Horsemen stomp Trojans in home win

The Plains football team didn't just win at home Friday evening, the Horsemen stampeded the Troy Trojans for a 68-6 triumph.

The local hero of the week would have to be Darren Standeford, a junior, who caught three interceptions and ran some 80 total yards for three touchdowns. Plains head coach Mike Tatum was ecstatic about the win and hopes it will motivate his boys for the rest of the season.

"We really focused on finishing plays this last week, whether it was blocking, tackling or whatever, finishing was the theme," said Tatum. The Plains Horsemen football gang hadn't won in more than two years, but the Trojans hadn't picked up a victory yet this season, which gave the Horsemen hope at the start of the game.

It was an eerie beginning as the Horsemen were almost immediately slammed with two all too familiar penalties and a loss of 30 yards. But things quickly changed and within six minutes Standeford sent an 11-yard pass to senior Will Tatum to get on the board. The two-point conversion failed, but two minutes later Standeford nabbed his first interception and bolted to the end zone. This time a Standeford pass to senior Zephaniah Dines was successful for a 14-0 score.

Troy didn't have the ball for long as Standeford snatched another one and ran in for the touchdown once again. A fumble on the two-point conversion attempt made it a 20-0 game. The Horsemen soon took the ball back and with just over a minute in the first quarter, Standeford ran in for another TD. The extra point by kicker Anaya Loberg was blocked, making it 26-0 to end the first quarter.

Soon in the second quarter, however, the Horsemen struck again when Loberg scooped up a Trojan fumble and scored, followed by a fake kick and a conversion pass from Loberg, a senior, to Aden West, also a senior. Troy fumbled again, but recovered it themselves. It didn't matter. And as the great Yogi Berra would say, it was "déjà vu all over again" when Standeford made his third interception and ran five yards for the TD and a 40-0 game.

With 4:54 left in the second quarter, Troy finally got into the end zone with Nolan Morris throwing a 45-yard pass to Carson Orr, although their two-point conversion run failed. Horseman West soon caught a near 40-yard pass, despite having two defenders on him. That was followed by an 18-yard Standeford to Dines pass for another touchdown. Junior Pepper Lulack then blasted his way into the end zone for the extra two points and at halftime the Horsemen led 48-6.

The Horsemen scored only once in the third with a Dines six-yard touchdown run. The conversion failed and the score was 54-6. In the fourth, Zayden Allen, a junior, tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior Nick Hill, but again, no conversion points. That was followed by a 25-yard touchdown run by Allen, and then a successful Allen conversion pass to Loberg to end the game 68-6.

"Hopefully, this energy can help us against a tough opponent next Saturday in Missoula against Valley Christian," said Tatum. The Horsemen will celebrate their homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. against the Arlee Warriors.