40th Annual Bob Cleverley All-Star Classic Saturday at Bob Green Field

The following is from the Montana Tech Sports Information Department:

BUTTE, Mont- The 40^th annual Bob Cleverley 8-man All-Star Classic will kick off Saturday night on the campus of Montana Tech. Kickoff is set for 7 pm on Bob Green Field.

The game which has spent the motherlode of its 40 years in Butte, is named after longtime Ennis coach Bob Cleverley. Bob coached the Mustangs for an incredible 38 years. Over those years it was never about the wins and losses (even though there were a lot of wins), it was about developing young men. He believed that a coach offered the kids a chance to learn from someone besides their parents, a chance to learn discipline and be part of a team.

‘The Clev’ represents those beliefs.

The game is structured very differently from most All-Star contests. The biggest difference is the teams are not ‘set’, by that I mean it isn’t the East vs. West, or North vs. South every year. It changes every year. This year, the Blue team comprises players from the Northern, Western, and Southeast divisions, while the Red team comprises players from the Eastern and South Central divisions. This rule eliminates bragging rights.

It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the bonds.

Another rule that Clev set in place immediately was that you roomed with a rival, period. The lifelong bonds that have been forged because of that rule specifically, are incalculable.

Another difference between the Clev and other All-Star contests is, the Clev is a collection of the best 8-man players in the state of Montana, not the best players by position. Players are not sorted by position for the Clev, meaning some years a team might have 3 quarterbacks and zero offensive guards. Which on the surface seems like a huge problem, but that is part of the beauty and charm of the 8-man game, these guys are used to playing nearly every position and playing every snap.

This game also has one of the most strict codes of conduct. If you don’t follow it to the letter, you are out. Again, Clev wasn’t worried about the wins and losses, he was more interested in making sure good this game was contested between young men of character.

Fairview head coach Derek Gackle will lead the red team against Belt head coach Mike Triplett, leading the blue. The two coaches met twice this past season, including the state title game, with Gackle coming out on top in both of those contests, so a third matchup promises to be a great night of football.

Kickoff is set for 7 pm on Bob Green field. With the construction underway on campus, AND on Granite Street, the only way onto campus is via Steel St.