizzlies start off their postseason run. Number four. Montana's 23 to 21 win over Idaho on Espn2. It felt like this was the moment to me. The Grizzlies proved they were for real going in that game.

Idaho had a lot of hype around them. The Grizzlies had that and then you lost and they were coming off back to back One-score games versus Idaho State and UC Davis. That win over the Vandals close game really set the tone for the rest of Montana's season, and really prepared them to win some close, tough games in the playoffs as well.

Number three the brawl, the wild. Sorry to rub it in, cats fans, but the Grizzlies did reclaim categories bragging rights after getting blown out in Bozeman the year before. So Montana ran away for 37 to 7 win. And more importantly, they clinched the big Sky Championship for the first time since 2009 with the victory in one of the most high stakes brawl, the Wild of all time.

Both teams were in the top five in the nation. Winner was going to get the big Sky Championship. Grizz pulled that one out and that being number three on the list just shows off how special the year has been for the Grizz, because that moment could have been number one. Most years. Number two Montana 3528 overtime quarterfinal playoff win over the Furman Paladins a stamp their ticket to the semifinals and set up the matchup with Ndsu junior Bergan cemented himself into Grizz lore with a punt return and a kick return for a touchdown, and the Grizzlies defense made multiple plays in overtime to get the stop to seal it.

So that was just a heck of an effort. And last but not least, the obvious choice for numero uno. In my opinion, the most memorable round in this championship game. What a game. The Grizzlies 3129 double overtime win over the North Dakota State Bison in a packed Washington Grizzly Stadium on ESPN two. Just a perfect atmosphere for football.

It was the Junior Bergen Show once again. And Bergen Bergen returned a punt for a touchdown, with the Grizz trailing 23 to 16 to even the sport 23. That was his third return touchdown in the last two games. Hard to think the bison even kicked it to him. It was. But hey, guess what was Bergen? Have a bigger moment than that?

Probably not. Oh wait, he did. It was one of those things. The kid out of Billings had one more magic moment left in the tank, as he threw for the two point conversion. In overtime, Bergen took the pitch from Clifton. McDowell rolled out of the pocket to his right, broke a tackle from a bison defender, and fired a dart on the move that tipped off a bison defender ended up in the hands of Keelan White in the back of the end zone, who made a heck of a grab, and those two points ended up being the difference in the 3129 win.

Just no doubt one of the most epic moments you will see on a football field this season. Definitely the most epic moment from this Montana football season the people will be talking about forever. Shout out the whole squad for the win. It wasn't just of Junior Bergen, so I don't mean to take away from the rest of the team.

It takes 11 guys on both sides of the ball to do it. That being said, the kid made play after play, so nothing but respect for Junior Bergen super star in the making. Just a heck of a heck of a few weeks of special football, I said on Twitter. He said the FCS playoff run of a lifetime and hey, he's got an opportunity to add a little bit more on in Frisco, Texas in a couple weeks.

So we'll see what happens. That highlight that two point conversion is available on my Twitter page. Jay Duggan 406 on Twitter. If you ever feel like watching that thing on repeat, go check it out. Had to repost that one for sure. So another couple honorable mentions from this season for the Grizzlies worth mentioning. Bobby Houck became the Big Sky's all time winning winningest coach after beating Portland State.

You like Gilman set the record for longest rushing touchdown in a in school history with an 85 yard dash. First, you see Davis longest rushing touchdown in school history. And then Clifton McDowell hit Keelan White for a 97 yard touchdown pass to break the school record for longest passing touchdowns in school history. So just a special year all around for the Grizz, a lot of records being broken.

And the fact that these three were just honorable mentions. And Eli Gilman won the Jerry rice FCS freshman of the year, Alex Gardner was Defensive player of the year in the big Sky. So a lot of accolades for the big Sky and the Grizzlies. I mean, it was just a special season in the big Sky conference. I'm meant for the Grizzlies, but just a special season overall.

You have the records being broken and just a special playoff run in a few really cool moments in the regular season. As all as always, it's just been epic to cover this team. And you know, like I said, shout out, you know, whether you're a cat or a Griz fan, I think you could appreciate the fact that the Montana name is getting represented on the national stage.

And a lot of these kids from Montana high schools are getting to play in the big game, and that's a special being. Last year, I said the same thing as the cats made a deep playoff run. I said, it's cool whether you're a Tower Bridge fan, at least kids from the Treasure State are getting the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in FCS football, and that's special when it comes to playoff time.

So that all being said, it's been a heck of a show. Shout out the Montana Grizzlies are making the championship game, are going to have a lot more coverage coming up on that game, no doubt about it. Before we wrap this thing up and look ahead to next week, quick reminder today's episode is brought to you by Nomad for the Flathead bass manufacturer Nomad.

It's a longtime supporter of our local community and sports teams, celebrating 20 years of building great careers. A mission focused custom vehicles Nomad, a Montana based company making a global impact. Visit Nomad geeks.com for more info. That's Nomad geeks.com for more information. All right. Thanks as always a Nomad Geeks, thank you. Was always the Clark Auto Group for their support on next week's Interlake Sports.

Now we'll be taking a closer look at how the Grizzlies stack up with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to get you ready for the Grizzlies trip to Frisco. With the national title on the line, and we're going to look back at some of the most memorable moments from the northwest Montana sports scene in 2023. A lot of great stuff to get to was a really fun year of covering sports in northwest Montana.

This Grizzlies playoff run was just icing on the cake because it was already a special year before that. A lot of great moments we'll get to on next week's show. Throughout all the sports scene, from prep sports to college and everything in between. So that'll do it for this week's show. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

Enjoy it! Lots going on. So I always say thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to check out the show during this time of year, because I know everyone has a lot going on. On that note, I'm Josh and Happy Holidays y'all! I'm out.