Senior rolls over Flathead in AA football opener

by The Daily Inter Lake
| August 26, 2011 11:54 PM

BILLINGS - Flathead fell to Billings Senior 56-28 in a fast-paced and high-scoring Class AA football season opener at Wendy's Field at Daylis Stadium Friday afternoon.

Billings Senior's Nolan Saraceni returned the opening kickoff 95 yards to put the Broncs ahead just 14 seconds into the game.

Flathead's Matt Tokarz connected with George Sherwood on a 42-yard touchdown to even the score with 6:37 left in the first quarter.

The Broncs struck again on a 56-yard pass by Saraceni less than a minute later to go up 14-7.

Tokarz, starting his first game at quarterback for Flathead, rattled off a 74-yard run that evened things up at 14-14 late in the first quarter.

That was the last time the Braves would be close as the Broncs scored three more times in the half to go to the locker room with a 35-14 lead.

Tokarz totaled 136 rushing yards and 221 yards passing to lead all players in both categories, though he also tossed three interceptions. He had two touchdown passes and two rushing scores.

Sherwood had nine receptions for 155 yards.

Flathead 14 0 7 7 - 28

Senior 21 14 14 14 - 56

First quarter

Senior - Nolan Saraceni 95 kickoff return (Cooper Kouwenhoven kick), 11:46.

Flathead -- George Sherwood 42 pass from Matthew Tokarz (Dylan Torgerson kick), 6:37.

Senior - Saraceni 56 pass from Ben Sulser (Kouwenhoven kick), 6:06.

Flathead - Tokarz 74 run (Torgerson kick), 5:49.

Senior - Chad Newell 2 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 1:31.

Second quarter

Senior - Sulser 1 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 8:27.

Senior - Newell 19 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 7:06.

Third quarter

Senior - Sulser 3 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 7:13.

Senior - Newell 1 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 4:10.

Flathead - Sherwood 75 pass from Tokarz (Torgerson kick), 2:36.

Fourth quarter

Flathead - Tokarz 14 run (Torgerson kick), 8:46.

Senior - Newell 68 run (Kouwenhoven kick), 7:38.

Team

Flathead Senior

First downs 17 17

Rushes-yards 31-232 46-303

Passing 14-30-3 10-18-0

Passing yards 221 160

Total yards 453 463

Penalties 4-20 11-75

Fumbles-lost 3-1 3-1

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Flathead: Matthew Tokarz 17-136, Michael Managhan 7-58, John Collins 7-38. Billings Senior: Chad Newell 26-190, Ben Sulser 13-54, Nolan Saraceni 4-55, Wade Czyczerski 3-4.

Passing - Flathead: Matthew Tokarz 14-30-3, 221 yards. Billings Senior: Ben Sulser 10-18-0, 160 yards.

Receiving - Flathead: George Sherwood 9-155, Matt McLean 1-31, Michael Managhan 2-22, Kevin Grosswiler 2-13, Nick James 1-2. Billings Senior: Nolan Saraceni 4-75, John Daubert 2-40, Cooper Kouwenhoven 3-36, Chad Newell 1-9.