Polson blanks Ronan
Zach Urness - Leader Staff
With nothing on the line except valley-wide bragging rights, the Polson Pirates put an exclamation point on what was otherwise a disappointing season with a win over arch-rival Ronan, 27-0.
It was the final game of the season for both teams, as neither had a chance to reach the playoffs—a first for Polson since 2000.
"It was very disappointing for the kids because we really wanted to make the playoffs," said Polson head coach Scott Wilson. "I thought that it really showed something for our kids to come out, overcome their disappointment, and end the season with a big win."
The Pirates sawed their way through the Ronan defense on the ground, where they picked up 204 rushing yards between the three headed-monster of quarterback Craig Bagnell (78 yards), Cody Doyle (69 yards) and Tim Rausch (49 yards).
Bagnell had one touchdown rushing and two through the air on nine of 17 passing for 97 yards. Doyle had two touchdowns on the game, with one coming through the air and one coming on the ground.
"I was very pleased with our offensive line," said Wilson. "We ran the ball for over 200 yards and had some good pass protection."
The Chiefs managed only 112 total yards in the game and midway through the third quarter had only 23 total rushing yards.
"Our defense play very well," added Wilson. "Ronan has a very good running attack and is more than capable of throwing the ball. We did a really good job of containing one of the better runners in the conference in Nick Courville."
The Pirates superior defensive effort led to good field position all night and on their second drive of the game Polson took advantage, beginning in Ronan territory and riding a Tim Rausch 20-yard scamper to inside the 10 yard line.
On fourth down, Bagnell found receiver John Rausch on a five yard touchdown pass just inside the front right pile-on for the game's first points and, after John Rausch added the PAT, Polson took a 7-0 lead.
"That was a very big play," said Wilson, noting that one the first possession Polson made it into the red zone but missed a field goal and didn't come away with any points. "The first time we got down there we made some mistakes and when you don't score you give the other team some momentum. To get all the way down there and get into a situation where you have to score on first down, if you miss, you give them even more momentum. We've done that to ourselves this year and its really come back to hurt us in some games. So for us to score was absolutely huge."
Down 7-0 Ronan's offense looked to come alive as Mike Fisher connected with Adam Skogen—who led Chief receivers with two catches for 24 yards—but the Chiefs turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert on a fake-punt a few plays later.
The Pirate defense came up big on the next Ronan possession, as Tim Rausch popped the ball loose from Ronan running back Nick Courville, allowing Polson to recover and begin from their 30-yard line.
Bagnell scrambled for 12-yards on a third down play all the way to the one yard line, and Cody Doyle rammed the ball into the end zone on a pitch from Bagnell. After a two-point conversion, Polson took a 14-0 lead in the second half.
The Ronan offense continued to have trouble, going three-and-out on every possession except one in the first half, while Polson was able to capitalize a lot on offense. Bagnell rolled out to his right and hit a wide-open Cody Doyle for a 36-yard touchdown, and at the end of the first half Polson was ahead 21-0.
The game was also a chippy one between the two rivals, who combined for a number of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties with 13 infractions that amounted to 125 total yards between the two teams.
In the second half Bagnell came out and juked his way to a 20-yard touchdown run with 7:49 to play in the third quarter, capping the scoring at 27-0 that would end up being the final.
Ronan QB Mike Fisher finished the game with 16 yards rushing and 43 yards passing. Makenzy Kelch had one interception on defense and three catches for 17 yards on offense.
With the win, Polson evened their overall record to 4-4 on the season and 2-3 in the conference. The Pirates will return many of the key players but will also lose big contributors Skyler Knutson, Cody Doyle, Ryley Duford, John Rausch and Anthony Golden.
The Chiefs finished their year with a 1-7 record overall and 1-4 in the conference. They will lose seniors Mike Crawford, Greg Avila, Trent Metzger, Tomy Parker, Kody Moderie, Frank Swan, Nick Courville, Brett Burns, Rick Luchau and Makenzy Kelch.