CMR upends Flathead

C.M. Russell didn't just beat Flathead on Friday night.

They all but crushed the Braves' playoff hopes as well.

CMR (4-5) jumped ahead early, piled up 394 rushing yards and walked away with a 39-21 Class AA victory at Legends Stadium.

Running back Hunter Thomsen delivered a career offensive performance for CMR, rushing for 299 yards and four touchdowns.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for Flathead, which entered the game in a three-way tie for eighth place with CMR and Great Falls.

The Braves (3-6) still have a remote chance of sneaking into the playoffs with a win over Missoula Hellgate this Friday, but would need plenty of help now that they are tied with Bozeman and Great Falls for ninth place.

Only the top eight teams make the playoffs.

"No matter what happens, whether we have a chance to get in the playoffs or not, we need to finish strong and get a win," Flathead coach Russell McCarvel said.

The Rustlers jumped all over the Braves.

Thomsen capped CMR's opening drive with an 8-yard touchdown scamper after a 44-yard run that put the Rustlers in the red zone.

He hit pay dirt again with about a minute remaining in the first quarter, pounding the ball in the end zone from 1 yard out to put the Rustlers ahead 14-0.

CMR kicker Tanner Olsen made it 17-0 with a 32-yard field goal with seven minutes to go in the second quarter.

Then CMR quarterback Jayce McLean hit Colton Carter with a 43-yard touchdown pass with 1:01 left in the half.

That's when Flathead's quarterback Matt Tokarz provided a highlight-worthy run that put Flathead on the scoreboard and sent the Braves to the locker room with the momentum they had lacked all game.

Tokarz rolled out left, then tucked the ball and went 57 yards for a score, breaking several tackles and evading a half-dozen Rustlers in the process.

"He does a lot of great things when he's out in the open," McCarvel said. "He's really fast. He makes great cuts. It was fun to watch, absolutely."

Tokarz rushed for 157 yards on 13 carries and ran for two touchdowns, but was forced to go to the air after CMR took a swift and early lead.

He connected on 18 of 43 passes for 252 yards and and a touchdown.

It wasn't an ideal situation for McCarvel, who said he'd prefer to run the ball more often.

"We just got behind and needed to try to find a way to get some quick points, which was tough," he said. "I'd like to run the ball a little bit more but we found ourselves behind in a hurry.

"I'd rather not throw it 44 times, but when you end up behind it's hard."

The Braves improved in the second half, specifically on defense where Flathead held the Rustlers to just 15 points.

Flathead even threatened to make a comeback in the fourth quarter after Tokarz connected with receiver George Sherwood for a 37-yard touchdown pass with 11 minutes left in the game to tighten the score at 32-21.

But the Rustlers drove the distance of the field on their ensuing possession, eating up nearly eight minutes before Thomsen scored with 3:25 on the clock to give CMR some breathing room in the form of a 39-21 lead.

"Give CMR credit, that was a big drive they had and a big win for them," McCarvel said. "They did a great job... We couldn't stop them."

He said he was happy with his team's improvement in the second half.

"I liked our effort defensively especially as we got going," McCarvel said. "I certainly like our fight, that's for sure."

The Braves nearly matched the Rustlers' offensive performance, at least as far as yardage. Flathead totaled 448 yards while CMR had 474. Both teams had 16 first downs.

But two drive-ending turnovers ended up hurting the Braves in the long run.

Depending on the outcomes of next week's Class AA games, the Braves could be preparing for their final game of the season.

"I think there's some things that could happen to still get us in (the playoffs)," McCarvel said.

"I think the biggest thing we have to focus on now is on how to win next week."

CMR 14 10 8 7 - 39

Flathead 0 7 7 7 - 21

First Quarter

C -Hunter Thomsen 8 run (Tanner Olsen kick), 10:48.

C - Thomsen 1 run (Olsen kick), 1:33.

Second Quarter

C - Olsen 32 field goal, 7:09.

C -Carter 43 pass from McLean (Olsen kick), 1:01.

F - Matt Tokarz 57 run (Dillon Torgerson kick), :33.

Third Quarter

C - Thomsen 22 run (Josh Horner pass from Colton Carter), 7:40.

F - Tokarz 1 run (Torgerson kick), 4:37.

Fourth Quarter

F - George Sherwood 37 pass from Tokarz (Torgerson kick), 11:08.

C - Thomsen 6 run (Olsen kick), 3:25.

CMR Flathead

First downs 16 16

Total yards 474 448

Rushing yards 394 196

Passing 80 252

Punt returns 1-0 1-2

Kickoff returns 3-38 6-81

Comp-Att-Int 3-11-0 18-44-1

Punts 2-67 2-59

Fumbles lost 1-0 1-1

Penalties 5-50 5-35

Individual statistics

RUSHING - CMR, Hunter Thomsen 35-299, Jayse McLean 16-32, Trey Cates 6-59, Josh Horner 3-4; Flathead, Matt Tokarz 13-157, Michael Managhan 5-19, Austin Root 5-20.

PASSING - Capital, Jayse McLean 3-11-80-0-1; Flathead, Matt Tokarz 18-43-252-1-1, Matt McLean 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING - Capital, Trey Cates 1-20, Colton Carter 1-43, Hunter Thomsen 1-17; Flathead, George Sherwood, 8-164, Matt McLean 5-56, Michael Managhan 2-13, Drew Crosby 1-9, Kevin Grosweiler 1-3, Nick James 1-7.

Class AA 2011

League Standings

Team Record

Helena High 9-0

Billings West 8-1

Helena Capital 8-1

Glacier 7-2

Billings Senior 6-3

Butte 4-5

Big Sky 4-5

CMR 4-5

Flathead 3-6

Great Falls High 3-6

Bozeman 3-6

Billings Skyview 2-7

Sentinel 1-8

Hellgate 1-8

Friday's Scores

Billings Skyview 32, Missoula Sentinel 26

Billings West 30, Missoula Big Sky 21

Bozeman 42, Missoula Hellgate 14

Great Falls Russell 39, Flathead 21

Helena Capital 35, Glacier 23

Billings Senior 31, Great Falls 0

Helena 22, Butte 10