BUTTE — It was a long eight weeks for Three Forks quarterback Kanon Reichman.
The senior signal caller — who helped guide the Wolves to their first-ever state championship appearance last season — was injured in the first week of the 2026 campaign and was out for over two months.
He returned for the regular season finale — a 42-6 rout of Jefferson to lock up the Southern B's No. 2 seed — and then led Three Forks to a 42-16 win over Anaconda in the first round of the postseason.
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"Being out was very challenging," said Reichman, who will join Montana State's football team next fall. "I had to learn a lot more about the middle side of the game, that was very good for me. Learning more the coaching aspect or just quarterback knowledge.
"Just working on recovery, getting back, growing, strengthening. I had a lot of great people around me to help get back to where I need to be."
The Wolves will head into a quarterfinal game against Fairfield riding a five-game win streak — with all those victories coming by healthy double-digit margins — but Three Forks' head coach Connor Sullivan noted having Reichman back could give this team an edge as they look to make a consecutive trip to the Class B championship a season after advancing to the title game for the first time.
"It just makes a difference," said Sullivan. "He's a great leader for us, he was leading when he was out but just that presence being on the field ... Kanon, he's a Division I quarterback so it helps when you have him back."
In 2023, the Wolves won their first playoff game in what was believed to be at least a 50-year span. And last season Three Forks found itself in the championship against Manhattan, sparking a pretty incredible turnaround for the program.
"It's awesome to see the program grow," said senior wide receiver Marcus Pestel. "My freshman year we won in the first round of the playoffs, next year we made it to the second round. And then last year we made it to the championship. And this year we're hoping to go back there."
