Braves' homecoming contest vs. winless CMR
The Flathead Braves improved to 2-0 on the road with a last-minute win over Missoula Big Sky last week.
Now they hope to give the home fans something to cheer about when they host Great Falls C.M. Russell in a Class AA homecoming football game tonight at 7 at Legends Stadium.
CMR is 0-4 for the first time in coach Jack Johnson’s career according to the Great Falls Tribune, but Flathead coach Russell McCarvel said the Rustlers have more talent than their record indicates.
“When you watch them on film, if you’re just watching (individual) plays they look good,” McCarvel said. “But when you watch the entire game they just make a mistake here and there. They’ve given up a couple big plays.”
CMR was picked to finish second in the preseason coaches poll before losing its opener to Missoula Sentinel. It lost a couple tight homes games against Glacier and Butte in weeks two and three before it was blown out by Helena Capital last week.
“It’s very surprising that they’re 0-4,” McCarvel said. “You would expect them to come here and put together their best game of the year. That’s our expectation. They were picked second in the state and that’s because they have good players and great coaches, and I have no doubt that they’ll turn things around. We just hope it’s not this Friday night.”
The Rustlers have leaned on the big arm of quarterback Jayse McLean, who ranks fourth in Class AA with 221.2 passing yards per game. Their running game ranks seventh out of 14 teams, but McCarvel said he expects CMR to try to establish the run first.
“I think if they’re not able to run it they have a great quarterback and they will throw it, but I think they’re going to try to come here and run the ball,” he said.
Flathead’s defense is giving up a whopping 347.5 rushing yards per game. Capital piled up 520 yards on the ground against the Braves in week three and Missoula Big Sky running back Michael Banna ran for 122 yards on 29 carries last week.
“We’re going to have to read our keys a lot better, trust in the guys to your left and right,” Flathead linebacker Caleb McCracken said. “Know that he’s going to do what he’s going to do and just stick to your keys.”
CMR running back Andrew Grinde leads the Rustlers with 82.8 yards per game and McLean averages 38.8 yards on the ground.
Flathead’s offense found its rhythm late last week when junior quarterback Easton Johnson orchestrated an 85-yard touchdown drive that took only 1 minute and 42 seconds. Junior wide receiver Alex Croymans caught three passes on that drive and finished the game with 119 receiving yards.
“Me and Easton have always been best buds since freshman year,” Croymans said. “I’ve kind of always been his No. 1 target and I think last week we just really connected well.
“I think Easton’s been getting a lot more confident and our O-line’s doing a great job the past three games, so I think it’s going to get better and better as the season goes on.”
In CMR, Flathead (2-2) will be up against a fundamentally sound defense.
“They’re physical, they get into you fast,” McCarvel said. “The D-linemen strike fast and their linebackers flow hard to the ball. They don’t give up a lot of yards rushing and they’ve got quick guys in the secondary. They just don’t make many mistakes out there, they’re always in the right spot.”