Hi-Line Football: CJI blows by Box Elder; North Star wins

The Fort Benton Longhorns have put together one of their best seasons in years and this past weekend, they got themselves within one win of making the 8-Man playoffs with a blowout win over Rocky Boy.

The Longhorns, who hosted the Stars Friday night, scored 41 first-quarter points to make quick work of the Stars, who eventually lost 77-20. Jace Thompson opened the scoring by recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown. Then Landon Taylor added two touchdowns runs and a touchdown pass, while Garrett Diekhans scored on a 55-yard punt return. Taylor also scored on a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown later in the game.

Fort Benton (5-2, 4-1) will now play Choteau this week, the third-seeded team from the Northern C A Division, with the winner advancing to the postseason. That game will be Friday night in Fort Benton at 7 p.m. Rocky Boy (2-5, 0-5) will wrap up its season Saturday at Hays-Lodge Pole.

Rocky Boy 0 14 6 0 – 20

Fort Benton 41 16 20 0 – 77

FB-Jace Thompson recovered blocked punt (run failed)

FB-Garrett Diekhans 55 punt return (run failed)

FB-Landon Taylor 12 run (Taylor kick)

FB-Hayden Axtman interception return (kick failed)

FB-Hayden Diekhans 30 pass from Taylor (run failed)

FB-Connor Schnabel 21 run (Kick failed)

FB-Taylor 19 run (run failed)

FB-Safety, Malachi Ereaux tackle ball carrier in end zone

RB-Cedric Belcourt 6 pass from Kade Galbavy (Galbavy run)

FB-William Ullrery 1 run (Schnabel run)

RB-Galbavy 79 pass reception (kick failed)

FB-Axtman 35 run (Max Lane run)

FB-Taylor 70 kickoff return (Thompson pass from Lane)

FB-Axtman 9 run (run failed)

FB Schnabel interception return (run failed)

RB-Galbavy 54 run (run failed)

Valier 19, Big Sandy 7

The Big Sandy Pioneers were hoping to score a key road win in Six-Man football action Friday night, but were unable to knock off unbeaten Valier. Big Sandy lost the game 19-7.

Valier scored 12 points in the first quarter, but a 12-yard touchdown run by Weston Allderdice trimmed the lead to 12-7 until the fourth quarter, when Koltin Christiaens found Colten Curry for 13-yard touchdown pass. Big Sandy (5-2, 3-2) will play at Geraldine/Highwood Saturday afternoon, before closing the season Oct. 18 against Augusta. If the Pioneers win either of those games, they will clinch a berth in the Six-Man playoffs.

Big Sandy 0 7 0 0 – 7

Valier 12 0 0 7 – 19

VAL-Colten Curry 69 kickoff return (pass failed)

VAL-Curry 13 pass from Koltin Christiaens (pass failed)

BS-Weston Allderdice 12 run (run good)

VAL-Tanner VandenBos 10 pass from Christiaens (Trever VandenBos run)

North Star 48, Heart Butte 25

In other Six-Man North action, Saturday, the North Star Knights paid a visit to Heart Butte in an effort to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. And, thanks to a 48-25 win over the Warriors, the Knights did just that.

Dylan Miller scored four touchdowns in the win, with three rushing touchdowns and one receiving. Devon Miller also added two touchdown receptions in the win for North Star. The Knights (3-3, 2-3) need to win their last two games of the season and get one loss from Sunburst, as well as two from Big Sandy to sneak into the postseason. They will host unbeaten Valier Saturday.

North Star 13 7 16 12 - 48

Heart Butte - 0 6 6 13 - 25

NS - Devon Miller 1 run (pass failed)

NS - Devon Miller 33 pass from Jon Sonju (pass good)

NS - Dylan Miller 2 run (pass good)

HB - Shylon Stewart 40 pass from Riley Spoonhunter (pass failed)

NS - Dylan Miller 53 run (kick good)

NS - Dylan Miller 5 run (Kick good)

HB - Spoonhunter 40 pass from Stewart (conversion failed)

NS - Dylan Miller 30 pass from Bailey Spicher

HB - Spoonhunter 32 run (kick good)

NS - Payne Ditmar 28 pass from Spicher (pass failed)

HB - Anthony Aimsback 5 pass from Tristen Kipp (run failed)

CJI 64, Box Elder 12

Elsewhere in the Northern C A Division Saturday, the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks paid a visit to the Box Elder Bears. However, the Hawks used a 44-point first half to dominate Box Elder and cruise to a 64-12 win.

Jackson Diemert tossed three touchdowns in the the win for CJI, while also finding paydirt twice on the ground. Kobe Tran added three rushing touchdowns in the win for the Hawks. The team also got a 45-yard interception return from Diemert, as well as a 45-yard touchdown reception from Evan Dahinden. Box Elder its two touchdowns on a 45-yard run by Chris Burns and a touchdown pass from Malique Rosette.

CJI (2-5, 2-3), which finished as the number four team in the Northern C A will take on Chinook this week Friday night. Box Elder, on the other hand, will battle Simms.

CJI 20 24 6 14 - 64

Box Elder 6 0 6 0 - 12

CJI - Andrew Woods 12 pass from Jackson Diemert (pass failed)

CJI - Kobe Tran 7 pass from Diemert (run failed)

CJI - Tran 35 run (Diemert kick)

BE - Chris Burns 45 run (kick failed)

CJI - Tran 8 run (Diemert pass)

CJI - Tran 3 run (Diemert run)

CJI - Evan Dahinden 45 pass from Diemert (Diemert pass)

CJI - Diemert 45 interception return (pass failed)

BE - Nacona Limberhand pass from Malqiue Rosette.

CJI - Diemert 3 run (pass failed)

CJI Diemert 3 run (run good)

In another Northern C contest that had playoff implications, Chinook, which had faint playoff hopes, took on Centerville, which put a 50-14 whooping on the Sugarbeeters to eliminate them from postseason contention. Centerville will play Belt Friday night for the top seed out of the Northern C. Chinook, on the other hand, will play at CJI Friday.

In the other Northern C game this past weekend with a local team involved, the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds finished the regular season 0-7, following a 74-6 loss to Choteau Saturday in Hays. The T-Birds will now host Rocky Boy Saturday in a rematch of an overtime game between the two teams earlier in the year.

Last but not least, Harlem was also in acton in 11-Man football Friday night, hosting Fairfield. Yet, the Eagles were too much for the winless Wildcats to handle and Harlem found itself on the losing end of a 49-6 score. The Wildcats (0-5) will travel to Malta Friday night.