Flag football debuts in the valley

Spectators at Legends Stadium witnessed history as Montana high school flag football premiered Saturday morning in the first games played in the Flathead Valley.

Flathead and Glacier made their home debuts and Butte made the trip after hosting last weekend's inaugural games. The home bleachers were jam-packed with supporters for Flathead and Glacier.

The play was jamboree-style, so onlookers had the opportunity to watch six fast paced games in which each school played each other twice.

“I think it was awesome… Beautiful day and it’s all new, so fans are learning what to watch for also,” Glacier head coach Mark Kessler said.

It was a great day for Flathead’s defense as well, who pitched a shutout across four games on the day starting with a 16-0 win over Butte in the day's first action.

Next up was Flathead versus crosstown rival Glacier and the Bravettes defense kept on rolling with a 18-0 win. Flathead knocked off Butte 20-0 and Bravettes senior Alexis Kersten pulled in a highlight reel interception after deflecting a pass which sent cheers throughout the stadium. Intensity rose in Flathead's final game of the day as they took on Glacier for the second time and eked out a 6-0 victory to notch their fourth shutout of the day.

Akilah Kubi scored a touchdown to put the Bravettes on the board and a Tali Miller interception helped seal the deal. In total, Flathead outscored opponents 60-0.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen so many smiles on girls' faces and that’s what it’s all about… Great day, great crowd, it was awesome,” Flathead head coach Lisa Koehler said.

Glacier meanwhile found success with two victories over Butte. Glacier won the first matchup 14-6 with a long touchdown reception by Kiera Sullivan serving as the game-winner for the Wolfpack.

The second matchup between Glacier and Butte was a nailbiter, with the Wolfpack edging the Bulldogs 7-6 with the winning points coming on the game's final play. Glacier was forced to play from behind after Butte scored first. With less than five minutes to go Wolfpack quarterback Kai Johnson connected with Alli Buls on multiple occasions highlighted by a big gain down the Butte sideline that moved the ball within the Bulldogs 10 yard line. Butte’s defense stood strong and forced the stop to get the ball back while leading 6-0 with less than two minutes to go. That is when Glacier’s Noah Fincher pounced on the first play of the drive for an interception return to the house to make it 6-6 with less than a minute to play.

On the game’s final play Glacier converted the extra point to make the score go up by one and win the game 7-6.

“The competition's good, it’s healthy, it’s been fun to be a part of,” Kessler said after Glacier’s battle with Butte to end the day.

Both coaches emphasized the importance of developing players and continuing to learn.

“Each day the point is to get better and learn more,” Koehler said.

Kessler added, “I think with any sport there is definitely a little bit of a roller coaster ride, you’re going to hit some speed bumps and some valleys, but the girls have worked hard to overcome those and we are learning so much every day it is hard to put into words that this all brand new… You’re starting to see the lightbulb come on.”

Results

Game 1: Flathead 16, Butte 0

Game 2: Flathead 18, Glacier 0

Game 3: Glacier 14, Butte 6

Game 4: Flathead 20, Butte 0

Game 5: Flathead 6, Glacier 0

Game 6: Glacier 7, Butte 6