Game Summary/Box Score – AA
Playoffs
June 23, 2007 Missoula Phoenix at Vipers @ Davis High School
MISSOULA 34 VIPERS 28
DAVIS – And they said it couldn’t be
done.
The Vipers were going to be
too big, too strong, too fast, too talented and… to at home for the “finesse”
team from Montana, the Missoula Phoenix to have a chance to win… However, Shane
Jurasek passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, completing at least 2 passes
to 6 different receivers as the Missoula Phoenix pulled off the improbably
upset of the Vipers at Davis High School, 34-28 to advance to the RMFL AA Championship
game against the Bitterroot Blaze.
It was a back-and-forth
game in which the Phoenix NEVER fell behind.
Missoula struck first blood
when Tyler Boaz caught Jurasek’s first touchdown pass early on in the 1st
quarter, a 10-yard touchdown that gave the Phoenix a 7-0 lead. The Vipers heralded place-kicker, Bryce
Kennington, then would nail a 53-yard field goal later in the quarter to pull
the Vipers to within 7-3. The highly
ranked Vipers defense, however, just could not seem to completely contain
Jurasek and the Missoula offense, finally getting another touchdown earlier in
the second quarter when Jurasek took it in himself from 2-yards out as the
Phoenix took a 14-3 lead.
The score remained 14-3
until Viper all-star bound defensive back, Andy Schindler intercepted Jurasek
and raced in from 30-yards out to close the gap to within 14-10 with 3:20
remaining in the half.
The Phoenix, however, would
march down the field and tack on another touchdown on a Tony Sanderson pass
reception and Missoula was back on top 21-10 with 0:29 remaining. A big Devon Holbrook kick off return would
set up the Vipers in range to move up for a half-ending 34-yard field goal by
Kennington pulling the Vipers to within a score of 21-13. The half ended with the powerful Viper
offense unable to muster an offensive touchdown.
In the third quarter, Devon
Holbrook, who lead all offensive players with 167 rushing yards on the day,
would score the first of his two touchdowns midway through the third quarter
and after a Rashad Kennedy two-point run, the Vipers had re-asserted themselves
and knotted the game up at 21-21. The
tide of momentum seemed to have swung the Vipers way as the Vipers defense shut
out the Phoenix in the third quarter.
The Phoenix, however, if
they were missing any players due to the long road trip, were not missing “heart”;
mounting another long drive that started late in the 3rd quarter,
culminating in an 11-yard Sheldon McCool touchdown run with 13:25 still to go
in the 4th quarter. Holbrook
would tie it right back up with 9:09… and like a heavyweight fighter that takes
his opponents hardest punch and just smiles, the Phoenix would not be denied.
Tony Sanderson, probably
the games MVP even over Jurasek, would then return the ensuing kick-off
90-yards for the game winning touchdown.
Of course, with 8:54 still
showing on the clock, no one expected it to be the last score of the game,
however, each defense then stiffened, particularly the Phoenix, as the Vipers
lack of a serious passing attack finally came back to bite them and the game
ran out for the team that came into the playoffs favored to win a AA
Championship.
The often maligned Missoula
defense was spirited by the efforts of Stephen Schreibeis and Bud Maynard. They both recorded 8-1/2 tackles and Maynard
got in for a big drive-killing sack. The
Missoula secondary held the Vipers quarterback, James Flynn to only 3 of 16
passing and only 17 total passing yards, deducting losses in sacks by Maynard
and (Jeff) Maynard, the Vipers would only gain 5 total net yards in passing…
while having a reasonably productive day rushing; gaining 292 on the ground
with Holbrook Flynn (59 yards) and Josh Christensen (53 yards).
The Missoula offense,
behind Jurasek’s big passing day, was simply too much for a shell-shocked Viper
defense that came into the game only averaging allowing 120 yards and about 8
points a game. Missoula racked up 367
total net yards and scoring 34 and will now have a 3rd chance to
defeat the Bitterroot Blaze… this time for an RMFL AA Championship title.
|
Missoula Phoenix |
7 |
14 |
0 |
13 |
34 |
|
Vipers |
3 |
10 |
8 |
7 |
28 |
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
MISSOULA: Tyler Boaz 10-yard pass from Jurasek (Spencer kick) |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
MISSOULA: Shane Jurasek 2-yard run (Spencer kick) 9:00 VIPERS: Bryce Kennington 34-yard field goal 0:00 |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
VIPERS: Devon Holbrook 11-yard run (Rashad Kennedy run) 5:12 |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
MISSOULA: Sheldon McCool 11-yard run (Spencer kick) 13:25 MISSOULA: Tony Sanderson 90-yard kick-off return (pass failed)
8:54 |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
MISSOULA |
VIPERS |
|
||
|
First
Downs |
17 |
11 |
|
||
|
Rushes-Yds |
17 |
58 |
38 |
292 |
|
|
Passing |
17--29--1 |
3--16--0 |
|
||
|
Passing
Yds. |
309 |
17 |
|
||
|
Sacked-Yds |
0 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
|
|
Net
Passing Yds. |
309 |
5 |
|
||
|
Total
Yds. |
367 |
297 |
|
||
|
Punts
- Avg. |
3-38.0 |
4-53.0 |
|
||
|
Penalties
-Yds |
6 |
38 |
11 |
85 |
|
|
Fumbles
- Lost |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individual
Stats: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rushing: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player
-Team |
Tot.
Att. |
Tot.
Yds |
TD's |
2 pts. |
|
|
Sheldon
McCool - Missoula |
2 |
24 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Gavin
Johnson - Missoula |
7 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Shane
Jurasek - Missoula |
5 |
17 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Clint
Colwell - Missoula |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Devon
Holbrook - Vipers |
22 |
167 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
James
Flynn - Vipers |
4 |
59 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Josh Christensen
- Vipers |
9 |
53 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Rashad
Kennedy - Vipers |
3 |
13 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Passing: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
Comp. |
Att. |
Yds |
TD's |
Int. |
|
Shane
Jurasek - Missoula |
17 |
29 |
309 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jarmes
Flynn - Vipers |
3 |
16 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Receiving: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
Recepts. |
Yards |
Td's |
2 pts. |
|
|
Tyler
Boaz - Missoula |
4 |
73 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Gavin
Johnson - Missoula |
2 |
63 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Nick Lumpkin
- Missoula |
2 |
57 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Shane
Byers - Missoula |
4 |
45 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Ja'Ton
Simpson - Missoula |
2 |
31 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Dave
Garza - Missoula |
2 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Tony
Sanderson - Missoula |
1 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nash
Montoya - Vipers |
1 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Colby
Cook - Vipers |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Devon
Holbrook - Vipers |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Defense: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
Tackles |
Sacks |
Intercepts |
TD's |
|
|
Bud Maynard - Missoula |
8.5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Stephen Schreibeis
- Missoula |
8.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Tony Sanderson
- Missoula |
4.5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Kevin Bereta
- Missoula |
4.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Jeff
Maynard - Missoula |
3.5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Clint
Colwell - Missoula |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Nick
True - Missoula |
2.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Mike Hardenburgh
- Missoula |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Brian Hughes - Missoula |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Francis Jordan
- Missoula |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Ja'Ton
Simpson - Missoula |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|