Hi-Line Football: Chinook dominates to remain undefeated

In this matchup between two Hi-Line 8-man football teams, Chinook and Harlem came into the game coming from different directions. Chinook came into the game after a dominant 54-14 win over Shelby while Harlem went into the game coming off a 63-0 loss to Chester-Joplin-Inverness. Friday night's result was a repeat for both teams as Chinook defeated Harlem, 44-6.

The Sugarbeeters got off to a hot start as their offense led by quarterback Levi Jensen and running backs Hunter Molyneaux and Tyler Schoen scored 28 points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Chinook defense shut down the Wildcats until Harlem finally scored in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.

With the win, Chinook remains undefeated at 3-0. Their next scheduled game will be Friday night at home against Hays-Lodge Pole. Harlem is now 1-2 in their first season in 8-man football and will look to stop their losing streak when they play at Shelby on Friday night.

Harlem 0 0 0 6 - 6

Chinook 28 10 6 0 - 44

Big Sandy 43, Savage 6

After a great 2020 season, the Big Sandy six-man football team has not had the best start to 2021. They dropped both their first two games to start the season 0-2, a far cry from last year where they went undefeated in the regular season. While the Pioneers hopes of an undefeated season are already gone, they at least picked up their first win of the year when they defeated Savage, 43-6, at home Saturday.

On both sides of the ball, the Pioneers had their best game so far this season. The offense scored 43 points to improve on their mark of 26 points per game the previous two weeks. But most importantly, the Big Sandy defense only allowed six points after giving up 46 and 33 points in their first two games of the season.

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 1-2 on the season. They will look to make it two in a row when they host Sunburst this Saturday.

Bainville 41, Box Elder 0

Coming off a strong win over Heart Butte to start the season, the Box Elder six-man football team looked to carry that momentum into their game at Bainville Saturday. However, the Bears' offense went cold as they lost to Bainville, 41-0.

The offensive performance is a far cry from what the Bears did in their season opener where they dropped 76 points. If anything carried over from their season opener, it was their defense as they only gave up four more points than they did against Heart Butte.

Box Elder is now 1-1 and will next play this Saturday at home against Valier.

Belt 68, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 28

The CJI 8-man football team was set to face off against Hays-Lodge Pole on Friday night but their opponent had to drop out of the contest. The Hawks got some good news when Belt filled in to play CJI on Friday night. But Belt did not pull any punches as they defeated CJI, 68-28.

In CJI's first two games, the Hawks had only allowed a total of six points. But the Belt offense took advantage of great field position to light up the scoreboard early as they had a 42-12 lead at the half.

With the loss, CJI falls to 2-1 on the season. They will look to rebound from their loss when they face Simms at home this Friday night.

Hot Springs 55, North Star 0

Coming off of a 1-6 season in 2020, the North Star six-man football team were looking to improve on their record this fall. While there is still plenty of season left, the Knights are not off to the best start as they are now 0-3 after a 55-0 loss to Hot Springs on Saturday. With an 0-3 record, North Star hopes to pick up their first win of the season when they host Box Elder on Sept. 25.

Fort Benton and Rocky Boy had a game scheduled for this past weekend but it was postponed because of Rocky Boy's COVID-19 protocols. Fort Benton is 2-0 this season and is next scheduled to play Belt at home this Friday. Rocky Boy is 1-0 and will hope to play at Cascade this Saturday.