FOOTBALL: Flathead looking to build on big victory
Flathead was one yard away from disaster.
It was one yard away from last place in the standings and one yard away from leaving Great Falls as the only Class AA team playing this year without a win. It was one yard away from an uphill climb to even qualify for the playoffs in a season that began with lofty dreams.
One yard away from the end zone on fourth down in the fourth overtime, running back Seth Adolph hit the line late last Friday night and was stuffed.
Then, in a moment of either cold-blooded composure or sheer frenzied panic, he pitched the ball back to his quarterback and watched from the turf as Bridger Johnson rounded the corner and reached the end zone. Disaster averted. Season saved.
For now.
The Braves (1-2) will try to build on one of the most emotional wins in recent history — last week’s 42-41, four-overtime thriller over Great Falls High — today at 7 p.m. when they travel to take on Missoula Big Sky.
“Pretty incredible game for both teams,” Braves coach Kyle Samson said of last week’s win over his father Mark’s Bison squad. “Looking at the film there were a lot of great things we did but still some mistakes we made.
“It’s a little bit easier to make those corrections after a win. We know we need to get better but because of the way we won it’s given the kids of a boost of confidence that we can win.”
“The energy’s always been there but this week it’s definitely stepped up,” Adolph said. “We can win and we can be a special team. We can be dangerous.”
Adolph, normally a wide receiver, was playing running back for the first time last week and was terrific in his new role, carrying 22 times for 174 yards in addition to three catches for 76 yards. He also threw a pass, completing an eight-yarder to Johnson in overtime.
“He did a tremendous job,” Samson said of Adolph. “For his first game playing tailback I couldn’t have hoped for any better. He’s a special player and in my opinion he’s one of the best in the state.”
Adolph is also a safety for the Braves and played more than 100 snaps last week, although he wasn’t alone in seeing action on both sides of the ball. Beset with injuries, particularly on the offensive line, a handful of Flathead players went both ways, something that should be mitigated at least partially this week with a pair of offensive linemen — Logan Thurston and Patrick Hammond — returning to action.
Their returns move Tanner Troutman and Jonas Nyman back to the defense full-time, and the Braves will need a rested and physical group on that side of the ball against a punishing Big Sky rushing attack tonight. The Eagles (2-1) ran the ball more than 50 times in a 26-20 win against Missoula Sentinel last Friday.
“They’re a very, very heavy run team on offense and they’ve got a really good quarterback that’s a great runner,” Samson said. “We’ve got to be able to contain him if we’re going to come away with a win.”
Levi Janacaro, Big Sky’s quarterback, ran for 180 yards on 31 carries last week, anchoring a ground attack that piled up nearly 400 yards against the Spartans. Janacaro only attempted six passes, however, finishing 2 for 6 for 20 yards.
Flathead pummeled Big Sky last year at Legends Stadium, winning 52-13 after jumping out to a 38-0 lead early in the third quarter. The Braves forced five turnovers in the win and totaled 502 yards of offense while holding Big Sky to 171 rushing yards on 39 attempts.
The Flathead offense is hoping for a repeat performance this time around.
“They’re pretty dang good on defense but I think there’s some things that hopefully we can attack them with,” Samson said. “I’m sure a lot of people are picking them to win and that’s OK, we’ve got to go down there and earn that second win.”
Tonight’s game will begin at 7 with coverage available on KGEZ 600 AM and www.kgez.com.