Bulldogs storm Charlo
Mission quarterback Kellen McClure fires a pass across the middle in the snow. (Christa Umphrey)
Mission's Cedrick McDonald goes up for the ball in the end zone. (Christa Umphrey)
Layne Spidel crosses the goal line for a Mission touchdown. (Christa Umphrey)
Charlo's Roper Edwards pulls away for a big gain. (Christa Umphrey)
Mission took a trip to Charlo on Friday for the finale of the Crown of the Valley series and a playoff spot on the line. The Bulldogs won a back-and-forth thriller in a snowstorm after scoring 20 points in the final quarter for a 32-26 win.
The Vikings (5-3) owned the first half, carving out a 12-0 lead in the first frame before the visiting Bulldogs (5-3) were able to craft a response to erase the goose egg.
Charlo countered just before intermission for a 20-6 advantage.
Thereafter, Mission reined in their hosts and knotted the contest at 20 apiece in the third quarter. The Bulldogs took the lead for good in the final frame, scoring a combined 26 unanswered in the second half.
Mission senior running back Layne Spidel rushed for over 200 yards and had a hand in all his team’s scoring, even throwing a 15-yard TD pass to John Komotios.
Charlo crafted a response as they carved into the deficit to pull within a single score, but couldn’t close the gap further. The Vikings tried an onside kick, but the Bulldogs recovered the ball and ran out the clock for the win.
Mission advances as the No. 4 seed out of the West and will visit the top-ranked Fort Benton Longhorns in the opening round of the state 8-man playoffs.
Charlo culminates their season with a winning record, almost a flipside improvement over last year. The Vikings will return several key components of their roster next season.
Mission 32, Charlo 26
Mission 0 - 6 - 6 - 20 – 32
Charlo 12 - 8 - 0 - 6 – 26
C – Coyle Nagy run (conv fail)
C – Roper Edwards run (conv fail)
MSI – Layne Spidel 47 run (pass fail)
C – Braydon Zempel pass from C.Nagy (Tucker Love run)
MSI – John Komotios 15 pass from L.Spidel (run fail)
MSI – L.Spidel 12 run (Ian Killorn pass from Kellen McClure)
MSI – L.Spidel 15 run (run fail)
MSI – L.Spidel 60 run (pass fail)
C – Phil Marquez 7 pass from C.Nagy (run fail)