Knights outlast Wolfpack

Hellgate pulls away in 2nd half

The Wolfpack likely will be sore this morning - legs scraped, ribs bruised, heads throbbing. But along with bandages and ice, Glacier's pain will be soothed by pride.

The Glacier High School football team lost a 28-7 Class AA slugfest to visiting Missoula Hellgate on Friday. The loss was, by far, the closest of Glacier's inaugural season as the outcome remained uncertain until the final quarter.

Just like its first two contests, the Wolfpack (0-3) fell behind early. But, unlike those lopsided defeats to Butte and Bozeman, Glacier quickly responded before eventually wearing down.

Quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann found tight end Kyle Montini in the front of the end zone to pull Glacier even at 7-all on the first play of the second quarter. The 14-yard strike marked the first passing touchdown in Wolfpack history.

Hellgate (1-2) scored on its next possession, but the teams entered halftime locked in a 14-7 struggle, searching for routes to their first victories.

"It's a whole different atmosphere," said Glacier coach Grady Bennett, whose Wolfpack trailed Butte and Bozeman by a combined 75 points after two quarters. "Now you're making adjustments and you're talking about winning a football game. It's the first time these kids have been in that situation, so it was fun."

The joy was mostly Hellgate's in the second half. The Knights, who attempted just three passes all night, opened the third quarter with a methodical march, driving 65 yards on 12 plays, capped by quarterback Dustin McCrudden's second touchdown run.

Hellgate possessed the ball for nearly 19 minutes in the second half and finished the game with 31 straight runs. The Knights totaled 351 rushing yards on 62 attempts, grinding Glacier's young defense with an assortment of dives and options behind a colossal offensive line.

"That was the concern," Bennett said. "And what's hard about that, too, is that I thought our defense played pretty well.

"Right now, it's just a physical difference. (The Knights) are big up front. They've got three guys that are 295 (pounds). They've got a good O-line."

McCrudden finished with 96 yards on the ground. Running backs Kale Leiby and Chris LaVoie combined for 173 yards while scoring one touchdown apiece.

"What we planned to do tonight, we did," Hellgate coach Jeff Dohn said. "We planned to run a lot of option, and it paid off.

"We probably had some things in the passing game, we just felt that we didn't need to do that."

The Wolfpack defense, led by linebackers Garrett Conners, Pat King and BJ Corpron, was generally sound against Hellgate's complex scheme. Defensive back Kramer Wilson strung out several options plays, keeping contain while his fellow defenders swarmed the ball carrier.

Glacier's offense also found its rhythm as Smithwick-Hann completed 12 of 23 passes for 148 yards. Montini's breakout performance included four receptions for 65 yards.

"It felt pretty good, but I couldn't have done it without my linemen and quarterback," Montini said.

"I think that we'll start getting up there closer now, and maybe in a couple weeks we'll start winning some games."

Running back Wiley Fusaro was sensational, slashing his way to 98 yards of total offense.

Wide receiver Connor Fuller collected three receptions for 19 yards, while Glacier's offensive line played its best game of the season against Hellgate's high-pressure 3-4 front.

"We've got guys now that are doing the right things," Bennett said. "Right now, at times, it's just physically a mismatch, but at least they're doing the right things. They're lining up right, they're executing their assignments and they're trying hard. I think anybody that watches the game has to be very proud of the group of young kids going out there and trying hard."

The Wolfpack is back on the road next Friday, visiting Great Falls CMR (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. The Rustlers pose a daunting challenge, but Bennett said his players will continue to prepare to win, taking pride, but never satisfaction, in their weekly improvement.

"The good news is, I still see the fact that they don't like to lose," Bennett said. "And I told them last week, I don't ever want them to get used to losing."

Hellgate 7 7 7 7 - 28

Glacier 0 7 0 0 - 7

First Quarter

Hel. - Chris LaVoie 2 run (Darin Ridders kick), 7:19

Second Quarter

Gla. - Kyle Montini 14 pass from Shay Smithwick-Hann (Taylor Graham kick), 11:54

Hel. - Dustin McCrudden 9 run (Ridders kick), 6:26

Third Quarter

Hel. - McCrudden 1 run (Ridders kick), 6:06

Fourth Quarter

Hel. - Kale Leiby 4 run (Ridders kick), 11:28

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Hel. Gla.

First downs 23 9

Rushes-yards 62-351 19-37

Passing yards 18 148

Return yards 3 117

Comp-Att 2-3-0 12-23-0

Punts 1-31 3-61

Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-2

Penalties-yards 5-32 3-30

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Hellgate, Leiby 9-99, McCrudden 17-96, LaVoie 16-74, Shawn Jensen 6-29, Brant Huber 8-26, Taylor Nordby 5-26, Eddy Novis 1-1. Glacier, Wiley Fusaro 8-34, Smithwick-Hann 8-6, BJ Corpron 2-2, Graham 1-1.

PASSING-Hellgate, McCrudden 2-3-0 18. Glacier, Smithwick-Hann 12-23 148.

RECEIVING-Hellgate, Nordby 1-12, Jake Nordhus 1-6. Glacier, Fusaro 5-64, Montini 4-65, Connor Fuller 3-19.