"Beep Beep!"

Cascade welcomed the Shelby Coyotes to town Friday night for the last regular-season football game of the year, with the Badgers looking for their third straight win. It was Senior Night, and the Badgers needed a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, the Badgers were decorated with pink socks and other pink ribbon logos to complement their black and gold uniforms.

The four Badger captains walked to midfield for the coin toss, winning the flip and electing to go on defense first. Shelby ran the ball behind their strong offensive line, but the Badger defense held firm, forcing an early punt. Starting with good field position at their own 30-yard line, the Badger offense got to work. After an unsuccessful inside run met a wall of defenders, the Badgers showed their strength on the next play. With coordinated blocking, they opened a wide gap for a 30-yard sprint by Ian McKamey. Two plays later, McKamey connected with Brant Ligameri for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Shelby fought back, engineering a long drive with short, persistent gains, ultimately tying the game at 6-6 with a short pass near the end of the first quarter. The Badger offense responded quickly on the next drive, with McKamey making strong runs up the middle. On their opponent's 12-yard line and facing a 4th-and-2, McKamey faked a swing pass to Sterling Byrnes, instead finding Peyton Hauk on a shallow crossing route to keep the drive alive. Moments later, Trevor Standley scored with an 8-yard dash around the right side.

For the remainder of the first half, the Badger defense shut down the Coyotes, allowing only short, inconsistent gains and forcing punts and turnovers. The Badger offense capitalized on nearly every possession. On the first play of their third possession, Sterling Byrnes executed a 45-yard touchdown run up the middle, backed by strong blocking, bringing the score to 18-6 in favor of the Badgers. On their next possession, McKamey sprinted for a 49-yard touchdown run. The Badger defense continued to dominate, with Asher Nelson recovering a bad snap on the Coyote 2-yard line. Standley scored again with a toss sweep. The next defensive stand ended with a Peyton Hauk interception and return to the Coyote 15-yard line, which led to McKamey connecting with Kameron Kakalecik on a 15-yard touchdown pass. With 30 unanswered points, the Badgers took a 36-6 lead into halftime. During the break, six Badger seniors-Eddie Formell, Izaak Munski, Sterling Byrnes, Hal McGregor, Ian McKamey, and Nic Deshayes-were honored for their contributions and careers in football.

The second half was more of the same, with the Badger defense swarming the field and the offense gaining big yards. On the first play of the half, McKamey broke free for a 55-yard rushing touchdown, later adding another on a 7-yard run. As the game wound down, each senior received a curtain call, with the next generation of Badgers subbing in to replace their leaders as they trotted off the field for the last time. With a commanding 50-6 win, the Badgers finished the season in a three-way tie for third place with a record of 5-3 in the Northern Conference, behind Belt and Ft. Benton, respectively. The Badgers ultimately lost the three-way tiebreaker via the Razzi point system, sending Chinook and Choteau to the postseason and ending the Badger season.