Blue Hawks still looking for first 11-man win

Progress is in the works for the Thompson Falls football team.

This past week they traveled to Butte to take on the Shepherd High School Mustangs and fell 20-0 on the neutral sight.

And although it may not seem so, progress is indeed being made as the Blue Hawks adjust, adapt and overcome in the world of 11-man football after spending the past several seasons playing in the 8-man ranks.

The Blue Hawks won the state B-8 championship last year before being elevated to the next level up due to enrollment gains.

Statistics continue to show steady improvement on both sides of the ball for coach Jared Koskela and crew, particularly on defense.

Shepherd, a suburb of Billings, got on the scoreboard first when they scored on a three-yard touchdown run, then added a two point conversion after touchdown to take an 8-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Blue Hawks held Shepherd to that lead until the second quarter when a Mustang runner broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown jaunt that boosted the score to 14-0 at halftime.

The T Falls defense continued to show they can be competitive at the 11-man level when they allowed only one score the rest of the way, a one-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter.

Neither team scored in the final quarter.

The loss dropped the Blue Hawks to 0-3 on the year.

But in so doing they continued to show signs of improvement. Quarterback Eli Ratliff was 13 for 18 passing and had 127 yards against the Mustangs. Breck Ferris had four of the receptions for 25 yards, while Jessie Claridge caught two passes for 51 yards, including one for 39 yards.

On defense, T Falls got eight tackles and 16 tackle assists from Hannum.

Next up for T Falls is another road game against always tough Fairfield this Friday evening.