Flathead home, Glacier on the road
There's no place like home.
At least that's what the Flathead Braves are hoping as they return tonight to Legends Stadium to face Helena High.
Game time is 7 p.m.
The Braves (0-1) are looking to get on track after a rough opener last week, when they fell 49-24 to Jack Johnson's CMR Rustlers.
"They're ready to go," said Flathead coach Russell McCarvel of the Braves.
"Kids bounce back very well. We have a lot of games. We take 24 hours to celebrate the win or lament the loss, but then we get back to work. We don't have time to keep worrying about it," he said.
"We certainly try to correct the mistakes we made last week, but we don't dwell on it," he added.
The Braves will have to replace three players lost last week to injury.
They are right guard Brent Smith (foot), defensive lineman Mark Svenson (concussion) and defensive back Curtis Manning (shoulder separation).
Smith's status has yet to be determined, but Manning is expected to kick tonight - and both he and Svenson could be back full-time next weekend.
Junior Paul Streich will fill in on the line, while senior Mike Kozlowski steps in in the secondary.
"We hope to improve our running game a little bit, cut down on our penalties," McCarvel said.
Flathead gained just 76 rushing yards last week, while racking up 83 yards in penalties.
Coach Tony Arntson's Bengals are also 0-1 after losing a 20-14 overtime heartbreaker at Billings Senior.
"They lost a game they could just as easily have won," McCarvel said.
"They're big and physical. They're well-coached. (Arntson) does a good job there and they have a very good running game. We'll have to match that physical play."
Helena running back Josh Stuberg (6-2, 190) ran for 81 yards against Billings Senior, including a 47-yard touchdown jaunt in the second quarter.
Helena has experienced athletes at the skill positions. Key players are tight end Reil Cornelius (6-3, 180), wide receiver Derek Miller (5-7, 130), tight end Steven Foster (6-5, 225) and lineman Josh Leonard (6-4, 245).
Leonard strikes a chord of fear for McCarvel.
"He's very physical and he is big. They're big as a team," he said.
One thing about which the Braves have reason to be excited - Senior was able to throw against the Bengals.
Quarterback A.J. Paine was 20-for-30 on the night for 221 yards.
That's a very good sign for Flathead. No matter how well Paine may have played, he is not Brock Osweiler.
Flathead's all-state junior threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns against CMR.
"We are going to have to have some big plays from our passing game," McCarvel said.
"We need to protect the passer.
"Our O-line did fine (last week)," the coach hastened to add. "We need to do a little bit better, but everyone needed to do a little bit better.
"The thing I liked about last week … our kids played hard until the very end. It wasn't for a lack of effort at all," he said.
Lessons continue for young Wolfpack
By GREG SCHINDLER
The Daily Inter Lake
It's time for lesson No. 2.
The Glacier High School football team opened its inaugural season last Friday with a 40-7 home loss to Butte.
The Wolfpack (0-1) faces its first road test tonight when it visits Bozeman at 7. The trek will be Glacier's longest of the season.
"I'm kind of glad that we are going on such a long one because if you're going to get challenged early, why not learn from an experience like this?" Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.
"It's all about learning how to travel. Last week was learning what AA football is all about and getting our feet wet."
Coach Troy Purcell's Hawks dropped their opener at defending Class AA state champion Helena Capital last week after finishing 2006 with a 4-6 record and first-round playoff loss to Billings West.
The Hawks boasts a solid offensive line, including senior tackle Todd Brandt (6-5, 225), who earned honorable mention all-state honors last fall. They also have a stable of mammoth skill players.
Senior quarterback Caleb Campbell (6-2, 190) completed 12 of 23 passes for 106 yards and an interception at Capital. Junior Brock Coyle (6-1, 200) rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries, while wide receiver Brock Lohman (6-3, 200) caught six passes for 48 yards. Tight end Ryan Damberger (6-2, 205) added five grabs for 44 yards.
"Two things about Bozeman: No. 1, I think they're a pretty dang talented team and they do have great size," Bennett said. "And they just got smacked by Helena Capital, so they'll want to get rolling (tonight)."
Butte ran a simple but explosive offense last week, which tested the Wolfpack physically. The Hawks, however, employ myriad personnel packages, using shifts and motion before nearly every snap.
"It's going to be a very big challenge for our guys simply to line up correctly," Bennett said.
Sophomore middle linebacker Garrett Conners will direct Glacier's defense after amassing 21 tackles and an interception against Butte.
Sophomore quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann was sharp in his Wolfpack debut, completing 13 of 22 passes for 146 yards, including three for 56 yards to junior wide receiver Taylor Graham.
Sophomore running back Wiley Fusaro led the Wolfack with 31 rushing yards and caught three passes for 43 more.
Senior outside linebacker Ryan D'Agostino headlines Bozeman's aggressive 4-3 defense after earning all-state honorable mention in 2006.
According to Bennett, Bozeman's defense may be even better than Butte's.
The Wolfpack will be without running back/linebacker BJ Corpron, nose tackle/running back Tim Dick and guard/defensive end Matt Russell. Corpron and Russell sustained concussions last week, while Dick, who notched Glacier's first sack against Butte, suffered a broken ankle and damaged ligaments.