As the final play of the Varsity 2024 football season for C. M. Russell High School is made, the crowd goes wild. Though the final score was 34-12, the players marched off their battlefield proudly, knowing they fought tirelessly against Helena High School to the end.
CMR’s dedicated Captain Keegan Fuller, a senior at CMR, congratulates his team on a game well played despite the disappointing outcome. Fuller has kept his football goal clear from the start: to play to the best of his ability.
“Ever since I was little, around 1 year old, I remember watching the Cowboys games with my dad, or throwing the ball with him – – Even in the snow,” Fuller said.
Having coached his son since 7th grade, Fuller’s dad was a big influence in sparking his football interest and beginning his growth in skill and strategy. Although Fuller also participated in basketball and weightlifting, football stood apart. His passion for the sport led him to complete a four-year season commitment to the Rustler football team, ending with him claiming a role as a leader to incoming players.
“It all hit me at the last game, that this was going to be the last one,” Fuller said.
Reflecting on his past four seasons on the team, Fuller looked back contently on his journey. Having experienced injuries including multiple concussions and breaking his collarbone sophomore year, he has learned to persevere and view unfortunate losses as an opportunity to improve, he said. It all becomes a form of victory to Fuller when sticking to his values of having fun, putting in your best effort, and staying determined. Fuller isn’t the only senior reflecting on his final season.
“Everybody tells you to cherish every moment of it and enjoy it, but you don’t really think about it your junior, sophomore year. Then it rolls around senior year, [and] then it’s the last game of the season,” senior Cody Hoehn said.
As the center for the varsity team, Hoehn holds a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to perform well. Reflecting on the season, Hoehn said he knew it would be more of a rebuilding year for the team, but he continued to work hard at summer practices and weight lifting sessions to prepare. Leading into the season, the transition from coach Dennis Morris to Anthony Wilson marked a significant shift for the team both in terms of coaching style and the personal impact on the players, Hoehn said. Players felt a renewed sense of connection under Wilson’s leadership, he added.
“It felt really good having a younger coach because he could relate more to us kids and got to know us on a more personal level,” Hoehn said.
Head coach Anthony (AJ) Wilson began his football career in high school at Helena Capital, winning two state titles. After high school, he competed for Montana Western for four years. After Wilson stopped playing football, he knew all he wanted to do was coach, sharing his insight and skills with future players.
is year, Wilson moved to Great Falls originally for his fiancé, and planned to take a break from coaching to put his energy into teaching weight training at CMR. However, he was offered an opportunity by former head football coach Dennis Morris to lead the program for the high school team along with his teaching job. Wilson accepted the offer and resumed his football coaching career after all, keeping one important trick in mind.
“They won’t do anything for you if they don’t trust you,” Wilson said.
Drawing from his past coaching experiences starting at Montana Western as a graduate assistant coach, and additionally at Nevada’s Chadron State College for six years, Wilson said recognizing players as more than just pieces on a chessboard is essential for success. He maintains an open-door policy, encouraging players to communicate openly about anything they need to improve both mentally and physically. Wilson aims to create a relationship with each player on a more personal level.
“Something I preach all the time is leave it better than you found it,” Wilson said.
For the 2024 season, his main goal was to build and improve the players. He held expectations for them to put in the work every day, take advantage of every opportunity to improve, and he urged them to put forth nothing but their best efforts to accomplish their goals – – Not just as athletes but as individuals.
“The overall impact is to hope that they become good people.”
