BILLINGS — To hear Glasgow football coach Pat Barnett tell it, Scotties senior quarterback Khye Gamas doesn't just hate to lose.
He detests it. Abhors it.
"He really struggles with defeat. He can't stand to lose. It almost looks like he's sick," Barnett said in an interview with MTN Sports this week. "So he's a competitor. Sometimes it's just like, hey, you're going to have to go with the punches. You're going to have to take some once in a while. He just loves winning."
The 6-foot, 170-pound Gamas has been Glasgow's starting quarterback since his sophomore season and the team has improved gradually each year, going from 5-5 in 2023 to 7-3 last year to what the No. 5-ranked Scotties hope is a deep Class B playoff run this fall.
Glasgow is 3-0 so far, having outscored opponents 131-30. Gamas has been at the heart of it, and enters this week's game against Shelby with 451 passing yards, 376 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.
Last week in a 46-6 rout of Cut Bank the Scotties scored touchdowns on their first six offensive possessions, including an 85-yard run by the elusive Gamas.
In Week 2 against Baker — a 52-12 win — Gamas had 196 passing yards and a touchdown on just six completions, and added 134 yards and two more TDs on the ground. He also intercepted a pass on defense just for good measure.
"I think the way I play is if I don't see something I like, I try to improvise and make it work," said Gamas, whom Barnett said also had and 98-yard touchdown in that game against Baker. "Using my legs, staying out of pressure, moving, trying to find the open guy. I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I force stuff that's not there, but sometimes it works."
"He's so great in high school football because if you get guys locked in coverage and you're able to get away from pressure you have the ability to make big plays," Barnett added.
Perhaps that's the personification of Gamas' will to win.
And it isn't just football. Gamas is also an accomplished wrestler and has won two consecutive individual state wrestling championships for the Scotties. He won at 152 pounds as a sophomore and again at 157 last season.
"I had to work really hard for that," Gamas said. "It doesn't come easy. You have to put in a lot of work, and that's what I did during wrestling season.
"Now in football, for us to get there I have to keep trying to be like, 'Hey, we've got this. We've got to keep going.' Nothing is just given to you. That's how I've been doing it since freshman year."
Now a senior, Gamas has big goals for Glasgow. And the Scotties look very much like a contender.
The red-letter date on the schedule is Oct. 24, the final game of the regular season against archrival Malta. The Mustangs, ranked No. 4 in MTN Sports' Class B rankings, are the defending state champions and are 3-0 to start the year in their pursuit of a second straight crown.
But Gamas' unique talent and the performance of the Glasgow team should give the Scotties as good a chance as any to win the North — and be in a strong position come playoff time.
"I love our team right now," Gamas said. "These are the guys that I've been playing with since eighth grade. We could probably go all the way if we want it that bad and keep playing hard.
"With this group of guys I think we can do that. If we want it, we can do it. You have to put in the effort and do the small things in order to go farther and end up winning, and I will take whoever wants to come with me on that route."
