Flathead squeaks by Helena, 21-20
The Daily Inter Lake
HELENA — Facing a fourth down with under a minute to play, it was decision time for Kyle Samson.
Well, everyone else thought it was decision time for Samson. The fourth-year Flathead head football coach himself, however, had already made up his mind.
“The guys came to me and they wanted to run it again,” Samson said. “I believed in them. The O-line, they were doing a heck of a job all night.
“There was no thought of punting or anything like that. We wanted to win the game.”
Senior quarterback Taylor Morton led the offense back onto the field and, as he had so many times before Friday night against Helena High, handed the ball to running back Blake Counts.
Counts needed four yards. He picked up eight to seal a 21-20 victory over the Bengals, Flathead’s first win outside the Flathead Valley this year.
“The kids never gave up,” Samson said. “They never flinched. They just believed they could win.”
The Braves’ triumph, their first over Helena since 2005, coupled with Billings Senior’s win over Billings West and Missoula Sentinel’s victory against Helena Capital gave Flathead the No. 4 seed in the Class AA playoffs and assured it of at least one playoff game at home in Legends Stadium. The 2005 season was also the last time Flathead hosted a playoff game.
“When you hear stuff like that, it makes you proud,” Samson said. “But at the same time, we’re just trying to live in the moment. We’re trying to be in the moment and keep enjoying these moments we have together, because we know that we’ve only got a couple of weeks left with this special team.”
Counts, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the win, put Flathead on the board in the second quarter with a 1-yard rush, but Helena responded just before the half with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kaleb Winterburn to Grady Koenig.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, but special teams was the difference. The Bengals missed two extra points in the one-point loss.
Flathead’s defense came up with the most important stop of the evening with 3:40 to go, sacking Winterburn on fourth-and-5 in Flathead territory to give the ball back to the offense with a one-point lead.
“Helena High’s got a really good offense, and they just did a tremendous job all night,” Samson said. “You can’t win close games without a great defense, and I really believe we have a great defense.”
The Bengals wouldn’t touch the ball again.
The Braves drained the clock and sealed the game with Counts’ fourth-down run inside the Glacier 40-yard line.
Flathead, which closed the season with five wins in its last six games, now braces for Capital, which beat the Braves at home early in the season but closed the year on a three-game skid. The Bruins were crushed 41-6 by Missoula Sentinel in their season finale.
“It’s tremendously high coming off a three-game winning streak going into the playoffs,” Samson said of his team’s confidence entering the postseason. “We’re right where we want to be.
“It’ll be a heck of a challenge. We know they beat us the first time down here in Helena, and it was a close, hard-fought ball game. We know that they’re going to be a physical, tough team. We’re excited to have them at home. This is what playoff football’s about.”
Flathead 0 7 7 7 — 21
Helena 0 6 8 6 — 20
Second quarter
F – Blake Counts 1 run (Alex Coulter kick), 6:38
H – Grady Koenig 37 pass from Kaleb Winterburn (kick failed), :36
Third quarter
F – Anthony Jones 3 pass from Taylor Morton (Coulter kick), 9:08
H – Winterburn 6 run (Koenig run), 6:06
Fourth quarter
H – Winterburn 21 run (kick failed), 9:12
F – Jaden MacNeil 7 run (Coulter kick), 5:25