Building Momentum
Chiefs continue to roll with 52-29 win
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RONAN — A 30-point fourth-quarter explosion by the Chiefs led to 23-point win Saturday as Ronan bested the visiting Flathead junior varsity squad, 52-29.
Ronan jumped out to a lead early in the game and led the entire first half, but Flathead came back to take a slim 23-22 lead in the third quarter, but it was all Chiefs from there as Ronan rolled off 30 unanswered points.
“I think we just really wore them out by the end of the game, and says a lot for us,” Ronan head coach Jim Benn said. “They are a Class AA team that was platooning their players in on offense and defense and we were having several kids go both ways. It means that we are really in shape and able to make it difficult for their defense to keep up with us.”
Led by Lucas Black, the Ronan running game burned the Braves for 336 yards on 56 carries.
“We really didn’t throw the ball as effectively this week as we have been. That’s mostly because of the coverage they were using against us,” Benn said. “They were kind of giving us the run and we took advantage of that.”
Black led the attack with 154 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries in a Chief offense that has been much more efficient since his return from injury three weeks ago.
“We feel like we are really getting things going now, but we still have plenty of things to work on,” Benn said. “Getting Lucas back has really been a boost for us. He really affects what we do. He knows how to make things happen and he doesn’t need a big hole to make a big play. He’s just a solid running back that really makes things click for us.”
Chris Clary added 79 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Dallas Jore had 58 yards and a pair of TDs and quarterback Robbie Gauthier added 43 yards on seven carries.
Gauthier finished the game 4-8 passing for 41 yards, completing a trio of passes to Jore for 29 yards and connecting with Cole McArthur on a 12-yard touchdown toss.
Despite the point spread at the end of the contest, the Chiefs did not have a great start to the game, scoring just once in the opening quarter on a 28-yard run by Black.
“It was kind of a let-down start for us, especially coming off a big homecoming win like we had,” Benn said. “We kind of expected it, but is was good to have it now instead of in Libby next week.”
Ronan scored twice in the second quarter on runs by Black and took a 22-9 lead into the halftime break.
Flathead came alive the third quarter, scoring twice to take a 23-22 lead. The second score came shortly after the Braves were able to get into the backfield to block a Ronan punt.
“I think it woke our kids up, and it needed to,” Benn said. “We, as coaches, felt like we didn’t really come out well at the beginning of the game and we needed something to get us going.”
