Glasgow Gridiron Gang Tramples Wolf Point

For head coach Greg Liebelt, Friday night's rain-swept affair served as both a confirmation of his team's capability and a pealing toll to its final three opponents that the Scotties, record notwithstanding, cannot be overlooked.

"This was needed, for sure," Liebelt said. "I said at the homecoming parade that we're a lot better than our record shows. We had a tough first five games, but we're a competitive team."

Wolf Point's short-staffed roster was stretched thin by Glasgow's relentless pressure. Boys in green jerseys were reduced to quivering stalks on a hellacious, endless prairie bowed further and further towards the waterlogged earth as the gale force of Glaswegian dynamism swept them from dreams of a third-consecutive conference victory.

"Our defense did a phenomenal job limiting their offense," said Liebelt. The Scotties held their opponents to 20 total first-half yards.

Former NFL coach Bill Walsh, West Coast Offense guru and proponent of the "first fifteen" mantra, would have been proud of the first quarter siege the Scotties mounted against their foes. The Wolf Point attack spun its wheels in the muck of indecision, brought on in equal measure by both the fiery, red-clad crowd, which rahed and stamped so rambunctiously that the bleachers shook in their bearings and the chilly autumn night itself seemed to cower, its menacing growl quieted, and the domineering power of the Scottie athletes' stolid resolve.

Glasgow forced turnovers; Glasgow capitalized on their self-bestowed advantages. A near-pick six by Lane Nickels set up the first score, and though Cache Younkin's extra point missed, a Luke Breigenzer fumble recovery on the ensuing drive gifted possession to the Scotties in Wolf Point territory. Soon, courtesy of a Benji Phillips three-yard run and two-point conversion, the score was 14-0.

Liebelt chose to platoon Trent Herbert and Darrin Wersal at quarterback. Herbert's 78-yard second quarter run gave the Scotties their third touchdown. Wersal, who entered in the second half, iced the game with two passing touchdowns of his own - a 16-yard pass to Breigenzer in the third and, again to Breigenzer, an 80-yarder with just under seven minutes to play.

"We're going to look at what both quarterbacks give us and utilize both over the course of our games," said Liebelt. "With Trent we'll run more often; with Darrin we may pass more."

Liebelt notes that Herbert finished 3-5 through the air to complement the dividends paid by dint of his quick-churning quads.

Phillips rushed for three scores. The junior finished with 162 yards on 30 carries.

"With the rain, we didn't want to throw the ball too much," said Liebelt. "Our gameplan was to give our running backs a healthy dose of reps. Benji had a huge night."

With a four-touchdown advantage at halftime and the revelry of the Saskatoon Police Pipe and Drums echoing in their ears, the Scotties could have fallen back upon their laurels; given the way Glendive's comeback in week 2 snapped Glasgow out of dreams concerning the season's first win, such would not be allowed.

Aside from a blocked punt return touchdown by Wolf Point's Brady Babb midway through the fourth quarter, Wolf Point evaporated, a wicked witch under relentless October rain and the hailstorm of Scottie indefatigability. Liebelt led his boys to the locker room, soaked but grinning. The scoreboard read 42-6. For last year's state Quarterfinalists, order was temporarily restored.

"This game was a big step forward for us," said Liebelt. "Though there are some areas we still need to address. We're dealing with it, week-by-week." 

The team's next game comes Oct. 9 at Harlem. The Wildcats are 2-4 -- though enter the showdown versus the Scotties on the heels of a weather-delayed drubbing of Poplar. If Glasgow emerges victorious and couple the win with an Oct. 16 defeat of Poplar, it is guaranteed one of district 2B's two Class B playoff berths. The final game versus Malta would determine seeding.

Liebelt wastes little breath in riffing on the "what if" of things, and speaks the gospel of continued striving.

"There's improvement in practice, but we recognize we've still got a ways to go to reach our peak."