Braves' win streak on the line at Capital
By DIXIE KNUTSON/The Daily Inter Lake
The assignments don't get any easier for the Flathead Braves.
The Braves (6-3), ranked No. 4 in Class AA football and owners of a six-game winning streak, are at No. 1 Helena Capital (9-0) tonight.
Game time is 7 p.m. at Vigilante Stadium in Helena.
"They're as good as anybody you'll ever see on film," Flathead coach Russell McCarvel said of the two-time defending state champs.
Both teams will be highly motivated.
Both are guaranteed playoff spots, but Flathead could finish anywhere from fourth to eighth, while the Bruins will be looking to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Capital is No. 1 in several statistical areas - scoring, rushing, overall offense.
The Bruins overall offense is No. 1 "by far. They just overwhelm people with speed and execution," McCarvel said.
"I don't know what the record is for points in a season, but they're averaging 45 per game," he said.
"They get a lot of big plays. They're a team that does a great job with ball handling and misdirection," he said.
Offensively, the Bruins have junior Matt Miller (6-4, 200). He's listed on the roster as a wide receiver/defensive back.
"But they'll line him up everywhere. They do a great job of utilizing him and his ability. He's a great player. They line him up at running back, wing, quarterback … he's a tremendous athlete," McCarvel said.
Miller has run for 488 yards and four touchdowns this year. He averages 54.2 yards per game. He's caught 45 passes for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's completed 5 of 9 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
"We're going to have to play our game, no doubt about it. We'll have to go out and execute and play our best game," the coach said.
"When you are playing such a good team, you can't make too many mistakes.
"We're going to have to play well, find a way to get some big plays of our own.
"Defensively, they are fast up front, their linebackers are great tacklers, their secondary is fast, and they don't give you a lot of room to throw the ball," he said.
The Capital defense is led by senior lineman Brad Daly (6-2, 195).
Daly sometimes lines up at defensive end, other times inside, McCarvel said.
"They're fast up front and he's just another one of the fast guys," he said.
But the Braves are also playing well.
Brock Osweiler has completed 62.6 percent of his passes this season. He's thrown for 2,266 yards and run for another 700 yards. That's an average of 329 yards per game.
Senior wide receiver Travis Andrus has caught 45 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns.
Senior running back Bryce Stacy has run for 597 yards, caught 34 passes for 536 yards. Defensively, Stacy has five interceptions.
"You don't get any extra points for winning six in a row, but we are playing with a lot of confidence," McCarvel said.
"We'll play Friday night, get some scores and find out where we end up," he said.
AA Standings
Record
W-L
Helena Capital 9-0
Billings West 8-1
CMR 8-1
Helena High 6-3
Flathead 6-3
Great Falls High 5-4
Big Sky Eagles 5-4
Billings Skyview 5-4
Sentinel 4-5
Bozeman 3-6
Glacier 2-7
Billings Senior 2-8
Butte 1-9
Hellgate 0-9
Thursday
Billings Senior 28, Butte 17
Tonight's Games
Great Falls High at Great Falls Russell
Glacier at Missoula Big Sky
Missoula Sentinel at Missoula Hellgate
Flathead at Helena Capital
Helena at Bozeman
Billings West at Billings Skyview
Last week's scores
Sentinel 42, Glacier 28
West 21, Great Falls 6
CMR 44, Senior 7
Capital 59, Butte 14
Flathead 50, Hellgate 28
Big Sky 24, Helena 17
Skyview 21, Bozeman 7