One team dominated and one team came back twice to claim semifinal victories in the 8-Man football playoffs on Saturday.
In a matchup of undefeated teams, Scobey took care of Fort Benton 46-14 to advance to the state title game. The Spartans will be joined by Drummond-Philipsburg, which also kept its undefeated season intact with a 36-32 semifinal win over Circle.
Next week's championship game will be a battle of two 11-0 squads. Scobey will be trying to win its first title since 2002 while Drummond-Philipsburg last won the championship as co-op in the fall of 2020 — against Scobey.
Scobey 46, Fort Benton 14
The Scobey Spartans punched their ticket to the 8-Man title game on Saturday with a dominant semifinal win over previously unbeaten Fort Benton.
Scobey struck early behind senior playmaker Breckin Maher, who opened the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Quarterback Reese Tande added to the lead with a strike over the middle to Bram Handran, who spun free for the touchdown as the Spartans built a 24–0 advantage.
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Maher continued his standout day with a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter to push the margin to 30–0. Fort Benton found life late in the half when quarterback Truman Giese connected with David Olson for a 41-yard touchdown on fourth down, cutting into the deficit, making 30-6 at halftime.
But Scobey kept control throughout, and Maher added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Drummond-Philipsburg 36, Circle 32
Drummond-Phillipsburg earned its spot in 8-man state championship with a hard-fought victory over Circle.
In a back-and-forth battle between the Titans and Wildcats, two players from Drummond-Philipsburg scored multiple touchdowns in clutch moments to help propel it to victory.
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Both Austin Knoeller and Wyatt Daniels scored two touchdowns apiece in an effort where the Titans had to come from behind twice to secure the victory.
Drummond-Phillipsburg will now make the long trip to face Scobey in the state championship.
