Pioneers cruise into Six-Man semifinals

BIG SANDY — Heading into the second round of the state football playoffs the Hi-Line still had two teams in action, and fortunately for fans, two teams still remain.

Saturday in Big Sandy the Northern C Six-Man Big Sandy Pioneers played host to the Richey-Lambert Fusion, where the Pioneers earned a 39-0 win.

The win pushed the Pioneers into this Saturday's semifinal round and one away from playing for a first-ever Six-Man state title.

The Pioneers have executed very well on offense all season long, and this weekend was no exception as the Pioneers jumped out to a 39-0 lead at the half. Big Sandy scored five total touchdowns, including three on the ground by Ryan Miller.

"The first quarter was a little shaky," Big Sandy head coach Gregg King said. "But after that the line stepped up and blocked throughout, giving Ryan Miller a chance to cut back and weave through wherever he needed to go. I believe it all starts with the line, if they don't do very well it wont be pretty, but they stepped up and played."

Lineman Dallas Briese, Kaden Beck, CJ Hanson and Colter Darlington along side fullback Lane Martin all blocked very well, giving Martin a shot at the end zone from 30, seven and 51 yards out.

Trevor Lackner also connected with Hanson on a 56-yard score and pass, and Martin also scored on a 34-yard run.

The Pioneer defense also stepped up and competed hard on Saturday.

Big Sandy's defense forced the Fusion to punt the ball twice, as well as turn the ball over on downs three times. Big Sandy also came up with two fumbles and an interception while pitching a shutout.

"Our defense stepped up and made a wall," King said. "They lined up in a three man front, and they played it well. Everybody was flying to the ball and everybody was making tackles. On every tackle there was at least four guys in on the tackle."

The Pioneers will once again play at home on Saturday, as they host No. 1 Savage out of the East in the semifinals.

Richey Lambert 0 0 0 0 — 0

Big Sandy 16 23 0 0 39

Big Sandy — Ryan Miller 30 run (Dallas Briese kick)

Big Sandy — Ryan Miller 7 run (Dallas Briese kick)

Big Sandy — CJ Hanson 56 pass from Trevor Lackner (kick failed)

Big Sandy — Ryan Miller 51 run (Kaden Beck pass from Trevor Lackner)

Big Sandy — Lane Martin 34 run (Dallas Briese kick)

Chinook 28, Charlo 24

The Northern C 8-Man Chinook Sugarbeeters were also in action on Saturday.

And in Chinook's closest game of the year, the Beeters defeated the No. 1 Western Charlo Vikings 28-24 in Charlo.

Over the regular season the Beeters had grown accustomed to blowing teams out. But in a game that proved to be one of the toughest of the season, the Beeters kept their composure and came away with the win, with much needed help from the defense.

"It was a good win," Chinook head coach Matt Molyneaux said. "Down the stretch we played very well defensively. The disappointing part was we turned the ball over four times, and some of those times we were in good scoring position. Our defense bailed us out though and they made some big stops.

After one quarter of play the game was knotted up at 8-8. But adding a second quarter touchdown, the Beeters took a 14-8 lead into the break. And with the help of a 14-point third quarter, which included two Tyler Molyneaux scores, the Beeters padded a lead they were able to protect down the stretch. The Vikings added a score in the third as well as the fourth quarter, but still came up four points short.

Though the Beeters were able to put up points, they struggled on Saturday. The Beeters' offense had four turnovers due to fumbles, and if it hadn't been for a solid defensive performance the Beeters may have ended their season over the weekend.

"I think that was uncharacteristic for us to turn the ball over on fumbles like that," Coach Molyneaux said. "But we are playing pretty well. The last two weeks our defense has played better and better. These last two weeks is probably the most solid our defense has played all year as far as responsibilities. It's been good."

Tyler Molyneaux led the Beeters with four rushing touchdowns. His scores came from 54, three, eight and 50 yards out. Molyneaux also rushed the ball 51 times for an astounding total of 338 yards on the ground.

Next up for the Beeters will be a much deserved home game. Saturday in Chinook, the Beeters will host Northern C rival Power-Dutton-Brady with a spot in the Class C state championship on the line.

Chinook 8 6 14 0 — 28

Charlo 8 0 8 8 — 24

CHI — Tyler Molyneaux 54 run (Molyneaux run)

CHA — Jacen Petersen 21 pass from Chico Stipe (Kolten Andrews pass from Chico Stipe)

CHI — Tyler Molyneaux 3 run (run failed)

CHI — Tyler Molyneaux 8 run (Ben Stroh run)

CHA — Chico Stipe 62 run (Tra Ludeman pass from Chico Stipe)

CHI — Tyler Molyneaux 50 run (run failed)

CHA — Tra Ludeman 8 pass from Chico Stipe (Austin Bauer pass from Chico Stipe).