Malta to face Bigfork after Poplar win

With their 65-6 win over the Poplar Indians the Malta Mustangs have their first win streak of the 2016 season. The win put the 2-2 Mustangs at second place behind Wolf Point who is the only District 2B team to win two games in the district. Glasgow currently sits in third place with their own 2-2 record having not played a district opponent yet.

Malta will travel to Bigfork this Friday to take on the 3-2 Vikings, who are coming off of a 35-20 win over 1-4 Thompson Falls last Friday.

"Bigfork is very well-coached and they have a very tough running back in Matthew Farrier," Mustangs Head Coach Nick Oxarart said. "He is very fast and follows his blockers well. They have a very solid passing attack as well. They are a very well-balanced team and have a solid offensive and defensive line."

To play a game having to travel six hours away may be tough for the young Mustangs, but Coach Oxarart knows that the team can overcome the distance with a sound and disciplined game.

"We will have to play very well in Bigfork in order to come away with a victory," Coach Oxarart said. "We can't have any mistakes or turnovers. It is an extremely long bus ride and we will have to handle that and come focused with intensity and we could see some success if we do that."

The Mustangs earned a solid win against Poplar, despite the weather. The team was led by a solid run attack that racked up 286 yards and seven touchdowns on 25 carries, giving them an average of 11.4 yards per carry.

"Our running backs ran very hard and we had solid blocking up front from our offensive line," Coach Oxarart said.

Trace Simonson racked up 107 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries (13.3 YPC). Kevin Henry had 106 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries (15.1 YPC). Andres Lopez had 45 yards on five carries (8 YPC). Cru Darrah had 30 yards and two touchdowns on two carries (15 YPC).

Henry and Lopez were a good example of the young talent the Mustangs have on the JV level. The Mustangs' JV squad had a 3-0 record as of last Monday morning and are showing promise even in varsity games.

"Our JV is having a great season so far and they are the key to our varsity success," Coach Oxarart said. "The tougher the guys we practice against all week is what prepares our varsity for Friday night. Right now they are doing a great job."

The team also had solid defense, holding Poplar to only 89 yards and one touchdown on 47 plays.

"The defense was able to control the game for the most part," Coach Oxarart said. "They did a great job of keeping their feet on such a wet field."

The Mustangs passing game wasn't affected by the rain, as Keenan Schipman completed five of his six pass attempts for 91 yards and three touchdowns.

"Keenan threw some nice passes for three scores and our receivers caught the ball well in wet conditions and made some nice runs after the catch," Coach Oxarart said.

Konner Kuehn had two receptions for 46 yards and one touchdown and Ostin Welch had two catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns.

Scoring Plays:

1st Quarter: Malta #40 Ostin Welch 11 yard pass from #3 Keenan Schipman (Simanton kick) 8:27

Malta #40 Welch 34 yard pass from #3 Schipman (kick fail)

Malta #33 Cru Darrah 29 yard run (run fail) 0:31

2nd Quarter: Malta #32 Trace Simonson 24 yard run (kick fail) 9:15

Malta #21 Konner Kuehn 5 yard pass from #3 Schipman (kick fail)

Malta #33 Darrah 1 yard run (Simanton kick)

Malta #32 Simonson 30 yard run (kick fail)

3rd Quarter: Malta #30 Kevin Henry 34 yard run (Simanton kick) 8:36

4th Quarter: Malta #30 Henry 4 yard run (Simanton kick) 11:56

Poplar #14 Hunter Reum 3 yard run (pass fail)

Malta #30 Henry 49 yard run (Simanton kick)