CMR rides big plays past Braves
Flathead quarterback Brett Pesola (4) scores a touchdown on a 14-yard run in the third quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Jack Blodgett (80) holds on to a 62-yard reception along the sideline in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead running back Nolan Campbell (24) picks up yardage on a run in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Ben Bliven (2) picks up yardage in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead linebacker Brayton Fitch (30) wraps up Great Falls CMR wide receiver Drew Etcheberry (5) at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Will Hollensteiner (7) looks for running room after a handoff in the second quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead quarterback Brett Pesola (4) rolls out to pass in the first quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead defenders Brayton Fitch (30) and Jakob Berry (65) stop a run by Great Falls CMR running back Keegan Fuller (33) in the first quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Flathead running back Tim Zundel (0) looks for running room against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Eli Coopman (6) looks upfield after a reception in the second quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Great Falls CMR wide receiver Drew Etcheberry (5) is brought down by Flathead safety Tim Zundel (0) in the second quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
The Flathead Braves ran the ball well at times, passed it well at others and all in all hung with the Great Falls CMR Rustlers Friday at Legends Stadium.
It was those one-play drives that were killer.
Quarterback Caleb Taylor threw touchdown passes of 77 and 80 yards just after CMR took possession, and it’s fair to say those were the difference in the Rustlers’ 28-14 Class AA football victory.
“We were really assignment-sound. I think we stopped them four times in the red zone on downs,” Flathead coach Caleb Aland said. “Our defense played (with high effort). Limit those big plays and it’s a different ball game.”
Which is, of course, the rub. The Braves’ run defense was stout, though Keegan Fuller got loose for 15 yards and the game’s first touchdown, midway through the second quarter. But Etcheberry got behind the defense for 180 yards on seven catches, and Kade Somerfeld had 122 yards on three receptions.
After Fuller’s TD, Flathead took over and drove inside CMR’s 30-yard line only to give up the ball on downs. Then the left-handed Taylor found Etcheberry behind the Braves’ secondary, for 77 yards. It was 14-0 with 1:26 left in the half.
The Rustlers gave up the ball on downs twice in the third quarter, at the Flathead 20-yard after a Kohen Rilley sack, and then the 23-yard line.
The first time they got the ball right back with a Ben Halko interception; the second time Flathead QB Brett Pesola put a pass on Jack Blodgett for a 62-yard gain.
On the next play Pesola sold the handoff and took a keeper 14 yards around the right side. The PAT failed, leaving the score 14-6, but there was 1:27 left in the third quarter. Plenty of time.
The Rustlers answered with a long kick return to Flathead’s 44 and a three-play scoring drive. Etcheberry caught a 26-yard scoring pass, and it was 21-6.
Flathead’s next possession ended with a punt for a touchback: That’s when Somerfeld ran under a bomb and took it 80 yards to make it 28-6.
The Braves put together a 73-yard scoring drive, capped by Nolan Campbell’s 9-yard touchdown with 3:24 left in the game. Then Etcheberry nabbed the ensuing onside kick for CMR, and that was that.
Taylor finished 12 of 20 passing for 308 yards. Flathead’s Pesola threw for 190 yards and ran for 74 on 18 carries.
“Brett Pesola played well,” Aland said. “Great vision, and he’s just tough as nails and I don’t think anyone can question that.”
Flathead started four sophomores on the front line, and it showed at times — CMR defensive end Nick Donester was a handful, and a fourth-down blitz by Dalton Heggem resulted in a 20-yard loss to set up the Rustlers’ first scoring drive. But as Aland pointed out, a lot of the Braves were playing freshman ball a year ago.
“My message was that the game on the field wasn’t a failure, but moving forward if we don’t learn from it, that will be a failure,” Aland said. “We have a group that is really talented, really hungry and I think we’re going to just keep getting better as the season goes on.
“You’d like to go home with a win a lot more than a loss, obviously. But a lot to be proud of.”
CMR 0 14 0 14 - 28
Flathead 0 0 6 8 - 14
CMR — Keegan Fuller 15 run (Cruz Riggin kick), 6:01-2Q
CMR — Drew Etcheberry 77 pass from Caleb Taylor (Riggin kick), :46-2Q
Flathead — Brett Pesola 14 run (run failed), 1:09-3Q
CMR — Etcheberry 26 pass from Taylor (Riggin kick), 11:52-4Q
CMR — Kade Somerfeld 80 pass from Taylor (Riggin kick), 7:38-4Q
Flathead — Nolan Campbell 9 run (Zander McLaughlin pass from Pesola), 3:24-4Q
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: CMR (23-78) — Fuller 16-83, Ben Cunningham 1-5, Taylor 4-minus 10, Team 2-0. Flathead (39-156) — Pesola 18-74, Campell 11-58, Ben Bliven 2-23, Brayton Fitch 5-3, Tim Zundel 2-2, Will Hollensteiner 1-minus 4.
PASSING: CMR — Taylor 12-20-0 for 308 yards; Blake Herda 1-1-0 for 18 yards. Flathead — Peola 16-28-1 for 190 yards.
RECEIVING: CMR — Etcheberry 7-180, Somerfeild 3-122, Taylor 1-18, Herda 1-7, Cunningham 1-minus 1. Flathead — Hollensteiner 5-77, Zundel 3-19, Eli Coopman 3-16, Bliven 2-14, Campbell 2-2, Jack Blodgett 1-62.
Flathead wide receiver Jack Blodgett (80) holds on to a 62-yard reception along the sideline in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead running back Nolan Campbell (24) picks up yardage on a run in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Ben Bliven (2) picks up yardage in the second half against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead linebacker Brayton Fitch (30) wraps up Great Falls CMR wide receiver Drew Etcheberry (5) at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Will Hollensteiner (7) looks for running room after a handoff in the second quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead quarterback Brett Pesola (4) rolls out to pass in the first quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead defenders Brayton Fitch (30) and Jakob Berry (65) stop a run by Great Falls CMR running back Keegan Fuller (33) in the first quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead running back Tim Zundel (0) looks for running room against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Eli Coopman (6) looks upfield after a reception in the second quarter against Great Falls CMR at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Great Falls CMR wide receiver Drew Etcheberry (5) is brought down by Flathead safety Tim Zundel (0) in the second quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider