Morigeau runs wild in Ronan's win
Junior running back Lucus Black heads upfield during the Chiefs 70-36 rout over Libby. Black rushed for 169 yards for Ronan.
RONAN — It’s a good time for the Ronan football team to start clicking with one game to go before the post season.
The Chiefs (2-1, 5-3 overall) produced 70 points last Friday, which bodes well for a run-first offense looking to earn a coveted Northwestern A playoff spot.
The Chiefs ran 633 yards during their 70-36 rout of Libby on senior night in Ronan, including 344 yards rushing and six touchdowns for senior running back Xavier Morigeau.
According to head coach Jim Benn, the team broke a 30-year old national record for most rushes in a game, running the ball 87 times, the total number of offensive plays the team ran in the game. The previous record set in 1979 was 85 rushing plays.
“I called two pass plays during the game but they turned into quarterback scrambles instead,” Benn said.
In preparing for the game again Libby, Benn had exepected a shoot-out, noting that the game might be a back-and-forth affair. It was certainly the case in the first quarter before Ronan pulled away in the second quarter. Libby scored the first touchdown of the game before junior quarterback Jackson Jore crossed the goal line on a 34-yard run. After an interception by sophomore defensive back Robbie Gauthier, Morigeau took the ball 58 yards to the house to give Ronan a 16-7 lead. An interception by junior Matt Detwiler on the first play of the second quarter led to another Morigeau touchdown with 6:33 left to give the Chiefs a 30-14 lead, the score they took into half-time. Rather than tire from rushing 44 times, Benn said Morigeau was chomping at the bit to keep running.
“You would think [Morigeau would tire], but I think a part of it is the pace we establish in practice,” Benn said. “He didn’t play a lot of defense so he was well-rested and didn’t seem to be too bothered by it.”
A 58-yard run by senior running back Cory Hardy and three more touchdowns by Morigeau in the third quarter allowed the Chiefs 32 more points to help pad their lead. Ronan rounded out the scoring in the fourth quarter with a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown by senior Micky Cheff.
On every touchdown score the Chiefs went for a two point conversion, something Benn has had his team do all season.
“By going for two we’ve increased our points on the season by 30 percent,” Benn said. “We figure if we get it more often than not then it makes sense. It’s become a philosophy of ours to score as much as we can as often as we can.”
Scoring a lot will be key for the Chiefs on Friday against Polson.
The Pirates have won six in a row and are undefeated in conference play, giving the Chiefs’ one of their biggest challenges of the season. Benn said the similarities between the two teams makes it a different week of preparation for his team.
“It’s going to come down to which defense can stop the run the best,” Benn said. “I hate that passing stuff and this is the type of game I love to be a part of. It’s just awesome.”
Benn reiterated that this game will be a measuring stick for how far the Chiefs have come this season.
“This is where we want to be,” Benn said. “It’s the perfect game for us because we’ve improved a lot and if we want to be that team, this is the team we need to knock off.”
The upcoming Friday night will also boast some history. The last time the Chiefs beat the Pirates, the current team was in elementary school. That was in 2000, nine years ago.