LPHS football: Big Horns drop season opener yet show promise

By Brandon Walker EBS STAFF

SIMMS, Mont. – The Lone Peak High School varsity football team opened their season on the road against Simms High School on Aug. 29. The young Big Horns fell to the Tigers, 42-13, in their opening tilt.

While the loss wasn’t the desired outcome, LPHS head coach Adam Farr was encouraged by his team’s performance against a more experienced opponent.

“The game was a lot closer than the score as well,” Farr said. “We gave up a few really long passes, but our team actually held up against the run very well and I was very happy with that.”

Trailing 22-0 at halftime, the Big Horns got their offense firing in the second half. Sophomore captain Pierce Farr punched in a roughly 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and followed suit with another short yardage scoring scamper in the fourth. Freshman kicker Julek Shipman added an extra point to round out the Big Horn scoring. 

“I saw a lot of great leadership from Pierce as well as Isaiah Holst and Aiden Miller,” Farr said. “Our three captains really stepped up.”

Holst, a sophomore, made his debut at quarterback, impressing his coach as he maintained composure throughout the contest.

“[Holst] didn’t have one busted play … he handed off the ball very well. I believe as team we had zero turnovers on the game, which is pretty amazing for a first-year quarterback and bunch of young starters on offense,” Farr said.

Coming off a strong season where the team finished 3-5 and barely missed the postseason, the Big Horns are aiming to fill the void left by six seniors from last season’s team. Kole Maus is the lone senior on this year’s squad, rounded out by five juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. 

Ahead of their next contest, coach Farr said the team will focus on defending the pass as passing plays hurt the Big Horns against the Tigers. 

“Our main takeaway is that we need to shore up our pass defense,” he said. “Without those, I believe it was three lengthy touchdowns via pass, it would’ve been a very tight game and possibly a different outcome.”

Lone Peak (0-1) will host their home opener on Sept. 5 when they clash with Joliet at 1 p.m.