Titans make a statement in Charlo, 46-0

CHARLO – The Charlo Vikings found out there are two places you don’t want to be in 2020.

The first – On the locker room wall of the Flint Creek Titans.

The second – On the other side of the ball after said Titans have fully digested your pregame quotes.

Flint Creek took to heart some critical remarks made by Charlo Head Coach Reese Cox earlier in the week and decided to make a statement in a game of unbeatens, blasting the home Vikings 46-0 Friday night. The win elevates the Titans to 4-0 while Charlo falls to 4-1.

The comments made by Cox to 406mtsports Wednesday proved to be the spark that set off a powder keg of emotions by the Titan players. Cox had stated that his quarterback was better than Flint Creek’s Cutler and Clark Fork’s Bryan Mask, and intimated that the Titans were a one man show.

When asked if his team’s win, in which he left the starters in for all 48 minutes, was a statement, Flint Creek Head Mike Cutler said, “Yeah, I’m a little pissed off at their coach. I wasn’t gonna call the dogs off.”

The Titans received the opening kickoff and went to work, grinding away at the clock for more than seven minutes before Preston Metesh scored for the first time in the game. The drive include a pair of fourth down conversions, one of which was Metesh’s TD run.

The teams traded possessions before the Vikings started to show some ability to move the ball. But Nagy eventually tried to dump a pass off to one of his backs flaring from the back field when Flint Creek’s Leyton Wagner picked it off the turf for an interception.

“We’ve seen them do a ‘bubble’,” observed Wagner. “They motioned across and we were told always on ‘bubble’ to see if we can get anything on that.”

On the very next play Cutler hit Ethan Parke with a 14-yard scoring strike that extended their margin to 12-0.

Neither team was able to get back on the scoreboard until late in the second period when Cutler called his own number and dashed into the end zone for a score with 1:53 to play. The score was yet another fourth down conversion for Flint Creek that turned into a score.

As Charlo desperately tried to get on the scoreboard before halftime, Titan head Coach Mike Cutler seemed to sense that another offensive opportunity might present itself as he used one of his own timeouts to stop the clock on a Viking run play. Charlo’s Braydon Zempel fumbled on the very next play, giving the Titans the ball with 1:48 to ply at the Viking 12.

About a minute later Preston Metesh dove across the goal line to give Flint Creek a 24-0 advantage at the break.

Cutler and Avery Metesh connected in the third period and the two each had a scoring run in the fourth to secure the win going away.

“Our defense was flat out awesome,” stated Titan Head Coach Mike Cutler. “They (Charlo) got a few first downs because we didn’t tackle, but they did nothing. They got zero.

We’re a little bit fresh up front. Mason didn’t play last year and they were doing a few things up front that hurt us. I’m not going to take any credit away from them, but it’s the same ol’ same ol’ – We were just too physical for them.”

Flint Creek now looks ahead to next Friday’s game against Seeley Swan. The Blackhawks are 1-3 this year, having beaten Victor and losing to Thompson Falls, St. Ignatius and Clark Fork.

“We’ve gotta get ready to go,” said Cutler looking toward the next match up. “We have to get ready next week for Seeley Swan and our guys never seem to have trouble, for whatever reason, getting up for Seeley Swan. This was a great win, but we have gotta move on.”

That game is slated for 7 p.m. at Mungas Field at Granite High School in Philipsburg.