Red Devils add another win to record

The Noxon Red Devils are riding the wave of a successful season, adding another win to their record with a 68-39 victory in West Yellowstone last weekend.

“It’s going great,” said coach Lucas MacArthur. “The boys are playing well. After our loss to Geyser, they turned it up and got more aggressive with practices. Since then we’ve come out and played hard.”

MacArthur said West Yellowstone was a bigger challenge than Noxon had expected, but the Red Devils adapted and kept a strong lead throughout the game.

“We didn’t play our best defense but overall both the offense and defense are coming together nicely,” Coach MacArthur said. “We have worked a lot on our defense this year.”

West Yellowstone scored on their first drive on Saturday, then Noxon turned the ball over on downs their first possession. “They wanted to beat us,” MacArthur said. When West Yellowstone got the ball again, his defense knew they had to get a good stop. They succeeded and forced the Wolverines to punt.

The Red Devils kicked it into gear on the next possession, with quarterback Brian Risch throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Shamus Wheeldon. Noxon scored again after recovering an onside kick, this time with Wheeldon throwing it into the end zone to Rick Williams. The Red Devils would push the Wolverines and get two safeties before the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same for Noxon, as Risch started off the quarter running the ball in 17 yards for a touchdown. On their next possession, Gage Hendrick ran the ball in for yet another Red Devil touchdown, making the score 31-6. West Yellowstone was able to add to their score during the second quarter before Risch finished the half with a 50-yard touchdown run, putting the Red Devils up 39-20.

MacArthur said at halftime he emphasized with his team that they had a commanding lead and he wanted to focus on fundamentals and make sure the defense was going after it. “We need to continue to work hard at controlling the ball and maintaining the pace of the game.”

Out of the locker room, Risch threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Wheeldon and the score was 47-20. Hendricks would run it into the end zone two more times before the game was over, but the Red Devils still weren’t done. At the end of the fourth quarter, Risch passed it in to Sam Christensen and Noxon sealed the win 68-39.

“These guys are pretty driven,” MacArthur noted. “Their mentality is there. They want this and they have the drive.”

Noxon is looking forward to meeting Hot Springs on September 30. “Hot Springs has always been a solid program. They are well coached and super disciplined. They will be our biggest contest,” MacArthur said.