UM commit leads Bigfork past Troy, 42-13
<p>Junior Cody Johnson charges down field after intercepting a Bigfork pass in the first quarter Friday night.</p>
The Troy Trojans (1-1, 2-3) lost at home to Bigfork, 42-13.
Bigfork quarterback and University of Montana commit Josh Sandry completed 10 of 18 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Troy was led by quarterback Pate Scott’s 124 rushing yards on 12 carries.
A 34-point second quarter secured the game for Bigfork (1-0, 4-1). Receiver and kicker Jonathan Landon scored 15 points in the quarter, catching touchdowns on 11- and 65-yard passes and converting three extra points.
“If you take away the second quarter, we only gave up eight points in the game,” Troy Coach Bredon Miller said. “Take away one bad quarter and we played alright against a top-five team in the state.”
Sandry, who will likely play safety in college, proved too fast for the Trojans defense, scrambling from pressure and creating havoc in open space. Despite Sandry’s success, Miller said he was happy with his pass rush, realizing not every opponent trots out an All-State quarterback.
A 100-yard rushing day is nothing to sneeze at, not even for a sick Sean Opland. Miller said his star player had been “sick as heck” all week. Miller said a healthy Opland could have recorded much better numbers.
“There were some chances where if he is 100 percent, he breaks it loose,” Miller said. “He just couldn’t breathe.”
Miller said he will work with his defensive secondary to prevent the big plays that continue to vex Troy this year. He knows District 7-B opponents will see on film the success other teams have had in the air against the Trojans and look to duplicate it with their own aerial attacks. A strong point of the pass defense continues to be cornerback Cody Johnston, who intercepted the first Bigfork pass attempt of the game.
“That’s what Cody does,” Miller said. “Right spot at the right time, you’ve got to love it.”
Senior lineman Calvin Kelso suffered a broken arm in the first half. Kelso, who was blocking on the play, suffered the injury when two players collided into his arm.
Scott, who did not complete any of his nine pass attempts, was substituted late in the game for sophomore Dillon Savage. Savage threw one pass — a 29-yard touchdown to senior Michael Miller.
Eureka (2-5) will travel Friday to Troy for the Trojans’ 7 p.m. homecoming game.
“Eureka is a team we feel we can beat,” Miller said. “We have a really good chance to make it to the playoffs. It will be up to these next two games.”