Scotties Snowed Under by Vikings

The Glasgow Scotties' football season came to a disappointing end in front of a home crowd at the hands of the Bigfork Vikings in the first round of playoffs. The visiting Bigfork team was, well, big. And they used their height and weight advantage on the lines to run up a 49-0 win over Glasgow.

Bigfork took early command of the game, scoring their first touchdown less than a minute and a half into play. George Bucklin converted on a five-yard run capping the Vikings' opening seven-run drive. Wyatt Herd added the point after touchdown with the first of his seven field goals.

The snow started coming down as the game showed early signs of going sideways for Glasgow. However, the weather did not discriminate, affecting play on both sides of the football from wormburner kick returns from Bigfork to slipping and sliding missed receptions for Glasgow to fumbled snaps from both teams.

On their first possession after one of those wormburners, the Scotties made it to midfield before turning the ball back over to the Vikings on downs. Bigfork did not squander their opportunity, marching back to their end zone culminating in a second Bucklin touchdown, this time from a yard out. An interception for Bigfork, the first of three, signaled where the game was headed midway through the first. The visitors' third touchdown of the first quarter came with 2:29 left on yet another short Bucklin carry.

The Bigfork senior proved to be a force on both sides of the football when he snatched a throw by Glasgow quarterback Mason Donaldson and returned the pigskin forty yards for his, and the Vikings', fourth touchdown with 50 seconds remaining in the first.

Bigfork continued to run up their lead in the second quarter on touchdowns from Levi Taylor – a 48-yard touchdown run – at 11:07 and Wyatt Johnson – a 26-yard touchdown reception – at 1:19.

Glasgow's offense showed promise midway through the second quarter with two big plays. Donaldson found Mo Fast on the Scottie sideline for a beautiful 12-yard reception. The following play saw Kyler Hallock break through the Vikings' line with some fancy footwork. Unfortunately for the home team, penalties and a strong Bigfork defense thwarted the attempted momentum shift.

Another potential bright spot for Glasgow came in the middle of the third quarter when Mo Fast recovered a fumbled Bigfork snap. The official call of a loose ball and a replay of the down left no one at Scottie Field happy. Though the call came as a blow to the Scotties, it was demonstrative of the fight Glasgow players were still showing.

When Bigfork turned the ball over on downs, senior Scottie Trey Johnson turned in another highlight moment for the Scottie defense with a blocked kick.

Bigfork sounded the death knell for Glasgow with their third interception of the game. They followed with their seventh and final touchdown of the game, which came on the final play of the third quarter when Joseph Farrier carried the ball 35 yards into the end zone.

"I am proud of this team. The senior leadership was outstanding, and I am proud of those seniors who led this team," said head coach Patrick Barnett. And, after taking some time post-game, Glasgow's captains demonstrated why they were chosen for their roles.

"It was a tough loss. I feel we gave it all we had," said senior captain Austin Hughes. He added, "The loss was sad and upsetting to us, but I am glad we got to play one last game on Scottie Field. I am proud of teammates, each and every one of them.

Fellow senior and captain Hallock reflected, "I won't lie, I'm feeling pretty down about the loss. Losing is a part of life and everyone has to go through it. I think we did everything we could against them for them being so much bigger and stronger than us."

Junior Donaldson said, "As a team we can't let one game define our season. We played some great ball this year. I will miss playing with this group of seniors next year, but we return a lot of talent so I'm expecting big things for the Scotties next year."

Barnett also praised his players for their continued growth throughout the season. "Each week I could see improvement in the team and individuals. Most teams peak out halfway through the season, and I thought this team got better each week. I am proud of each player that made it through. I am proud of all of the younger classmen for showing up every day to improve their skills and make the team better."

Looking ahead to next year like Donaldson, he said, "As we graduate quite a few seniors who were great leaders, we will be bringing back a good core of younger classmen starters. We had a lot of younger guys on the team, and we are excited to see what they develop into."

Bigfork ran up 277 yards of offense with 251 rushing yards and one pass for 26 passing yards. Glasgow, meanwhile, was held to 75 yards total offense before penalties and sacks. Unofficial stats showed 42 total yards for the Scotties with 30 rushing and 12 passing.

Hallock led Glasgow in rushing yards with 52 on 19 carries. Tatum Hansen added 11 yards on two carries. Donaldson had three carries for four yards. He went 1-for-11 in passes for 12 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Fast added one carry and a four-yard loss and one catch for 12 yards.

Wyatt Babb and Fast ledGlasgow in tackles with 10 each. Nik Burke added seven as did Ethan Nickels. Hallock and Damien Nesbitt each had three tackles for loss.

"Props to Bigfork, they came across the state ready to play and physically dominated all aspects of the game," assistant coach Sam Tedrow said.

"Bigfork was a big, physical team, but our guys never quit and I'm extremely proud of them for that," said assistant coach Dylan Hughes. "This group of guys have improved every week and played hard every snap of every game. I'm very proud of them for the season they have had."

"I'm proud of my team for proving [to] a lot of people that we are better than expected. I had some people tell me thy didn't think we would win a single game this year," Hallock told the Courier. "So I'm proud of my team for showing up every day ready to work."

Hughes expressed a similar sentiment, "Everyone doubted us and our performance after losing a great senior class last year. We proved everything wrong and turned out to be a pretty great football team. It has been a blessing for sure."

Barnett summed up his feelings, "I am incredibly proud of the achievements this year's team made. This was an enjoyable team to coach with lots of great kids."