Hawks fall to Rams; lock and load for Wardens

The playoffs start now for the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks.

Sitting at 0-3 in Western B action and 0-6 overall, the Hawks travel to Deer Lodge to take on the 1-2 and 1-4 Wardens Friday night in Powell County. If the Hawks have any hopes of playing in the post season, a win at Deer Lodge is a requirement.

"We are not out of the playoff picture, if we can finish strong with Deer Lodge this week, Florence next week and Anaconda the week after that, we still have a chance of getting in," coach Jared Koskela said. "This will be another test for us but I have got to think we are up to it."

Although the score of last Friday's 41-6 home loss to Missoula Loyola doesn't look all that good on paper, the Hawks largely held their own in that game played under the lights on Previs Field.

Led by quarterback Trey Fisher, who rushed for 126 yards and passed for 146 more, the Hawks piled up 332 yards of total offense, but came up empty on several scoring chances which could have kept Thompson Falls in the game.

"We moved the ball pretty well, the final score does not really represent how we played," Koskela said. "We just could not finish drives when we did get close to scoring."

The Hawks scored their only touchdown of the night against Loyola in the fourth quarter on a beautiful 45-yard pass from Fisher to a streaking Nate Wilhite, who was playing for the first time in 3 weeks after having suffered concussion-like symptoms from an earlier game.

Loyola was led on both sides of the ball by Ryan Tirrell, who has signed on to play football for the Montana Grizzlies beginning next year.

Tirrell set up Loyola's first score on the first drive of the game, taking a handoff and streaking 66 yards down to the Thompson Falls seven-yard line, before taking the ball in for a seven-yard touchdown run on the next play.

After Bryce Danielson returned an interception for another Loyola touchdown in the first quarter, Tirrell scored on runs of 40 and 35 yards in the second period as the Rams went up 28-0 by halftime.

Loyola quarterback Nick Mitzel completed scoring passes of 47 yards to Basil Coutinho and 41 yards to Cooper Waters in the third quarter to complete Loyola scoring in the game.

Wilhite rushed for 51 yards on 14 carries and caught the 45-yard scoring pass, and Brandon Zimmerman had two carries for 12 yards.

Kade Pardee caught two passes for 25 yards, Dakota Irvine had one catch for 15 yards, Roman Sparks one for 10, Trevor Harris one for eight and Zimmerman one for four.

Fisher had two unassisted tackles and seven overall to lead the Hawk defense, Wilhite had three unassisted stops and two quarterback sacks, Trae Thilmony three solo tackles and four all told, Zimmerman two unassisted and four total, and Pardee three unassisted takcles.

Koskela says Deer Lodge is a different looking team now that long-time coach Al Cutler has officially retired.

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replaced by Ryder Walsted. The Hawks defeated the Wardens 35-6 in Thompson Falls last year.

"They are a completely new team, new coach, new offense," Koskela said. "Their quarterback likes to run and they have a dangerous wide receiver to throw to."