George Ferguson
Havre Daily News Sports
gferguson@havredailynews.com
The first weekend of high school football is in the books across the Hi-Line and the excitement is already building for some schools after big wins this past weekend.
Chinook, Big Sandy and the newly formed North Star High School all opened their 2005 Northern C football season with victories, while things were a little tougher for perennial Northern C powerhouse Chester.
Winning was not the only exciting thing happening in Chinook on Saturday. Fans showed up in capacity to numbers to see the first Chinook High School football game of the new Class C era. The Beeters did not disappoint. Chinook scored early and often, rolling to a 49-0 win over Great Falls Central. It was also GFC'S first varsity football game in nearly four decades.
The Beeters' first quarter performance pretty much did Great Falls Central in. Chinook scored 27 of its 49 unanswered points in the first 12 minutes of the game and they never looked back.
Seniors Chad Beck and Adam Hayes accounted for five touchdowns as the Beeters rolled up over 300 hundred yards rushing on a helpless GFC defense. Max Hofeldt and Marty Birky also had touchdowns in the contest.
Chinook (1-0) will now prepare to host the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds on Friday night.
GF Central 0 0 0 0 - 0
Chinook 27 14 8 0 - 49
Chinook - Adam Hayes 65 run (Tad Darrah pass from Hayes)
Chinook - Chad Beck 5 run (Luke Whitney kick)
Chinook - Beck 3 run (kick failed)
Chinook - Hayes 70 run (run failed)
Chinook - Max Hofeldt 23 run (kick failed)
Chinook - Beck 37 run (run failed)
Chinook - Marty Birky 1 run (Darrah pass from Hayes)
North Star 14, Chester/J-I 12
In Rudyard on Saturday afternoon, the newly formed North Star High School Knights got their first season off to a thrilling start with a 14-12 win over the Chester/J-I Hi-Line Hawks.
The game, which was scoreless through three quarters of play, saw the Hawks build a 12-0 lead late in the fourth quarter behind the stellar play of senior quarterback Kevin May. May scored on a 17-yard run and later caught a 23-yard pass from Matt Wicks. That surge appeared to put the Knights away for good.
However, North Star then mounted consecutive drives, the first of which saw Cody Donoven score on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Cody Jurenka. Then with the clock winding down, the Knights marched down the field again and Alex Chvilicek found the endzone to give the Knights the slim two-point victory.
The win puts the Knights at 1-0 in the conference standings as they prepare to face Power-Dutton-Brady at home on Saturday afternoon. Chester (0-1) will travel to Great Falls Central also on Saturday.
BIG SANDY 44, VALIER 0
In Big Sandy, Northern C favorite Big Sandy romped to a 44-0 win over the Valier Panthers. The Pioneers gained over 400 yards of total offense en route to the easy victory. Big Sandy also got a monster rushing effort from tailback Lawrence Jappe as well as quarterback Justin Willis. Jappe rushed for 150 yards and scored three times. Willis added 60 yards on the ground and also scored twice.
After going up 8-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Pioneers tacked on 28 points in the second period en route to the 36-0 halftime lead. Valier was shut out the rest of the way.
The Pioneers (1-0) will visit Rocky Boy on Saturday afternoon.
Valier 0 0 0 0 - 0
Big Sandy 8 28 8 0 - 44
BS - Lawrence Jappe 27 run (Justin Willis run)
BS - Jappe 16 run (run failed)
BS - Willis 21 run (Nick Briese run)
BS - Willis 21 run (run failed)
BS - Jappe 10 run (Jappe run)
BS - Ryan Pokorny 62 pass from Willis (Kyle Danreuther run)
Belt 36, Hays-Lodge Pole 0
The debut of new Hays-Lodge Pole head coach Mike Blackwolf was spoiled with a 36-0 loss to the traditional Northern C power Belt Huskies on Saturday in Hays.
Jason Masonovich scored two touchdowns and Chris Mora add two scores of his own in the win.
The T-Birds managed just four first downs in the game and had three punts blocked.
Rocky Boy 20, Heart Butte 12
The Rocky Boy Stars also got their 2005 season off to a solid start with a close 20-12 win over archrival Heart Butte. The Stars will now get set to host Big Sandy on Saturday afternoon. No statistics were available for the game.
Cascade 47, Harlem 25
Friday night in Class B action, the Harlem Wildcats suffered a setback at the hands of the Cascade/Simms Badgers. The Badgers jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and Harlem never fully recovered en route to a 47-25 loss in Harlem.
Despite leading 19-18 at halftime, Harlem surrendered 16 points in the third quarter and another 13 unanswered in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats got an outstanding effort from Mike Werk on the ground. Werk rushed for 102 yards and a score. John Werk also added a rushing touchdown and Rick Haluszka threw a pair of touchdown passes in the loss.
Harlem (0-1) will now get ready to travel to former District 2B rival Poplar on Friday night.
Cascade/Simms 12 6 16 13 - 47
Harlem 0 19 6 0 - 25
