Class AA Football: Flathead hosts Bozeman

by The Daily Inter Lake
| October 2, 2009 2:00 PM

TODAY: Bozeman Hawks (3-2) at Flathead Braves (1-4)

KICKOFF: 7 p.m. at Legends StadiumLAST WEEK FOR FLATHEAD: Flathead lost bragging rights in the crosstown battle with Glacier, losing to the Wolfpack 41-7. Trevor Beaman scored for FHS with just under two minutes to play on a 1-yard run. Glacier outgained Flathead in total offense, 393-179. The Braves still lead the young series, 2-1.LAST WEEK FOR BOZEMAN: The score says it all - Bozeman 61, Billings Senior 24. Quarterback Tanner Roderick ran for three touchdowns and passed for another. Roderick was 8 of 13 passing for 120 yard. He ran 10 times for another 76. "They have an excellent quarterback," Flathead coach Russell McCarvel said of Roderick. "He's a junior, one of the better athletes in the state."BEATING UP ON BUTTE: Bozeman and Flathead have both defeated Butte. Bozeman won 35-13 and Flathead won 21-10. Both games were in Butte.COMMON FOES: Bozeman is 0-2 versus Glacier (41-35 OT) and West (35-20). Flathead is also 0-2 versus Glacier (41-7) and West (35-7).FAMILIAR FACE: Bozeman's head coach is Troy Purcell. Purcell had a successful run as head coach of the Eureka Lions, before moving over to Havre, and then Bozeman.

BAD OMEN: Flathead lost starting center and long snapper Austin Bradley to a knee injury during warmups prior to last week's contest with Glacier. "That's never a good sign," McCarvel said. Bradley is out for the season.

INJURY FRONT: Mike VanArendonk, a junior QB and defensive back, is still nursing a broken thumb on his throwing had. Calvin Athy, a sophomore wide receiver, is still out indefinitely with a neck injury.

SICK BAY: "We've had a lot of sickness, the flu, the last two weeks," McCarvel said. "One practice this week we were missing 14 sophomores due to sickness. It's made it difficult to get some good practices in."

SOLID SEASON: McCarvel says Andrew Gilpin, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound senior, has been a steady performer in the trenches for the Braves.

LOOKING AHEAD: Flathead heads into the second half of the season with three of its final five games at home. Following Bozeman, Flathead has a Thursday game at Big Sky, then returns home to face CMR on Oct. 16. Hellgate travels to Flathead on Oct. 23 and the regular-season ends at Helena on Oct. 30

STREAKING: Flathead used a six-game winning streak last year to reach the playoffs. This year, the Braves are dealing with a four-game skid.

LAST YEAR: Flathead held on for a 35-27 victory. The Hawks ran out of downs on the FHS 41-yard line with less than a minute to play.

ON A GOOD NOTE: "The attitude," McCarvel said of what he likes about the 2009 Braves. "The kids came out and worked hard this week. They understand it's a short season, and those seniors want to get the most out of each day. The underclassmen know they have to work hard to get better each day."