By Chris Samuels EBS Contributor
DRUMMOND, Mont. – The Lone Peak Big Horns took their 6-3 record to Drummond Oct. 28 to play the Flint Creek Co-op Titans, and it wasn’t pretty for Lone Peak. The No. 1 seeded Titans took control from the opening kick and it was all downhill for the Big Horns.
The home team scored three times in the opening quarter and another three times in the second quarter to bring the halftime score to 36-0. That prompted a running clock in the second half and the Big Horns fell 60-0. Flint Creek Co–op moved on to the quarterfinals of the Class C 8-man state playoffs to play Fairview on Nov. 4, where they won again against Circle on Nov. 11 for a spot in the semi-final round.
There were only a few bright spots in the Big Horns’ last game of the season. Sophomore quarterback Frankie Starz intercepted his third pass of the season in the first half and sophomore Austin Samuels intercepted his record-breaking sixth pass of the season in the second half. Senior Howie Robin again led the team in receiving yards, but his scoring streak was broken. Prior to the game in Drummond, Robin put points on the board for nine straight games. Freshmen Bo Wikan and Caden Daugaard saw their most extensive playing time of the season.
“Coming into this game we knew the Flint Creek Titans were a high-quality team with well-rounded athletes at every position,” said LPHS head coach Adam Farr. “Our hope was to catch a couple breaks early to build some momentum, but that didn’t happen and we take our hats off to the Titans as they didn’t let up from the first snap to the last snap of the game.”
Although it ended with a loss, on the whole Lone Peak played one of its strongest seasons to date. This was just their second season playing football at the 8-man level. “To make the playoffs in just two seasons and win six games was a major accomplishment,” said Lone Peak assistant coach Dan Wade.
“Obviously not the final game we were looking for, however when looking at the season as a whole I’m truly proud of our team,” Farr said. “It was a season that I doubt any of our players or coaches will soon forget.”
The LPHS squad will miss its seven seniors as this was deepest football team Big Sky has fielded. However, the team will return seven veterans from this year as well as adding a host of players that have been excelling on the Ophir Middle School team.
