Highline Sports
By Tanner Falcon
Tanner Falcon will be on site, reporting live from the field and capturing the atmosphere front and center as Montana’s biggest rivalry takes on its highest stakes.
Brawl of the Wild 2.0 takes center stage this weekend as Montana and Montana State meet again — this time with an FCS playoff run on the line. The rivalry already delivered one chapter this season, but postseason football adds a different weight: higher stakes, smaller margins, and no tomorrow for the loser. Both programs enter battle-tested, physical, and fully aware of what this game means not just to their seasons, but to the state. Expect disciplined defense, controlled emotion, and a game decided in the trenches. When the Cats and Griz meet in December, it’s no longer about bragging rights — it’s about survival.
In places like Froid, Montana, 6-man football isn’t a novelty — it’s a proving ground. Small rosters, players on both sides of the ball, and nowhere to hide. If you can handle that, you’re usually prepared for what comes next.
That foundation is exactly what former Froid-Lake Redhawk Mason Dethman took with him when he left northeastern Montana and headed to Montana State University.
Dethman’s senior season at Froid-Lake was shaped by the realities of 6-man football. Every snap mattered. Conditioning mattered. Toughness mattered. Players were asked to do more, think faster, and stay locked in from kickoff to the final whistle. It’s an environment that demands accountability, and it’s one that tends to prepare athletes well for life beyond high school.
Now in Bozeman, Dethman is navigating the transition to college life at Montana State — a familiar destination for many Hi-Line graduates. While the Friday night lights have faded, the habits built through years in the Redhawks program remain. Early mornings, structure, and self-discipline don’t disappear when the helmet comes off.
Those who followed Froid-Lake football know Dethman wasn’t defined by flash. He was defined by reliability — the kind of player coaches trusted and teammates leaned on. That same approach shows up in the way former 6-man athletes often handle the jump to college. They’re used to responsibility. Used to being counted on.
Back home, players like Dethman don’t vanish from the conversation. Younger athletes still notice where recent graduates end up and how they carry themselves afterward. In that sense, he continues to represent Froid-Lake — not in uniform, but through how he handles the next chapter.
Montana State has long drawn students from rural Montana communities, and Dethman is part of that tradition. He arrives with a background shaped by cold practices, long road trips, and a style of football that values toughness over attention.
6-man football teaches you to do things the hard way. For Mason Dethman, that lesson started in Froid and continues in Bozeman. And for the Redhawks community, that’s exactly the kind of path they’re proud to see.
