Some said it was raining cats and dogs, and some said it was just flat wet. Either way, Jefferson High’s Friday night football match-up in Big Timber was a damp affair, to say the least.
But Jefferson’s strong ground game and stingy defense are tailor-made for the rain – and when this one was over, the soggy Panthers walked off with a decisive 25-0 win over Sweetgrass County.
It’s hard to throw a ball in a downpour and harder to catch one, so the first half was all ground game: The Panthers only attempted one pass and the Herders none. Instead, Avery Stiles put on a show with a 15-yard keeper in the first quarter, giving Jefferson a 7-0 edge at the half.
Amid the slop, Stiles added another TD with a 9-yard run with 1:35 left in the third. The Panthers failed on a two-point try, leaving the score 13-0 at the end of three. Then Stiles struck again in the fourth, this time with a 1-yard run with 10:08 left. Again, the two-point try failed, so it was 19-0.
The Panthers defense closed things out with 1:01 left in the game, forcing a fumble that Jake Genger ran it in for a score. And that was it: 25-0 Panthers – a big win for the Panthers, who now have started the season with two conference wins.
Stiles had 90 yards rushing and three touchdowns, Jaxson Yanzick 99 yards rushing and one interception, Ethan Smartnick 27 yards rushing and Tyler Harrington one interception.
Next up, this Friday, is a big game with Broadwater. Both teams are 2-0 in conference play, while Broadwater is 3-1 overall and the Panthers 2-1. Jefferson is averaging 17.7 points a game while giving up 11.3 points a game. Broadwater averages 22.0 points a game and 17.3 points on defense. Look forward to a tight contest in Boulder.
After four weeks, Jefferson and Broadwater are tied atop the conference. Manhattan is 1-0 in conference play and 3-0 overall; Columbus is 1-1 in conference and 1-2 overall; Sweet Grass County is 0-2 in conference and 1-3 overall; Whitehall is 0-1 in conference and 2-2 overall; and Three Forks is 0-1 in conference and 0-3 overall.
