BUTTE — When East Helena’s Slade Olson straps up for Saturday’s Montana East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls, he’ll become the first Vigilante to ever do it.
“I think I’ve shown it’s possible,” said Olson, a cornerback on the West team. “Since we’re a new program, overlooked, I think knowing that someone already did it ahead of them — the younger kids will be able to know that they can do it themselves.”
While Olson is taking part in all of this week’s Shrine Game preparations in Butte, his teammates and coaches are cheering him on from back in East Helena.
“Slade has earned it,” said East Helena head coach Tyler Murray. “He had three really good years of football, and the last two were pretty spectacular. So, yeah, we’re just really proud of him. And for the program, it sets the precedent that, hey, we do have some good athletes here, and some good football players as well.”
So for Olson and East Helena football, the 78th Shrine Game represents a culmination of a season of firsts as the Vigilantes made their first-ever playoff appearance in the fall.
“Yeah, they left it better than they found it just like every other senior class — which is awesome,” said Murray. “It’s getting harder to do. We obviously have a ton of growth to do, still. But I think it’s — our program’s in a really good spot.”
In addition to Olson making the Shrine Game roster, Olson’s senior teammates Jack Taylor and Hayden Wright were named alternates. The trio formed the core of East Helena’s playoff team — and even held their college signing ceremonies together.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Olson. “I couldn’t have gotten here without those guys. That senior class, from that freshman season when we were struggling to making the playoffs our senior year, and the coaches sticking along with us — it shows who they really are, and it shows that they care about the kids and the program.”
