Scotties Make Devils See Red

It looks like the Scotties have a habit of experiencing a shaky start, then knowing how to get back on track.

That was the pattern after Glasgow's second game of the season. The Scotties fought hard and won a come-from-behind victory over the home team Dawson County Red Devils, 29-14, on Sept. 5.

The first quarter was all Glendive. Glasgow mustered only 12 yards of offense and fumbled twice 5 minutes into the game – the second of which Glendive easily converted to a touchdown, a 12-yard run by senior center Tai Sokoloski. Immediately thereafter, Scottie quarterback Jason Thibault got sacked, and the new Oakland Athletic Complex went wild.

This was the Red Devils' opening game. Rocky Erickson was on the radio broadcast. What a way for the Red Devils fans to revel in their new state of the art facility.

The Scotties made the celebration seem premature, however, as they put on a long drive to land at second down at the Red Devils' 17-yard line at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter went on a roller coaster. Thibault connected with wide receiver Chase Fossum on a 6-yard pass to bring in the Scotties' first touchdown, and the trickery began, as head coach Greg Liebelt likes to say. As Fossum faked a setup for PAT kick, he rolled to the right and tossed the ball to a wide open Dallas Capdeville for a 2-point conversion. Glasgow 8, Glendive 7.

"That was good football on our part," Liebelt said. "We know that Chase used to be a quarterback and can throw ball, so we used his skills and made a great execution."

Not to be outdone, the Red Devils answered right back as Sokolosky rushed 45 yards and QB Carson Oakland connected with Cody Rossi in the end zone to score Glendive's second touchdown in the middle of the second quarter. Glendive was up, 14-8.

With 3:21 left in the second quarter, Tanner Roness and Capdeville broke through tackles and put on tremendous runs to take Glasgow to the 23-yard line. Thibault's pass to Jake Page at the end zone tied the game at 14-14 at half time, after Fossum's PAT kick was blocked.

Strong defense on both sides marked the third quarter early on. The Scotties' ground game seemed to be the mode of operation now as Capdeville, Parker Kulczyk, and Roness picked up long distance, and Roness scored the Scotties' third touchdown with a 25-yard run. Fake PAT motion from Thibault to kicker Fossum fooled the Red Devils again, as Fossum tossed the ball back to Thibault, who made another 2-point conversion. Glasgow was up 22-14, with about 2:30 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Scotties controlled the rest of the second half, scoring the fourth touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Thibault to Page. The PAT kick by Fossum was good and real this time. Glasgow 29, Glendive 14.

Backup quarterback Kevin Schindler stepped into the game for Glasgow's last possession. Glasgow got the final win, defeating the Red Devils 29-14.

Speed and powerful runs defined the Scotties' offense in this game.

"Our running game was really effective," Liebelt said."It allowed us to maintain possession and run down the clock. Our offensive line is still quite new but has improved a lot in execution and efficiency from just last week."

The Scotties' defense allowed its opponent to threaten the end zone only three times, all in the first half. "During halftime we asked the team to not get down and to hold Glendive scoreless in second half. The kids did exactly that," Liebelt said.

The Scotties had 243 yards rushing and 99 yards passing for a total of 342 yards offense. Roness topped the team with over 140 yards rushing, 4 assisted tackles and 5 solo tackles.

Homecoming Game

In the homecoming game this Friday, Sept. 12, the Scotties will take on the Baker Spartans for the fourth time in three seasons. The Scotties have not had a successful track record vs Baker, losing to Baker 16-13 in the 2012 Class B quarterfinals, 34-0 in September 2013, and 22-7 in the 2013 Class B semifinals.

"Baker seemed to have changed their offensive style this year by spreading out and throwing more, as opposed to physical ground game they were known for," Liebelt said. "For us, our passing is always solid and we have perhaps a better running game than we did a year ago. We tell our kids to stay mentally focused and execute all the things they know how to do. We ask them to go out and compete."

The Scotties football team includes players from Glasgow, Hinsdale, and Nashua. They are coached by Greg Liebelt, Bryan Krumwiede, Pat Gunderson, Trint Gamas, Ed Sugg, Levi Sugg, Gordon Hawks and Johnny Row.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. at the Scottie Field.