GREAT FALLS — The Bison football team of Great Falls High had quite an impressive group of seniors last fall, leading the squad to a 6-4 overall record where they hosted a first-round playoff game.
Although, those departures mean opportunities for new faces to step up, and the team feels confident that will happen this season.
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"We got to relive what (last year's senior class) did and we got to live up to those expectations and raise our expectations higher for the team," senior Marcus Spear said during Friday's afternoon practice at Great Falls Memorial Stadium. "It's not just a replacement, it's a whole new team, but you still got to live up to what Great Falls High football is about."
"Just being a brotherhood," junior Mason Cannon said. "Just always being Bison pride, you know, just the highest level you can be, and just always be that."
Spear and Cannon are two players, among others, head coach Coda Tchida expects to make names for themselves this season.
"It's really cool to see a senior class like last year leave, and then see what these guys learned from them, then along with me and my expectations for Bison football," Tchida said. "These guys have done a great job. They're very coachable, and that's the main thing for us as Bison football players and coaches."
There was a lot of growth as a whole over the offseason, Spear and Cannon said.
"As a family coming together, playing the sport that we all love and that we feel passionate about," Spear said. "Just every single day that we come in, 6 a.m., late at night, whatever time we're going to put in the work, that's when it's going to count."
"Going to workouts in the morning, seeing everyone there, seeing all your teammates there, and then really going to workouts that weren't mandatory," Cannon said.
Tchida said he was pleased with the progress made, too.
"They took it serious," Tchida said. "They were here at all the lifts, we went to (Montana) Tech camp this summer. Got a lot of good reps in there, saw a lot of good football teams."
Great Falls High's first game is against Kalispell Flathead, a team the Bison said they cannot take lightly.
"It's a whole new season, every team's zero and zero," Tchida said. "What happened last year has no bearing on what happens this year."
"Every game is a grind no matter who it is and who we're competing," Spear said.
"Nothing to just kind of look over, and got to be ready for Week 1," Cannon said.
The Bison head up to Kalispell Legends Stadium Aug. 29 for their game against the Braves, which is slated to kick off at 7 p.m.