That Loss 'Stangs A Bit

Coming off a tough loss in Colstrip Oct. 4, the Scotties had hoped to regain their footing with a win over the Malta Mustangs for the heralded rivalry week. But when the Red and Blue faced off on Scotty Field Oct. 11, it was Malta walking away with the win.

The tough-fought battle in front of the packed stands saw only three touchdowns over the four quarters of play. "It came down to a one-touchdown game," said head coach Patrick Barnett. Two of those belonged to Malta, who takes their record to 4-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall. Glasgow fell to 3-1 in the conference and 4-2 overall.

Neither team put points on the scoreboard in the first quarter as the defensive lines put on a show, stopping the offense from getting the ball across the goal line. Malta broke out in the second quarter when Malta's quarterback, Kooper Oxarart, connected with Rex Williamson on a 21-yard pass. The Mustangs added two points when Oxarart found Camryn Mears in the end zone.

With the Scotties right outside the end zone, Glasgow put their points on the big board in the third when Jesse Lee ran three yards for six points. Alex Boland added two with a run, tying up the score and energizing the home team crowd. The quarter ended tied, with each team pumped to claim the win.

In the fourth, though, it was the Mustangs who took the lead and held it until the final buzzer. Cordel Salsbery was the big hero, scoring six points for Malta. Jacob Smith sealed the deal running in extra two points. Even though the Scotties and their fans left the field disappointed, Barnett said, "It was a well-fought, hard football game.

"We didn't take advantage of their mistakes," said Barnett. "And they took advantage of our mistakes." Indeed, there were a number of turnovers and penalties, including personal fouls, that set both teams back significantly. Malta racked up more yardage than Glasgow, putting up a total of 218 yards to Glasgow's 159. "That's a factor when it comes to tight games," the Scotties coach explained. For the Scotties, Boland and Lee led the team in rushing yards, 89 and 46 respectively.

On the defensive side, Barnett singled out Dexter Monson, "an outstanding game," and Dylan Nieskens, "I think he had 18 total tackles," as his defensive stars, in a game where the Scotties limited the Mustangs to their fewest points of the season.

Barnett summed it up, saying, "They had more chances at scoring, and Malta's a good football team." The head coach is focused on the next game now. "We'll go back to work, tweak some things," he said about this week's practice plans. "There's nothing that can't be fixed with practice over a few days. We'll keep working hard."

Malta travels to Fairfield while Glasgow makes the short trip to Wolf Point this Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Fairfield will be in Glasgow Oct. 25 and Malta will host Cut Bank to finish the regular season. Depending on who wins each bout, the Glasgow Scotties are looking at a final place in the top three in the conference.