Anaconda’s Brody Galle relishing his Shrine Game opportunity
By Bruce Sayler
Brody Galle’s football career is winding down.
However, the Anaconda Copperhead is riding limo-style through the remaining weeks of his days as a football player before heading to college.
The Class B All-State and Western B All-Conference standout played in the Montana Class B All-Star Game last weekend, then headed for Butte to begin drills for the 79th Montana East-West Shrine Game, which is to kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday in storied Naranche Stadium.
Galle will be on the West Team, lining up with longtime rivals who’re becoming closest friends this week of practices under the direction of head coach Tyler Murray. The coach is closing out his East Helena days guiding the West before moving to Dillon to take over offensive coordinator duties at Montana Western in the NAIA Frontier Conference.
“It’s been fun,” Galle said Wednesday at Naranche Stadium after the team’s fourth day of practice. “We’re really battling on offense and defense.”
The practices were three-a-day through Tuesday before replacing the Wednesday night session with a dinner and podcast. Thursday will be another triple-session and then game-day and event schedules dominate the Friday-Saturday slates.
The banquet will be held Friday night in the Butte Civic Center and the parade will be held in Uptown Butte Saturday morning.
Galle is taking in all he can his last couple weeks as a football player.
“Our offense is getting better and will be good on Saturday,” the wide receiver said as he and his new buddies target extending the West’s win streak to six games. “I had to learn the lingo, but, here on Day 4, we’re dialing it in – moving in the right direction.”
That’s forward.
His determination points that way.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder played wide receiver on offense and linebacker on defense for the Copperheads, having a breakout season on the gridiron. Anaconda finished in third place in the loaded Western B, making the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Galle shattered the school record for receptions yards in a season and career. Truth be told, he could’ve also been selected on the defensive side of the ball as well. In his three-year career, Galle caught 73 passes for 1,358 yards and 11 TDs. He passed Marcus Fischer for total yards (1,133) and Kyle Moore for yards in a season (507) with 807 on 43 receptions – a remarkable average of 19.5 yards/catch. Adding in all of his exploits, including rushing and special teams, Galle averaged 139.2 yards/game his senior year and 103.2 ypg in his career.His senior season bloomed. Galle scored seven touchdowns in 10 games while running for 119 yards and catching 43 passes for 840 yards in a stellar campaign. Defensively, Galle made 66 solo tackles and recovered two fumbles.
All-star selection was expected, even if not maybe by him.
“It was four years of hard work with some losing seasons,” he reminisced. “My coach, Dan Lacey, called me and told me (about being picked for the Shrine Game). I was a little taken aback, unexpected. It’s nice for the hard work to pay off.”
Galle has no plans to continue on the gridiron, a tough decision, for sure, for someone who has savored the football arena, being a part of the action. The immediate goal, following Saturday’s game, is to enroll at Montana State and major in construction engineering, a “hot field” as he described it.
So, it’s the flavor of bittersweetness he tastes this week as Butte weather plays between sunny, warm and windy, chilled.
“I love football,” Galle said. “And, it’s fun this week being around these guys, playing with people I played against. I’m thankful for the experience.”
The Shrine Game annually raises money for the Shriners Children Spokane hospital in Spokane and usually reaches well into the six-figure range in donation, each holding. The effort isn’t lost on Galle.
“The game means a lot,” he said. “My cousin worked for the Shriners and it is really cool what they are trying to do here and what it’s going for.”
Galle also played basketball for Anaconda and competed as a sprinter on the track team, including legs of the divisional third-place 400-meter relay team and divisional seventh-place 1,600-meter relay team.
Editors note: Bruce Sayler is an award-winning journalist who has dedicated his life to bringing the exploits of student-athletes to the mainstream.