Box Score 2000 Playoffs
September 30, 2000, Great Falls Rangers vs. Idaho Falls Mustangs
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IDAHO FALLS MUSTANGS 50 GREAT FALLS RANGERS 26

Sean Powell returned a fumble and an intercepted lateral for touchdowns and Mike Jensen rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns en route to a second half "pull-away" playoff victory by the Idaho Falls Mustangs over the Great Falls Rangers. The Rangers struck first early in their inaugural drive when Russell Davis appeared to be stopped for no gain in the middle of the line, then pulled free and burst outside and broke a tackle en route to an electrifying 80-yard run to paydirt. Idaho Falls answered with a drive of their own, capped by the first touchdown of the season for fullback, Brandon Allen. The score remained 7-6 until the Rangers' first possession of the second quarter when Sean Powell scooped up a Shane Jurasek fumble and scampered 28-yards and a 13-6 lead. The Rangers struck back on the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff with a 65-yard bomb from Shane Jurasek to Anthony Parker. Parker had a monster day, scoring 3 of the Ranger touchdowns, catching 5 passes for 143 yards. With the score 13-12, the Mustangs mounted another drive, finished by a Mike Jensen 6-yard run. When it looked like the half would end 19-12, with 2 seconds remaining in the half and the Mustangs in a deep zone, Anthony Parker thrilled the crowd with a 37-yard run which caught the Mustangs off-guard. Unable to convert any of their extra points, the halftime score stood 19-18, the only difference being a single Jared Neumeier extra point kick.

The second half explosion started after the initial Mustang drive stalled and the Mustangs punted over to the Rangers. After a sack and a couple of key holding penalties, the Rangers found themselves in a rare 3rd and 39 situation. Trying to work the ball to their greatest weapon, Barnes, the Rangers attempted the old "hook and ladder" play. Quarterback Jurasek hit Chis Weingarten in the left flats but as he pitched to a flanking Barnes, Sean Powell read the play and stepped in front of the pitch and ran 21 yards uncontested into the end zone and a 25-18 Mustang lead. The next two Ranger drives resulted in a stall and a punt, while the next two Mustang drives resulted in touchdowns, the first a Neumeier quarterback sneak to make the score 32-18, and the second a 39-yard Mike Jensen run and a 38-18 lead. On the Rangers next possession, once again with the offense stalled, punter Joe Hirst had his punt blocked by Mustang Joe Clifton and Jason Carlyle recovered the ball in the Great Falls end zone for a Mustang 44-18 lead. At that point, the frustration got the better of several players and a skirmish broke out at midfield. The players were separated quickly but the language and rhetoric of a Great Falls player and head coach John Autry resulted in their ejections from the game. After considering stopping the contest, the officials agreed to complete the game.

With a "kinder, gentler" mood about, play resumed and Great Falls picked up another score midway through the fourth quarter when Jurasek hit Barnes once again for a 35-yard touchdown. A Chris Weingarten run for two made the score 44-26. After a failed onsides kick, the Mustangs executed a mini-drive, finished off when Sean Powell reeled off a 43-yard run for his third touchdown and a 50-26 Mustang lead. With less than a minute remaining and the Mustangs in possession and attempting to run out the clock, Ranger Kenny Rucker took an after the whistle shot on a Mustang lineman resulting in a flag. With the stoppage in play, Ranger assistant coach Billy Powell raced onto the field and became involved in a vocal altercation with a nearby official. The vocal altercation became physical when Powell struck the official and as he was being pulled away bit the official. In the confusion, players entered the field and made sure their own players remained restrained as the incident was sorted out. Play was stopped and the game became final at that point.

Great Falls

Idaho Falls

Scoring Summary:

1st Quarter:

G.F. Davis 80-yard run (kick failed) 13:15

I.F. Allen 1-yard run (Neumeier kick) 9:47

2nd Quarter:

I.F.        Powell 28-yard fumble return (pass failed) 14:48
G.F.      Barnes 65-yard pass from Jurasek (pass failed) 14:35
I.F.        Jensen 6-yard run (pass failed) 5:19
G.F.      Barnes 37-yard run (run failed) 0:02

3rd Quarter:

I.F. Powell 21-yard intercepted lateral return (pass failed) 10:29
I.F. Neumeier 1-yard run (Neumeier kick) 7:33

I.F. Jensen 39-yard run (kick failed) 3:34

I.F. Carlyle recovered blocked punt in end zone (pass failed) 2:42

4th Quarter:

G.F. Barnes 35-yard pass from Jurasek (Weingarten run) 7:46

I.F. Powell 43-yard run (run failed)

	Great Falls	Idaho Falls
First Downs	9	12
Rushes, Yards	28-181	34-241
Passes	13-31-1	7-17-0
Passing Yards (includes minus yards lost for sacks)	167	159
Total Net Yards	348	400
Punts, Average	2-30.0	?-??.?
Penalties, Yards	15-105	7-45
Fumbles, Lost	4-2	1-0

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Great Falls - Davis 9-103, Jurasek 5-50, Barnes 6-30, McCain 6-16, Weingarten 1-3, Hirst 1-(-20). Idaho Falls - Jensen 24-162, Powell 1-43, Allen 5-22, Neumeier 2-10, Cobb 1-4, R.Byrd 1-0.

Passing: Great Falls - Jurasek 13-31-1-187. Idaho Falls - Neumeier 6-12-0-166, Papasan 1-4-0-0, Jensen 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: Great Falls - Barnes 5-143, Plasterer 2-19, Davis 2-3, Weingarten 2-3. Idaho Falls - Johnson 3-92, Powell 2-65, Keller 1-9, Jensen 1-0.

Tackles: Great Falls - Unavailable. Idaho Falls - Worthington 6.5, Clifton 6, Carlyle 4.5 (2 sacks), Hudson 4.5, Powell 4, Murray 3.5 (2 sacks), M.Christiensen 3.5, T.Christiansen 2.5, Lawson 2, Shawcroft 2, Johnson 2, Bulletts 1.5, Keller 1.5, Mondok 1, Kennedy 1, Bell 1, Allen 1, Dineen 1, Hernandez 1/2.

Interceptions: Great Falls - none. Idaho Falls - Johnson.

Missed Field Goals: None).