FOOTBALL: Braves set for breakthrough season

On the first day of football camp a year ago Flathead coach Kyle Samson, himself a former quarterback, went out of his way to gush about his new signal caller, talking up a kid who’d never played a varsity snap.

This year, he didn’t have to.

That quarterback, Bridger Johnson, is now the center of the Flathead football universe, bringing a full year of experience, a pair of best buddies as receiving targets and the highest expectations at Flathead in a decade into tonight’s season-opener at Legends Stadium against Great Falls C.M. Russell at 7 p.m.

“He is the ultimate leader for our team,” Samson said of Johnson.

“Everyone looks to him and that’s a big thing when you’ve got a senior that’s a quarterback that’s commanding a team and a team really rallying behind him. That’s going to go a long way this year.”

The Braves are planning on going a long way themselves, too. Coming off the first playoff appearance in four years and the first winning season (6-5) since Brock Osweiler was under center, Flathead is primed to take the next step, join the state’s elites and challenge for a state title.

“Coach keeps talking about 11-18-16,” senior wide receiver Seth Adolph said, referring to the scheduled date of the state championship game.

“That’s what we’re working for. Just drilling into our minds every day that that’s what we’re working for. Every day on the practice field and every day in the gym.”

If the Braves are playing for a state title, something they have not won since 1970, Adolph, Johnson and classmate James Flannigan will be a big reason why. The potent passing trio spent all summer passing and running through routes together, working on their timing and strengthening an already strong off-the-field bond.

“I hope it shows,” Flannigan said of their offseason work. “Just (Johnson) having a feel for our speed, how far he should throw it to lead us and finding the gaps and sitting down and knowing that he’ll find you. That just comes with time spent together.”

“I think (the relationship) is huge, especially with a quarterback and wide receiver,” Samson said.

“They’re best friends and they’ve been playing together now for two, three years. It’s a big deal. They know each other’s routes; they know their timing. Bridger knows when they’re going to break.

“They trust each other and that’s huge.”

Flannigan played on the varsity team as a sophomore before being joined last year by Johnson and Adolph.

Johnson threw for 1,593 yards as a junior and Flannigan was his primary target, hauling in 33 passes for 470 yards.

Adolph, who battled Johnson for the quarterback job when both were freshmen, caught 17 passes for 193 yards a year ago.

“My timing is really good with my seniors,” Johnson said. “We’re clicking on all cylinders.

The Braves were a balanced offensive team in 2015 and will try to find that balance again this year, but there are big holes to fill in the backfield. All-state running back Josh McCracken and his 1,282 yards on the ground have graduated, opening the door for senior Ryan Skramovsky to take over the starting job.

“He’s worked hard this offseason,” Adolph said of Skramovsky.

“He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten stronger. I think people will be surprised with how well he actually can fill those shoes.”

Adolph figures to see plenty of carries himself, lining up all over the field. The former quarterback runs Flathead’s version of the wildcat and was second on the team in rushing a year ago, carrying for 313 yards.

“He’s great with the ball in his hands, whether it’s in the backfield or out at slot,” Samson said of Adolph. “He’s just one of those kids that you can put him at every position on offense and he’d probably be good at every position.

“He might not be prototypical at any position but he’s a football player and wherever you put him he’s going to succeed. That gives you a lot of options as an offensive coordinator.”

On the other side of the ball, the Braves must replace all-state performers at every level but have a truckload of depth eager to contribute.

Cody Howe’s graduation leaves a void up front but seniors Matt Gash-Gilder and Tanner Troutman are back on the ends. All-state linebacker Jacob Ridgway has graduated but Jonas Nyman is back from injury and junior Jacques Eve returns with another year under his belt. In the secondary, cornerbacks Trae Vasquez and Flannigan bring experience to a unit that graduated all-state safety C.J. Dugan.

“I was very, very pleased with the way our defense came along,” Samson said after last week’s orange and black scrimmage.

“They should be a big part of our team and are really going to carry us early in the season.”

Eventually, though, all eyes turn back to the confident quarterback leading the way, the one who’s still irked by a season-ending 15-0 loss to Helena Capital in last season’s playoffs.

“We wanted to win every game and win a state championship (last year).” Johnson said. “We know that we can do more and we can come together and achieve all of our goals that we set out.”

Goal number one is to be playing football on the third Friday in November: 11-18-16.