Glasgow Blanks Columbus 46-0

Revenge is a dish best served cold, or in the cold? Glasgow football players had expressed a desire for revenge against Columbus after the Cougars destroyed the Scotties' playoff hopes last year. They served it up Nov. 7 at Scottie Field in a 46-0 rout.

Under an overcast sky promising snow, the Scotties created their own blizzard on the field -- call it red and whiteout conditions -- blowing past the Cougars' defense on a second-quarter scoring streak that led to a running clock in the third. The Scotties defense, meanwhile, knocked out visibility for the Cougars and prevented them from seeing the end zone.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Glasgow took control of the game early in the second period when Jesse Lee ran the ball five yards in for the first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Loden Idler added the extra two points to give the Scotties an 8-0 advantage with 11:18 on the clock.

Mayson Phipps gave his teammates and fans a thrill when he snatched a fumble recovery out of the air and ran it back over 40 yards into the red zone, setting up the Scotties' second score of the game. Cooper Larson, himself a defensive force, told the Courier, "Best part of the game I'd have to say is when Mayson Phipps recovered the football and came close to running it back for a touchdown."

Lee, who would score the touchdown on a play set up by Phipps' big play said, "... my favorite part of the game was definitely when Mayson recovered the ball on a fumble and ran it back." Lee and Idler then teamed up for a repeat of scoring, adding six and two points to Glasgow's side of the scoreboard with 9:08 remaining in the half.

Clearly fired up despite the weather, the Scotties continued putting on a clinic in both directions. "They felt pretty confident that they were going to run all over our defense," Idler said, "and we all took that kind [of] personal." The quarterback would add Glasgow's next touchdown on a defensive play, stripping the pigskin from the Cougars and running it in. The two-point attempt was stopped by Columbus just shy of the end zone, giving the home team a 22-0 lead with 4:16 to play before the break.

Idler was far from done after that. The senior snatched an interception and ran the ball nearly the length of the field into the end zone. Unfortunately, a flag had been thrown prior to the impressive snag and the whole play was called back and the ball returned to Columbus. The Scotties' defense again shut down the Cougars' forward motion.

Glasgow marched down the field to give Idler another shot at the end zone. He delivered for the home team on a four-yard QB keeper and teammate Kyler Hallock drove the Scotties' lead up another two points on a successful conversion. With just 19 seconds remaining before the halftime buzzer, Glasgow led 30-0.

Lee exited the game after an injury early in the third quarter and the Scotties turned to their deep field of running backs as the remainder of the game progressed. Dalton Sand and Tatum Hansen stepped in to fill the slot left by Lee. The two scored Glasgow's final two touchdowns in the game; Sand in the third and Hansen in the fourth.

Sand broke free of Columbus' defense, thanks to huge holes created by the Scotties' offensive line and ran the ball 32 yards for a touchdown. Hansen carried the ball up the middle for the two-point conversion. Glasgow's 38-0 lead kicked off the running clock with 6:44 on the clock in the third quarter.

The Scotties began to rotate in a number of younger players on the team, looking forward to the future this club is building. They also continued to rely on Sand and Hansen as the clock indicated a likely Glasgow victory. In the fourth quarter, the Scotties fed Hansen the ball on a strong drive that culminated in a Hansen eight-yard rushing touchdown. The 46-0 score would stand for the final 8:37 on the clock.

Glasgow's defense held Columbus to 136 yards in the game, allowing only 50 rushing yards and 86 passing yards for the visitors. Columbus was led by Try Johannes, who carried 10 times for 50 yards, and Colby Martinez, who had 55 yards on six catches. While several of the Scotties reported feeling sore after the game, their defensive domination was worth it. "Best part for me was not letting them score," said Dylan Nieskens. Hallock said, "Best part of the game was holding them to 0 points on defense."

Offensively, Glasgow relied heavily on their run game, racking up 257 of their total 274 yards on rushing. Only 17 Scottie yards came from passing. Lee led the Scotties in rushing with 84 yards on 14 carries. Hallock added 58 yards on 11 carries. Sand had eight carries for 53 yards and Hansen carried six times for 44 yards.

On the defensive side, Phipps had three tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble return. Colton Fast had eight tackles, Tel Aune five, and Dylan Nieskens, Ty Kittleson and Dawson Boland added four each.

Lee's first touchdown of the game broke a Scottie offense record. The team has put up 424 points this season in 11 games, setting a new school record for most points in a single season. And with the win, they hope to expand on their record. Colten Fast, whose favorite part of the game was seeing families and friends after the decisive win, told the Courier, "I feel good being able to continue on with the season for at least another week."

The Scotties now advance to the State semifinals for the first time since 2013. The team will travel to Manhattan to take on the Tigers in their seventh Class B semis appearance since 1992, and 18th overall semifinal game.

Manhattan shutout Malta on Saturday, as Tiger quarterback Caden Holgate threw four touchdown passes and ran in two more in the 50-0 win over the Mustangs. Holgate had 10 throws in the game for 142 yards, setting up a potential throwing versus running game against Glasgow this Saturday, Nov. 14 in Manhattan

Going into the semifinals, the Scotties are giving due credit to the Tigers while remaining confident in themselves. Phipps told the Courier, "Manhattan is good but it should be a good game." Nieskens said he feels good being the underdog, while Hallock said he feels great about the match-up, "They are tough and so are we." Aune added, "Manhattan is gonna be a challenge but we as a team are up for it."

Fast said, "Manhattan will be tough, but if we play like we have been, we have a chance at winning." Lee said he is feeling sore, but expects to be in the game Saturday. Idler echoed his teammate, "I think we feel good going in. They are a good team but so are we and I think we have a real good shot."

Head coach Patrick Barnett said his team is fired up and ready to go. He told the Courier, "I'm excited for another week of football."

The Glasgow Manhattan showdown will be this Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. The game will be covered by NFHS and KLTZ or Mix 93.5 on the radio dial.