Leader Sports Report Episode Four

Brandon and Dylan talk about football (lots of it), Thanksgiving and great rivalries.

Leader Sports Report Episode 4 by Brandonwhansen

Coach K

Polson head boys soccer coach Jess Kittle has done so much for the program during his tenure, and he was recently honored as the Coach of the Year by the NSCA. Here is a snippet from the feature story we did on him in last week's Leader...

POLSON - Polson boys soccer head coach Jess Kittle doesn't like to take credit, but his own peers gave it where it's most certainly due.

The National Soccer Coaches of America just named Kittle their Class A boys soccer head coach of the year after the Pirates finished this season by advancing to the state championship game, and the seven-year Pirates coach believes that it highlights the hard work his kids put in this season.

"I don't see this as an individual award, I see this as for the team," Kittle said.

Since 2005, Kittle has been the head coach of the boys soccer team and he credits the success of the team to the players that suit up.

"We have an amazing group of guys, they're the ones that have built this program," Kittle said.

You can read the full story here.

Football 6-B All-Conference teams

Here are the 6-B All-Conference teams for football. I have also heard that Jack Humphreys and Jake Skelton were named to the Class B All-State teams for Ronan. Congrats guys!

DEFENSE ALL-CONFERENCE
1st team - DE - Ronan - Robert Faoa - 6'3" - 210 - Senior
2nd team - DE - Ronan - Chris Clary - 6'1" - 215 - Senior
2nd team - DE - Mission - Nikko Alexander - 5'10" - 185 - Junior
1st team - NG - Mission - Fabian Camacho - 5'9" - 285 - Senior
1st team - DT - Ronan - Colby Roberts - 6'1" - 225 - Junior
2nd team - DT - Ronan - Thane Tobol - 6'0" - 190 - Senior
1st team - ILB - Ronan - Jake Skelton - 5'9" - 190 - Senior
2nd team - ILB - Mission - Barrett Sargent - 5'10" - 185 - Junior
1st team - OLB - Ronan - Carsten Baerstch - 5'9" - 160 - Junior
2nd team - OLB - Mission - Josh Durglo - 5'11" - 180 - Senior
HM - SS - Ronan - Dalton Molzhon - 5'10" - 165 - Senior
HM - SS - Mission - Dylan Evans - 6'0" - 175 - Junior
1st team - FS - Ronan - Robbie Gauthier - 5'11" - 180 - Senior
1st team - CB- Ronan - Jack Humphreys - 5'9" - 155 - Senior
2nd team - FS - Mission - Austin Durglo - 5'10" - 175 - Senior
2nd team - CB - Ronan - Marcus Hungerford - 5'9" - 170 -Senior
HM - CB - Mission - Ryce Hegwood - 5'10" - 160 - Sophomore

OFFENSE ALL-CONFERENCE
2nd team - Punter - Mission - Raymond Matt - 5'11" - 145 - Freshman
HM - P - Ronan - Dalton Molzhon - 5'10" - 165 - Senior
2nd team - QB - Ronan - Robbie Gauthier - 5'11" - 180 - Senior
HM - QB - Mission - Dylan Evans - 6'0" - 175 - Junior
1st team - Right RB - Ronan - Jake Skelton - 5'9" - 190 - Senior
2nd team - Right RB - Mission - Austin Derglo - 5'10" - 175 - Senior
2nd team - Left RB - Ronan - Jack Humphreys - 5'9" - 155 - Senior
HM - Left RB - Mission - Dakota Gunhammer - 5'10" - 165 - Senior
1st team - FB - Ronan - Chris Clary - 6'1" - 215 - Senior
1st team - FL - Ronan - Marcus Hungerford - 5'9" - 170 - Senior
HM - FL - Ronan - Dalton Molzhon - 5'10" - 165 - Senior
1st team - TE - Ronan - Robert Faoa - 6'3" - 210 - Senior
2nd team - Tackle - Mission - Josh Durglo - 5'11" - 180 - Senior
1st team - Guard - Mission - Fabian Camacho - 5'9" - 285 - Senior
2nd team - Guard - Ronan - Thane Tobol - 6'0" - 190 - Senior
2nd team - Guard - Mission - Barrett Sargent - 5'10" - 185 - Junior
HM - Guard - Ronan - Dustin Goldsby - 6'0" - 175 - Senior
1st team - Center - Ronan - Colby Roberts - 6'1" - 225 - Junior
HM - Center - Mission - Nikko Alexander - 5'10" - 185 - Junior

Congrats to all!

The ESPN-FCS Playoff saga continues

From KPAX...

What rivalry?

Fans of the Bobcats and Grizzlies have united in trying to find a way to get their disappointment across to ESPN when it comes to broadcasting the Football Subdivision Playoffs.

Word spread across the state Monday that Montana fans would not be able to watch (on television) their Bobcats and Grizzlies take the field on December 3rd for the 2nd round of the FCS playoffs, and now, responses from fans have began to manifest in the form of a rapidly growing petition on the social media giant Facebook.

Currently, there are more than 5,700 people who have joined "Petition to have ESPN Have Feeds of FCS Playoff Games".

Another 38,000 have been invited to join the page which began at 2a.m. on Tuesday.

The numbers continue to rapidly swell throughout Tuesday evening.

The Worldwide Leader is certainly getting an earful for this.

The ESPN-FCS Playoffs SNAFU

Saw this little tidbit in the Daily Interlake today about the upcoming Montana and Montana State playoff games...

MISSOULA - The University of Montana and Montana State football teams are headed to the postseason, but many fans in the state might not be able to watch the games on television.

ESPN has the rights to the games and plans to only show the first and second round games as well as some of the quarterfinal contests on ESPN 3, an internet-based channel many Montanans can't access. MSU Athletic Director Peter Fields says he has no say in ESPN's decision, but the schools can lobby to have their games picked for broadcast.

Meanwhile, Gordie Fix, owner of Missoula's Press Box sports bar, says "we're finding out pretty much that we're out of luck."

MSU will host New Hampshire on Dec. 3. The Griz will play at home the same day at 12:05 p.m. against the winner of Saturday's Central Arkansas-Tennessee Tech game.

And now it gets serious as state senators push for a TV change

"In Montana, college football is a treasured tradition," Montana Senator Jon Tester wrote in a letter to George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN-ABC Sports.

"Within hours after hearing your decision, Montanans put their friendly rivalries aside to cheer for a common goal: to encourage ESPN to reconsider," Tester wrote. "I am proud to join these Montanans in their unified plea. Please consider working with Montana broadcast stations or cable providers to make TV feeds of these (Football Championship Series) playoff games reasonably available to Montana fans. Airing these games in Montana will allow ESPN to be part of a time-honored pastime in the Treasure State."

The Bobcats are scheduled to host New Hampshire in a second-round playoff game on Dec. 3 in Bozeman.

The Grizzlies will host the winner of the Tennessee Tech-Central Arkansas game the same day in Missoula. If the Montana teams advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, those games might be broadcast on the ESPN or ESPN2 cable television channels.

According to Monday press reports, the ESPN3 online service is extremely limited in its availability in Montana.


Considering the following that both the Griz and Bobcats have, does ESPN really want to feel the burn from those fan bases? And this whole thing just goes to show that ESPN has ceased to become a source for sports news and has become a sports entertainment company with its own agenda (in this case, pushing their online channel onto people because it's the only option). This gets worse in the future for the Worldwide Leader...

I just don't get it, do I?

Leader report Dylan Kitzan took exception to the Detroit Tiger's Justin Verland being named the AL MVP award in baseball. As a life-long Boston Red Sox fan, here are his thoughts (lots of them).

Great Dr. Evil title, really excited about it. Moving on.

Can somebody please give me a rational explanation as to how Justin Verlander can be named 2011 AL MVP but 1999 Pedro Martinez was only good for second? For all you wise guys, I'm not looking for "He had more voting points."

Week 11 NFL Picks

Well, thanks to this guy here, I'm Tebow and one (see what I did there?) with my week 11 picks already. How dare I think that supposedly one of the NFL's best defenses could shut down a guy who completed two passes in week 10. My bad.

SKC Bison give North Idaho College a scare

North Idaho College needed a late surge to get past SKC for the 80-71 victory on Thursday night in Pablo. However, it was an evening that was about more than basketball as the Bison retired Marvin Hudson-Lewis' number with a ceremony before the game.

Lewis drowned earlier this year in South Dakota after helping lead the Bison to a AIHEC National Championship. Members of Lewis' family from Washington State and South Dakota were able to make the game and were part of the ceremony. 

The Bison took the floor with only four players and Lewis' jersey was put at center court for a ceremonial tip-off. Lewis was listed as an official starter for the Bison and appeared in the final box score for the game. 

SKC came out strong behind excellent three-point shooting and held a 18-14 lead midway through the first half. North Idaho College would go on a 10-0 to gain the lead but the Bison would go away and only trailed 38-31 at the half. 

The battle continued against the Cardinals in the second half and with 9:43 left in the contest, Dennis Sangrey hit a three to pull within four points of NIC at 54-50. The Cardinals would respond with an 8-0 run to take the 62-50 lead. The Bison would continue to fight and Ralston Moore hit two free throws to make it 74-69 NIC with two minutes to go but the Cardinals would finish out the game on a 6-2 run for the victory. 

D.J. Fish continued to showcase his skills, posting a double-double for SKC with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Moore had 19 points as well and Sangrey posted 11. Isiah Martin scored 12 points. The Bison's defense forced 24 NIC turnovers but their shooting was 39 percent from the field to the Cardinals' 53 percent. 

Against a perennial powerhouse in junior college basketball, the Bison played strong with NIC and their tough early-season schedule should get them geared up for Montana Tribal College Athletic Association play. SKC will travel to Dillon this weekend and play the University of Montana JV squad on Friday and Saturday. 

NIC 80, SKC 71

NIC - 38 - 42 - 80

SKC - 31 - 40 - 71

Bison Stats - 

Isaac Wal - 1 rebound

Ralston Moore - 19 points, 1 steal

Dennis Sangrey - 11 points, 2 steals

Sonny Eppinette - 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

Trent Ashley - 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Isaiah Martin - 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals

DJ Kemmer - 3 points

DJ Fish - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist

Jonathan Allen - 1 point, 1 assist

James Bible - 6 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals

NIC Stats -

Jordan McCloud - 11 points, 6 rebounds

Antoine Hosley - 7 points, 2 assists

Connor White - 5 points, 1 rebound 

Kwame Bates - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal

Keon Lewis - 21 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists

Michael Middlebrooks - 13 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks

Edrico McGregor - 6 points, 6 rebounds

Tyrell Lewis - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 steal

Kay Sherman - 1 point, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls

Here are photos from the game... click here to buy full prints from the game. 

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.

The best team in 22 years

Make sure you pick up this week's copy of the Leader, we tried to do things a bit differently and do a complete recap of the awesome season that the Ronan Chiefs have had. Coach Benn and his team has been competing in Class A for many years when their enrollment numbers clearly put them at a disadvantage against the much larger teams in the Northwestern A. However that didn't stop the Chiefs from beating NWA champ Columbia Falls last season.

Going into this season, Ronan faced numerous questions from the media and community on just how they would perform against the top teams in Class B. The result? One of the best teams in Ronan's history and certainly a season nobody will forget anytime soon.

Read the story here.

Leader Sports Report Episode Three

Here's the Leader Sports Report Episode Three, Dylan and Brandon talk about college football, Ronan football and Polson volleyball in this week's episode...



Leader Sports Report Episode 3 by Brandonwhansen

Thoughts on the Sandusky and Penn State case

Polson soccer player and occasional Leader columnist Riley Lemm shared his thoughts on the Sandusky scandal at Penn State on his blog, Mas Sports.

College sports are going crazy, by crazy I mean crazy screwed up.

If you havent turned on your TV or read your newspaper you might not know about the Penn St. mess. Penn St.’s defensive coordinator of the late 90′s, Jerry Sandusky, is under allegations that he molested 8 different boys. Sandusky was coaching under the legend Joe Paterno who was recently released from employment at Penn St., following pressure by the media.

Check out the full post here.

Two Lady Pirate volleyball players named to all-state team

(FROM THE DAILY INTER LAKE)

Regular season and Northwestern A divisional champion Polson placed two players on the Class A All-State volleyball team, while Whitefish and Libby both had one selection.

Named from Polson are senior Riley Kenney and junior Shalaina Duford.

Abby Strellnauer was Whitefish's all-state selection. Selinna Maefau was Libby's all-state pick.

Strellnauer and Maefau are both seniors.

Those four players also made the all-conference first team along with Shaun Rowe, a senior from Columbia Falls, and Marlow Schulz, a sophomore from Whitefish.

Second-team all-conference selections were: Josie Anderson, sophomore, Frenchtown; Kenzie Clay, senior, Polson; Lauren Wepprecht, junior, Libby; Emily Sullivan, freshman, Whitefish; Gabrielle Stenger, senior, Columbia Falls; and Taylor Peterson, junior, Columbia Falls.

Honorable mention all-conference selections were: Kelsey McFadden, junior, Whitefish; Heidi Rausch, junior, Polson; Ashley Johnson, senior, Polson; and MacKenzie Banner, junior, Polson.

Polson and Whitefish advanced to the Class A State Volleyball Tournament.

Conservation group worries about park funding cuts

Here's a story from Jim Mann of the Daily Inter Lake as he talks about how the potential US Government deficit could affect Glacier National Park and in turn the local economy of the communities around Flathead Lake.

The National Parks Conservation Association is sounding an alarm over the potential impacts on parks if the so-called congressional “supercommittee” fails to develop a plan for trimming $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over the next 10 years.

If the committee of 12 lawmakers fails to do so by a Nov. 23 deadline, a mechanism in the legislation that established the process in August would initiate $1.2 trillion in across-the-board federal spending cuts.

The association calculates that could result in 9 percent cuts to National Park Service budgets, or about $231 million.

“If the supercommittee process fails, there will be real consequences for our national parks, jobs, visitors, and communities across the country,” said Craig Obey, NPCA’s senior vice president of government affairs. “The federal deficit debate should be about smart budgeting that strengthens communities, produces jobs and protects the heritage that binds us as a national community.”

In a report released last week, the organization stresses the importance of national parks as economic engines that support and define surrounding communities.

Glacier National Park is the namesake for more than 150 businesses in the Flathead Valley and the park has an estimated economic impact of at least $2.5 billion, according to research conducted by state tourism officials about eight years ago.

“Glacier’s impact to our economy is enormous, there’s no doubt about that,” said Michael Jamison, Crown of the Continent program manager for the association. “And now we’re asking the community to return the favor by supporting the park that supports the economy. It’s a two-way street.”

You can read the full story on the Inter Lake's website here.

Ronan falls to Malta 31-27

(From wire reports)

MALTA – Senior halfback Jade Olson rushed for 270 yards and two touchdowns as Malta defeated the Ronan Chiefs 31-27 Saturday afternoon in a Class B semifinal game.

Malta, which improved to 11-0, led 31-13 before the Chiefs rallied in the final two quarters.

Ronan quarterback Robbie Gauthier hurt the Mustangs time and again through the air in the final two quarters. In the closing minutes, the Chiefs drove deep into Malta territory. But Gauthier’s fourth-down pass in the end zone fell incomplete.

Gauthier passed for 271 yards in the second half as the Chiefs rallied.

Ronan (8-3) outgained Malta 435-385 as Gauthier completed 22 of 28 passes for 318 yards. He was picked off twice.

Ronan - 7 - 0 - 6 - 14 -- 27
Malta - 0 - 21 - 10 - 0 -- 31

Ronan - Jack Humphreys 6-yard run (Leo Michelin kick)
Malta - Kaden Bedwell 24-yard pass from Kendall Denham (Dalton Brookie kick)
Malta - Jade Olson 5-yard run (Brookie kick)
Malta - Olson 3-yard run (Brookie kick)
Malta - Brookie 37-yard field goal
Ronan - Jake Skelton 1-yard run (kick failed)
Malta - Olson 61-yard run (Brookie kick)
Ronan - Skelton 3-yard run (pass failed)
Ronan - Carsten Barch 36-yard pass from Robbie Gauthier (Marcus Hungerford pass from Gauthier)

Daily Inter Lake Article on Polson volleyball

Here's a write-up from Dixie Knutson of the Daily Inter Lake about Polson's run in the Class A state tournament. It has some good insight from Lady Pirates' head coach Jan Toth and also talks about Whitefish's exit from the tournament.

Click here for the article. 

Polson volleyball bows out of the state tournament

Polson battled to the very end, but had their season wrap up in the second day of the Class A State tournament on Friday after a 3-1 loss to Billings Central in a loser-out matchup. The Lady Pirates went 1-2 in the tournament and capped off their fourth-straight trip to Bozeman and their second-straight conference championship.

Billings Central 3, Polson 1
25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15
The Lady Pirates showed balance in their attack, with three different players getting an impressive number of kills, but they couldn't get past Billings Central to extend their season in a 3-1 loss. Ashley Johnson (14), Heidi Rausch (10) and Kenzie Clay (9) combined for a monster-like performance in kills for Polson.

The Lady Rams used large runs to put down the Lady Pirates. In the first game with everything tied at 10-10, Billings Central went on a 10-4 run to take a commanding lead. They would go on to win 25-20.

In the second set, thing were tight the entire way before Polson scored the last three points for the 25-22 victory. Things were also close in the third match and both teams were tied 15-15 before the Lady Rams went on a 10-0 run to win the match.

In the fourth and deciding match, things were tied 8-8 but Billings Central outscored the Lady Pirates 17-7 the rest of the way for the victory.

Shalaina Duford was her usual wonderful self out on the volleyball court, notching 34 assists and 21 digs. Showcasing Polson's awesome defense were three other players in double-digit digs: Riley Kenney (17), MaCall Banner (15) and Mackenzie Banner (15).

Polson 3, Hamilton 2
21-25, 26-24, 25-27, 25-15, 15-12
It was an early-morning thriller for the Lady Pirates as they came from behind in the fifth set to knock Hamilton out of the Class A State Tournament. Polson had four girls in double-digit kills in the 3-2 victory, led by Riley Kenney with 15.

While Hamilton won the first set 25-21, thanks to a 7-1 run midway through the game, Polson bounced back in the second stanza by going on a 10-0 run to gain the 20-14 lead and they held on for the extra-points 26-24 victory.

The third set went into extra points too, but Hamilton won that one 27-25. It appeared they might upend the Lady Pirates in the tournament but Polson won the fourth game 25-15.

In the thrilling fifth set, Hamilton had the 10-5 lead, but the Lady Pirates went on a improbable 10-2 run to win the match.

Shalania Duford had an eye-popping 49 assists, and the Lady Pirates defense was just as impressive. Duford had 33 digs, Mackenzie Banner had 29 and Macall Banner had 20.

The win moved the Pirates on in the bracket against Billings Central.

Belgrade 3, Polson 2
19-25, 17-25, 25-20, 27-25, 15-11
Kenzie Clay and Riley Kenney both had eight kills, Heidi Rausch had 4 blocks and Mackenzie Banner had 28 digs but it just wasn't enough and the Lady Pirates were downed in five sets in the first round of the Class A State Tournament.

After defeating Belgrade 25-19 and 25-17 in the first two games of the match, Belgrade won the third 25-20 and won rather controversially 27-25 in the fourth game. Polson had a match point overturned in that match by the officials. The momentum would carry on to the fifth game for Belgrade and they would win 15-11 for the match.

Shalaina Duford had 28 assists in the game.

The loss sent Polson to an early-morning (10 a.m. so early by journalist standards) matchup against Hamilton.

NOTE: Whitefish, also from the Northwestern A conference went 0-2 in the state tournament.

Here are some photos from the game... you can buy the full-sized prints here.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.

10-C All-conference volleyball teams

Here are the 10-C all-conference teams and as you can see there are plenty of Lake County representatives on the list. Charlo's Dawn Blevins and Kinley Pope were also named to the All-State team as well.

All-Conference
First Team
Dawn Blevins - Charlo
Kinley Pope - Charlo
Kaitlynn Koke - Superior
Nicole Stroot - Superior
Cary Chamberlain - Superior
Cortney Dix - Arlee
Whitney Malatare - Arlee


Second Team
Ashley Blaylock - Superior
Alyssa Foster - Hot Springs
Rachel Hoyt - Charlo
Deondra Brown - Charlo
Julianna Spencer - St. Regis
Arianna Jones - St. Regis
Alex Green - Hot Springs

Honorable Mention
Shanny King - Hot Springs
Hannah Retallick - Hot Springs
Mahalia Hendren - Arlee
Jordyn Wilkinson - Noxon
Kimmy Marich - Noxon

Leader Sports Report Episode Two

Here is the second episode of the Leader Sports Report. We talk about how Dylan is the bad luck reporter, the unfair ranking of Boise State in football, an NFL mid-season reporter and Brandon's hatred towards Gonzaga. We also run through all the local Lake County sports as well. Enjoy!


Leader Sports Report Episode2 by Brandonwhansen

Polson volleyball wins NWA Championship

Coming off the bench, Jessica Hoel provided the spark that Polson needed and showcased just what kind of depth the Lady Pirates have going into the state tournament next weekend in Bozeman. Hoel had 12 kills and senior Ashley Johnson had 13 to power Polson to a 3-1 victory over Whitefish for the NWA Divisional championship.

It will be the fourth straight time that the Lady Pirates are headed to the state tournament after they clinched their postseason berth with a win over the Bulldogs last night.

In the championship match, Polson won the first game 25-18 but the Lady Bulldogs would even things up with a second set 23-25 victory. The Lady Pirates then went on to win the next two matches 25-17 and 25-23 for the NWA title.

While Johnson and Hoel provided the firepower, Shalaina Duford was all over the court with 41 assists, four aces and 22 digs. At the net, Kenzie Clay dominated with four blocks, and Mackenzie Banner was unflappable with 31 digs.

Check out this week's Leader on Thursday for the full story on Polson's championship!

Northwestern A Divisional Championship
Polson def. Whitefish 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23
Kills — Whitefish 44 (Abby Strellanuer 17, Emily Sullivan 15), Polson 57 (Ashley Johnson 13, Jessica Hoel 12); Assists — Whitefish 42 (Taylor Havens 39), Polson 45 (Shalaina Duford 41); Blocks — Whitefish 3 (Havens 1, Baylee Tveidt 1, Sullivan 1), Polson 9 (Kenzie Clay 4); Digs — Whitefish 47 (Ryan Chauner 8, Kelsey McFadden 7), Polson 99 (Mackenzie Banner 31, Duford 22); Aces — Whitefish 7 (Tveidt 4, Shelia Murphy 2), Polson 9 (Duford 4, Johnson 2, Heidi Rausch 2).

Here are photos from the match... you can buy full prints from the Leader here.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.

Football: Pirates season comes to an end

In a classic slugfest between two virtually even-matched teams, the fourth-ranked Custer County Cowboys knocked out the previously-undefeated, fifth-ranked Polson Pirates 7-6 in Polson on Saturday afternoon.

The defenses from both sides reigned supreme throughout, with the Pirate D forcing punt after punt, while the Cowboys were able to force turnovers from Polson's offense.

Quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo put Polson on the board toward the end of the first quarter, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run, but after a penalty, the extra point was no good, giving the Pirates a 6-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Custer County went 80 yards for a touchdown and, after the deciding extra point, led 7-6.

Nobody in Polson figured those would be the final points of the game, but had they known how the defenses would play, might have thought differently.

At the end of the second quarter, with the Cowboys driving, Pirate defensive lineman Eric Williamson recovered a fumble, allowing Polson to head to the locker room down only one.

Pirate drive after Pirate drive would head into Custer County territory, but they couldn't regain the lead. DiGiallonardo lost a fumble with 2:25 left in the third quarter before Polson had their best opportunity of the game. After a series of good runs by Paul McClurg, the Pirates had a goal-to-go situation, but a 23-yard field goal missed wide right with 4:55 left.

It wasn't Polson's last chance. The defense allowed a pair of first downs on Custer County's next possession, but got the stop when they needed to, giving the ball back to the offense at midfield with 1:48 left.

A pass interference call got the Pirates to the Cowboy 35 before DiGiallonardo hit Will Davey for 18 yards to get the ball into the red zone and close to field goal range. DiGiallonardo then scampered for three yards before fumbling, but the ball was recovered by Polson. Justin Hoel then reeled in an 8-yard grab from DiGiallonardo with under a minute left to give the Pirates the ball on the 6 with a half a minute to go.

DiGiallonardo tried to hit Davey for the game-winning touchdown, but the Cowboys were able to intercept the pass, ending the game and Polson's season.

Here are photos from the game... you can purchase prints of the photos from the Leader here.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.