Bridger 44, Broadview-Lavina 19
BRIDGER - Fourth-ranked Bridger will carry its perfect record at least one more week.
The Scouts held off a second-half comeback attempt by visiting Broadview-Lavina for a 44-19 victory, keeping their 6-Man South regular-season conference title hopes alive in the process.
"We knew Broadview was going to give us a game. They're getting better. We knew we were going to have our hands full and we battled and got the win," Bridger head coach Jim Goltz said.
Bridger methodically pushed the ball down the field on its opening possession before Chance Goltz hit Baylor Pospisil for a 14-yard touchdown on a play action pass, the first of four for Goltz on the evening.
The Scouts forced a Broadview-Lavina turnover on downs, but the Pirates intercepted Goltz on Bridger's first play from scrimmage. Goltz's pass was tipped by a Bridger receiver before Hank Tuszynski picked it off and took it back for a touchdown to pull Broadview-Lavina within 8-6.
But the Bridger offense hit another gear over the next 10-minute span.
Goltz and Pospisil would hookup for their second touchdown of the game with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter, then Goltz hit Rod Zentner on a bomb up the right sideline with less than a minute to play before halftime to help the Scouts extend their lead to 24-6 at the break.
Bridger opened the second half just like it finished the first. Goltz's fourth touchdown pass of the game was his third to Pospisil, as the senior caught a dump-off from Goltz before weaving in and out of the Broadview-Lavina defense for a 45-yard touchdown.
Broadview-Lavina, though, wasn't going to go away. The Pirates struck on the next play from scrimmage, as Kade Erickson found William Hanser on a double-move for a 57-yard score to pull the Pirates within 30-13.
Erickson and Hanser would link up a second time in the third quarter to cut Bridger's advantage to 30-19, but Bridger's defense finished the game off in the fourth quarter.
After a Broadview-Lavina interception by Connor Glennie in the end zone halted a long Bridger drive and gave the Pirates a chance for points, they gave it right back. Glennie had the ball ripped out of his hands by Bridger's Zach Althoff who raced back the other way for a huge momentum-swinging touchdown. Althoff would add a 2-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes left to cap his night.
"It's hard to keep it rolling. We talked about some adjustments we were going to do at halftime. I think they made some nice adjustments and got us rattled and got me out of my play-calling," Jim Goltz said. "(Althoff) got us going. They were clawing back, they're a good ball club."
Bridger runs its record to 5-0, while Broadview-Lavina falls to 4-1. Bridger will play Reed-Point Rapelje on Oct. 1, while the Pirates will face Roy-Winifred the same day.
6-Man scores
Big Sandy 56, Heart Butte 6
Bridger 44, Broadview-Lavina 19
Richey-Lambert 49, Savage 0
Shields Valley 38, DGS-GR-W 14
