Butte, America, has something new to crow about. The Montana Tech Orediggers completed the first undefeated season in the school’s history, winning the Frontier Conference East title with a win against Valley City State, 41-0. 

The Orediggers were seeded third in the nation in the NAIA, which gave them home field advantage for the first two NAIA Football Championships playoff games. Tech was victorious against Frontier Conference rivals, Carroll College, 31-21 on Saturday. 

The Flathead Valley’s contributions to the winning team are former Bulldog football players Mason Kelch and Ryder Barinowski, Glacier High School standouts Cohen Kastelitz, Kobe Dorcheus and Luke Bilan, and Bigfork High School star Henry Carlson. 

Another notable Flathead connection is Montana Tech Head Coach Kyle Samson, who taught and coached at Flathead High School from 2014-18. He was the Orediggers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for a season before stepping into the head coaching position in 2020. 

“I wouldn't be here today without my time up at Flathead,” Samson said. “We want to continue to recruit great kids from the Flathead Valley because there's some great football being played up there and a lot of great coaches and teachers that have really done a great job with these kids in the classroom and on the field.” 

Several of those outstanding student athletes will be signing to play for Tech next season, including Whitefish's Sam Akey. 

“We're excited for him to get here,” Barinowski said of Akey’s arrival. 

It seems the idiom, once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog, rings true, as Bulldogs tend to nurture their bonds even after graduation. Barinowski and Kelch recently made a trip to a gas station in Rocker, 10 minutes outside of Butte, just to see their former teammates, as Whitefish headed to their quarterfinal game in Laurel. 

“It was super cool. It's kinda nostalgic in my eyes,” Barinowski said. “Seeing all my old coaches there -- it was it was pretty cool just because those coaches have had such a positive impact on my life and, honestly, my biggest mentors and made me who I am today in a sense.” 

He enjoyed seeing the players who were underclassmen when he was a senior in Whitefish. Barinowski said he’s proud of the way they’ve grown and stepped into leadership roles. 

Three players from the Glacier High School state championship team are also joining Tech next year: Jack Robinson, Will Astel and Ethan Kastelitz, Cohen’s younger brother.  

“It's been great seeing the success Ethan’s had this season,” Cohen said.  

While Cohen, a wide receiver, is excited that Ethan, a defensive back, earned the opportunity to play for the Orediggers, he’s looking forward to some friendly sibling rivalry. 

"I'm not gonna lie,” Cohen began. “I’m ready to route him up when he's on the scout team but overall, I'm just really excited to play ball with him again and see him every day.” 

The Orediggers recognize some of their power comes from the supportive sports community in Butte. 

“It’s just a great, great sports town that supports all levels of sports, from little guy football all the way up to high school and to college,” Samson said. “We've got the best crowds in the country, in our level, every week.” 

That community support helped the team all season and with two home games in the playoffs, should give the Orediggers a boost. 

“It's really exciting to see the success we've been having as a team so far this season, and with that comes a few home playoff games, which I believe will be a huge advantage to us,” Cohen said. “Butte always packs the stadium out, and it's an environment that a lot of our competition isn't used to.” 

Tech’s quarterfinal game will be in Butte against the College of Idaho on Dec. 6.