Pirates prepare to host Rams in quarterfinals

POLSON — Polson Pirates’ offensive and defensive lineman Trevor Corley recalls the intensity of last season’s playoff match from the sidelines.

Corley, who injured his shoulder in last year’s season-finale against Havre, watched from the sidelines as his Pirates lost. 

“Right before we went into the playoffs, I was involved in a goal line stand where I tried to tackle a guy and missed him,” Corley said. “My left shoulder just popped. I probably tore a couple of muscles in my shoulder.”

While watching last year’s playoffs from the sidelines, Corley said he noticed a change in intensity and tempo from the regular season.

“Anytime you have a chance to further your season in the playoffs, it’s a different kind of feeling with everyone (involved),” Corley said. “No matter how bad you want it or whether you want to be there or not, everyone gets involved in the game.”

This year Corley and the rest of his Pirates teammates will host Billings Central Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Class A quarterfinals at Polson High School.

“This year, all of our starters are healthy on the team and it’s been really helpful,” Corley said. “All our key players are going to be there and we are going to be able to keep the game going. I think the game against Billings is going to be a good game and both teams are going to go at it. It’s always a different feel than in the regular season.”

Pirates WR/DB Cadis Chowning said he felt his team is “focused” headed into the key match up with the Rams.

“We are focusing on just one week at a time and this week against Billings, we are 100 percent focused on this week at hand and really nothing else,” Chowning said. “We are excited for this week of practice and really focused on the team. We work hard together and hopefully we will continue our season and really bring it to them on Saturday.”

One major component the Pirates will have to stop is Billings Central’s run game. Last week, Noah Smelser, a 6-foot tall 207-pound running back, ran for 43 and 66-yard touchdown runs that catapulted his Rams team into the quarterfinals.

“Our defensive line and linebackers are going to have to keep their eyes downhill,” Chowning said. “They have fast receivers, they run deep routes, and I feel our DBs can stop them this weekend. They have a great quarterback. He has one heck of an arm and can throw the ball quite a way inside the pocket. Hopefully we can get a few sacks on him.”

Pirates’ Coach Scott Wilson said he felt the Rams were disruptive in last week’s contest against Miles City.

“They created some turnovers, and they ran the ball very well and very effectively,” Wilson said. “That is going to be the key to shut down their run and a couple of their receivers, too. If we shut down their run game, it opens up that many more options for our defense to attack them.”

Wilson said his Pirates’ defense hasn’t faced a team that is as predicated on the run this season.

“We haven’t really seen a team like this, and the majority of the season I think we’ve been pleased with our defense and the way we’ve played,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to continue to make people drive to the ball. Creating turnovers has been our strong suit in games and making some big stops when we needed to. We have to run the ball and take care of the time of possession. We have to keep playing in the same mode we’ve been playing all season, move the football down the field, and put some points on the board.”

Wilson complimented not only the Rams’ defense but also the team’s program as they prepare to head into Saturday’s contest with an experienced playoff team.

“They are a very physical defense, they give us multiple looks in the secondary, and they will showcase a lot of different coverages,” Wilson said. “We need to hold true to our game (on offense) and be as balanced as possible. We need to try get as many mismatches as we can and put some points on the board.”

One area Wilson said he felt Billings has that may be an advantage is “playoff experience.”

“It’s going to be a good game against Billings Central,” Wilson said. “It’s a good program and I think we can match up well with them. They are traditionally one of the better teams in Class A football and they have lots of tradition on their side. From this point on in the playoffs, everyone we face will be a solid football team.”

Wilson said he felt the bye week for his Pirates was “beneficial.”

“I think we can still get a little better, and we really focused on improving during our bye week on offense and defense,” Wilson said. “In this day and age, offenses are getting better. We know you are going to surrender yards and points. I think that has created an opportunity to work on areas on both offense and defense, and we have taken advantage of our bye week.”

PIRATE STAT PACK

POLSON FB FACTOIDS FOR BLGS C preview pulled from end of reg sched TOP TEN postings on conference website:

RUSHING – 1st, Colton Cote 142-864; 2nd, Tanner Wilson 120-791; Koby Garcia 19-159

Cote & Wilson top tandem in conference with combined. Both could join the millenial (1000+) club with a number of good runs in the playoffs

Wilson has over 1500 career yds rushing

PASSING – 2nd, Wilson 89-157-1480-18TDs 56.69% completion ratio

Wilson anticipated to surpass his career 3000th yard passing vs Blgs C

RECEIVING – 2nd, Matt Rensvold 54-964 (17.85 yd avg, 12TDs); 9th,Cadis Chowning 16-283 (17.69 yd avg, 3TDs)

Rensvold has caught almost 1700 career yards receiving and with a Polson run in the playoffs, has a shot at cresting the 2000 yard plateau

Based on averages, Rensvold should crest the millenial plateau (1000) by his third reception during the Billings Central playoff game.

INTERCEPTIONS – t1st, Chowning 4INTs with Catina of Whitefish

PUNTING – 1st, Wilson 19-627 (33yd avg)

PUNT RET – Chowning 15-127 (8.47yd avg)

KO RET – 6th, Chowning 9-178 (19.78 avg); 9th, Walter Wood 7-127 (18.14 avg)

PTS SCORED – 1st, Wilson 92; 3, Rensvold 84; t8th, Cote 36

Both Wilson and Rensvold could become card carrying century club members for pts scored in a season

DEFENSE – Rensvold has surpassed his 200th career tackle, both Wilson & Burke have surpassed their 100th career tackle. Druyvestein is a 20/20 club member tkl/asst

2016 season TKL/ASST – 5 players with 30+ tackles on the season (Rens, Burke, Wilson, Garcia, Chowning)

another quartet with 20+ tackles on the season (Cam Brown, Kyle Druyvestein, Haden Smith, Andrey Bauer)

another pair among the teens in tackles (Kabe F-W, Walter Wood). Burke leads in tkl assists with 30, Rensvold & Druyvestein tkl assists among the 20s, Brown, Smith & Wood among the teens, Andrey Bauer & Kabe F-W in double digits for tkl assists.

17 SACKS – Kabe F-W 6, Burke 3, Rens 3, Chowning 2. 10INT – Chowning 4, Wilson 2. 24 TIPs – Wilson 6, Wood 5, Chowning 4, Burke 2, Brown 2, Garcia 2. 10FMBLRCV – Rens 3, Garcia 2, Brown 2. 19 TFLs – Haden Smith 6, Cam Brown 4, Rens 4, Wilson 2, Druyvestein 2. 19HARASS – Rens 5, Druyvestein 3, Wood 2, Brown 2, Kabe F-W 2.