by Scott Sacry, Sports Editor
Falcons tame #6 Lions
The Florence football team is on a roll. After three early season non-conference losses to #2 Manhattan, #4 Three Forks and Class A #3 Frenchtown (rankings from 406mtsports.com), the Falcons have now won three straight conference games by a total of 151-12. The most recent win a 34-6 thumping of then #6 Eureka Lions on Friday, Oct. 10 in Florence.
Pundits picked Eureka as the odds-on favorite to win, but someone forgot to tell Florence they were underdogs, as the Falcons dominated the Lions from start to finish. The win puts the rest of the state on notice that the Falcons are still a team to be reckoned with.
Florence jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead with two Brody Duchien TD passes. The first a 27-yard strike to Tash Murray and the second a pass to Levi Winters. Winters took a short screen pass and scampered 82 yards for the TD.
In the second quarter, Duchien connected with Murray again, this time for a 55-yard TD to give Florence a 21-0 halftime lead. The onslaught continued in the second half as Mattix Chase rushed for a 23-yard TD, and Bridger Alexander added a 7-yard TD run to bring the score to 34-6.
Florence QB Brody Duchien, who started the season as a receiver, is finding his groove and completed 14 of 19 passes for 287 yards and three TDs. RB Mattix Chase had 8 carries for 95 yards and a TD. WR Tash Murray had 6 catches for 115 yards and 2 TDs, and WR Levi Winters had 3 catches for 118 yards and a TD.
Florence’s defense was dominant, allowing only one TD and holding a strong Eureka team to under 300 yards total offense.
Florence is now 3-3 on the season and 3-0 in conference. Florence’s next game is against a solid Anaconda squad who is 5-2 on the season. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 17 in Anaconda.
Corvallis bedevils Stevensville
The Corvallis football team hosted their northern neighbor Stevensville on Friday, Oct. 10, for the Blue Devils’s Homecoming game. It was a spirited and hard-hitting contest, but Corvallis had a little more firepower and defeated Stevensville 42-12, earning the Blue Devils their first win of the 2025 season.
Corvallis led 6-0 after the first quarter, then exploded in the second quarter, scoring four TDs to take a 35-6 halftime lead. The two teams traded second half TDs, and the game ended with Corvallis winning 42-12.
Corvallis’s Ayden Spencer had a big game in Corvallis’s 42-12 victory over Stevensville on Friday, Oct. 10. Spencer had four rushing TDs and gained 164 yards of total offense. Photo by Scott Sacry.
Corvallis’s Ayden Spencer had a big game, the junior had four rushing TDs and gained 164 yards of total offense. Spencer also had two interceptions and forced a fumble on defense.
Corvallis’s Caleb Johansen had a 8-yard TD run, and Ayden Emerson intercepted a pass and rumbled 72 yards for a TD. Kade Bowles led Corvallis with 14 total tackles.
For Stevensville, QB Luca Schmidt threw a 14-yard TD pass to David Laufenberg. Schmidt also had a 2-yard rushing TD.
“I’m super proud of our players and their ability to make adjustments tonight,” said Corvallis Head Coach Josh McCrossin. “Stevi played hard and our players competed well through all four quarters to get the outcome we’ve been looking for throughout the season. As a team we’ll celebrate the good win tonight, but then we’re back to work this weekend to get ready for our next game against Frenchtown.”
Corvallis is now 1-5 on the season and travels to Frenchtown (6-1) on Friday, Oct. 17 to play the #3 ranked Broncs at 7 p.m.
Stevensville is now 1-6 on the season and hosts Dillon (1-5) on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
Hamilton handles Dillon
Hamilton, ranked #5 in the latest 406mtsports.com poll, got back to their winning ways in Dillon on Friday, Oct. 10. The visiting Broncs bested the Beavers 42-21 to move to 5-1 on the season.
For Hamilton, QB Cooper Weston completed 15 of 20 passes for 162 yards and a TD, Weston also rushed for two TDs. Hamilton’s RB Jude Widmer had 18 carries for 94 yards and a TD. RB Brandon Saltzman had 3 carries for 51 yards and a TD. WR Luke McCarthy had 7 catches for 100 yards.
Hamilton QB Cooper Weston completed 15 of 20 passes for 162 yards and a TD, he also had two rushing TDs in the #5 Broncs 42-21 victory over Dillon on Friday, Oct. 10. Hamilton is now 5-1 on the season. Photo by Scott Sacry.
Hamilton hosts Butte Central (4-2) this week on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
Darby defeated by Seeley
The Darby Tigers played at #6 Seeley-Swan on Friday, Oct. 10. The Tigers fought hard against the undefeated Blackhawks, and the game was tied 16-16 halfway through the 2nd quarter. But it was all Seeley from that point on, as they outscored Darby 24-0 to close out the game and Darby lost 16-40.
Darby’s two scores came on a McCoy Townsend pass to Jordan Browning, and a Townsend run.
Darby is now 4-2 on the season and plays at Charlo (3-4) on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
Victor falls to Charlo
The Victor football team hosted Charlo on Friday, Oct. 10. The game was scheduled as a Saturday afternoon game, but plans changed and Victor played under Friday night lights, as the school rented lights to host their first ever night game.
In the game, Victor fell behind 0-24 before they rallied in the second half, scoring two TDs to narrow the gap 16-24. But the Pirates were unable to come all the way back and lost 16-24.
Victor is now 1-5 on the season and hosts St. Regis (5-2) on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.