Scotties Turn Tables in Shutout of Harlem

"It was another step in the right direction for us," said head coach Greg Liebelt of his team's 35-0 drubbing of the Harlem Wildcats. "We played well."

Coach Liebelt's sentiments would not - could not - have applied to his team a fortnight ago. Now, though, after a second-consecutive rousing smackdown of a division 2B rival, a playoff berth looking all the more likely to rise from the ashes of the first four weeks' charred horror show, Liebelt's levity fits his squad's form as a sleek tuxedo on a man who heretofore had constricted his wardrobe to buffalo wing sauce-stained Metallica t-shirts.

Benji Phillips again led the Scotties on the ground - though Liebelt notes the night was not all-Benji in the same sense as the 42-6 Wolf Point victory was. "We wanted to mix in our passing game more than we have in the past," said the coach. "We threw the ball quite a few times; Trent [Herbert] threw particularly well."

That the scoreline read 35-0 at halftime had as much to do with offensive prowess as it did defensive dominance. The Scotties built themselves as a fortress, forcing turnovers and establishing a constant of uneasiness among their opponents. Lane Nickels returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play after the opening kickoff; from there, the young men established a Pax Montana of sorts, a zen haven calmed rather than disturbed by the opponents' incessant charges. When one unlocks the secret of the enemy's plan, each successive attempt of his to enact that plan seems more pitiful, less threatening than the one before. A wasp becomes a fly becomes a dust mite. In Harlem's case, a Wildcat metamorphosed into a chia pet.

"Our defense played very well," said Liebelt, "but Harlem shot themselves in the foot with fumbled snaps and such as often as we brought those turnovers about."

This week, the Scotties (2-4 (2-0)), travel to Poplar (1-5 (0-3)). If the season were to end today, Glasgow would travel to Baker on Halloween for the first round of the Class B playoffs. The Poplar Indians are by all accounts weak - though in Liebelt's eyes the relative strength and weakness of a team hardly matters.

"The way we coach our guys is to get better each game. The level of competition may vary week to week, but if they're doing their jobs, the game takes care of itself.

"We can't afford to take a game off. Each time we take the field is an opportunity to improve on our weaknesses. We'll come out and play hard."

Liebelt's team is not perfect - a point he stresses - but it may finally have settled itself after September's trial-by-fire.

Rushing:

Benji Phillips: 11 rushes 65 yds, TD

Trent Herbert: 6-16, TD

Chase Williams: 3-10

Darrin Wersal: 1-17

Cache Younkin: 1-3

John McColly: 1-0

Passing:

Herbert: 3-6, 40 yds, TD

Wersal: 1-5, 36 yds, TD, 2 INT

Receiving:

Phillips: 2-41, TD

Ethan Etchart: 2-21, TD

Lane Nickels: 1-34

207 total yards

3 turnovers

10 penalites-100 yards