BOZEMAN -- Bozeman's Asher Croy had jitters before the Class AA football state championship game against Butte last Friday.
“I was definitely nervous to start the game. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but once we started rolling I knew we would be able to pound the ball all night long,” said Croy
After the first few carries, Croy settled in and had the game of a lifetime. The senior ran 33 times for 333 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawks won the title 49-28 over the Bulldogs.
“I never would’ve guessed (this season) would end in a state championship in Naranche Stadium, but I knew that this was a team that was more than capable of this, and to show everybody and show all the state that, it means a lot,” Croy said.
Croy’s performance was one of the most memorable in state championship history. And it caught the attention of one big name on the sideline, Seattle Seahawk Will Dissly, who played for the Bozeman on the 2012 team that fell to Butte in the state title before winning it in 2013.
“That was guts, man. There’s no way to describe it, the kid ran hard, made plays for his team," said Dissly, who flew back to Montana to watch the title game. "You could just see the passion and the drive to win this game and I didn’t think he was going to be stopped.”
Croy, a future Montana Grizzly, transferred to Bozeman from Huntley Project this year. But in that short span, he’s made memories for a lifetime.
“It honestly seems like I’ve been here for so long," said Croy. "I can’t describe it, these guys are my brothers and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”
