Flathead flattens Hellgate, 48-12
MISSOULA — Missoula Hellgate had the hot start but Flathead had the big finish Thursday, with Brett Pesola leading the Braves to a 48-12 football win over the Knights at MCPS Stadium.
Pesola ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns and threw scoring passes to Brody Thornsberry and Gabe Sims, helping Flathead end the season on an up note: The Braves finished 2-7, and 1-6 in Western AA games.
Hellgate fell to 0-9 and 0-7 though the Knights led 12-0 after one quarter, thanks to TD runs from Corbin Weltzien and Rylan Davis.
“I was a little worried about that,” second-year Flathead Caleb Aland said. “After the first quarter I got the team in the huddle and… I don’t think they’ve seen me that animated before.”
It must have worked — the Braves piled up 389 yards of offense, including 126 passing yards from Pesola.
The junior’s 3-yard scoring pass to Brody Thornsberry — the two then hooked up on a two-point PAT pass — put Flathead up for good with 1:26 left in the first half.
“He was the game ball guy,” Aland said of Pesola, whose 24-yard scoring run was the third of Flathead’s four, third-quarter touchdowns. “He did a good job managing the game. He made big plays, big runs, big throws. I’m really proud of him stepping up and making it happen.”
Pesola also found Gabe Sims with a 27-yard touchdown pass that put the Braves up 42-12 late in the third quarter. Braden Capser added a short scoring run in the fourth.
Jaden Williams and Nolan Campbell also had scoring runs; Williams ran for 44 yards and caught three passes for 35.
“This game shows the character of our program,” Aland said. “We started off rocky, and we had the right guys, had the leadership, to get it right.
“That’s the way we’re capable of playing, it doesn’t matter who, if we put it all together. It was great to see that come together like it did.”
Flathead 0 15 27 6 - 48
Hellgate 12 0 0 0 - 12
MH — Corbin Weltzien (kick failed), 8:44-1Q
MH — Ryan Davis 1 run (pass failed), 2:48-1Q
F — Brett Pesola 4 run (Miller Bushnell kick), 7:13-2Q
F — Brody Thornsberry 3 pass from Pesola (Thornsberry pass from Pesola), 1:26-2Q
F —Jaden Williams 5 run (kick failed), 12:00-3Q
F — Nolan Campbell 8 run (Bushnell kick), 6:09-3Q
F — Pesola 24 run (Bushnell kick), 4:28-3Q
F — Gabe Sims 27 pass from Pesola (Bushnell kick), 1:26-3Q
F — Braden Capser 1 run (kick failed), 7:07-4Q
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Flathead (41-263) — Pesola 18-118, Williams 7-44, Tim Zundel 3-40, Campbelol 4-29, Ben Blievin 3-29, Thornsberry 1-6, Casper 2-4, Jordan Griffin 3-minus 7. Hellgate (29-96) — Weltzien 19-72, Davis 10-24.
PASSING: Flathead — Pesola 11-21-0 for 126 yards. Hellgate — Davis 10-23-2 for 150 yards.
RECEIVING: Flathead — Williams 3-35, Sims 2-39, Casper 2-20, Stephen Riley 2-8, Blevin 1-21, Thornsberry 1-3. Hellgate — Parker Link 3-68, O’Leary 3-29, Weltzien 2-29, Evan Pyron 1-12, Ben Brown 1-12.