Mission holds off Fairview
Mission running back Canyon Sargent (2) is tripped up by Fairview linebacker Hunter Sharbono (85) as he goes airborne on a run in the second quarter at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Mission tight end Kenny Ness (25) is brought down by Fairview's Hunter Sharbono (85) after a reception in the first quarter at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Mission wide receiver Bryce Umphrey (1) picks up yardage after a reception in the third quarter against Fairview at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Misson players keep warm on the sidelines in the first quarter against Fairview at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Mission head coach Carson Oakland celebrates with tight end Kenny Ness (25) after taking a 14-0 lead over Fairview in the first quarter at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Mission quarterback Kellen McClure (10) picks up yardage on a run in the second quarter against Fairview at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Mission wide receiver Iyezk Umphrey (7) holds on to a touchdown reception in the first quarter against Fairview at St. Ignatius High School on Saturday, Nov. 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
ST. IGNATIUS — Bryce Umphrey scored four touchdowns, including a 69-yard kickoff return, and the Mission Bulldogs held off Fairview 54-48 in a State C 8-Man semifinal football game Saturday.
Behind Umphrey and quarterback Kellen McClure, the Bulldogs (12-0) moved into next week’s championship game against Belt, which beat Culbertson 38-0 Saturday. The title game will be in St. Ignatius.
It wasn’t easy, though it may have looked that way early.
“We started out up 20-0,” second-year Bulldogs coach Carson Oakland said. “At one point it was 40-8. We were kind of clicking on all cylinders, creating turnovers. Then we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit.”
McClure’s second short scoring run had put Mission up 40-8 at 7:42 of the second quarter. But Fairview (8-3) scored two touchdowns, starting with a 50-yard burst from Tyler Loan, to close the first half, then opened the second half with Hunter Sharbono TD run.
Suddenly it was a ball game, 40-32.
“Kind of a repeat of last week, but the other way,” said Oakland, whose squad rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat Ennis 36-27. “They have a really good team, with really good players. And Coach (Derek) Gackle is a hell of a coach. They didn’t drive 11 hours for nothing.”
Mission traded TDs from there, getting an 18-yard reception and a 12-yard run from Umphrey. Fairview countered with a scoring pass from Jeff Tjelde to Sharbono, but the Warriors eventually ran out of time.
Oakland credited McClure, who threw for two scores, for keeping the team on task.
“He’s our leader on offense. He does a good job of just righting the ship. No moment is too big. Canyon Sargent is the same on defense.”
Sargent had an 8-yard run to jump start Mission’s dominant first quarter. Iyezk Umphrey got one of McClure’s TD passes. And Bryce Umphrey countered Sharbono’s first touchdown — he had four, three receiving — with a momentum-taking kickoff return.
“We kept saying if we can get a kick return for a touchdown, that could be the difference in the game,” Oakland said. “We’ve been preaching that all week. Then you look up at the scoreboard at the end and it’s, ‘Holy crap.’”
Mission will play in its first-ever football championship Saturday. Belt will make its third title-game appearance: The Huskies lost the 1979 B championship to Roundup and won the 1994 8-man title over Denton.
Fairview 8 16 8 16 - 48
Mission 26 14 8 6 - 54
M — Canyon Sargent 8 run (PAT failed)
M — Bryce Umphrey 1 run (Ness pass from Kellen McClure)
M — Iyezk Umphrey 20 pass from McClure (PAT failed)
F — Hunter Sharbono 30 pass from Jeff Tjelde (PAT good)
M — B. Umphrey 69 kickoff return (PAT failed)
M — McClure 2 run (Sargent pass from McClure)
M — McClure 1 run (PAT failed)
F —Tyler Loan 50 run (Sharbono run)
F — Deacon Gackle 29 pass from Tjelde (Sharbono run)
F — Sharbono 1 run (Sharbono run)
M — B. Umphrey 18 pass from McClure (Umphrey pass from McClure)
F — Sharbono 22 pass from Tjelde (Martin Manuel run)
M — B. Umphrey 12 run (run failed)
F — Sharbono 12 pass from Tjelde (Manuel run)