When Jefferson High took to the gridiron in a Senior Night bout against the Manhattan Tigers on Oct. 13, it was the last chance for most seniors to play a game on their home field. (The Panthers play their final regular season game this Friday in Townsend, then head into the playoffs.)
For senior offensive lineman Dalton Noble, however, the football action will continue next year — but across the country at the U.S. Military Academy. Noble will become the rare Panther to play Division 1 football outside Montana — and perhaps the first to join the Black Knights at Army.
Noble says his journey to West Point started last year after he made the all-conference football team. Montana Tech (where 2022 JHS grad Dylan Root signed as a punter and kicker), made the first attempt to recruit the young standout. After that offers began rolling in, including bids from Montana and Montana State as well as Columbia University and the University of Idaho.
