Braves settle on a QB for key road game at Helena

Injury and inconsistency.

That's been the story in 2005 for the Helena High Bengal football team.

With a good number of the players from last year's playoff team back, the Bengals had good reason to be optimistic at the start of the season.

"I put them second. That's how good I thought they were going to be," Flathead coach Grady Bennett said of the Bengals.

The Braves (2-3, 2-2) travel to Helena for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday at Vigilante Stadium.

But Helena (2-3) has been an underachiever so far - a start Bennett attributes to the talent of Class AA.

"Their first week, they went to Great Falls (High) and lost. I thought Helena would beat (the Bison).

Helena followed that up with a win at Billings Skyview, then lost to Senior and to Butte before rolling over Missoula Hellgate 48-7 last weekend.

"It just shows you how good AA is and how hard it is to get road wins," Bennett said.

And the word is the Bengals have some offensive line injuries.

First-team all-state tackle Brad Sternberg and and second team all-state guard Matt Hustad both suffered knee injuries. Sternberg was reportedly lost for the season and Hustad's return is also in question.

But the Bengals still have weapons - big weapons.

Senior Tyson Bogumill (5-8, 175) was second team all-state running back as a junior. He rushed for 1,247 yards on 232 carries last year. Last week, against the Knights, the senior carried for 178 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Bennett likened Bogumill to CMR's Drew Savage - who ran for 178 yards and a touchdown in the Rustlers' win last week over the Braves.

"He's a great back," Bennett said of Bogumill.

"He's a good strong runner. Again, a threat to score every time he touches it. He will put his should down and drive the pile forward."

That said, 12th year head coach Tony Arntson "probably outformations you as well as anybody in the state," Bennett said.

Arntson's preference is generally the run, he said. But if they do have injured linemen, he may try to outformation the Braves rather than line up and pound the ball.

Flathead may see everything from five wideouts to four wideouts, to two tight ends and so forth.

"He makes you line up correctly to their different sets," he said.

If the Bengals have been inconsistent on offense, so have the Braves.

To find consistency, the coach decided after last Friday's loss, to name one quarterback.

"I knew the second that game was over we needed to make a decision at quarterback and go with just one guy," he said.

So far this season, Flathead has tried senior Brian Fox (6-0, 200), junior Reed Watkins (5-11, 160) and freshman Brock Osweiler (6-8, 210).

In the first two games, Fox was 13-for-27 for 254 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Watkins and Osweiler "really have played well. They've played pretty well against some good defense. I'm really proud of the things they did.

"It's time to get some consistency - and Brian played pretty well those first two weeks," Bennett said.

"He'll bring that consistency we need. We need to put drives together without hurting ourselves.

"Our mistakes the last few games have been too big, too costly," the coach said.

"Not only have they hurt us and our drives, they've put our defense in bad situations. We really need to help our defense out.

"I think Brian is going to be a better quarterback and a better leader and (Watkins and Osweiler) have AA experience against some tough teams, which maybe wouldn't have happened otherwise.

"And now the pressure is off them, too."