by Scott Sacry, Sports Editor
Like butter and jam on Thanksgiving dinner, the Florence football team is on a roll. Florence hosted Conrad in the first round of the Class B State Football Playoffs on Friday, October 31, and won 49-0, earning their sixth straight victory.
Florence electrified the home crowd on Friday with a number of big plays. In the first quarter, Florence’s elusive and speedy wideout Levi Winters took a Brody Duchien screen pass 67 yards for a touchdown. Then in the second quarter, Duchien hit Chase Wagner for a 31-yard touchdown. Next, Florence running back Mattix Chase scampered 94 yards for a touchdown run. Then, Duchien connected with Tash Murray for a 44-yard touchdown, and finally, still in the second quarter, Duchien rushed for a 6-yard touchdown.
Florence’s Chase Wagner (#6) catches a pass and takes it 31 yards for a touchdown in Florence’s 49-0 victory over Conrad on Friday, Oct. 31 in the first round of the Class B State Playoffs. Photo by Stephanie K Geiser Photography.
When the dust settled, Florence led 35-0 at halftime.
“We have some great athletes on the team,” said Florence’s second year head coach Adam Goodnight. “We have done a great job getting those athletes the ball, and they have done a tremendous job this year.”
After the half, Florence’s defense shined. Levi Winters intercepted a pass and took it 84 yards for a touchdown, and then Luca Calderone intercepted a pass and ran back 42 yards for a touchdown.
Florence’s defense continues to dominate, and for the third time this season, they didn’t allow their opponent to score.
“Coach Keenan Hendricksen has the kids playing with great intensity,” said Goodnight. “He’s a very intense and intelligent coach, and he has done a great job getting the kids to buy into his philosophy.”
Three Forks rematch
The win was Florence’s sixth straight after losing their opening three games to Three Forks (the #2 seed from the South), Manhattan (the #1 seed from the South), and Class A Frenchtown (a #1 seed in the Class A playoffs). During this six-game winning streak, the Florence offense has scored 277 points, while their defense has only allowed 18 points.
As fate would have it, Florence now has a chance to avenge one of those early season losses next week as they host Three Forks in their second round playoff game on Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m.
Florence lost to Three Forks 13-25 in their opening game of the season on August 29. In that game, Florence’s starting quarterback Jake Schneiter left the game after breaking his fibula.
Florence starting receiver and backup quarterback Brody Duchien took over quarterback duties for the rest of that game, and for the rest of the season. Since Duchien didn’t have the practice and reps at quarterback, the move took some adjustment. But now Duchien has grown into the position, and he’s thriving, and, in turn, the Florence offense is thriving.
“I think being a quarterback is the toughest position in sports,” said Goodnight. “It takes time to feel comfortable running the offense, so we’ve tried to ease him into the position. Brody is a bright kid and has been getting better every week.”
For those who remember the first matchup, Three Forks’s offense revolves around quarterback Kanon Reichman, who is one of the top all-around football players in Montana. Last week in Three Fork’s 60-22 victory over Baker, Reichman rushed 7 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns; he also threw for 126 yards and a touchdown. In their first matchup, Riechman scored all four of Three Fork’s touchdowns.
“In my opinion, Reichman is the best player in Class B this year,” said Goodnight, “and Three Forks is one of the best, if not the best, offense in Class B. So we have our work cut out for us. Both teams have evolved since the beginning of the season, so we’ll both look a lot different than we did in the first game.”
The winner of the Florence/Three Forks game will face the winner of the Glasgow/Columbus game in the State Semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 15.