Titans playoff bound after winning slugfest with Simms

DRUMMOND – It wasn’t exactly the win they wanted, but it was definitely the win they needed.

In a regular season finale that lasted three hours and 37 minutes from kickoff to final buzzer, the Flint Creek Titans outlasted and outgunned the visiting Simms Tigers 78-56.

The win left both teams with a final record of 6-3 and in a four-way tie with Lone Peak Peak and Manhattan Christian. After a points differential tiebreak among the four teams was applied, it was determined that the Big Horns and the Titans would advance into the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the playoff bracket for the Central Division. Undefeated Ennis will play as the division’s No. 1 seed.

Unfortunately for Simms and Manhattan Christian, they are left on the outside looking in.

For Flint Creek, the night started as it would finish – revolving around junior running back Logan Hauptman. He earned the game’s first score at 8:06 in the opening period. He added the conversion run and the Titans took an 8-0 lead.

It took Simms three-and-a-half minutes to respond, using Joe Feist to snap off a 36-yard scoring run. The Tigers failed on the run attempt and trailed 8-6.

And from there the slugfest began.

Like two boxers who knew exactly what was at stake, the two 8-man teams battled each other into the night. It continued to halftime where Simms took a 38-30 lead into intermission. After honoring Flint Creek seniors Trey Phillips and Riley Wiant, the Titans made some adjustments on both sides of the ball.

Hauptman scored his third touchdown of the game to close the gap to 38-36 on the Titans first possession of the second half. They held the Tigers on their next set of downs and were moving the ball well when freshman quarterback Jake Daunhuer was tackled on the Simms sideline and was injured. The game was paused for some 20 minutes as he was attended to and eventually removed by the Drummond Volunteer Ambulance crew for medical attention. He did not returned to the game.

With Daunhuer gone and backup QB Michael Goettle also on the sideline, Flint Creek turned to Hauptman to lead the offense via the Wildcat. He lead the Titans quickly into scoring position before punching it in himself from 13 yards out to give the Titans the lead, 42-38.

And it was just about then the NFHS Broadcast feed shut off, having timed out of its expected three-hour run.

For those familiar with the NFL’s infamous “Heidi Game” (use the hotlink to learn more), fans not at the field were left wondering what happened much like those of the Raiders & Jets.

Those at the field, especially those rooting for Flint Creek, were treated to quite a spectacle.

It started with another defensive stand and the Titans taking over at their own 35. On their first play from scrimmage Hauptman busted off his fifth rushing touchdown of the game for 45 yards and a 48-38 advantage.

After receiving the kickoff and running one play, Flint Creek’s Eric Pitcher kept the rally going by intercepting a pass from Tiger QB Hudson Rohrer and returning it 40 yards to the house and a 54-38 advantage.

Simms answered back on the final play of the third period with a 63-yard TD pass from Rohrer to Scotty Sivumaki to trail 58-44 with eight minutes to play.

And it was a long eight minutes.

Flint Creek would outscore Simms 22-12 in the final period, with Hauptman scoring his sixth and seventh rushing touchdowns of the night and throwing another to Phillips. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ Gaven Flanagan scored on runs of 24 and five yards.

Hauptman did everything but sell popcorn during the victory. He collected 367 yards and 7 TDs, and went 3-for-5 passing with the score to Phillips. On defense he logged 13 tackles (eight of which were solo) and included two pass defenses.

Pitcher’s key interception was one of three on the night for Flint Creek which totaled four takeaways. The lone fumble recovery was made by Chance Dunkerson.

Austin Knoeller was the top tackler, making 11 solo and three assisted tackles for a total of 14.

Now the Titans must take on the Arlee Warriors No. 1 West, 8-0) Saturday, October 28 in Arlee. As a No. 3 seed, and with the Central Conference being bottom of the totem poll for home field, the Titans will not see another home game this season.

SCORING

Simms – 12/26/6/12 – 56

Flint Creek – 16/14/26/22 – 78

FIRST QUARTER

8:06 FC Haupman 18 yd run TD. Hauptman run.

4:37 SM Feist 36 yd run TD. Run failed.

3:40 FC Daunhuer30 yd pass to Pitcher TD. Hauptman run.

0:46 SM Rohrer 29 yard pass to Naude TD. Pass failed.

SECOND QUARTER

11:11 SM Rohrer 14 yd pass to Sivumaki TD. Pass failed.

10:43 FC Hauptman 24 yd run TD. Run failed.

6:05 SM Rohrer 1 yd run TD. Pass failed.

4:55 SM Rohrer 30 yd pass to Sivumaki TD. Rohrer pass to Sivumaki.

4:02 FC Daunhuer 13 yd run TD. Hauptman run.

0:06.6 SM Rohrer 65 yd pass to Naude TD. Pass failed.

THIRD QUARTER

10:12 FC Hauptman 16 yd run TD. Run failed.

7:36 FC Hauptman 13 yd run TD. Hauptman pass to Phillips.

6:04 FC Hauptman 45 yard run TD. Pass failed.

5:37 FC Pitcher interception 40 yd return TD. Run failed.

0:18.7 SM Rohrer 63 yd pass to Sivumaki TD. Pass failed.

FOURTH QUARTER

11:30 SM Flanagan 24 yd run TD. Run failed.

9:02 FC Hauptman 4 yd run TD. Hauptman run.

7:29 SM Flanagan 5 yd run TD. Pass failed.

5:11 FC Hauptman 26 yd run TD. Pass failed.

3:33 FC Hauptman 44 yd pass to Phillips TD. Hauptman pass to Phillips.

NOTEBOOK – Hauptman’s night of seven rushing touchdowns and five conversion runs give him a total of 52 points on the night, placing him sixth all-time according to the most recent publishing of the MHSA 8-Man Record Book (2002). He is behind with Granite’s Barrett Stanghill (2011). They rank behind Zeboriah Bloom (64, Simms 2013), Mike Cutler (62, Granite, 1987), and Riley Linder (62, Scobey, 2017), Barrett Stanghill (60, Granite 2011), and Jordan Nees (58, Hobson/Moore/Judith Gap, 2016) … His seven rushing scores tie him for ninth with five other players on the MHSA list, including Granite alumni Stanghill and Cutler, both with 10. … As a note, passing for touchdowns or conversions do not count as scoring for the thrower. … Hauptman has 1,198 rushing yards this season, placing him in third for a single season just ahead of Colby Manley (2018, 1,1183 yds) and just behind Kade Cutler (2019, 1,435), and Tyler Burden (2022, 1,884). Hauptman has at least one more game to play this season. … His 23 TDs tie him with Preston Metesh for fifth in a single year. … The 134 combined points from Friday’s game is the second highest total in Flint Creek history. The highest came on the road in a 76-62 victory over St. Ignatius/Mission. … The 78 points scored by the Titans is the second highest in team history. The most was in a 82-0 win at Seeley Swan (2018). … The Titans’ playoff berth makes it 10 straight years that they have been in the postseason. The only other team that can say that are the Fairview Warriors. Between the two teams they have won four titles: Fairview (2019), Flint Creek (2017, 2018, & 2020).