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Class B roundup: Bigfork upsets Townsend, advances to semis

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Bigfork 20, Townsend 15

TOWNSEND— Bigfork forced a turnover late in the third, scored off of it and held on to beat Townsend 20-15 in the quarterfinal round of the State B football playoffs on Saturday.

LINK: 2021 Class B football playoffs scores, pairings

With time running out in the fourth quarter, and down five points, Townsend was able to force a Bigfork Vikings punt near midfield. The punt came out sideways, with Bigfork yelling for a penalty, the Townsend fans yelling the ball was tipped; the referees ruled in favor of Bigfork as the Vikings upset the Bulldogs 20-15 on the road.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a great spot to score early on fourth and goal when Townsend opted for a trick play, with wide receiver Gavin Vandenacre passing to quarterback Trey Hoveland in the corner of the end zone. Though Hoveland caught the pass, he was ruled out of bounds.

The game was a defensive struggle for much of the first half. The Vikings broke the deadlock near the beginning of the second quarter as Joseph Farrier carried a rush up the middle nearly 40 yards to give Bigfork a 7-0 lead early. With less than a minute left in the first half, Hoveland aired a near 50-yard pass to Vandenacre to knot the game up at the half.

Both teams traded scores in the third quarter, but Townsend found themselves in the lead at 15-13 after a successful two-point conversion.

Near the end of the third, the Bulldogs were driving down the field but were abruptly stalled as a Hoveland pass was tipped at the line and picked off by Levi Taylor. The Vikings took advantage of the turnover and turned it into a 20-15 lead on a George Bucklin rushing touchdown to open the fourth quarter and the Vikings never looked back.

With the win, the Vikings will travel to Eureka to take on the Lions in the semifinals next Saturday.

Class B scores

Eureka 47, Big Timber 12
Florence 28, Columbus 8
Jefferson 42, Whitehall 0