Pioneers look to get over the Six-Man semifinal hump

After pulling away with the win against a tough Bridger Scouts squad 36-12, the Big Sandy football team is once again in the Class C Six-Man State semifinals. Last season, the Pioneers fell to the Jordan Mustangs to end what looked to be an incredible run. This year, Big Sandy looks to change that, but it will have to go through another grueling obstacle.

This year, the Froid-Medicine Lake Red Hawks will be the Pioneers' semifinal opponent in Medicine Lake at 1 p.m. Saturday. It will be another hard-fought battle, but this time, it will be against another undefeated squad. The Red Hawks are among other teams left in the playoffs that are undefeated. It will be quite the clash for the Pioneers, possibly tougher than last week's bout.

Big Sandy will be bringing some big players back on the field for another week. Dynamic duo in brothers Kade and Kody Strutz are major pieces of the offensive attack. Kade Strutz has been one of the toughest, roughest and top running backs in the state, putting up hundreds of yards and being a hard one to take down on the field. Kody Strutz has been slinging the football in the postseason, becoming a grand threat at quarterback.

The lines of the Pioneers hold strong, as well. Brady Pleninger and Cam Schwarzbach have been potent for the rushing attack, pushing through to keep up the pressure. On the offensive side, both are key blockers and Pleninger has even been known to completely flatten pass-rushers and work hard on his block. Needless to say, Big Sandy does not let up on either side of the football, which can spell trouble for the other team.

But this year, the Red Hawks are another team that can bring the pain. Running back Mason Dethman is a powerful rusher and can keep his legs churning for big plays, like the two 50-plus-yard rushing touchdowns he opened with against Harlowton-Ryegate last week in the 52-6 win. Similar to the Pioneers, Froid-Medicine Lake has a lethal running game.

The Red Hawk's defense carries a lot of merit, as well. Quinn Abar wreaks havoc against opposing offenses and even had a fumble-recovery touchdown last week against the Engineers. Froid-Medicine Lake is good at getting past offensive lines and special teams blocks to cause disruption, even putting up blocked punts and safeties within the 2020 season. On top of that, all postseason games so far have seen the defense hold opponents to six points each, first Broadview-Lavina, then Harlowton-Ryegate. At the end of the day, there is a good reason why the Red Hawks hold an undefeated record.

The winner of Big Sandy and Froid-Medicine Lake will make it to the championship but will be awaiting a difficult challenge as expected. On the other side of the bracket, the undefeated squads of Shields Valley and White Sulphur Springs are battling it out. Shields Valley pulled away with a win over the No. 2 of the North in the Power-Dutton-Brady Titans 33-26, while White Sulphur Springs ran over Savage 44-6 in the quarterfinals, meaning there is plenty of competition on its way to the championship game.

And Big Sandy (7-0) will look to make its way over the hump of the semifinals to claim a spot in the Class C State championship game, but the Pioneers will have to get through the Froid-Medicine Lake Red Hawks come 1 p.m. Saturday in Medicine Lake, the first road game of the postseason for Big Sandy.