Rendina runs for 7 TDs against Hellgate

MISSOULA – The Glacier Wolfpack didn’t have such an easy time down the stretch Thursday night, though the going certainly got easier for Jake Rendina.

The junior running back set school records with 275 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in the 4-0 Pack’s 54-38 win over Missoula Hellgate at MCPS Stadium.

Rendina’s twin 54-yard fourth-quarter scoring bursts all but put away a game Hellgate team that a) lost running back Jacob Sweatland on the first snap and b) threw just about every down after.

The result was a banner night for both Knights’ quarterback Dante Mauiri, who threw for 438 yards, and receiver Leo Filardi, who had 341 receiving yards on 13 catches.

I feel like there’s a little pattern going on,” said Rendina, who ran for 195 yards after halftime. “As an offense we’re bullies. We keep pounding them, and as you can in the third and fourth quarter we get those breakaways.”

The game could have been closer but for a handful of plays. Late in the first half Mauiri found Filardi over the middle for an apparent TD, but Glacier’s Tyler Haussman got him down after a 55-yard gain. The Knights eventually gave up the ball on downs, leaving the score 26-14 at halftime.

Then early in the fourth quarter, with Glacier’s lead just 33-30, Maiuri appeared to hit Brayden Terzo with a go-ahead 46-yard TD pass. Holding called that back and Hellgate (1-3) punted.

Rendina capped the ensuing Glacier drive with his fifth TD, from 4 yards out.

After Maiuri found Filardi for 80 yards – and hit Ian Finch with the PAT pass – to draw Hellgate to 40-38, Rendina found a gap and jump-cut his way to a 54-yard score. That made it 47-38 with 7:49 remaining.

“I thought Jake Rendina made an incredible in-game adjustment, a competitive adjustment,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “Obviously the only way those guys are going to get him down is to cut him. It’s what we’ve seen for three games. If guys try to take him on, he trucks them.

“First half they were going low. Second half he started anticipating those cuts and jump-cutting and stiff-arming. For a 230-pound back to do what he did the second half – just an incredible adjustment.”

Glacier’s Cole Johnson then picked off a pass meant for Finch, setting Glacier up near midfield. Rendina, a bruising back, found daylight again to put the game out of reach with 5:41 left.

The game was full of great plays. Filardi burst from the shadow of Finch, who still made his share of excellent catches. The Knights onside-kicked after every score except one – a squibber that bounced off a return man and back to Hellgate. Maiuri soon hit Finch for the first of his four TD passes.

It took the only turnover of the game to clinch it – and that was after Hellgate had an apparent lost fumble overturned by an inadvertent whistle.

“Cole Johnson’s interception was kind of the final turn of events,” Bennett said. “That allowed us to go down and get up by two scores. They’ve got to go down in four minutes and score twice, which would be kind of a miracle.”

Glacier’s JT Allen ran for a score and completed 21 of 29 passes for 169 yards.

Glacier 14 12 7 21 - 54

Hellgate 14 0 16 8 - 38

G – Jake Rendina 1 run (Patrick Rohrbach kick), 7:09-1Q

H – Dante Maiuri 1 run (Leo Filardi pass from Maiuri), 4:34-1Q

H – Ian Finch 4 pass from Maiuri (kick failed), 3:01-1Q

G – Rendina 4 run (Rohrback kick, 1:14-1Q

G – JT Allen 3 run (kick blocked), 11:01-2Q

G – Rendina 4 run (pass failed),4:12-2Q

H – Filardi 6 pass from Maiuri (Finch pass from Maiuri), 9:06-3Q

G – Rendina 2 run (Rohrbach kick), 6:12-3Q

H – Filardi 23 pass from Maiuri (Finch pass from Maiuri), 4:16-3Q

G – Rendina 4 run (Rohrback kick), 8:50-4Q

H – Filardi 80 pass from Maiuri (Finch pass from Maiuri), 8:35-4Q

G – Rendina 54 run (Rohrbach kick), 7:49-4Q

G – Rendina 54 run (Rohrbach kick), 5:21-4Q

Individual leaders

RUSHING: Glacier – Rendina 34-275, Allen 7-11, Casey Peiffer 4-31, Wyatt Thomason 1-5, Team 1-minus 6. Hellgate – Maiuri 9-32, Brayden Terzo 4-minus 4, Team 1-minus 9.

PASSING: Glacier – Allen 21-29-0 for 169 yards. Hellgate – Maiuri 22-52-1 for 437 yards.

RECEIVING: Glacier – Cole Johnson 5-40, Jake Turner 6-35, Luke Bilau 4-43, Connor Sullivan 4-31, Tate Kauffman 1-13, Ethan Diede 1-7. Hellgate – Filardi 13-341, Finch 7-82, Brayden Terzo 2-14/