Trojans bow to Vikings on the road, 41-27
<p>Michael Miller, center, and Gage Tallmadge go high and low to tackle Cut Bank's Jess Ray Sept. 20.</p>
The Troy Trojan football team (1-1, 2-3) fell 41-27 to the Bigfork Vikings (1-0, 5-0) in a road test that was not as competitive as it appears.
The Trojans led 8-7 heading into the second quarter thanks to a 25-yard touchdown catch by senior receiver Luke Haggerty and a successful two-point conversion run. The Haggerty grab preceded a 31-yard aerial strike to Bigfork’s Isaac Martel from quarterback Josh Sandry.
Things quickly went downhill from there, however, as the Vikings scored 34 unanswered points, including 27 points in the second quarter. The Trojans would go on to score 19 points in the fourth quarter against Bigfork’s second-team defense.
“We had a good start there,” Head Coach Jim Dasios said. “But we had a couple injuries on the line, and we had to put some inexperienced kids in early. That set us back.”
Quarterback Gabe Hickman finished with 140 yards on 12-22 passing. As usual, he did much of his work out of the pocket, scrambling for Troy’s, as well as his own, life. Hickman also recorded 62 yards rushing.
Haggerty finished with five catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns. His two fourth-quarter scores came on 30- and 37-yard grabs. He now has six touchdown catches in two conference games.
Bigfork’s Sandry finished 9-11 passing for 192 yards for four touchdowns. He also ran for a 48-yard touchdown and kicked three extra points.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game heading in,” Dasios said. “But the kids played tough.”
Bigfork entered the game ranked third in Class B competition. Boyd Rieke led Bigfork on the ground with 100 yards on 13 carries.
Troy’s standout sophomore Sean Opland finished with 75 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also recorded 12 tackles.
“On a good day we can compete with them,” Dasios said. “On paper they might be better, but I’m proud of the way our kids played until the very end. We have a good chance to win against our next opponent. They are a bigger school, but we are used to that.”
Troy plays next at 7 p.m. Friday at Eureka.