Scotties Down Colts 56-6 in Season Opener

Glasgow's football team started their season at home Aug. 27 with a decisive 56-6 win over the Colstrip Colts. The Scotties hit the field with a purpose that had the visitors calling a timeout after only three plays to regroup as Glasgow owned the field.

The Scotties lit up the scoreboard just two minutes into the game as Tatum Hansen scored on a one-yard run. Quarterback Mason Donaldson handed off to Toryn Richards for the two point conversion to put Glasgow up 8-0.

Glasgow wasted little time adding to their lead. The defense blocked a punt, handing the ball over to the Scottie offense who converted the possession into their second touchdown of the game. Donaldson carried the pigskin 12 yards to cross the goal line before connecting with Wyatt Babb to add the extra two points.

Another blocked punt by Babb led to a second quarterback keeper by Donaldson, this time from four yards out. Richards scored on the two point conversion, running straight through the center of Colstrip's defensive line.

Glasgow's fourth and final touchdown of the opening quarter happened when Morgan Fast snagged a 30-yard throw in the end zone with just 25 seconds left. The Scotties were unable to convert on the extra points attempt, their only such failure in the game.

As Glasgow's offense ratcheted up their lead, their defensive counterparts prevented Colstrip from even achieving a first down in the opening quarter.

Just under five minutes into the second quarter, Colstrip's Heck scored from just outside the end zone but the Scotties squashed the Colts' two-point attempt, putting the score 30-6 in the Scotties' favor.

The Scotties turned the ball over to the Colts shortly after an impressive run from Richards but Glasgow found a way to turn the fumble in their favor. With the Colts forced to start from just outside the Scotties' end zone, Glasgow's defense again came through as Fast took down Heck for a safety and another two points on the Scotties' side of the scoreboard.

Glasgow's next touchdown came when Donaldson found Babb in the air and the latter ran the ball for the score. The Scotties went to Richards again for the two-point attempt and the junior did not disappoint, giving Glasgow a 40-6 lead that would hold for the remainder of the half.

After the intermission, Donaldson found Ashton Potter in the end zone. Potter came down with the 17-yard toss for Glasgow's sixth touchdown in the tilt. Richards tacked on the extra two as Glasgow forced the running clock.

Glasgow's final score of the game came with just under seven minutes left in the game. Freshman quarterback Khye Gamas stepped in to fill Donaldson's shoes – one of several roles he stepped into during the game – and ran the ball 18 yards in for the touchdown. He connected with Nic Solorzano for the two point conversion.

Glasgow more than doubled Colstrip's total yards: 352 to 132. Glasgow put up 283 rushing yards and 90 passing while the Colts had 130 rushing and 2 passing yards.

Donaldson had all 90 passing yards while Richards led the Scotties in rushing with 131 yards on 10 carries. Gamas had 48 rushing yards on three carries. Donaldson had 31 yards on three carries. Hansen had 27 yards on four carries before he left the game with an injury. Fast added 21 yards on two carries.

Fast had 30 yards receiving with one catch and a touchdown. Potter added a touchdown with his 16-yard reception. Babb had 44 receiving yards on three catches with one touchdown.

"Offensively I felt like we had moments that looked good, but the film shows that we have plenty of things to work on, which is a good thing after the first game. Getting the first game under our belt and getting the win will carry good momentum into the coming weeks," said assistant coach Dylan Hughes. "I'm proud of the way our guys played. We have thrown a lot at them through the first few weeks of practice and they executed most things exceptionally well, and never were distracted by the heat or the wind. I'm really looking forward to watch this team develop as we fine tune our offensive concepts."

Two of Gamas' yards came from a late-game interception. The freshman also had five tackles in the game and stepped into some special teams roles as the Scotties lost kicker Kohl Kittleson to a lower body injury.

Vaughn Miller and Grady Nielsen led the defense with seven tackles a piece followed by Solorzano with six. Babb, Mason Hunter and Gamas added five each. Miller, Nielsen, Myles Yoakam and Hunter had two tackles for loss a piece with Yoakam getting the only sack of the game.

"Great to get back on Scottie Field and start the season off with a solid team win," assistant coach Sam Tedrow told the Courier. "With five new starters on defense, we had some younger guys really step and fill key roles. Really proud of Grady and Myles answering the call and dominating the point of attack when two of our D-line had to come out [Kittleson and Hansen]. Looking forward to some teaching moments in the film room and getting ready for a tough Huntley team this week."

Head coach Patrick Barnett was also happy. "Nice to start with a win under our belts," he said after the game. Looking forward, the coach, who likes to keep his cards close to his chest, said of Huntley Project, "They're good."

Glasgow hosts the Huntley Project Red Devils this Friday, Sept. 2, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Glasgow's JV team played in Glendive Aug. 29 but results and stats were unavailable at press time.