by Scott Sacry
The Florence Falcons got one step closer to a third straight Class B State Championship title on Saturday, Nov. 4th as they defeated visiting Columbus 36-14.
Florence QB Mason Arlington continued his clutch play, completing 15 of 20 passes for 184 yards and a TD, and rushing for two TDs. RB Gabriael Hartsell-Miller rushed for 67 tough yards and scored two TDs.
Florence’s defense was stellar, forcing two interceptions and a fumble. Harrison Shepp led the way with 10 tackles, followed by Arie McLaughlin with 8 tackles, and Jake Roth with 7 tackles.
At this point in the season, every team is talented, experienced, and dangerous and Columbus was no exception. In the first half, Florence jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Columbus put together a strong 2nd quarter scoring drive and narrowed the gap to 14-8.
The final two minutes of the first half and the first two minutes of the second half proved to be the difference.
With roughly 2 minutes left in the half, the Falcons put together a scoring drive, capped off with a Hartsell-Miller TD run. Florence led 22-8 going into halftime. Columbus got the ball to start the second half and Florence’s Drew Wagner intercepted a pass to give Florence the ball back. Then on the very next play Arlington hit Isaac Bates for a 41-yard TD strike to increase the Falcon lead to 29-8. The two teams then traded scoring drives, and after three quarters it was 36-14. Neither team scored in the 4th and that was the final score.
Florence plays Red Lodge in the Class B State Semifinal game in Florence on Saturday, Nov. 11th in a matchup of the last two undefeated Class B teams. Red Lodge has been impressive this season. They are 10-0 on the year, have been the #2 ranked team in Class B for most of the season, and are coming off a 56-18 thumping of Three Forks. Red Lodge’s stats mirror those of Florence’s this season. Red Lodge has outscored opponents 500-64, while Florence has outscored opponents 508-80. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. in Florence.
In the other Semifinal game, Manhattan hosts Jefferson (Boulder).