Braves kick jitters, win state
DeHerrera, Murray score as FHS bests Great Falls Russell, 2-1
HELENA - Long after the championship game was over, weeping parents were still hugging weeping players. After years of hard work and an exciting weekend, emotions spilled over. A crowd of Flathead Braves schooled together, offering only glimpses of the first-place trophy that nobody wanted to let go.
Flathead's soccer team went into state ranked first in the West and left ranked first in the state. The boys beat Great Falls Russell Saturday 2-1 for the state AA soccer title.
"It's about time," senior captain Sean Riley said through his tears. "I love these kids."
Riley said he was so nervous before the match he could only eat one bite of his pancakes.
The Braves' core group of seniors have been playing together for seven years. They came up through the ranks together, succeeded together and bonded together. Their chemistry is obvious on the field, but the team couldn't make the jump from a dangerous team to a championship team.
Until now.
The Braves played arguably their best game of their season Friday against Helena High, and they rode the momentum all the way to a title.
"This is awesome. I can't even explain it," Flathead senior goalkeeper Mack Andrews said. "We've been working hard for this."
The Braves, sporting new Mohawk hairdos, took to the frigid field with confidence, shouting encouragements to each other. The boys settled into their positions, and the referee blew the whistle.
Game on.
The players on both sides were jittery at first. Passes went wild, and players lost control of the ball. The Braves settled down first and made a couple of early runs into Rustler territory.
Flathead senior Jeremy DeHerrera took the first shot of the game, but sent the ball high over the goal.
Great Falls responded quickly and forced Andrews to make a sliding save in the goal box.
Once both teams got their legs under them, the game resembled a track meet. Both sides made mad dashes from one goal box to another, only to have the ball taken away and sent back downfield.
Flathead's footwork was too much for Great Falls. The Braves began stringing perfectly placed passes together and camped out in front of the Rustlers' goal. But their shots couldn't find the back of the net.
Halfway through the first period, CMR caused the hearts of the Flathead fans to skip a beat. After a pass from midfield, a Great Falls forward got out on a breakaway up the left side. As he neared scoring territory, Flathead defender Zach Brenneman came streaking up from the near post and stole the ball.
Just four minutes later, the Rustlers again had the ball in front of Flathead's goal. And once again, Andrews made a well-timed grab to deny the score.
Flathead seemed to lose some composure the last 10 minutes of the first period. Players were diving at too many balls, and the Great Falls offense took advantage by pushing the ball up frequently.
Andrews and the defense held on, though, for a scoreless first half. Flathead's defenders had an exceptional game, stopping attack after attack.
The Braves' forwards felt dejected at the missed scoring chances, but coach Tom McFarlane boosted their confidence.
"Be cool, be consistent," he said. "You've got 40 minutes to score a couple of goals. Don't get desperate."
Both offenses came back out and applied immediate pressure. Flathead speed demon Luke Fischer got the first chance at a goal. The Rustler keeper lost the ball inside the box, and amidst the mayhem, Fischer managed to get his foot on the ball. But the shot was ricocheted straight up, and the ball came down on top of the net.
Finally, after so many close calls, Riley drove the ball up the right side and connected with DeHerrera, who shot the ball knee-high into the left net.
"I knew we needed a score," DeHerrera said. "I just hit it and it felt amazing."
The Braves loosened up after the first goal, and scored again four minutes later.
"Getting the first goal in these championship games is huge," McFarlane said.
Stephen Bailon sent a soft cross into the center and Kellen Murray headed the ball past the keeper.
"I just felt like it was coming, and I ran as hard as I could," Murray said.
At the 71-minute mark, the Braves sent a pass from their own territory past their forwards. Great Falls' goalie ran out into midfield and booted the ball back toward Flathead's goal.
The Braves couldn't get back on defense quick enough, and a Rustler forward kicked a perfect floater over a leaping Andrews.
Great Falls was desperate to score again in the last 10 minutes, but couldn't get close to Flathead's goal.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the Braves threw their hands into the air and shouted. The fans forgot the low temperature and went wild, spraying the team with cans of silly string.
This game marks the fourth time McFarlane's team has won the state title in his 14-year tenure as head coach.
"This one feels as good as any," he said. "We played a great CMR team, but this was the way it should have finished."
Braves 2, Rustlers 1
Flathead 0 2 - 2
Great Falls CMR 0 1 - 1
Flathead - 60:00 Jeremy DeHerrera (Sean Riley), 64:00 Kellen Murray (Stephen Bailon)
Great Falls - 71:00 n/a
Shots on goal - GF 7, F 17
Goal saves - GF 8, F 3
Corner kicks - GF 5, F 6
Fouls - GF 10, F 11
Cards - None