Tough games remain for Northern C teams

Life doesn't get any easier for the Chester Coyotes football team. The Coyotes, who dropped their first two games of the season have stormed back to win four straight games including last Friday night's crucial win over the Big Sandy Pioneers.

The Coyotes are on the fast track to obtaining a Northern C playoff berth. But a few tough games still stand in their way. On Friday, the Coyotes will host a tough Blue Sky/KG Eagles squad in another big Northern C clash.

Chester head coach Jim Graham knows this is another big test for his troops.

"We are now in control of our own destiny," Graham said after Friday night's win in Big Sandy. "But we still have to win out the rest of the way and KG/Blue Sky is a very good football team."

The Eagles (4-2) are coming off of a key victory over the Centerville Miners last Saturday. The Eagles downed the Miners 27-12 to keep their own playoff hopes alive. The Eagles will also have to win their remaining games and get some help in order to make the playoffs.

It's definitely one of the biggest games in Class C football this weekend.

The big game in Class A football this week will be across the mountains, on the shores of Flathead Lake. The Polson Pirates are a surprising 5-1 on the year and host defending state runner-up and third ranked Whitefish on Friday night. That game not only has playoff implications at stake, but the winner can lay claim to at least a share of the Northwest A crown, and possibly a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

Whitefish (6-0) defeated Havre in overtime in its first game of the season.

In the Central A conference the remaining two weeks of the regular season will be very crucial. For the second straight week, the Lewistown Eagles will try to fend off a team trying to knock them off their Central A throne.

Last week the Havre Blue Ponies fell in Lewistown 27-6, this week the Laurel Locomotives travel to Fergus County Stadium looking to spoil Lewistown's conference title hopes. Because of tiebreakers and point differentials used to place the teams for the playoffs, the Blue Ponies also have a lot of interest in that contest as well. The rest of the Central A schedule sees Havre hosting Belgrade for senior night and Livingston visiting Browning.

The Class A state golf championships come to a new venue this year. For the first time, the Marias Golf and Country Club will host the state tournament and several teams will be very familiar with the site. But no team will have a home course advantage, unlike past years.

Havre, Whitefish and other Western A schools have probably all played the course before. However because Shelby is a Class B school, they still play golf in the spring. Consequently, there were no fall tournaments in Shelby this year for Class A teams to prepare.

Also this weekend the cross country season gets down to serious business. Divisional cross country meets around the state will take place as teams look to qualify for the state meet held next weekend in Helena. The state cross country meet is an all-class meet.

It was a blast from the past in St. Regis on Friday night.

Superior's Danny Hazlett kicked two extra points in a Class C football win in St. Regis Friday night, and he did them both with drop kicks.

According to the Missoulian, Hazlett tried the kicks the past two seasons but missed.

Superior coach Dan Lucier waited until after the Bobcats' sixth touchdown of a 52-6 romp over St. Regis to give Hazlett, his quarterback, the go-ahead to drop kick.