Rothwell's 3 TDs lift CMR past Big Sky
Garrison Rothwell looked like a quarterback who had taken some heavy hits.
But he’s delivered plenty himself.
The senior’s 2-yard rushing score with 1:14 left Friday night was the game-winning touchdown against the Missoula Eagles.
Big Sky had taken a 22-21 lead with nine minutes remaining after a brave call yielded them a successful 2-point conversion.
Rothwell carried the ball 19 times for 77 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for another 78 through the air as the Rustlers (2-1) were able to limit standout Eagle (2-1) quarterback Levi Janacaro just enough to escape Memorial Stadium with a victory.
Star of the Game
Rothwell scored on runs of eight, four and two yards.
He used his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame to punish the Eagles as he lowered his shoulder on designed runs up the gut and to the outside.
He pulled up limp on a throw at one point Friday night.
He said he might have bruised his back.
“When the play starts, I kind of lose all focus on anything else other than playing,” he said.
CMR head coach Gary Lowry said his quarterback is not one to make excuses.
“He’s that type of kid,” the head coach said. “He’s not going to come out of a game.”
Turning Point
With 3:30 left in the game, on what amounted to the game-winning drive, Rothwell rolled to the right and eyed receiver Kyle Byrne.
The pass went through a Big Sky defender’s hands and into Byrne’s.
It should have been picked.
“That was a great play by Kyle Byrne,” Rothwell said. “It was lucky that (the Big Sky player) missed the catch.”
A pass interference call on Big Sky, defending wide receiver Jake Wilkins, pushed the Rustlers even deeper into Eagle territory and the CMR running game took over.
Halfback Jayson Ingalls carried the ball 13 times for 54 yards. Byrne caught a 57-yard pass in the second quarter on a well-executed play that included a lateral out in the flat from Rothwell to Kellen Hartman, who threw a perfect strike to Byrne.
Quotable
The Rustlers lost to the Helena High Bengals by one point in the opening week, so Lowry knows the thin line between winning and losing in Class AA.
“It feels better at the end of one of these than the other way around, I know that,” Lowry said. “That was a heck of a game. I was proud of the kids. That’s a pretty good football team. Offensively, they are hard to stop. We stopped them just enough, I guess. One time.”
Takeaways
Missoula Big Sky quarterback Levi Janacaro is a load.
His head coach Matt Johnson compared him to Tim Tebow this offseason and there are some similarities to the former Florida Gator star. Janacaro rushed for 152 yards and two scores on 23 carries, including a 40-yard scamper on fourth and short late in the second quarter, and added another 74 yards and a score in the passing game.
The Rustlers gave the ball to the other team just once on Friday night. Through three games, the turnover total is at four. A year ago, it was 16, Lowry said, through two games. Russell’s ability to burn clock with its running game, combined with a solid defense, will keep it in a lot of football games this season.
What it Means
CMR moves to 2-1 on the season, rebounding after Week 1 to notch solid wins over programs from Glacier and Big Sky. It was the first time since the 2012 season that the Rustlers and Eagles met on the football field. The Rustlers visit defending state champion Billings next week.
Big Sky 0 14 0 8 – 22
CMR 7 7 0 15 – 29
First quarter
CMR – Garrison Rothwell 8 run (Cason Taylor kick), 6:04
Second quarter
Big Sky – Levi Janacaro 40 run (kick no good), 4:50
CMR – Kyle Byrne 57 pass from Kellen Hartman (Taylor kick), 4:38
Big Sky – Janacaro 3 run (Janacaro run), :29
Fourth quarter
CMR – Rothwell 4 run (Taylor kick), 11:16
Big Sky – David Gibson 28 pass from Janacaro (Kadin Lahti run), 9:09
CMR – Rothwell 2 run (Rothwell to Jake Olsen), 1:14