CMR upends Flathead

| September 18, 2006 1:00 AM

The Daily Inter Lake

GREAT FALLS - The Great Falls Russell Rustlers are winless no longer.

The Rustlers (1-3, 1-2) downed visiting Flathead (2-1, 2-1) 18-13 on a wet Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Rustlers, facing their first 0-4 start since 1970, came out swinging with great play from their special teams.

For starters, CMR's Christian Prosperie returned the opening kickoff 99 yards. A blocked punt at the Flathead 2-yard line set up a second Prosperie score two minutes later. The extra points failed in both scores and CMR led 12-0.

The Braves remained calm, though.

Sophomore quarterback Brock Osweiler found wide receiver Nick Haegele for a 75-yard scoring connection just 17 seconds later. Flathead tied the game with 32 seconds left in the first quarter on Osweiler's 12-yard run. Clint Manning added the extra point to put the Braves on top 13-12.

The difference came in the second quarter when the Braves, on fourth-and-2, elected to go for the first down at their own 39-yard line.

Osweiler came up just short.

CMR, aided by two Flathead penalties, marched 40 yards in seven plays.

Prosperie capped the drive with a 10-yard run.

That was the end of the scoring as both teams battled slick conditions.

But the Braves battled to the end.

Their final chance began at their own 3-yard-line with just over two minutes left in the game. The drive, which included a first down catch by Brandon Schmaus on fourth-and-12 extended to the Rustler 32 before penalties pushed the Braves back inside their own territory.

Flathead had two final chances when CMR was flagged for pass interference twice in the final seconds, but Osweiler's heaves both fell incomplete.

Flathead 13 0 0 0 - 13

CMR 12 6 0 0 - 18

First Quarter

C-Christian Prosperie 99 kickoff return (kick failed), 11:47

C - Prosperie 2 run (pass failed), 9:57

F- Nick Haegele 75 pass from Brock Osweiler (kick failed), 9:40

F - Osweiler 12 run (Clint Manning kick), 0:32

Second Quarter

C- Prosperie 10 run (kick failed), 4:19

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F CMR

First downs 16 13

Total Net Yards 327 166

Rushes-yards 28-77 41-126

Passing 250 40

Punt Returns 1-(-6) 2-2

Kickoff Returns 4-62 2-120

Comp-Att-Int 13-33-2 4-7-0

Punts 3-36 5-38

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-1

Penalties-Yards 13-107 7-78

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Flathead, Brock Osweiler 18-60, John Goldberg 8-13, Dan Ogden 2-4. CMR High, Christian Prosperie 36-119, John Coleman 4-6, Ben Hellen 1-2.

PASSING-Flathead, Brock Osweiller 13-33-2-250. CMR, John Coleman 2-2-0-33, Zach Agamenoni 2-5-0-17.

RECEIVING-Flathead, Nick Haegele 3-133, Brandon Schmaus 5-71, Geoff Hogan 2-26, Reed Watkins 2-16, John Goldberg 1-4. CMR, Jeff Clark 2-21, Christian Prosperie 2-19.