First off, a huge thank-you to our SportsNuts. Friday through Sunday was an absolutely wild stretch in the world of MHSAA sports. Between girls soccer district finals, baseball and softball prelims, and full-on district tournaments across both sports—it was nonstop action.
Honestly, without our SportsNuts, we wouldn’t be able to cover half of what we do. And let’s be real—without them, I might’ve collapsed from pure panic on Saturday. A special shoutout goes to Mia Milner. Mia has been a cornerstone of the SportsNuts program for a long time. She consistently steps up to help with coverage, is always open to feedback, and continues to do phenomenal work. In fact, she captured some of the best photos I’ve seen yet from the Montague vs. Fremont district final. If you haven’t already, you need to check out her Instagram and Facebook pages—her work speaks for itself.
Alright, back to it.
Earlier this week, in a Coverage Area District Final Round-Up, I casually tossed out the idea that Montague and Fremont sports might be deserving of a Secret Nation: Beef History episode. At the time, it was meant as a joke—something light to spice up the narrative. But the more you look at it, the more you realize… it might actually be a legitimate narrative.
Rivalries, in my opinion—at least in sports—need a few key ingredients to thrive.
First, proximity. How close are you to your opponent? These matchups mean more when they’re just down the road. Second, talent. If both programs are loaded, you know you’re in for a battle.
And finally, stakes. You need those high-impact games—district finals, conference titles, even regionals. Moments that matter. Without at least some combination of these, it’s hard to call something a true rivalry.
Montague and Fremont? They check all the boxes. See just some of those clashes they have had in recent history, below.
- Football: Montague outlasts Fremont in a legendary 70-64 shootout, one of the highest-scoring games in West Michigan Conference history.
- Boys Soccer: Fremont claims the regular season dub, but Montague stuns them in the district final with a last-second winner.
- Girls Basketball: An all-out war for the conference crown—this time, Fremont gets the upper hand.
- Girls Soccer: Fremont controls the regular season matchup, winning 3-1. But come district finals? Montague flips the script.
Now, let’s talk soccer.
Montague came out swinging. The Wildcats scored early, igniting the crowd and setting the tone. But Fremont—battle-tested and confident—responded in kind. Just minutes later, the Packers evened the score. Then came another strike. Clemence gave Fremont the edge before Montague’s Ava Pelton—yes, the same Ava Pelton who tears it up on the wrestling mat—showed off her versatility and buried the equalizer.
2-2.
And all of this action? It happened before the match even hit the 10-minute mark.
From there, things slowed—at least on the scoreboard. Both squads buckled down, nothing easy. But with roughly 30 minutes left in the second half, Montague finally broke through. A clean finish. A moment of magic. What would prove to be the dagger.
The goal that would not only lift Montague over their soon-to-be rivals but would also etch their name into school history—claiming the program’s first-ever girls soccer district championship. They now walking the same path as the boys, who hoisted their own first-ever district trophy just this past fall. Montague Boys Soccer coach, Brandon Mahoney, said it best in the comments of our photo, “What a magical soccer school year!!!”.
Montague advances to face Traverse City St. Francis on Wednesday at Big Rapids. First kick is set for 7 PM. Expect full coverage and live updates—we’ll be there.
As for Fremont, their season comes to a close with a strong 16-4-1 record, finishing third in the WMC standings. Not the ending they hoped for, but a season to be proud of nonetheless.
Stay tuned for coverage on these district final games! You can do so on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages!
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