BILLINGS — Saying it was “special” might be understating the night Billings West’s Matt “Moose” Ludwig experienced on Friday night at Wendy’s Field at Daylis Stadium.
Prior to the No. 3 Golden Bears’ 40-0 homecoming victory against Great Falls CMR at a crowded and noisy Daylis Stadium, Ludwig was brought to midfield where it was announced that he had been selected to participate in the Navy All-American Bowl. The prestigious high school all-star football showcase is set for the Alamodome in San Antonio on Jan. 10, 2026.
Ludwig, who has committed to play tight end for the Michigan Wolverines with a full-ride athletic scholarship, was presented with his honorary Navy All-American jersey by members of the Navy. The game is an NBC Sports-owned property and per an article on the organization’s website, the ceremony honoring Ludwig was part of the Road to the Dome tour honoring 100 All-Americans with live and virtual jersey presentations.
“It’s a high honor, first in Montana to do it,” Ludwig said. “It’s a super cool and special moment for me personally.”
Ludwig described the Navy All-American Bowl, an East vs. West matchup, as “basically the McDonald’s All-American game for football. And it’s a super-high honor. The top 100 players get selected to go down there. And it’s a super cool opportunity for me.”
West coach Rob Stanton was complimentary of his star tight end, who scored a touchdown on a three-yard run and later caught a 15-yard scoring pass from CJ Johnson in the Golden Bears’ victory over CMR. In fact, he said Navy All-American Bowl officials originally had a bigger celebration planned for Ludwig, but “Moose” wanted to share the moment with his West High teammates.
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That Ludwig wanted to share his moment in the sunshine with his teammates and credited his fellow Golden Bears with pushing him to be his best is what was really special about this night.
“They really wanted to do something more. They wanted to have an assembly just for him and Moose put the kibosh on that because he’s such a team-oriented kid that he didn’t want anything to be just about him. So, he kind of bargained with them to do something real quick before the game.”
“They really wanted to come out and honor him, which is awesome, but Moose is such a team dude. He was just like, just do something real small. … He’s really humble and down to earth and he wants everything to focus on the team.”
The muscular 6-foot-5, 250-pound Ludwig explained that he’s formed a bond with his teammates and he credited them with much of his success. Ludwig wanted his Golden Bears’ teammates to know they’ve helped him become the player he is today.
“I originally wanted my team captains to come out with me and be out there to honor them, too, because they hold me to the highest standard,” said Ludwig of the pregame ceremony announcing his selection to the Navy All-American Bowl after the Bears improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the Eastern AA. “I want to show everybody my teammates and the people who push me to do the things I do every day and I want to hold them on the highest pedestal as I am being held around town and around the local community. I don’t want to put myself on the highest without giving credit to my teammates who push me hard every day.”
‘Michigan Man’: Billings West’s Matt Ludwig commits
While Ludwig said being selected for the game in San Antonio is the fulfillment of a dream, he explained that he won’t be playing in the game. He is planning on graduating in December and planning to report to Michigan shortly after. Ludwig wants to show the same dedication to his future Wolverines teammates and coaches that he’s strived to give to the West High program.
“He wants to get with his future teammates,” said Stanton.
While humbled by his Navy All-American Bowl selection, Ludwig said that “I won’t be going to the game. I’m going to be enrolled in Michigan already, so I’m going to stick to my team motto and focus on working hard at the University of Michigan.”
Email Gazette Sports Editor John Letasky at john.letasky@406mtsports.com or follow him on X/Twitter at @GazSportsJohnL
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