Round Two: Pioneers ready to march on

After the big win over the Wibaux Longhorns in the opening round of the Class C Six-Man football playoffs, the Big Sandy High football team is ready to face its next challenge in a tough team from the south part of the state of Montana.

On top of that, the Pioneers will be facing a familiar postseason opponent.

The Bridger Scouts (6-1) are the No. 2 seed from the South and will be heading up to battle Big Sandy (6-0) Saturday at 1 p.m. in Big Sandy for the quarterfinals, where the Pioneers will be throwing down with the Scouts for a spot in the semifinals. It will be another challenge in 2020 for Big Sandy.

But the Pioneers will be bringing a lot to the field come Saturday. Right away, when it comes to Big Sandy, senior Kade Strutz often ends up being a major topic of the teams' lineup. The running back is considered one of the best in the state, even earning the nickname "El Toro Blanco" or "the white bull" from his teammates. Kade Strutz can use his legs to run past, through and over defenders to rack up plenty of scores and yards.

The offense for the Pioneers has other key pieces, too. Kody Strutz, who is nicknames "the Gunslinger" by his teammates can really sling a football and catch them, too. Against Wibaux, Kody Strutz had two passing and one receiving touchdown in that game. Defensively, Kody Strutz has a limber and physical build that can both wrap up an opponent and bring some punishment, too.

Lance Rutledge and Braydon Cline are great offensive weapons for Big Sandy, as well. Cline and Rutledge both had a touchdown late in the game against the Longhorns. The defense includes powerhouses like Brady Pleninger, who racked up three-and-a-half tackles and a sack against Wibaux, while Cooper Taylor, Cam Schwarzbach, Sam Cox and plenty of other Pioneers made great contributions to the defensive effort that often stalled the Longhorns.

As for Big Sandy's opponent, the Bridger Scouts have put on quite the show in 2020. The Scouts finished second in the Six-Man South, but easily upset the West's runner-up in Hot Springs last weekend 41-38 to earn a meeting with the Pioneers. Bridger has met Big Sandy in the postseason before, as the Scouts thumped the Pioneers 42-7 in the 2017 state quarterfinal on their way to a championship appearance. The South runner-up has only one loss on the year to Shields Valley. Simply put, the Scouts do not mess around and will be in a hard-fought battle with Big Sandy.

Bridger has a very decisive offensive attack, too. Their run-game is focused on multiple players like Chance Goltz, Zach Althoff, Jace Weimer and Romeo Anguiano. Baylor Pospisil and Rod Zentner are two incredibly talented wide receivers who have proven to be key weapons in 2020, while Goltz and Chance Pelican both contribute immensely to the passing-attack. At the end of day, the Scouts offense has just as much power and prowess as Big Sandy's does, meaning the Pioneers will be in for quite the offensive showdown come Saturday.

This marks the fourth straight season Big Sandy has reached at least the Six-Man quarterfinals.

The path to a Six-Man state championship is still going strong for the Big Sandy Pioneers (6-0), but they will have to face a strong opponent with playoff experience in the Bridger Scouts (6-1) Saturday at 1 p.m. in Big Sandy. The winner moves on to the semifinals and will face either Froid-Lake or Harlowtown on the road.