Young Bluehawks look to build for next season
<p>Jake Smith carries the ball down the field during the Bluehawks' last game of the season. Smith played his last game of his high school career.</p>
THOMPSON FALLS – In the last game of the season, the Bluehawks gave it their all but ultimately size would be their worst enemy as the Bigfork football team overpowered the young team.
The final score came out in favor of Bigfork with a score of 46 to 6.
“We were down on the line of scrimmage because of Bigfork’s size,” said Head Coach Curt Kegel.
The team was also down two linemen during the game, adding another challenge to the night.
“We had freshmen and sophomore linemen against junior and senior linemen,” explained Coach Kegel.
Even with a struggle, the Bluehawks refused to give up. The team gave it their all throughout the night – playing their last game with their heads held high.
“I give them credit for playing the whole game,” said Coach Kegel.
Freshman Garrett Strine caught a 63 yard pass from McKenzie Holt, scoring the only touchdown in the game, with only seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Greg Wadsworth had a great game defensively with ten tackles, but other then Wadsworth, Coach Kegel said everyone had a fairly equal game.
The Bluehawks will be losing three seniors, although only two of their playing powers will be missed. Nate Norris and Jake Smith both played great games for their last year of high school, while senior Dieterich House did not get the chance to play this season due to an earlier injury.
The season held ups and downs for the team as both frustration and improvement flooded the fields. Coach Kegel stated the team had given away some big games during the season, especially in the game against Troy.
“It was sometimes frustrating because we played with teams for part of the games and had some let downs that let the teams get off the hook,” explained Coach Kegel. “Thinking of that, in our Troy game in the last two minutes of the second quarter they scored 21 points.”
Coach Kegel said that although they were leading for a good chunk of the game, once the opponent’s touchdowns came in, the Bluehawks were unable to get back into the game.
With the youth of the team, Coach Kegel explained that is typical.
“All in all, for the age of our kids and what not, we did okay,” said Coach Kegel.
Overall, the kid’s efforts did not go unnoticed and their heart kept them on the field.
“I just appreciate the kid’s effort and like I said they just never quit and they played the whole game,” said Coach Kegel. “They were outsized by almost every team they played and they just never quit. They kept playing hard and never complained about it.”
Coach Kegel said he was very proud of the team’s attitude throughout the season.
On Monday night, the weight room was opened up for the kids in hopes that they would continue their conditioning throughout the year and into the summer, keeping them in shape for next year’s season.
As for Coach Kegel, time will only tell if he will return to coach the Bluehawks again. Bluehawks fan should look forward to the new season.