Pirates clinch conference title

The Polson Pirates clinched the conference title last Friday night with a big win over Whitefish, and the team will have a first-round bye in the playoffs as it looks to continue its 10-game conference win streak that started at the end of the 2003 season.

Polson fell behind 20-6 at halftime, but managed to come back and win 28-26 after a third-quarter surge put the team back into the game.

Andy Nelson started things off with a two-yard touchdown run six minutes into the game, after the team took the opening kick-off 70 yards down the field on 11 plays.

"It looked good early on when we drove down the length of the field to score, but we had a couple of turnovers in the second quarter that really helped them," said head coach Scott Wilson.

The Bulldogs scored once in the first and twice in the second, to take a 14-point lead going into the half, but whatever Wilson said at halftime must have worked because the team came bouncing back in the third. Nelson scored on a 7-yard pass from QB Craig Bagnell, and then Colton Woods added a field goal. The Pirates managed to score just a little over a minute later when Nelson took the ball in a 1-yard run.

"We came out and played an amazing third quarter," Wilson said. "That really turned the game around."

Bryce Picard opened up the first play of the fourth quarter with an interception that was run back for a touchdown. The Bulldogs got a touchdown later, but Aaron Jones got another interception late in the game, allowing the team to run the time off the clock.

Picard had 16 carries for 99 yards, and Nelson had 14 carries for 44 yards. Woods had seven receptions for 45 yards, and Bagnell finished with 107 yards passing.

The win means a first round bye for the playoffs, which start Oct. 28. The team will face Ronan, who is winless on the year, on Friday, and Wilson said it's important for the kids to continue having a winning mindset even if the game doesn't impact the post season.

It would also keep their conference win-streak alive, now going on more than two seasons.