Smooth Sailing
Pirates dominate rival Ronan 56-6
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RONAN — Anything can happen in a rivalry game.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, anything includes the Polson Pirates catching just about every break possible en route to a 56-6 blowout victory.
While Polson gained just 21 more yards of total offense than the Chiefs in the contest, a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown, an interception for a touchdown and a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown by the Pirates led to a lopsided final score.
“It was just one of those games where everything that could go right for us went right,” Polson head coach Scott Wilson said. “If you would have asked me before the game if I expected something like that to happen, I would have said no.”
For Wilson and the Pirates, the win was twice as nice as the victory clinched a playoff spot and eliminated Ronan from playoff contention.
“It’s always nice to pick up a big win like that,” Wilson said. “There was a lot riding on that game. It wasn’t just the rivalry and the bragging rights; it was also about two teams trying to find a way to get into the playoffs.”
For the Chiefs, it was another game trying to find a way through the same injury bug that has been dropping players all season.
“It’s always hard to lose, but it is something we can build from,” Ronan head coach Jim Benn said. “Losing is always something you can learn from, but I am getting a little tired of learning.”
The game looked as if it might be a close one early on as Polson took the opening kick and drove in to score on a 4-yard run by Vince DiGiallonardo. Ronan was forced to punt the ball away on its opening possession but a Pirate fumble quickly gave possession back to the Chiefs deep in Polson territory. Ronan took advantage of the mistake by scoring on a 9-yard run by Lucas Black, but a failed 2-point conversion attempt left Ronan trailing 7-6.
“We had a nice opening drive, but, after they scored, I thought we were going to be in a dogfight for sure,” Wilson said.
Polson answered again on its next possession, driving down the field to score on a 2-yard run by Sheldon Fisher for a 14-6 advantage heading into the second quarter.
For the Chiefs, things fell apart quickly in the second frame. Ronan looked to be driving for a chance to tie the score when a fumble gave the ball back to the Pirates. Polson was able to score on a 24-yard pass from DiGiallonardo to Kyle Bagnell three plays later to push the Pirate lead to 21-6.
A 2-yard run by Fisher added to the Pirate lead later in the quarter before Polson put the game out of reach with a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown by Bagnell and a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown by Will Davey. When the dust had settled, the Pirates took a 42-6 lead into the halftime break.
“We kept giving them a short field, repeatedly,” Benn said. “When that happens, it is pretty easy for the game to quickly turn into a blowout.”
With the clock running constantly, there was little Ronan could do to battle back in the second half. Polson added two more scores before game’s end. Jake Skelton ran the ball in from 9 yards out and Brock Bleazard recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for another score.
DiGiallonardo led the Pirate offense with 70 rushing yards and another 89 through the air on 7-9 passing.
Skelton added 43 on the ground and Fisher had 23 while Bagnell caught all seven passes for 89 yards.
Black led the offense for Ronan with 61 rushing yards while Robbie Gauthier added 54 on the ground and another 30 through the air on 2-13 passing.
For Polson, the focus now turns to the final game of the regular season and a battle for second place at Libby Friday.
According to Wilson, he is happy about getting the big win but he is concerned about the possibility of a let down heading into the Libby contest.
“We all talked about it after the game Friday,” he said. “I told the team to enjoy the win, but remember that it is over. We have to be ready to go against Libby. The win was great, but we have to sustain that level of play as we move on.”
The Pirates will pay special attention to the powerful running attack of the Loggers this week as they remember what Columbia Falls, a strong running team, did to them just a few weeks ago.
“Stopping the run is a big focus for us this week,” Wilson said. “We all remember that the one time we went down this year if was because of a power running attack. We are going to do everything we can to be ready for it this week.”
The Chiefs will be on the road at Columbia Falls to close out their season as Ronan looks to pull an upset against the Wildcats.
“There’s no pressure on us this week. We just want to go out and try to pull off the upset,” Benn said. “It would be great to end this season with something positive to build on.”
Summary
Polson 56, Ronan 6
Polson142877–56
Ronan6000–6
P - Vince DiGiallonardo 4 run (Kyle Bagnell kick)
R - Lucas Black 9 run (pass failed)
P - Sheldon Fisher 2 run (Bagnell kick)
P - Bagnell 24 pass from DiGiallonardo (Bagnell kick)
P - Fisher 2 run (Bagnell kick)
P - Bagnell 74 punt return (Bagnell kick)
P - Will Davey 20 interception return (Bagnell kick)
P - Jake Skelton 9 run (Bagnell kick)
P - Brock Bleazard punt block recovery (Bagnell kick).
