Blue Devils bedevil bruise Bucs, 34-14

POLSON – A long-standing streak was broken Sept. 12  when the visiting Corvallis Blue Devils emerged with a rare victory over the Pirates since the turn of the millennium.

 A pair of TDs in each of the first two quarters less a missed extra point accounted for the first-half scoring on the way to a 34-14 Devils victory.

After trailing 27-0 at the half, the Pirates got on the board after following a big completion from junior quarterback Wyatt Ducharme to sophomore tight end Tim Russell placed the host team within striking distance. Senior runningback  Joe Gallatin punched it in for the score while junior kicker Jacob Harrod converted the PAT to carve into the Corvallis lead.

 In an effort to climb back into the game more quickly, the Pirates recovered the ball after the ensuing onside kick and looked like they might tack on another score as they knocked on the Corvallis door once again, but the pass to an allegedly open receiver in the end zone was picked off to snuff the threat.

 Corvallis picked up an insurance TD early into the fourth quarter to account for all of their scoring.

 After the Pirates carved their way midway into Corvallis territory yet again, a third down pass attempt to an open Harrod just outside the right pylon of the end zone came up short and the drive stalled on the incompletion.

 Harrod came in to attempt a field goal in an effort to salvage some points from the drive, but the kick was just a few yards shy of clearing the uprights.

 The Pirates caught a break not too long thereafter when Walter Wood recovered a Blue Devil fumble with 2:47 remaining.

 A minute and change later, Gallatin punched his way through traffic for his second score of the evening to counter the third quarter tally of the visitors, which accounted for all the numbers posted on the scoreboard for both sides.

Despite the apparent chasm the score on the scoreboard, the game could just as well have swung the other way if varying factors had taken a different turn.

Foremost among those would have to be turnovers, which contributed to Corvallis scoring drives in each of the first two quarters.

Erase those fractured foibles coupled with the Pirates capitalizing on one of two bonifide opportunities of their own to rack up some points, and the game would have hinged on the missed PAT, tilting the outcome of the game in the direction of Polson.

 Another contribution factor would have to be a backfield and elsewhere depleted by injuries coupled with lack of familiarity among new personell who are still in the process of being integrated to fill in for absences.

 A third factor behind the dark omen of an eventual loss to Blue Devils that has been brewing in the Bitterroot can be attributed to former Ronan Chief assistant football coach and former Ronan Maiden girls basketball coach Clayton Curley taking over the helm of the program last season.

 In this observer’s estimation, the visitors looked crisper and more confident than in seasons past and that, at least in part, is to be attributed to the resources Curley brings to their table.

 Such a triad would be enough to turn any tide and unfortunately for the Pirates, these three things converged like an alignment of planets with a rippling effect that would inevitably create several waves in multiple ways, shapes or forms.

 For the Pirates, “galloping” Gallatin shined bright in the backfield, rumbling for 78 yards on 14 carries and would have easily surpassed the century mark had he factored into the offense another quarter and then some.

  On a side note, Stevensville transfer, 2013 State A basketball tourney MVP and recent Oregon State football recruit Jesse Sims did not factor into the outcome of this contest as he was sidelined to allow a hand injury time to mend.

  Polson (1-2) hosts Browning for Homecoming this coming Friday.

Corvallis   14  13  0   7   -   34

Polson        0    0   7   7   -   14

    3rd Qtr  P – Joe Gallatin 3 run (Jacob Harrod kick)

    4th Qtr P – Gallatin 4 run (Harrod kick)

RUSH (40-187) - Gallatin 11-78, Bridger Rowley 11-73, Jacob Wall-Wilbert 2-16, Wyatt Ducharme 8-10, Jacob Clairmont 2-4, Danny DiGiallonardo 2-3, Wood 1-3.

PASS - Ducharme 4-9-1-43.

   REC (4-43) - Harrod 1-21, Russell 1-14, Gallatin 1-7, DiGiallonardo 1-1.

    PNT - Harrod 6-168.

KO RET (3-58) - DiGiallonardo 2-46, Harrod 1-12.

 DEF TKL/ASST - Wood 7t2a, Gallatin 6t4a, Andrew Curley 5t2a, Mike Corrigan 5t1a, Jonah Burke 3t5a, Clairmont 3t1a, Harrod 3t, Trevor Corley 2t5a, Isaiah Williams 2t3a, Justin Young 2t1a, Remington Janeway 2t1a, Rowley 1t3a, Cadis Chowning 1t3a, Russell 1t, Kabe Forman-Webster 1t, Wit Sampson 1a.

 FMBL RECOV - Williams, Wood, Sampson.

 CAUSE FMBL - Gallatin.