What Makes Dawson a Special Place
The Dawson Buccaneers magical 2024-2025 season came to an end last Saturday night at the Toepke Center when the #3 ranked Indian Hills Warriors defeated the Bucs 70-66. Indian Hills is a blue blood of Junior College hoops. They have been to twenty national tournaments and have won three national championships. Year in and year out they are a top ten team and always in contention. It is a school with great resources. They have over 3,000 students, a fully funded athletic program, one of the best home court advantages in the country and even their own tv station that broadcasts every basketball game the entire season as well as other sports (gohillstv). Six former Warriors are getting ready to tip off in the NCAA Tournament today or tomorrow.
But as the final buzzer sounded on Saturday night, their players and coaches had a lot of positive things to say about Dawson Community College. In the post-game handshake line, and during side conversations in the gym, the visitors marveled at what a great environment Dawson has and what a special place Dawson was. They talked about the fans clapping for the visiting team during starting lineup introductions. They mentioned the energy in the building, even two hours before the tipoff. They shared about how passionate our fans are. They had never seen so many people at a game in such a small town. Some of these blue chippers mentioned that in their long history of playing basketball at the high school level, four year level and junior college level, they had never played in such a great atmosphere. One player said it was so loud at one point, he couldn't even hear the whistle or what the guy next to him was saying. They didn't expect to find that in a small town in eastern Montana.
"I hear a lot of great comments from visiting teams, coaches and officials after our games, especially those who come for the first time," explained Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "The fan support that we get and the atmosphere at our games is electric. It is not like that at most places we go. I think that is also one thing that attracts good recruits to Dawson. Everyone loves to play in front of a great home crowd. We are blessed to have a great gym, a great announcer in Rich Rowe, and the best fans anywhere around."
It is easy to forget what a remarkable place this is and it helps to have someone come in from the outside and remind you of that. What makes Dawson special is the support the community gives the college and the way we all come together for a common cause. The Buccaneers don't lose at home very often. Part of that is because they are usually a very good team, but much of that is because of the support of the fanbase and community at large. Even in a devastating loss that kept the Buccaneers from their ultimate goal of reaching nationals in Hutch, there is much to be grateful for. Chief among those is our incredible fans that make this one of the most special small college atmospheres in the country.