Titans blast Bulldogs in delayed season opener

PHILIPSBURG – Friday night’s opening kickoff was like opening a bottle of champagne for the Flint Creek Titans. Once the cork was out it got a little messy, with players and footballs spraying all over the field.

But once the home team cleared off the foam and took a long hard drink of play, they buried the visiting Bulldogs (0-2) in a 58-8 win on Senior Night.

“Our kids were just too amped up,” explained Titan Head Coach Mike Cutler, who’s team stands at 1-0. “They missed a couple of assignments, missed a couple of tackles. But they were just too amped up. We just needed to get them settled down and once they did it was 58 unanswered points.”

While Flint Creek was busy getting it opening game jitters under control, the visiting Bulldogs were first on the scoreboard with 25-yard scoring pass from Kellen McClure to John Komotios. Mission converted on the point after and led 8-0 just 20 seconds into the game.

But as he has during his entire career as a Titan, senior Kade Cutler sparked his team on the ensuing kickoff by returning it 65 yards for the score. Flint Creek missed the PAT and trailed 8-6.

The locals then got down to business as they started applying significant defensive pressure coupled with tighter execution when they had the ball. The Titans held fast on Mission’s next two possessions and it paid dividends when Cutler was able to dive across the goal line from two yards out on their third possession of the game. He added the two-point conversion and Flint had a 14-8 lead they would never relinquish.

The next two scores came via the Metesh brothers to open the second quarter, one on a seven-yard run by Preston and the other on by Avery on an 18-yard pass from Cutler.

As time wound down in the second half Cutler added a slicing 37-yard scoring run and defender Leyton Wagner intercepted the Bulldogs Charley Adams and returned it 17 yards for six more points.

By the time the buzzer had sounded and the seniors were lining up to be celebrated, the Titans held a 42-8 margin.

Cutler and reserve quarterback Andrew Tallon each added rushing scores in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.

Flint Creek will now take to the road for the first time this season, making the four-hour trek to Troy. The Trojans are 0-2 on the year, having suffered losses to Arlee (70-16) and Plains (44-0).