2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

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VimSince03
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2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by VimSince03 » Wed Nov 16, 2016 10:56 am

Playoff Bracket: http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/docu ... cket-B.pdf

Eureka at Missoula Loyola - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 11/19

Eureka Key Players: QB/FS Garrett Graves, WR/SS Austyn Sherwood, OL/DL Owen Davis, OL/DE Joe Fehr, RB/LB Cannan Smith, TE/DE James Dunn

Missoula Loyola Key Players: QB/S Kellen Round, OT/DT Joseph McElroy, WR/DB David Koppang, ATH Jacob Byrne, WR/DB Caden Sant, RB/LB Brady Needles

Some are saying that the State Class B Championship game already happened last week as Missoula Loyola slipped by Fairfield by a final score of 24-21. The game was exactly what an evenly matched semifinal game is supposed to look like: big plays, big stops, heartbreak, and glory. Loyola RB Jacob Byrne (who had 125 yards rushing to lead the Rams) got the home team on the scoreboard first with a 6-yard rushing touchdown to make it 7-0 in the 1st quarter. The touchdown was set up by a fumbled Fairfield punt return after Loyola went three-and-out on their first possession. But Fairfield QB Luke Batson was ready to make big plays with his arm and hit All-State TE Chandler Allen for a 44-yard touchdown to tie the score. After a 9-yard touchdown run from Loyola QB Kellen Round, Batson would hit Allen for another touchdown pass, this one going for 75 yards. Keep in mind all of this happened in the 1st quarter alone to make it 14-14 going into the 2nd period. In that 1st quarter, Loyola's touchdowns came on long, methodical drives while Fairfield's were quick strikes. Loyola had a bad turnover to start the 2nd quarter as RB Brady Needles fumbled and Eagle DB Dawson Allen recovered. On the ensuing Fairfield drive, Chandler Allen hauled in a 4th-down pass in traffic to set up a 7-yard Luke Batson touchdown run. This made it 21-14 Fairfield and that would be the score going into halftime as Loyola's Bryne missed a 30-yard field goal before half. But after halftime, Loyola would continue to chew up yards and clock in a methodical fashion and eventually tied the game with 3:16 left in the 3rd quarter on another Byrne touchdown run. On that drive, the Rams converted two 4th downs, which was a big key in this game as Loyola did not want to give the ball back to an explosive Fairfield offense. Both defenses continued to stall each offense into the 4th quarter until Loyola put together a drive that started at their own 20-yard line and ended with a 32-yard field goal by Byrne. This is when the football game went to a whole other level of intensity. With about three minutes left, Fairfield took over at their own 9-yard line with their season and 22-game winning streak on the line. The Eagles started moving the ball like a team that knows how to win close playoff games and marched into the Missoula Loyola red zone. But four plays later, Fairfield faced a 4th-and-8 from the Loyola 16-yard line. Rams Coach Todd Hughes knew Les Meyer would call Batson on a QB rollout, looking to pass. Batson did just that and found WR Cantor Coverdell in the back of the endzone after scrambling around for what seemed like an eternity. The Eagles sideline exploded with joy but flags were thrown as Batson lost where he was on the field and was clearly two yards past the line of scrimmage when he tossed the potential game-winning score. The penalty meant no touchdown, loss of down, and game over. A heartbreaking finish for the Eagles and a joyous victory for the Rams. Both teams left everything on the field. Fairfield finished with only 59 yards rushing on 23 attempts but found success through the air as Batson was 20-29 for 285 yards with three touchdowns (one rushing) and two interceptions. TE Chandler Allen finished with 9 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns while WR Cantor Coverdell hauled in 6 passes for 40 yards. Missoula Loyola found a ton of success on the ground, rushing 42 times for 239 yards with Jacob Byrne and RB Brady Needles combining for 201 of those yards. Loyola QB Kellen Round finished with 226 total yards (188 passing/38 rushing) and one touchdown run. Loyola outgained Fairfield 427-344 in total offense.

In the other semifinal game, Eureka broke through versus a talented Whitehall squad for a 36-7 win. The final score does not indicate how close this game was In the first half as Eureka ran into a brick-wall Whitehall defense. Whitehall struck first in the 1st quarter on a 71-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard Braden Larsen touchdown run to make it 7-0 in favor of the visitors. On the next possession, Eureka found some room but were stuffed on 4th-and-3 in Whitehall territory. Eureka wanted to run the ball against Whitehall in the first half but the Trojans came up big on multiple drives even though they were outmatched physically. But Whitehall's offense started to sputter as Larsen struggled to find running room or passing lanes all day against a talented Eureka defense. However, late in the 2nd quarter, Whitehall had the ball inside Eureka's 10-yard line with a 7-0 lead. On 4th-and-2 from the 7-yard line, QB Braden Larsen was stuck for no gain by Eureka LB Cannan Smith. After that, Eureka switched to more of spread attack and moved the ball all the way inside Whitehall's 1-yard line with 18 seconds left. On 4th down, RB Cannan Smith took a pitch and raced into the endzone for the Lions' first score but a failed two-point conversion made it 7-6 Whitehall at halftime. Despite a valiant effort by Whitehall in the first half, this game was decided in the 3rd quarter. On Whitehall's first drive of the second half, they attempted a fake punt inside their 40-yard line and failed. On the next play, Cannan Smith took a handoff 39 yards to paydirt for Eureka. The Lions would never be down again. Smith would score on runs of 70 and 5 along with a 15-yard pass from QB Garrett Graves to finish off a 27-point outburst in the 3rd period. Whitehall's defense was out of gas which hurt their explosiveness on offense. The more physical and talented team took over the game in the second half and that usually is a winning formula in playoff football. Eureka RB Cannan Smith finished with 207 yards rushing, 48 yards receiving, and five rushing touchdowns. QB Garrett Graves added 92 yards rushing on 15 totes. For Whitehall, their dream season came to an end. QB Braden Larsen finished off one of the best seasons any high school QB has had in Montana history. Larsen tallied 48 total touchdowns and over 4,000 yards of total offense in 2016. His three-year stats put him into the Top-5 for total career touchdowns and total yards. The senior gunslinger has incredible arm talent and good athleticism & size for the position. Will be interesting to see where he goes for college ball. Another senior standout for Whitehall was WR/TE Andrew Simon. Both of these two will definitely be playing in the All-Star game circuit this upcoming summer. Anyway, the Eureka Lions will play in their first title game since 1990 and have a golden opportunity to bring home Lincoln County High School's first Class B title.

These two teams did not play each other in the regular season. They played four common opponents and the scores were similar (all blowouts). Eureka is kind of a team that found themselves throughout the year and are playing really good football right now. Missoula Loyola been as consistent as any team in Class B this year with an undefeated record. Both offenses are built similar: big offensive lines, great dual-threat QBs, and a deep stable of running backs and receivers. On defense, Eureka has one of the best defensive lines in Class B and Loyola is right there. The linebackers for both squads are fast and athletic. The secondary will be an important matchup. Colstrip and Fairfield found great success throwing on Loyola's back end. They give up the deep ball and/or long catch-and-run. Eureka QB Garrett Graves will have his shots. I also think that Eureka has a better secondary than Loyola because they basically shut down the two best passing teams in Class B (Shelby and Whitehall) in consecutive weeks. A lot that has to do with their defensive line. A player that Missoula Loyola has to account for on Eureka's defensive line is defensive end Joe Fehr. He has been a menace in the 2016 playoffs and made life miserable for All-State QB's Braden Larsen (Whitehall) and Aaron White (Shelby). One player that Eureka has to account for is DE Joaquin Travelline. He has a knack for blowing plays in the backfield. He will have a good matchup with Eureka LT Owen Davis. Overall, I think this game is going to be close and it will come down to turnovers and field position. Loyola has the experience but no team has more confidence or swagger than the Eureka Lions right now. Prediction: Loyola wins 31-28.
Last edited by VimSince03 on Fri Nov 18, 2016 2:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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Bemiller49
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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by Bemiller49 » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:20 pm

Fairfield had the first turnover. They forced a 3 and out for Loyola then fumbled on the punt return that lead to the first TD of the game.



ChiOCat
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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by ChiOCat » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:11 pm

I couldn't be more excited and proud! I was a sophomore last time Eureka (the first time) made it to the state final. As a JV cheerleader I had to travel with the girls bball to Districts and missed that loss to Cutbank. How sweet to see the children of my classmates bring home the first state title. My dad worked out he's been waiting 63 years for this.

If you haven't seen the game winning Hail Mary.... Hope that works.


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VimSince03
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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by VimSince03 » Sat Nov 19, 2016 10:52 pm

I got the score right! Just flip the winner. Wow what a final play by the Lions. Love Sherwood's reaction to catching the game-winner. Classic moment.


"There's two times of year for me: Football season, and waiting for football season."

ChiOCat
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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by ChiOCat » Sat Nov 19, 2016 10:57 pm

VimSince03 wrote:I got the score right! Just flip the winner. Wow what a final play by the Lions. Love Sherwood's reaction to catching the game-winner. Classic moment.
He's quite a kid! Happy to see him make the catch!


"We are all vulnerable, and all fallible, with mortality our only certainty..." - Dr Kenneth Bock

blueandgoldblitz
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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by blueandgoldblitz » Sun Nov 20, 2016 1:18 am

Got home from the welcome home parade a little bit ago. What a scene for those kids to come back to! The fire siren sounded to signal the boys were back in town, fireworks bursting overhead and just about every local, state, and federal law enforcement agency (Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, and Forest Service to name a few), paramedic, fire truck, and even a few others were there with lights and sirens blaring to escort the boys back in town. Local businesses were passing out free hot chocolate and coffee on the street.

And then I'm pretty sure the whole town met at the football field for speeches from the principal, coaches, and players with more fireworks and awesome special effects from the sound board operator. Just a great scene to bring a town some good vibes when they really needed it. Overall, just an amazing experience and something I'm sure those boys will remember for their whole life. I know I will.



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Re: 2016 Class B Playoffs (Championship)

Post by Bemiller49 » Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:38 pm




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