Horsemen show progress in loss at Arlee

It’s going to come, probably sooner rather than later. The Plains Horsemen will indeed taste victory. Take it to the bank. Losses like the 44-8 defeat at the hands of the Arlee Warriors this past Friday will become the exception rather than the rule.

When will this happen?

Listen to these positive words of encouragement from a young coach who has yet to guide his young and rebuilding team to a victory.

“Every game we have improved from the last,” said head coach Ryan Hart, now well into his second year at the helm of the Horsemen. “By maintaining our blocks, being physical on both sides of the ball and running behind our blocks, we have a recipe for success. In order to win this week, we need to work on ball security, limiting our penalties and wrapping up our tackles”.

Sound like a guy who has given up?

So despite the lopsided score again this week, the kind of mentality needed to turn around a program appears to be taking hold.

The good fight is being waged at Plains High. The underclass dominated Horsemen are, most importantly, working hard and zeroing in on areas that need work.

Friday’s game was a microcosm of how the Horsemen season has gone.

They fell behind midway through the first quarter when the home-standing Warriors scored on a 25-yard touchdown run by Jake Knoll. The PAT run was successful and with 5:08 to play in the opening frame, Plains found itself trailing Arlee 8-0.

Knoll added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, one on a five yard run and the other on a four-yard flip from quarterback Kendall O’Neil, his third TD of the first half.

Knoll ran for the PAT after his third touchdown, boosting the Arlee lead to 22-0.

In the opening minutes of the third quarter, Knoll completed his scoring onslaught, this time on a 20-yard jaunt into the Plains end zone. That PAT was also good and with 10:18 still to play in quarter number three, Plains found itself in a 30-0 hole.

Then it happened, again. That moment in each Horseman game so far, something to be excited about and something to build on.

It was with 2:32 left to play in the third quarter that Plains running back Mason Elliot broke through the Warriors’ defense and rambled 54-yard for a touchdown. A successful PAT run put the score at 30-8.

From that point until the end of the game, Plains held the Warriors to a pair of touchdowns and extra points, eventually building Arlee’s lead to 44-8 as time ran out in the game.

But as has been the case for several games now, defensive progress for the Horsemen is being matched by some sparks on offense that bode well for the years ahead.

“Something started to click in our game against Troy,” Hart said. “We started maintaining our blocks well and getting to the second level. We’re playing physical and running the ball hard”

The loss dropped Plains to 0-5 on the year.

Next up for the Horsemen is a road game this Saturday night in Victor.