FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Eureka blasts Whitehall, advances to Class B title game

EUREKA — Behind 207 yards rushing and five touchdowns from senior running back Cannan Smith, the Eureka Lions turned a 7-6 halftime deficit into a 36-7 romp of the Whitehall Trojans Saturday afternoon to advance to the Class B state championship for the first time since 1990.

As soon as everyone in Lincoln County finishes hugging and shaking the hand of head coach Trevor Utter, it’s back to work to prepare for undefeated Missoula Loyola Sacred Heart, who defeated Fairfield 24-21 Saturday.

“Oh my gosh, it’s such an unbelievable feeling here,” Utter said afterward. “Guys are coming up to me with tears in their eyes.”

From the opening kickoff, however, the visiting Trojans and senior quarterback Braden Larsen were everything that the Lions expected them to be on both sides of the ball. On a four-minute, 71-yard drive, Larsen found paydirt on a fumbling, stumbling fourth-and-goal from the one. After a successful PAT, the visitors were up 7-0.

The next Eureka drive started with promise after a 20-yard option scamper up the left side from junior quarterback Garrett Graves, but the Trojan defense stuffed a Smith run up the middle on fourth-and-three at the Whitehall 39. The Lions defense, aided by a big tackle of a scrambling Larsen by senior defensive end Joe Fehr for an eight-yard loss, held firm and forced a punt. However, pinned deep at their own six after an expertly-placed kick, it was three-and-out. After a punt, the Trojans had the ball just their side of the 50 and drove it inside the Lions 10-yard line. But, on a fourth-and-two from the seven, Smith came up from his linebacker spot to stuff Larson on a keeper up the middle short of the first-down marker. That was as close as the Trojans would come the rest of the afternoon.

With 2:37 left in the half, the Lions switched to their spread package and finally found some offensive momentum. Sparked by a reverse run by senior Jacob Nowakowski and passes of 14 and 15 yards from Graves to senior Austin Sherwood and Smith, the Lions were facing a fourth-and-goal at the half-yard-line after a Smith run. Graves then faked the expected handoff to senior fullback Matthew Anderson and pitched out to Smith on the right side to put the Lions on the scoreboard with 18 seconds left. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Eureka down a point.

Whitehall’s first series of the second half turned out to be pivotal. After two short runs and another Larsen pass broken up by Jonathan Schmidt, the Trojans attempted a fake punt from their own 40. Graves and junior corner Bryant Little sniffed out the run and stuffed them short of the first down. The very next play, Smith took a counter handoff up the left side behind a pulling Fehr and was off to the races for a 39-yard touchdown. This time, on the PAT, Graves faked the pitch to Smith and kept it to make it 14-7, Lions.

Then the avalanche began.

Smith took the same counter play up the left side for a 70-yard score that electrified the home crowd. A bobbled pitch on the PAT try made it 20-7 Lions with over nine minutes left in the third.

An Anderson run set up a play-action pass to Smith, who Graves found on a swing route to the right and caught it for a 15-yard score. The Lions were cruising, 26-7.

“At halftime, we said— ‘Listen boys, we haven’t moved the ball, we haven’t done anything offensively that we know that we can do,’” Utter said. “‘Stay the course. We’re more physical, we’re stronger and we will score in the second half. If we start setting up things, they will break open.”

Smith punched in another score from six yards out and the PAT kick by Nowakowski made it 33-7 with under a minute left in the third.

The fourth quarter for Eureka was about keeping the ball on the ground and keeping the clock ticking down. Nowakowski completed the scoring with a 25- yard field goal.

“What a great team win,” Utter said. “We got a little big out of everybody today.”

Saturday’s championship game will be played in Missoula.

Whitehall 7 0 0 0 — 7

Eureka 0 6 27 3 — 36

W — Braden Larsen 1 run (Andrew Simon kick)

E — Cannan Smith 1 run (pass failed)

E — Smith 39 run (Garrett Graves run)

E — Smith 70 run (run failed)

E — Smith 15 pass from Graves (pass failed)

E — Smith 5 run (Jacob Nowakowski kick)

E — Nowakowski 25 field goal

Saturday’s Other Semifinal

At Missoula

Fairfield 14 7 0 0­ — 21

Missoula Loyola 14 0 7 3 ­— 24

L — Jacob Byrne 6 run (Byrne kick)

F — Chandler Allen 44 pass from Luke Batson (Cantor Coverdell kick)

L — Kellen Round 9 run (Byrne kick)

F — Allen 75 pass from Batson (Coverdell kick)

F — Batson 7 run (Coverdell kick)

L — Byrne 4 run (Byrne kick)

L — Byrne 32 field goal

Class C 8-Man

Saturday’s Semifinals

Wibaux 6 0 0 0 — 6

Ennis 12 14 8 12 — 46

E— Tanner Wood 54 run (run failed)

W— Noah Schneider 21 pass to Shawn Schaefferkoetter (run failed)

E— Jack Knack 28 run (run failed)

E— Wood 56 pass to Gavin McKitrick (Knack run)

E— Knack 10 run (run failed)

E— Knack 60 run (T. Wood pass to Corbin Wood)

E— T. Wood 66 run (run failed)

E— Knack 31 run (pass failed)

Charlo 16 14 12 8 — 50

Belt 7 7 0 21 — 35

CH— Landers Smith 48 run (Smith run)

B— Jarin Maki 3 pass from Harry Green (Maki kick)

CH— Jared Doty 11 run (Doty run)

B— Maki 10 pass from Green (Jess Bogner kick)

CH— Smith 45 run (pass failed)

CH— Doty 23 pass from Smith (Trent Dennison run)

CH— Smith 10 run (pass failed)

CH— Zane Hafliger 28 pass from Smith (run failed)

B— Bogner 6 pass from Green (Bogner pass from Green)

B— Maki 12 pass from Green (Bogner kick)

CH — Smith 54 run (Dennison pass from Smith)

B — Keagan Stroop 2 run (kick failed)