Big Sky tops Flathead 21-20
Flathead kick returner Jordan Griffin (14) breaks a big return in the fourth quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead head coach Caleb Aland congratulates his offense after a score in the third quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead celebrates with running back Jaden Williams (1) after a touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead safety Brody Thornsberry (88) scoops up a fumble with fellow defender Stephen Riley (7) in the first half against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead tight end Gabe Sims (84) holds on to a reception in the second quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead head coach Caleb Aland congratulates wide receiver Brody Thornsberry (88) after Thornsberry's touchdown reception in the third quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead quarterback Brett Pesola (4) picks up yardage on a run in the third quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead running back Jaden Williams (1) picks up yardage after a reception in the third quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead quarterback Brett Pesola (4) throws in the fourth quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead tight end Gabe Sims (84) holds on to a reception in the second quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receiver Brody Thornsberry (88) catches a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead running back Jaden Williams (1) dives into the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A couple sophomores stood tall in Missoula Big Sky’s 21-20 Western AA football win over Flathead Friday at Legends Stadium.
One was Big Sky’s 6-foot quarterback Avery Omlid, who threw for 244 yards and two scores. The other was 5-7 Jordan Griffin, who did about everything except kick for Flathead.
In the end, after Brett Pesola dropped a perfect 33-yard bomb on Brody Thornsberry — their second touchdown connection of the game — Big Sky blocked a PAT kick with 2:31 to preserve the victory.
The Braves, 1-2 on the season, had the 2-1 Eagles on the ropes, rallying back from a 14-0 deficit, then again after Omlid’s 9-yard TD pass to Colter Ramos put Big Sky up 21-14 with 5:53 left in the game.
“I’m obviously upset, but I’m proud of our guys,” Flathead coach Caleb Aland said. “I told them in the locker room, ‘I don’t think they left anything out on the field.’ That’s a team that I’ve not seen come from behind since I got here.
“We got behind tonight and we came back. The guys played their absolute tails off.”
Giving a boost was Griffin, who after Ramos’ TD took the ensuing kickoff at the 15, started right, reversed field and ended up with a 43-yard return. A facemask penalty was tacked on, making it first-and-10 at Big Sky’s 27. A few plays later Thornsberry hauled in that bomb.
“Little Jordan,” Thornsberry said. “He made a hell of an impact. We had Ben (Bliven) go down on the first play of the game, and Jordan stepped up huge.”
It was the final of several highlights for No. 14. The list includes two fumbles forced, two pass breakups and an interception near the goal line at the end of the first half.
Not bad for a player who isn’t in the game program: Griffin spent the summer working out, then opted out of playing this fall, then opted back in after Flathead’s opening 33-0 loss at CMR.
“He’s a difference maker,” Aland said. “He’s been with us for two weeks. (Ben) Bliven went down and he went in and was an absolute difference maker.”
Flathead is not a deep team, so losing Bliven to a leg injury right away didn’t help. Thornsberry, knocked out of last week’s 17-14 win over Belgrade, played both ways and got the Braves first TD on a 5-yard pass from Pesola.
That capped a 75-yard drive helped along by a 41-yard catch and run by Jaden Williams. It answered Big Sky’s TD drive to open the second half, which Omlid capped with a 12-yard pass to Isaac Stonefield.
Down 14-6, Flathead got the ball back when Griffin popped it loose from Omlid at the end of a 21-yard run, and Thornsberry scooped it up. The Braves didn’t score, but the field was flipped; their defense held and then Easton Capser blocked the ensuing Big Sky punt.
Two plays later Williams scored on a 6-yard run. Pesola hit Thornsberry for a two-point PAT and it 14-all with 11:29 left in the game.
“They came to fight,” Big Sky coach Matt Johnson said of the Braves. “I thought we did things to help them at times, but I appreciate how hard they battled. They worked hard to take away a lot of our bread-and-butter stuff.”
Big Sky’s Ramos still caught 12 passes for 120 yards, including the go-ahead TD.
Flathead had the answer, or most of it. Pesola threw for 166 yards and had no pass prettier than the last one to Thornsberry.
“We were throwing it all week and knew it was going to be there,” the receiver said. “It was just when to throw it. It was open a few times, and the time we needed we stepped up big and completed it.
“I’m super encouraged. That’s a really good team. I’m encouraged about our team.”
Griffin had six tackles, and forced a fumble in the first half that Tanner Heichel recovered for Flathead. Williams, along with his 100 all-purpose yards, made a team-high 11 tackles on defense. Stephen Riley had 10 stops and a team-high four receptions. Thornsberry had nine tackles.
Big Sky 7 0 7 7 - 21
Flathead 0 0 6 14 - 20
MBS — Joey Sandberg 3 run (Colter Ramos kick), :03-1Q
MBS — Isaac Stonefield 12 pass from Avery Omlid (Ramos kick), 7:46-3Q
F — Brody Thornsberry 5 pass from Brett Pesola (kick failed), 3:42-3Q
F — Jaden Williams 6 run (Thornsberry pass from Pesola), 11:29-4Q
MBS — Colter Amos 9 pass from Omlid (Ramos kick), 5:53-4Q
F — Thornsberry 33 pass from Pesola (kick blocked), 2:29-4Q
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Big Sky (36-141) — Sandberg 18-73, Omlid 9-38, Tanner Davis 3-22, Cormack Batt 2-7, Ramos 1-2, Team 2-0, Hank Jergensen 1-minus 1. Flathead (25-74) — Williams 11-36, Nolan Campbell 4-21, Thornsberry 3-10, Branson Holzer 1-6, Jordan Griffin 1-5, Pesola 4-minus 1, Ben Bliven 1-minus 3.
PASSING: Big Sky — Omlid 22-34-1 for 244 yards. Flathead — Pesola 11-24-2 for 163 yards.
RECEIVING: Big Sky — Ramos 12-120, Stonefield 3-61, Owen Stavish 3-31, Sandberg 3-20, Mason Fulford 1-12. Flathead — Stephen Riley 4-49, Thornsberry 3-43, Gabe Sims 2-12, Williams 1-47, Griffin 1-12.
