RIGHT OR WRONG: Montana 8-Man Football Game Ends 74-0

High school sports are supposed to teach our young athletes the importance of competition, team work, sportsmanship, and overcoming adversity through hard work. It's one of the best ways to teach kids valuable lessons that can't always be taught in the classroom.

Recently, however, controversy ensued when we shared a final score from an 8-man football game in Simms, Montana.

Is "Running Up The Score" Bad For Student Athletes?

On Friday night, the Simms Tigers hosted the Belt Huskies in a game of 8-man football that quickly turned one-sided.

By halftime, the Belt Huskies led the Simms Tigers with a score of 50-0. By the time the game ended, the Huskies won the game with a score of 74-0.

As we typically do when we broadcast a game, I shared the final score to our Facebook page and did not expect the comment section to blow up the way it did. There were a few comments condemning the Huskies for winning such a lopsided game.

"That's super crappy of Belt to run up the score like that," one person commented.

"Well those poor kids must be devastated, I feel bad for Simms kiddos," another wrote.

On the other hand, there were many who defended the Belt Huskies for their win and praising the Simms Tigers... even Belt Huskies head coach Matt Triplett.

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"We benched our varsity in the first quarter. Played our freshman and sophomores," Coach Triplett replied to a critic.

"Fair caught all the punts or let them roll so not to return them. Ran dives to keep clock rolling. Guaranteed you didn’t watch the game. It’s a shame people comment not knowing the truth."

"Before You Jump To Conclusions, Make Sure You Have A Place To Land"

As someone who was there, who called the game as a commentator for 560 KMON, I can honestly say that there was nothing wrong done in this game.

And if there was, you couldn't tell.

Throughout the game, both the Simms Tigers and Belt Huskies displayed sportsmanship and class - so much so, that I frequently brought it up throughout the broadcast.

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When the Simms Tigers were down in the fourth, you would've thought they were were one down away from winning the Super Bowl. The head coach for the Simms Tigers was jumping and cheering his team on every time they made a big play, even when they were down over 60.

It didn't matter.

The Tigers kept coming, the players kept their heads up, and even the players were cheering and celebrating whenever their own made a good play.

On the other hand, the Belt Huskies didn't catch one "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalty, helped their opponents off the ground, and did everything they could to win the game. And why shouldn't they?

Win or Lose: There's A Lesson To Be Learned

Isn't this what sports is all about? You're not out there to just learn how to accomplish a goal and win as a team. Sometimes, you have to also learn how to accept defeat and how to lose "the right way."

It would've been so easy for the Belt Huskies to taunt or mock the Simms Tigers over the score board... they didn't.

It would've been so easy for the Simms Tigers to throw a fit, play victim, and accuse the Belt Huskies of "running up the score board"... they didn't.

Even the fans of both teams showed class and cheered for their student athletes whenever they made a good play.

Both teams came to play some good ol' 8-man football and the coaches exemplified what it means to be a leader to these kids. From the kids learning how to win gracefully to the kids learning to celebrate the lessons they learned in a difficult loss, we can all learn something from the way these players and coaches handled themselves.

And that's a win for all of us.