Red Hawks Fly Ahead With Playoff Victory Over Bridger

The work on Thursdays paid off for the Froid/Lake Red Hawks in their quarter- final round playoff victory over Bridger on Saturday, Nov. 6.

The Red Hawks accounted for three touchdowns on special teams and defeated Bridger, 44-22, in Medicine Lake. Froid/Lake concentrates on its special teams’ play during Thursday’s practices.

“That was our best game,” Froid/Lake coach Michael Reiter said after the win. “All three phases did well, but the offense didn’t have to do too much.”

The Hobbs’ brothers, Ashdyn and Austen, returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the first half to help put the Red Hawks up, 28-6, at the half.

“They are hard runners and not easy to tackle,” Reiter said of Ashdyn and Austen Hobbs.

Austen explained what makes them good returners, “We are built different. We are just two blood brothers out there. He’s older so I look up to him.”

Although the returns were great, Austen was more excited about the team’s defensive effort against Bridger’s outstanding passing attack.

“Defense wins games. That’s what Coach Jalen [Hendrickson] tells me,” Austen, a junior, said.

The defensive performance included three interceptions combined by safeties Mason Dethman and Javonne Nesbit.

Coach Reiter added, “The defense was awesome.”

The defense accounted for the first positive play of the day for the Red Hawks when Dethman intercepted a pass inside the Red Hawk five to stop Bridger’s first threat.

Froid/Lake’s defense also stepped up on Bridger’s second possession when tackles by Ashdyn Hobbs and Brett Stentoft forced a punt. Starting on their own 31, the Red Hawks drove deep inside Bridger territory on four straight runs by Dethman.

After Ashdyn Hobbs picked up a first down at the two, Stentoft scored with 3:27 left in the opening quarter. Dethman kicked the conversion for an 8-0 advantage.

A combined sack by Stentoft and Austen Hobbs put the Scouts in punting formation at their own two. The result was a 38-yard return by Ashdyn Hobbs for a touchdown for a 14-0 lead with 2:18 left in the first period.

Bridger responded with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Chance Goltz to speedy Rod Zentner on the first play of the second period to cut the margin to 14-6.

On the ensuing kickoff, Austen Hobbs raced 77 yards for a touchdown. Dethman kicked the conversion for a 22-6 lead with 9:39 remaining in the half.

Bridger then drove down to the Red Hawk five, but the threat ended on an interception by Nesbit in the end zone.

Froid/Lake’s defense then got in the scoring column when a crushing hit by Stentoft forced a fumble after a short pass completion. Ashdyn Hobbs picked the ball up and went 47 yards for a touchdown and a 28-6 lead with 42 seconds left in the half.

The defense kept scoring to open the third quarter when, after a bad snap, Quinn Abar made a tackle in the end zone for a safety to increase the margin to 30-6.

Bridger stayed in the contest on a two-yard pass from Goltz to Baylor Pospisil with 2:15 left in the third quarter. Lucas Payovich kicked the conversion to close the margin to 30-14.

The Red Hawks bounced right back on a 43-yard touchdown run by Dethman with 9:01 remaining in the contest.

The Scouts kept the heat on a two-yard pass from Goltz to Payovich with 4:08 left. The kick by Payovich put the margin at 36-22.

Fittingly, Froid/Lake’s special teams put the game away when Abar grabbed the onsides’ kick attempt and went 42 yards for a touchdown. All that work done on Thursdays was then celebrated on the Red Hawks’ sideline.

The Red Hawks will host Big Sandy in the semi-final round at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13.