Results are listed below in order of event completion
Pirates open season with conference win
Polson 20, Columbia Falls 6
Polson High School football team starts season with 20-6 upset over Columbia Falls
By JASON BLASCO, Lake County Leader
Newly appointed Polson head football coach Kaden Glinsmann has raved all off season about the multi-dimensional ability of cornerback- wide receiver Ryker Wenderoth. Glinsmann, an experienced coach and former assistant football coach at Carroll College under former head coach Mike Van Diest, has spoken highly of Wenderoth during the off season, referring to him as one of the best tacklers he has seen at the high school level.
Wenderoth didn’t disappoint on the preseason hype surrounding his playing abilities as he came away with a three-interception night to help catapult the Polson Pirates into a 20-6 upset over the Columbia Falls Wildcats during Friday night’s season opener at Polson High School.
The victory over Columbia Falls, a team that has recently been one of the top-shelf teams in Western Montana High School Class A football, gave Polson a big boost of confidence as they prepare to head into another critical week two match up Friday night at Whitefish High School.
“I think it’s a lot of confidence (our team) has in ourselves, and we aren’t worried about who we are playing, “Glinsmann said. “We are worried about what we can do for the guy next to us.”
Wenderoth’s three interceptions were one of the Pirates’ six total interceptions they forced during the game, making it hard for Columbia Falls to establish any rhythm in the game.
“I think especially defensively, our team played well because we had six picks, and that comes from a lot of time that we played in those Missoula 7-on-7s, and getting experience from that,” Glinsmann said. “Coach Bartley did a good job with the defensive backs. Each one of the defensive backs had an interception, and that is an even bigger deal.”
Early in the season, Glinsmann set the tone for the Pirates season by modifying expectations.
“With a new coach coming in, the kids talked about what mattered, and for them to come out, and play the way they did is helping build a program right away,” Glinsmann said. “That really helped us moving forward to make the biggest jump in our confidence moving from week one to week two. Our team came in on Saturday and watched film. We didn’t play a perfect game by any means, but the kids played hard. One of the biggest takeaways schematically and fundamentally (that we took from week 1) is that all of those things need to get better moving forward towards the rest of the season.”
Focusing on all phases
Football cliches become cliches for a reason, and Glinsmann knows to be successful, his Pirates must excel in all three aspects of the game. They did that during the season-opening victory against Columbia Falls.
“I am not worried about what the other team has or doesn’t have, and I knew they were going to be successful schematically and what they were going to do,” Glinsmann said. “We just called the game as our goal, and put our players in the best position to be successful. They are taking calls, and they are confident we aren’t calling those plays for them. Those kids are.”
Bring on Whitefish
The Whitefish High School football team has continued to build upon its reputation as one of the best teams in the state. Glinsmann isn’t focused on his opponent, but rather how his Pirates improve every week. The Bulldogs, a team that has been in thethat has been in the rebuilding process since capturing a Western Montana High School Association Class A football title in 2015, are looking to make another title run.
“I said this before we even played Whitefish, we said ‘win or lose, if Columbia Falls is the best game we play all year, it will be a travesty,’” Glinsmann said. “There are a ton of different little things we have to improve on, and it’s a matter of getting better at the things we already do well. We will have the same approach going through every week.”
Glinsmann’s philosophical approach towards preparing to play every team is basic.
“We are going to take what the defense gives us (during any given week), “Glinsmann said.
“Offensively and defensively, we have so many things we have to align to it. Our players have to know our assignments and we have to play as fast as possible.” Glinsmann is now focusing on improving his team’s play, moving forward. “It was a big day for the defense to have six picks, and it was huge because we only brought pressure with our front four, and did well,” Glinsmann said. “We have a lot of things to improve upon. We have to see us get better, and have more practices. The confidence of our kids is the biggest aspect of our game moving forward.”
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Pirates fall to Bulldogs
Whitefish 28, Polson 15
WHITEFISH — Devon Beale ran for two touchdowns as the Whitefish Bulldogs beat the Polson Pirates by 13 points.
The Bulldogs and Pirates are 1-1 on the season.
Polson 0 2 6 7 — 15
Wfish 14 0 7 7 — 28
W — Devon Beale 63 run (Carlitos Bertleson kick)
W — Beale 11 run (Bertleson kick)
P — Safety, errant snap on punt
P — 28 yard fumble return
W — Zach Veneman 9 run (Bertleson kick)
W — Jasxen Schlauch 10 pass from Fynn Ridgeway (Bertleson)
P — 37 pass from Bo Kelley
Complete stats for Polson were not available.
Team Stats
P W
First downs 12 31
Rushing 20-43 40-343
Passing 9-28-116 9-20-125
Total offense 159 468
Fumbles 1-0 1-1
Penalties 3-35 9-115
Punts NA
Friday, September 13, 2019
Pirates secondary shines over Browning earn second win
By JOHN HEGLIE, Lake County Leader
The Polson Pirates generated a handful of turnovers while the offense expanded upon their real estate holdings to net their second conference win, 21-6, Friday, Sept. 13. After a scoreless first frame, Browning would notch the scoreboard first when the Carlson brothers hooked up with a pass play into the end zone.
In the waning minutes of the second quarter, the Pirates countered. Jarrett Wilson hauled down a clutch 33-yard catch at the 4-yard line to set up the Pirate equalizer, precipitating the chant, “he’s a freshman” by the student section. Ryker Wenderoth then caught a 3-yard TD pass from Bo Kelley. Kelley’s conversion pass to Trevor Lake made it 8-6 and the Pirates never trailed again.
A pair of interceptions, one just before the half and the other a pick six by Wenderoth, extended his pilfer tally to a half dozen on the young season. Jarrett Wilson and Caleb Pierre also hadinterceptions.
Wilson added a 44-yard TD catch to set the final score.
In the final frame, Wenderoth also stripped a Browning receiver of the ball after a catch that would have advanced the Indians within the 10-yard line if his pocket hadn’t been picked to flip the script over to Pirate possession.Polson plays at Valley rival Ronan at 7 p.m. Friday night at Ronan High School.
The Polson team hopes to continue to compete with Ronan, a team that has struggled, and has only scored a total of three touchdowns on the season.
If Polson topples their Mission Valley rival, they have positioned themselves to be in the top-tier of the conference, something that hasn’t happened since the year 2016.
Polson 21, Browning 6 Polson (2-1), Browning (1-2)
Browning 0 6 0 0 – 6
Polson 0 8 7 6 – 21
B – Cody Carlson 24 pass from Jessie Carlson (pass incomplete)
P – Ryker Wenderoth 3 pass from Bo Kelley (Trevor Lake pass from Kelley)
P – R.Wenderoth 35 interception return (Hunter Pittsley kick)
P – Jarrett Wilson 44 pass from Kelley (kick blocked)
RUSH
B38-119 (Carlson combo),
P34-72 (Dugan Davis 16-26, Garrett Croft 9-20, Kaleb Unger 1-0, Kelley 8-(-)8[+26 w/o 2 sacks]).
PASS
B (J.Carlson 2-16-334)
P (Kelley 13-27-195-1).
REC
B2-33
P13-195 (J.Wilson 6-128, R.Wenderoth 4-30, Braunson Henriksen 1-24, Croft 1-8, Trevor Lake 1-5).
INT
P4 (R.Wenderoth 2, J.Wilson, Caleb Pierre), B (C.Carlson).
FMBLFORCED
R.Wenderoth
FMBLRCV
B (Jhase Monroe), P (R.Wenderoth)
SACK
B2 (Jhase Monroe, noID)
P (Bra.Henriksen)
Friday, September 20, 2019
Friday, September 20, 2019
Polson Pirates edge Ronan, 40-36, on Homecoming
By JOHN HEGLIE, Special for the Leader
At Ronan, the gridiron rendition of the Rez rivalry wrangle between the visiting Pirates and the host Chiefs unfolded much like other tradition classics, an entertaining contest that exhibited momentum shifts and pendulum swings. The game culminated Homecoming week for Ronan. The Chiefs gridders played a caliber of contest not only fit for the occasion, but warrants a ranking among some of the historical highlights among the series. With an atmosphere abuzz with anticipation further fueled by Homecoming week activities, that electricity likewise energized the caliber of play among players on the field.
Chief quarterback Eric Dolence, whose athleticism was acknowledged with baseball all-conference recognition this past summer, electrified the home crowd by finding Matt Victor for a 24-yard completion to the end zone. A quarterback keeper for the conversion staked the home team with an early lead 8-0.
The Pirates countered with a 69-yard strike from Bo Kelley to Ryker Wenderoth down the sideline for six. Kelley’s quarterback keeper knotted the contest at 8-8. Polson took the lead on a short run by Dugan Davis. Ronan countered with a pass to Victor to make it 14-14. A Pirate quarterback keeper for six and the subsequent conversion by Kelley moved the visitors into the lead by eight, 22-14. Polson intercepted a pass during Ronan’s subsequent possession, but on the ensuing play, Chief Kolby Reum returned the favor with some extra frosting by taking it to the house. A Daniel Bishop conversion run knotted the contest at 22-22.
A short red zone pass play gave Polson a precarious lead heading to the lockerroom at halftime.
Polson notched the scoreboard with a tally to open the second half, but the conversion pass was intercepted to hold the deficit under two possessions, 34-22. A Chiefs’ quarterback keeper and subsequent conversion run by Victor pulled Ronan within four as the third quarter drew to a close, 34-30.
Pirate Logan Adler rumbled a baker’s dozen into the end zone, but the conversion pass intended for Pirate Trevor Lake would be broken up by a Dolence deflection, 40-30. The unsuccessful conversion attempt featured one of the more amusing sequences during the course of the game. After the play was over, Dolence could be seen apparently gesturing to his teammates with arms outstretched his assessment of the disparity of the matchup between him and the reach of 6-foot-5inch Lake.
Ronan countered with a pass to the right back corner of the end zone and Reum hauled it in as he leaned over the pylon to make a catch comparable to be featured among collegiate or NFL highlight reel footage. The unsuccessful pass conversion pulled Ronan back within four, 40-36, with five minutes remaining.
The Chiefs attempted an onside kick, but the Pirates secured the ball. Needing a stop, Ronan’s defense held, forcing Polson to punt with 2:30 remaining. The Pirate kicker executed a precision punt, pinning Ronan inside the 5-yard line. Down to fourthand- 2, Trapper McAllister picked up just enough yardage for a first down, but a subsequent interception returned possession to Polson.
On the Pirates final series, once again Ronan defenders denied Polson a first down that would have allowed them to runout the clock. Unfortunately, the allotment of timeouts that would have allowed a couple of throws down
the field had been burned earlier. Thereby, the remaining ticks would tock off the clock with less than a possession separating the two teams.
In reflection upon the contest, Ronan head coach Matt Detwiler conceded, “We had a few too many mistakes as coaches and players and Polson capitalized on them.” But Detwiler was nevertheless encouraged by the caliber of play by his team. “I was happy to see how hard our guys battled till the end.”
Polson will play their Homecoming contest this weekend when they host undefeated Libby, while Ronan travels to Whitefish.
Polson 40, Ronan 36
Polson (3-1), Ronan (0-4)
Polson 14 14 6 6 – 40
Ronan 14 8 8 6 – 36
R – Matt Victor 24 pass from Eric Dolence (Dolence run)
P – Ryker Wenderoth 69 pass from Bo Kelley (Kelley run)
P – Dugan Davis 3 run (run failed)
R – Victor 19 pass from Dolence (pass incomplete)
P – Kelley 1 run (Kelley run)
R – Kolby Reum INT return (Daniel Bishop run)
P – R.Wenderoth 4 pass from Kelley (pass incomplete)
P – R.Wenderoth 36 pass from Kelley (pass picked, INT Dolence)
R – Dolence 2 run (Victor run) P – Logan Adler 13 run (pass tip, PD Dolence)
R – Reum 12 pass from Dolence (pass incomplete)
RUSH – P 41-206 (L.Adler 15-88, D.Davis 17-86, Kelley 9-32), R 26-196 (Bishop 7-87, Bruin Largent 10-67, Dolence 5-23, Trapper McAllister 4-19).
PASS – P (Kelley 10-17 215 – 3), R15-34-187-4 (Dolence 15-32 -187 – 4, Daniel Kelsch 0-1, Largent 0-1).
REC – P10-215 (R.Wenderoth 5-152, Kaleb Unger 2-24, Jarrett Wilson 2-19, D.Davis 1-10), R15-187 (Reum 5-76, Victor 5-75, Kelsch 5-36). KR – R5-74 (Bishop 3-44, T.McAllister 2-30).
PUNT – R(Victor 2-54).
INT – P4 (R.Wenderoth 2, J.Wilson, D.Davis), R3 (Dolence, Reum, T.McAllister).
Friday, September 27, 2019
Libby remains undefeated
Dawson Young scored four rushing touchdowns to lead Libby to a 45-6 win over Polson. Young scored on runs of 3, 4, 10 and 6 yards. Kicker Chandler Bower was 6-for-6 on PATs and added a 36-yard field goal. Ryker Wenderoth scored Polson’s lone TD on a 70-yard pass from Bo Kelley.
Libby 45, Polson 6
Polson 6 0 0 0 – 6
Libby 14 14 7 10 – 45
LIB — Dawson Young 3 run (Chandler Bower kick)
LIB — Dawson Young 4 run (Chandler Bower kick)
POL — Ryker Wenderoth 70 pass from Bo Kelley (kick failed)
LIB — Ryker McElmurry 9 run (Chandler Bower kick)
LIB — Aydan Williamson 1 run (Chandler Bower kick)
LIB — Dawson Young 10 run (Chandler Bower kick)
LIB — Dawson Young 6 run (Chandler Bower kick)
LIB — FG Chandler Bower 36
Polson offensive stats
Rushing
Logan Adler 10 rush 28 yards
Boston Goode 3 rush 28 yards
Bo Kelley 6 rush -8 yards
Dugan Davis 1 rush 3 yards
Total 20 rush 51 yards
Receiving
Ryker Wenderoth 4 receptions 1 TD 98 yards
Dugan Davis 2 receptions 21 yards
Logan Adler 1 reception 1 yard
Total 7 completions 120 yards 1 TD 2 INT
Passing
Bo Kelley 7/14, 120 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Friday, October 4, 2019
Pirates fall to Broncs
Frenchtown rolled to a 42-0 win over Polson. Junior Jace Klucewich ran for touchdowns of 36 and 55 yards and completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Cade Baker, who also caught a 15-yard score from Aidan Cyr. Tel Arthur ran for scores of 7 and 39 yards.
Frenchtown 42, Polson 0
Polson 0 0 0 0 – 0
Ftown 6 15 14 7 – 42
FTN — Jace Klucewich 36 run (pass failed)
FTN — Jace Klucewich 55 run (Hank Rugg kick)
FTN — Cade Baker 15 pass from Aidan Cyr (Jace Klucewich run)
FTN — Tel Arthur 7 run (kick failed)
FTN — Cade Baker 80 pass from Jace Klucewich (Tel Arthur run)
FTN — Tel Arthur 39 run (Hank Rugg kick)
Polson Offensive Stats
Rushing
Boston Goode 14 rushes -30 yards
Bo Kelley 12 rushes -15 yards
Receiving
Garret Croft 2 receptions 17 yards
Jarrett Wilson 2 receptions 32 yards
Boston Goode 1 reception 2 yards
Ryker Wenderoth 2 receptions 16 yards
Passing
Bo Kelley 7/25 3 INT 67 yards
Ryker Wenderoth 0/1
Polson Defensive stats vs. Frenchtown
Tackles:
Trent Dwelle: 1, .5, 1, .5, .5, .5, .5 = 4.5
Kenton Sisler: .5, 1, .5, 1, .5 = 2.5
Ryker Wenderoth: 1, .5, .5, 1, 1 = 4
Dugan Davis: .5, 1, .5 = 2
Bo Kelley: 1, 1, .5, .5 = 3
Garrett Croft: .5, 1, .5, .5, .5, = 3
Braunson Henrikson: .5, .5, 1, .5, .5 = 3
Boston Goode: 1, .5 = 1.5
Trent Wilson: 1
Tristan Simmons: .5
#16: 1
#60: .5
Hunter Pittsley: .5, .5 = 1
Tackle for loss:
Kenton Sisler: 1, 1 = 2
Forced Fumble:
Boston Goode: 1
Abel Kimmel: 1
Dugan Davis: 1
Ryker Wenderoth: 1
Fumble Recovery:
Trevor Lake: 1,
Bo Kelley: 1,
Ryker Wenderoth: 1, 1,
Pass Break up:
Ryker Wenderoth: 1, 1,
Passing: inc, 6, 15, 12, 16TD, 8, inc, inc, inc, inc, 80TD, inc, inc = 13 attempts for 137 yards = 10.5 yards per completion
Rushing: 6, 3, 10, 6, 2, 14, 4, 4, 39TD, 7, 55TD, 22, 3, 13, 5, 10, -2, 6, 6, 31, -2, 0, 38, 8TD, 3, 3, 2, 8, 37TD = 29 rushes for 341 yards = 11.76 yards per carry
Friday, October 11, 2019
Polson keeps playoff hopes alive
STEVENSVILLE — Dugan Davis ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to lift Polson to an 8-0 win over Stevensville (0-7) as the Pirates improved to 4-3 in Class A under first-year coach Kaden Glinsmann.
Polson 8, Stevensville 0
Polson 0 0 0 8 — 8
Stevensville 0 0 0 0 — 0
Fourth Quarter
P — Dugan Davis 3 run (Davis PAT run)
POLSON OFFENSIVE STATS
RUSHING
BOSTON GOODE 5 RUSHES 32 YARDS
BO KELLEY 8 RUSHES 19 YARDS
DUGAN DAVIS 22 RUSHES 118 YARDS 1 TD
GARRET CROFT 4 RUSHES 3 YARDS
TOTAL 172 YARDS RUSHING AVERAGE 4.4 YARDS PER CARRY 1 TD
RECEIVING
COLTEN GRAHAM 1 RECEPTION 2 YARDS
JARRETT WILSON 3 RECEPTIONS 99 YARDS
PASSING
BO KELLEY 4/16 101 YARDS 1 INT
Friday, October 18, 2019
Butte Central drops Pirates from playoff contention
Senior quarterback Thomas McGree ran for two touchdowns and passed to Trevor Neumann for another as Butte Central beat Polson 35-12 Friday night in a Western A Conference high school football game at Bob Green Field on the Montana Tech campus.
The result squared both teams’ records at 4-4 going into the last weekend of the regular season next week. Butte Central earned the tiebreaker over Polson with the win and will clinch one of six Western A spots in the state Class A playoffs with a win at Columbia Falls or a Polson loss to top-ranked Hamilton.
Junior running back Egan Lester ran 15 yards for one of the Maroons’ touchdowns against Polson and the other was scored on a pass from Guido Ossello to Braden Harrington while McGree was out of the game receiving treatment for a cut on his hand.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Polson 0 0 0 12 12
Butte Central 0 21 0 14 35
BC Trevor Neumann 37 yard reception from Thomas McGree (David Granell kick good)
BC Mcgree 15 yard run (Granell kick good)
BC Mcgree 1 yard rush (Granell kick good)
BC Egan Lester 11 yard run (Granell kick good)
POL Ryker Wenderoth 9 yard pass from Bo Kelley (2 pt no good)
BC Braden Harrington 9 yard reception from Mcgree (Granell kick good)
POL Colton Graham 63 yard reception from Bo Kelley (2 pt no good)
Team Statistics
Pol BC
First downs 7 22
Rushes-yards 20-15 44-217
Passes 8-20-1 12-22-1
Passing yards 140 174
Total offense 155 341
Return yards 12 72
Punts-avg. 6-37.5 1-41.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 5-2
Penalties-yards 4-20 6-40
Individual Statistics
RUSHING — Polson, Bo Kelley 7-19, Boston Goode 1-6, Dugan Davis 3-4, Ryker Wenderoth 1-3, Garrett Croft 3-3, Team 5-(-20). Butte Central, Egan Lester 26-145, Thomas McGree 12-77, Guido Ossello 1-6, Braden Harrington 2-3, Team 3-(-14).
PASSING — Polson, Kelley 8-19-1-140, Wenderoth 0-1-0-0. Butte Central, McGree 12-20-1-165, Ossello 1-2-0-9.