The Big Sandy Pioneer football season was a spectacular one that saw the team qualify for the Montana Class C Six-man Football Playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Their post season run came to an end this past Friday in Bridger with a 42-7 loss to the Scouts in the quarterfinal round of the 16 team field.
The Pioneers gave a valiant effort Friday night but a fast start by the Scouts was simply to much to overcome.
Bridger scored three first quarter touchdowns going to the air to find the endzone. In the second quarter the Scouts utilized the run game to add two more touchdowns before closing out the first half with another scoring pass to take a 42-0 lead over Big Sandy at the halftime intermission.
The Pioneers showed a lot of heart as they continued to battle throughout the second half and pitching a shutout in doing so.
The Pioneer defense stood tall in not allowing the scouts to put more points on the board in the second half.
The offense was able to find the end zone late in the contest as senior Weston Allderdice scored on a two yard plunge with 4:14 left in the contest.
Senior Bryant Jones then found Allderdice for the conversion providing the games final points.
The Pioneers were a resilient team all season and certainly have a program on the rise as freshman Kade Strutz and Parker Proulx gained valuable experience throughout the season and along with several other underclassman will provide a nucleus sure to go deep in the playoffs next fall.
The Pioneers had post season aspirations from the very start and making it to the playoffs for the first time in five years was a goal that everyone from the coaching staff on down had thought was very attainable.
Big Sandy opened the season with back and fourth contest that provided the younger kids with a taste of varsity football at its best as they edged Noxon 28-26.
Big Sandy then won another close game on the road against the Roy/Winifred Outlaws 32-35. The Power-Dutton-Brady Titans, playing their first season of six-man football were able to pull out a 37-38 dropping Big Sandy to 2-1.
The Pioneers then rattled off three straight wins over Heart Butte (56-19), Sunburst (63-26) and North Star (56-26) before dropping a defensive struggle to the eventual Northern Division Champion Valier Panthers 19-7.
Big Sandy responded to a tough setback by the going on the road and taking down a very good Geraldine/Highwood team to secure a playoff spot.
The Pioneers concluded the regular season with 43-6 drubbing of the Augusta Elk.
The following week Big Sandy picked up its first playoff win by defeating the Richey/Lambert Fusion at home 55-32.
The Pioneers may be done for the year but it is a certainty that this team made the community of Big Sandy proud in finishing the season 8-3.
Bridger Scouts 42
Big Sandy Pioneers 7
Big Sandy Pioneers - 0 0 0 7 - 7
Bridger Scouts - 18 24 0 0 - 42
1st Quarter
Bridger - Nick Althoff 14 yard pass to Colter Zentner (kick fail)
Bridger - Russell Zentner 60 yard pass from Colter Zentner (pass fail)
Bridger - Russell Zentner 20 yard pass from Colter Zentner (run fail)
2nd Quarter
Bridger - Coltner Zentner yard 3 run (Russell Zentner kick)
Bridger - Coltner Zentner 11 run (Russell Zentner kick)
Bridger - Russell Zentner 45 pass from Colter Zentner (Russell Zentner kick)
3rd Quarter
No Scoring
4th Quarter
Big Sandy - Weston Allderdice 1 yard run (Weston Allderice pass from Bryant Jones)
