Hi-Line Football Roundup: Chinook stomps Victor in Class C playoffs

It has been a dream season for the Chinook Sugarbeeters, and thanks to an impressive performance in the opening round of the Class C 8-man football playoffs, the Beeters’ dream will live on for another week.

Chinook was one of two Hi-Line teams that qualified for the postseason, but unlike North Star, which lost in the six-man playoffs, the Beeters took care of business, knocking off Victor 52-24 last Saturday in Chinook.

In a season where seemingly everything has gone right for the Beeters, the start of their first-round playoff game couldn’t have started any better as Thomas Reid took the opening kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown to give Chinook a 6-0 lead just seconds into the game.

The lead was pushed to 12-0 by the end of the first quarter thanks to a five-yard touchdown run by Ian McIntosh. Then, the stage was set for another big play by Reid.

Still holding a 12-point lead in the second quarter, Reid broke the game open when he caught a third-down pass from McIntosh and scampered 55 yards for the touchdown to give Chinook an 18-0 lead.

“Thomas is a great kid,” Chinook head coach Scott Friede said. “He does a lot of work behind the scenes, and it’s really nice to see him stick with it, and when he had his opportunity today he made the plays.”

McIntosh also had a stellar first-half for the Beeters and with Chinook up 18, led one more scoring drive before intermission, which was capped when he connected with Kenneth Pruttis on a 17-yard touchdown to put Chinook ahead 24-0 at halftime.

Then, early in the third quarter the Beeters put the game out of reach when McIntosh scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the day to go along with a pair of touchdown passes, to make the score 33-0.

Victor made things interesting with back-to-back touchdowns that trimmed the lead to 33-12 but Gavin Gunderson quickly answered with a 33-yard touchdown run to make it 42-12 early in the fourth quarter.

However, the Pirates again scored a pair of quick touchdowns aided by a Gunderson fumble and climbed back into the game with the score 40-24.

Yet the Pirates’ hope was short-lived. They attempted an onside kick in an attempt to get the ball back, but Lane Seymour had other ideas, scooping up the loose ball and rumbling 37 yards for a back-breaking touchdown.

The Seymour touchdown put Chinook up 48-24, and on the next Pirates’ possession, Gunderson put the final nail in the coffin, intercepting a pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown that made 52-24.

“I think there were some things that we could have done better,” Friede said. “Victor is an extremely physical team, and we kept our defense out there too long and that allowed them to get their passing game going. But there are only eight teams left in the playoffs and we are one of them. We just need to approach (the game against Broadus) the same way and do our best to get it done.”

The seventh-ranked Beeters are now 8-2 on the season and will host Broadus in the Class C quarterfinals this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Victor 0 0 12 12 -24

Chinook 12 12 8 20 -- 52

Chinook: Thomas Reid 56 kickoff return (run failed)

Chinook: Ian McIntosh 5 run (pass failed)

Chinook: Reid 55 pass from McIntosh (run failed)

Chinook: Kenneth Pruttis 17 pass from McIntosh (pass failed)

Chinook: McIntosh 3 run (Lane Seymour pass from McIntosh)

Victor: Kolton Venish 9 pass from Steven Scheffer (pass failed)

Victor: Jesse Pearson 17 pass from Scheffer (pass failed)

Chinook: Gavin Gunderson 33 run (Pruttis pass from McIntosh)

Victor: Venish 26 pass from Scheffer (pass failed)

Victor: Shepard 3 run (pass failed)

Chinook: Seymour 37 kickoff return (pass failed)

Chinook: Gunderson 36 interception return (pass failed)

Lone Peak 50, North Star 33

For the second straight season, the North Star Knights were on the road for the opening round of the Six-Man playoffs and just like last year, the Knights were unable to get the win required to keep their season alive as Lone Peak beat the Knights 50-33 in Big Sky.

Early on, the Knights were in control of the game and thanks to an eight-yard touchdown run by Gavin Spinler, a three-yard touchdown reception by Jaxon Simonson and a 65-yard touchdown run by Jimmy Snow, North Star led eighth-ranked Lone Peak 19-16 at the end of the first quarter.

However, the Knights control of game did not extend into the second quarter, when Lone Peak scored 22 unanswered points to take a commanding 38-19 lead into halftime.

The Knights did manage to get back within 12 at 39-27 following a 44-yard touchdown run by Payton Peterson and then after a one-yard touchdown plunge by Spinler, North Star trailed 39-33 early in the fourth quarter.

Yet, despite their valiant comeback, the Knights simply couldn't keep Lone Peak from scoring and right after Spinler's touchdown, the Big Horns took the ensuing kickoff 71 yards for a touchdown. Then, the Big Horns added another touchdown late to seal the 50-33 win.

North Star finished the season 6-3 with the loss.

North Star 19 0 8 6 - 33

Lone Peak 16 22 0 12 - 50

NS: Gavin Spinler 8 run (kick fail)

LP: Tanner Burton 5 run (Cooper Shea kick)

NS: Jaxon Simonson 3 pass from Matthew Helmbrecht (pass fail)

LP: Justin Mayse 17 pass from Justin McKillop (Shea kick)

NS: Jimmy Snow 65 run (Payton Peterson run)

LP: Eddie Starz 17 run (Shea kick)

LP: Burton 31 run (kick fail)

LP: Shea 56 pass from McKillop (Shea kick)

NS: Peterson 44 run (Peterson pass from Helmbrecht)

NS: Spinler 1 run (pass failed)

LP: Shea 71 kick off return (kick fail)

LP: Burton 4 run (kick fail)