Belgrade drives past Polson

-Panthers ball-control attack pays off in second half

POLSON Its been said that football is a game of inches. In Saturdays Class A second-round matchup between Belgrade and Polson, however, it was more like a millimeter.

Down 14-13 late in the fourth quarter and driving deep into Polson territory, the Panthers faced a third-and-two from the 21-yard line. The Pirates D appeared to hold when running back Ben Ward failed to make a long catch after getting his feet tangled with Polsons Gabe Caye. But seconds later a flag was thrown for pass interference, giving the Panthers new life.

The contact was pretty incidental and I didnt think they were going to call it, Ward said. But Ill take it.

And Belgrade took advantage of the second chance, scoring three plays later on an eight-yard keeper from QB Derek Erickson. Ward added the two-point run to put the Panthers up 21-14 with 46.3 seconds left.

A Hail Mary pass from Polson QB Craig Bagnell fell short of the end zone and was tipped away at the buzzer, giving Belgrade the win.

They (Polson) put us on our heels, but we were able to make the plays when we had to, Erickson said.

Belgrade coach Matt Hollowell agreed.

It was two great teams and a tough game, he said. They deserved it as much as we did, but Im happy we were able to pull it out.

If you didnt know any better, early on you would have sworn that Polson and Belgrade switched jerseys prior to the game.

All season long the Panthers have ridden a running attack predicated on long drives, while the Pirates featured more of a home run-hitting offense. On Saturday, however, those roles were reversed.

On Belgrades opening play from scrimmage, Erickson rolled out right on an option play with Ward in tow. Right before going down Erickson pitched the ball to Ward, who sprinted 70 yards down the field for the touchdown just 17 seconds into the game.

They (Polson) were keying on (fullback) Zach Halgren and we were able to go outside, said Ward, who finished with 101 yards on eight carries. And Derek made a perfect decision to pitch the ball.

After forcing the Pirates into a three-and-out on their first drive, Belgrade drove to Polsons 32-yard line, looking every bit like the No. 2-ranked team in Class A. Then the Pirates woke up.

They managed to tie the game later in the opening quarter on a 43-jaunt from junior Bryce Picard (16 carries, 133 yards), then took the lead when Andy Nelson ran one in from eight yards out on fourth-and-two.

I give my kids a lot of credit, Polson coach Scott Wilson said. They believe they can play with anyone and they proved it. They played so hard today; thats what footballs all about.

The Pirates carried that lead into halftime and had Belgrade pinned at its own 6-yard line midway through the third quarter. Then Halgren went to work.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior carried the ball nine times on the drive, gaining 37 yards, including a five-yard run on fourth-and-one to extend the drive. He finished with a game-high 141 yards on 24 carries as the Panthers rolled off 358 rushing yards in the contest.

Thats what weve been doing all year, Erickson said. We love the big plays, but we like the big drives even better.

Belgrade managed to drive to Polsons 7, but after three penalties it was fourth-and-goal from the 19. Faced with a decision of whether or not to attempt a 36-yard field goal into a biting wind, Hollowell opted for the latter.

Erickson lobbed a pass into the end zone as Ward out-jumped two defenders to haul in the TD.

It was just a Hail Mary and I think God was with us on that play, Ward said.

Though the Panthers failed to convert a two-point try, they had all the momentum after a 17-play, 94-yard drive that ate up more than eight minutes off the clock.

Backed up deep in their zone again after a 62-yard punt by Polsons Colton Woods, Belgrade responded this time with a 16-play, 95-yard drive capped off with the aforementioned Erickson score.

We did what we were supposed to do, which is to force them to make two long drives, Wilson said. But when your defense spends that much time on the field, its going to get tired.

The loss dropped the Pirates record to 7-2 as they fell in the quarterfinals for the third time in the last five seasons. Belgrade (9-1) will travel to Dillon, which prevailed 24-21 in triple-overtime over Miles City, next Saturday at 1 p.m.

PANTHERS 21, PIRATES 14

Belgrade 7 0 0 14 21

Polson 7 7 0 0 14

First Quarter

B Ben Ward 70 run (Derek Erickson kick), 11:43

P Bryce Picard 43 run (Colton Woods kick), 6:53

Second Quarter

P Andy Nelson 8 run (Colton Woods kick), 11:55

Fourth Quarter

B Ward 20 pass from Erickson (pass failed), 10:15

B Erickson 8 run (Ward run), 0:46

B P

Rushes-yards 55-358 28-138

Passing yards 43 87

Comp-Att-Int 3-10-0 7-15-1

Fumbles-lost 4-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 8-45 7-55

Total yards 401 225

Individual Statistics

RUSHING Belgrade, Halgren 24-141; Ward 8-101; Erickson 13-60 Rowdy Peuse 5-31; Tyler Bates 4-20; Jason Jolliff 1-5. Polson, Picard 16-133; Andy Nelson 12-29; Craig Bagnell 4-minus 24.

PASSING Belgrade, Erickson 3-10-0 43. Polson, Bagnell 7-14-1 87; Beau Nordberg 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING Belgrade, Ward 1-20; Casey Kenison 1-13; Halgren 1-10. Polson, Woods 4-55; Gabe Caye 1-13; Picard 1-13; Nelson 1-6.