AA Football Flathead out to cure road woes at Helena

It’s been, in many ways, a historic season for Flathead football.

The Braves picked up wins over Bozeman and crosstown rival Glacier for the first time since 2008.

They were undefeated at home for the first time in at least 15 years.

They’ve already clinched their first playoff berth since 2015 and just the third since 2008.

But in a year that has been monumental in many positive ways, there’s also some unflattering history Flathead will look to avoid making when it travels to Helena High at 7 p.m. today for the season finale.

The Braves have yet to win a road game outside of the Flathead Valley thus far this season. Their one “road” win came on their own turf at Legends Stadium against the Wolfpack, which was technically the home team.

Aside from the crosstown win, Flathead has come up empty each time it’s donned its pearly white away jerseys. The trip to Helena presents the final regular-season opportunity to pick up an elusive road win and attempt to avoid going winless outside the Valley for the first time since 2012.

“Definitely a big thing we need to do is get a big road win this year,” Flathead head coach Kyle Samson said.

“We’ve been really good at home. And not that we’ve played bad on the road, but we just haven’t finished. I think we’re a different team from the last time we were on the road.”

What’s changed for the Braves?

“Honestly, it’s confidence and getting some experience,” Samson said. “The more times you’re in the arena, you’re in the battle, the more times you get that experience, it becomes like second nature. I feel like kids are reacting to situations instead of thinking.

“We’ve learned from some of the mistakes we did make in a couple of those early losses (on the road). I think we’ve just figured out how to finish.”

The Braves’ last road trip took them to Missoula Big Sky, where they surrendered 266 yards and three touchdowns to Eagles quarterback Levi Janacaro in a 33-20 loss. Flathead also dropped earlier road contests to Helena Capital and Billings West, both by just a touchdown.

Samson and his team see one common thread in all three games — they feel as if they beat themselves in each one.

Penalties forced the Braves out of the red zone on potential game-tying drives against Capital and West, and they once again doomed Flathead against Big Sky.

“The three road games we’ve lost, we definitely could’ve won every one of them,” Samson said. “I don’t feel like we ever got blown out or anything like that. Credit those teams, but we did feel like there were some situations where we just kind of hurt ourselves.”

Though each of Flathead’s road opponents to date ranks in the top 5 of the Class AA standings after nine games, the Braves perhaps saved the toughest one for last.

The Bengals have reeled off six consecutive wins after a Week 2 loss to undefeated Billings Senior, and only one of those victories has been by less than 20 points.

“They’re a very solid team, got a lot of weapons,” Samson said. “It’ll be a great challenge for us. They’ve only lost one game. But we’re in a position right now where this is where we wanted to be going into the season — having a big-time game at the end of the season to set up playoffs.”

The Braves’ playoff fate is already secure, but tonight’s game does have postseason implications for both teams — but especially Flathead.

Helena has clinched home-field advantage already and will simply be playing to lock up the No. 2 seed, but where the Braves will play their first-round playoff game is still unknown.

Flathead could potentially climb as high as the No. 4 seed and host a home playoff game or fall as low as the No. 7 seed, in which case it’d likely travel to Helena to face the Bengals for a second consecutive week.

“We can control what happens tomorrow night with Helena, and we know that if we’re fortunate down there to earn a win that we have an opportunity to maybe host a game,” Samson said.

“Our kids would love that.”

But perhaps even more importantly than home-field advantage, Flathead tonight looks to close its season out with a win, which would be its third in a row, against one of the state’s premier teams. A victory would provide momentum headed into the postseason — and ensure this season only goes into the history books for the right reasons.

“It’d be a great momentum builder going into the playoffs,” Samson said. “We’ve got to put together not four great quarters, just four solid quarters of football, and we feel like we’ll be right there at the end.”