Titans beat Sheridan to stay unbeaten

DRUMMOND – It was the best test that Flint Creek has had all season. But in the end, the Sheridan Panthers fell to the Titans 48-13.

The victory keeps Flint Creek unbeaten on the year at 5-0, 4-0 in the MHSA 8-Man Southern Division. They are tied for first with Manhattan Christian (5-0) and Ennis (4-0, both of whom the Titans will play in the next two weeks.

Friday’s game started with Sheridan winning the flip and Flint Creek taking the ball on their own 15. A few snaps in, senior Logan Hauptman snapped dodged and danced his way through the Panther defense for a 65-yard scoring run.

The teams exchanged a few possessions until late in the period when Flint Creek sophomore quarterback Jake Dauenhauer hit senior receiver Eric Pitcher over the top on a deep pattern for a 71-yard score. Hauptman added the conversion run and the Titans were up 14-0 at the end of one quarter.

Sheridan refused to roll over and play dead, fighting back with a sustained drive to start the second period and finishing it with a two-yard pass from QB Trey Shrank to Kyler Theis. The score cut Flint Creek’s lead to 14-6.

But Hauptman and Dauenhauer were far from done. The former scored again from 22 yards out and the latter hit Logan Fluharty with an acrobatic 22-yard touchdown pass as time expired. The two scores left the Titans up 26-6 heading into halftime.

“I just seen daylight, so I went,” said Fluharty of the play that setup his touchdown reception. He went to describe his scoring play, “Their corners are a little slow so I just cut it and I was wide open.”

Flint Creek’s dynamic duo were back at it in the third. Hauptman got the last of his three TDs in the game on a 53-yard run, while Dauenhauer hit Michael James with a 35-yard scoring throw. Hauptman ended the game with 19 carries for 204 yards.

Dauenhauer would hit senior Kadin Graveley with an eight-yard TD strike in the fourth quarter for his fourth TD pass of the day. He finished 8-for-11 for 183 yards to go along with the scores.

Sheridan got into the end zone a final time when Shrank hit Jacob Mann with a six-yard scoring pass.

Defensively, Austin Knoeller and Wyatt Daniels each logged 13 tackles and one for loss. Fulhartgy had one interception and four pass defenses.

Fluharty, a senior transfer from Big Sky High School in Missoula, talked about the cultural differences between The Titans and his former team.

“It’s going great,” he said, “I couldn’t ask for anything better. Everybody here plays as a great team. You’ve got a lot better bonds and everybody is just a lot stronger and closer here.”

Flint Creek has had the good fortune to play some of the weaker teams in the South over its first five game, but now must face the Mustangs of Ennis in Drummond Friday and the Eagles at Manhattan Christian in a Saturday tilt October 12. The Titans have a losing or .500 record against five schools, of which Ennis (1-2) and Manhattan Christian (0-1) are two. The other three are Belt (1-2), Great Falls Central Catholic (1-1), and Thompson Falls (0-2).

NOTEBOOK – The Titans have won all four of their meetings against Sheridan, dating back to a 70-0 blowout in 2020. … Flint Creek had allowed the Panthers just six points in their previous three victories, making Friday’s performance by Sheridan of 13 its best mark yet … The Titans 5-0 start is the sixth time they have done so in their 11-year history. … Flint Creek was 3-for-7 on two-point conversions Friday, making it the first game in which they were under .500. On the season the Titans are 22-for-38 on conversions for 57.9%. … Hauptman’s ascent up the Titans All-Time Rushing List continues. He currently has 373 carries (4th), for 2,615 yards (4th), and 42 touchdowns (5th). He needs 1,131 yards to catch the all-time leader Kade Cutler at 3,746 yards.

SCORING

Sheridan – 0/6/0/7 – 13

Flint Creek – 14/12/14/8 – 48

FIRST QUARTER

10:43 FC Hauptman 65 yd run TD. Run failed.

1:02 FC Dauenhauer 71 yd pass to Pitcher TD. Hauptman run.

SECOND QUARTER

8:15 SH Shrank 2 yd pass to Theis TD. Pass failed.

1:51 FC Hauptman 22 yd run TD. Run failed.

0:00 FC Dauenhauer 22 yd pass to Fluharty TD. Run failed.

THIRD QUARTER

9:18 FC Hauptman 53 yd run TD. Run failed.