GREAT FALLS — For most players competing in the 78th Montana East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, preparation started months ago — ever since rosters were announced on Christmas Day.
But a handful of others had to wait and hope for a phone call as alternates.
None waited longer than Lewistown’s Peyton Hartford.
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The Fergus High linebacker was working the register at Ace Hardware on Tuesday when a call came through from a Great Falls number.
“I was running the till at the cash register, and I was helping a lady check out,” Hartford said. “I had a coworker next to me, and I saw the phone call on my watch. I was going to push ignore — and then I saw it was from Great Falls. I was like, maybe I should answer this.”
He ducked into an aisle and answered the call from East team coordinator Charlie Brown, who told him a roster spot had opened after a player fell ill.
“I was super excited,” Hartford said. “It’s been like a dream of mine since my brother played football. He was named an alternate but didn’t get called up — so I get to rub it in his face.”
Hartford hadn’t packed a bag or prepared for a call-up, but he hit the road for Great Falls 45 minutes later and arrived just in time to join the East team for practice that evening.
“It was a mad scramble,” he said. “But I was really excited.”
Hartford gave his boss a heads-up earlier in the year that he might be called up, but still had to break the news mid-shift.
“I told him my mom got the call and that I had to go,” Hartford said. “I can’t talk better about my bosses — they’re pretty cool.”
He hasn’t played since Lewistown’s season ended in November, but he’s been training regularly.
“I’ve been hitting the gym at least four times a week, staying in shape and getting ready for college ball,” said Hartford, who will play at Rocky Mountain College in the fall.
Despite being a late arrival, Hartford says the transition into the East team has been seamless.
“All the guys are really cool. I just kind of fit right in,” he said. “The coaches have been super cool about getting me up to speed — just getting reps in and learning the schemes.”
For Hartford, the experience is more than just another game.
“It’s immeasurable. I get to play high school football one more time — with a bunch of guys who are amazing — in a game that’s so important to so many people,” he said. “It’s so much bigger than just a football game.”
The East squad is looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the West, and Hartford likes their chances.
“We have a lot of winners here. That’s been said over and over again,” he said. “Me personally — I’ve never missed a semifinal game. And there are a lot of guys in here who simply know how to play football and win football games.”
After Saturday’s Shrine Game, Hartford is headed back to work.
“Back to work on Sunday; 10 to 3,” he said with a grin.
