Top-rated Valley Christian shuts out Horsemen

Valley Christian is, as Plains head football coach Mike Tatum recognized, “as good as advertised.”

The Eagles lived up to their 7-0 record and first-place standing in the Western B 8-Player Conference when they upended visiting Plains 54-0 Saturday in Missoula. 

The potent Eagle’s offense erupted for 26 first quarter points while their equally stifling defense put up a zero on the Plains side of the scoreboard in a game that saw many of the Horsemen’s young players get “plenty of playing time”, according to Tatum. 

“We knew we had an insurmountable challenge Saturday and if anything we saw the type of speed and efficiency we need to get to be more competitive,” Tatum added.  

The win kept the Eagles, who have rolled through the regular season with a series of lopsided wins against Western B opponents, perfect record intact.  Their closest game of the year came in the season-opener against Superior, which Valley Christian won, 35-20. 

The Eagles are third-ranked in the state in Class B-8 polls. 

Their onslaught against Plains continued in the second quarter when they tacked on another 22 points to build a commanding 48-0 lead by halftime. 

With younger players on both sides seeing extra playing time in the second half, only one score was recorded, a touchdown by Valley Christian to produce the final 54-0 tally. 

Despite the lopsided score, Tatum said the game offered an opportunity for several inexperienced Horsemen to get varsity game action with an eye on the future. 

“On the bright side, some younger or inexperienced players got a lot of playing time at various positions,” coach Tatum said. “Greg Tatum (quarterback) and Matthew Thurston (running back), both sophomores, started in their first varsity game and other players stepped in and filled new roles at times for the sake of the team”. 

A holding penalty late in the game nullified a Plains touchdown thrown by Greg Tatum to Zayden Allen, who coach Tatum said made an amazing catch while being covered by multiple defenders. 

Tatum also had positive words for his defense. 

“On the other (defense) side of the ball, we had a lot of reps,” he said. “At times we played really well, so hopefully we can build from that and get better.”

Wyatt Butcher, as he has done all season, was the Horsemen’s leading tackler with 12.  He also was credited with a forced fumble by Valley Christian.  Greg Tatum and Beau Crabb had six tackles each for Plains. 

The Horsemen have a shorter than normal recovery time this week as they play their final home game of the season this Thursday (Oct. 17) versus St. Regis-Mullan, ID. 

“We’ll lick our wounds from this one and get ready for a short week of practice before St. Regis comes to town,” he said. “Valley Christian’s players and coaches are always a class act”.  

Kickoff time for the St. Regis game is set for 7 p.m. The game is the team’s Senior Night event, when they will honor the 10 seniors on their roster.