Flathead clips CMR

Before the huddle broke and the Flathead defense took the field for a final, deciding play, head coach Kyle Samson had a parting word for the unit.

“Go win the game,” he told them. “You guys got an opportunity right now. We’re up by eight. We’ve got one play, no matter what happens. Go win it.”

Taylor Morton and the Flathead offense looked on nervously — “on our hands and knees trying to pick turf out of the ground” to control their nerves, Morton said. Fans bunched together for warmth rose to their feet.

And then, just as their coach had instructed, 11 Braves trudged back out onto the cold, wet turf at Legends Stadium, and they won it.

A host of Flathead defenders stuffed the Great Falls CMR offense as they had all game, stopping a throwback screen two yards short of the end zone on the game’s final play to preserve a 21-13 victory over the Rustlers.

“We had a mindset of not letting them score, getting turnovers,” Flathead defensive back Eric Reyna said. “We just had that relentless effort out there.

“We wanted this win more. We wanted this more than them.”

The last-second defensive stand and win, Flathead’s fourth of the year, virtually assured the Braves a playoff berth for the third time since 2008.

“It’s a huge win for our program to beat a good football team like CMR, and in that way,” Samson said. “It was a tough game. It was a battle. I think sometimes the games like this that are close, it just really gives you a boost and really shows the character of your kids.”

That the game came down to the Flathead (4-3) defense was fitting, because the Braves likely wouldn’t have had a lead to hold on to without it.

Defensive coordinator Matt Upham’s unit limited CMR (3-5) to 232 total yards on the night and did not allow an offensive touchdown for the first time this season. The Rustlers’ only scores came on a second-quarter interception return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a score early in the fourth.

Perhaps most importantly, Flathead limited CMR to 3-of-13 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down, giving the offense chance after chance to correct things as it sputtered early.

“I think that was the best effort our defense has had all year,” Samson said. “That’s a huge part of why we won the game.”

But after the early struggles, the Flathead offense also found its groove.

The Braves couldn’t have started much slower, going three-and-out on their first three possesions before Morton tossed the first of three interceptions on the fourth possession.

But the senior quarterback bounced back from the pick-6 to orchestrate an eight-play, 70-yard drive for a score.

“I can’t say enough about him,” Samson said. “One of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached, mentally and physically.”

It wouldn’t be the last time Morton would struggle, but then rebound.

Morton threw his second interception on the second play of the second half, and Flathead’s Jon Baker fumbled on the next possession, but the defense prevented harm each time.

Despite his earlier struggles, Samson turned to his 5-foot-10, 175-pound quarterback on one of the biggest plays of the game.

Trailing 7-6 and facing a fourth-and-10 from the CMR 30 on the first play of the fourth quarter, Samson decided to roll the dice and go for it.

The decision paid off, as Morton’s favorite target — the 6-2 Anthony Jones — picked a jump ball out of traffic for a 24-yard gain.

“I have a lot of trust in those two kids,” Samson said. “Even though maybe early on Taylor didn’t have his best start, I love the kid to death. What a big play. Then A.J. goes up and makes the catch and we punch it in.”

Two plays later, the duo connected again for a 9-yard touchdown that gave Flathead its first lead.

“He’s a stud,” Morton said of Jones. “You can count on him every single week to show up. I know if I ever give him a chance on the sideline, I know he’s going up to get it. He’s an amazing athlete.”

The touchdown gave the Braves a comfortable lead, but it didn’t last long.

CMR’s Damien Nelson returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to cut the Flathead lead to one.

But once again, the Braves had an answer.

After the defense stuffed the Rustlers on fourth down near midfield, running backs Blake Counts and Jaden MacNeil combined for nine carries and 53 yards, with Counts punctuating the drive with a one-yard carry.

It was then totally in the defense’s hands, and the unit responded as it had all night.

Playing without star defensive back and unquestioned team leader Trae Vasquez, who was injured on CMR’s kickoff return for a touchdown, the Braves gave up a 37-yard pass and were charged with a five-yard penalty to put the Rustlers at the Flathead 15.

Two plays netted 13 yards, and with five seconds left on the clock, the Braves needed one last stand.

“I knew that we were going to get a stop,” Jones said. “There was no doubt in my mind. I’d take our defense over anyone in the state.”

The defense got the stop it had to have, and as the team rushed the field after the dramatic victory, Vasquez stood on the sideline with crutches under his arms and a smile on his face.

“We saw (Vasquez) go down, and our mindset was, ‘Do it for him,’” Reyna said. “He’s family. We have his back, and he has our back. He was cheering us on, and we weren’t going to lose for him. We were going to win for him.”

Just one win now stands between Flathead and the playoffs with two games left, including one over winless Missoula Hellgate.

“We never really had a doubt in our mind that we were going to make it to playoffs, but now that we know for sure, we’re going to come out with a chip on our shoulder,” Reyna said. “The state didn’t believe that we’d make it to the playoffs, and now we’re here and we’re going to show them what we’ve got.”

CMR 0 7 0 6 — 13

Flathead 0 6 0 15 — 21

Second Quarter

CMR —Cade Jensen 29 interception return (Cason Taylor kick), 10:10

F — Blake Counts 3 pass from Taylor Morton (kick failed), 7:06

Fourth Quarter

F — Anthony Jones 9 pass from Morton (Jones pass from Morton), 10:34

CMR — Damien Nelson 97 kickoff return (kick blocked), 10:19

F — Counts 1 run (Alex Coulter kick), 1:46

CMR Flathead

First Downs 13 21

Rushes-Yards 37-161 41-174

Passing Yards 71 180

Comp-Att-Int 5-22-1 13-26-3

Total Offense 59-232 67-354

Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1

Penalties-Yards 3-30 10-70

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING — CMR, Garrison Rothwell 22-111, Jaydon Dobrow 12-43, Jayson Ingalls 2-7, Damien Nelson 1-0. Flathead, Blake Counts 23-91, Jonathan Baker 9-45, Jaden MacNeil 7-37, Taylor Morton 2-1.

PASSING — CMR, Garrison Rothwell 5-22-1-71. Flathead, Taylor Morton 13-26-3-180.

RECEIVING — CMR, Jake Olsen 3-33, Kyle Byrne 1-37, Cody Wilkes 1-1. Flathead, Anthony Jones 5-87, Jonathan Baker 4-60, Bobby Lowry 1-18, John Hinchey 1-11.