GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls High Bison have been building toward this season.
Along the way, a young roster gained experience.
Now, those young Bison are seniors — and they believe 2026 could be the year that progression turns into something bigger.
“We’re finally reloaded, coming back with a super, super senior-heavy class,” senior Mason Cannon said. “We’re all experienced — defense, offense, everyone — and we’re ready to get it done. We’re ready to make a playoff run and leave a legacy at Great Falls High.”
WATCH: EXPERIENCED BISON TALK 2026 SEASON
Great Falls showed signs of that potential last season.
The Bison earned their first postseason victory since 2021, defeating Helena in the opening round before their season ended against Billings West in the Class AA quarterfinals.
For coach Coda Tchida, that experience is part of a natural progression for a roster he has watched grow up.
“You go through those ebbs and flows of a young team that turns into an old team,” Tchida said. “This year we’re a very senior-led team.”
The difference isn't just experience.
Tchida said years of work in the weight room are showing up on the field, where the Bison are quicker, faster, bigger and stronger than they were when many members of this senior class first entered the program.
And Great Falls returns plenty of proven pieces.
Cannon is among them, along with Wisconsin commit Steele Harris, Shae Patterson and a veteran group the Bison believe gives them playmakers throughout the lineup.
“The wide receivers are amazing,” Cannon said. “Quarterback (Tristan O’Leary) is better than he’s ever been. Running backs, we’re two deep. Our linebackers, we’re going to be awesome. D-line’s amazing. The secondary’s all seniors.”
Patterson is equally confident.
“This is the year,” he said. “I think this is the most skill that we’ve had over the past several years.”
Patterson pointed to the team's experience, talent, speed and strength as reasons Great Falls believes it can make another postseason run.
But for all that returning talent, the Bison want their identity to be about more than the names on the roster.
In fact, there aren't any names on the backs of their practice jerseys.
Instead, there is one word: FAMILY.
Tchida said it represents a group that spends nearly the entire year together — in the weight room, on the practice field and away from football.
“We want to be each other’s No. 1s on and off the field,” Tchida said. “We’re together all the time, so they pretty much become family even after they leave Great Falls High.”
Cannon said that bond has only grown stronger as the senior class has matured.
“It’s how close we are as a family. It’s a brotherhood,” Cannon said. “We’re all in every single day.”
Asked for one word to describe this year's Bison, Tchida didn’t hesitate.
“Scrappy, man,” he said. “They love football. They love to hit. They love to block. They love the game.”
Great Falls High opens the season at home against Kalispell Flathead on Aug. 28.
