Titans win streak hits three with Blackhawk blowout

DRUMMOND – The Flint Creek Titans opened hunting season a month early Friday night, bagging the Blackhawks of Seeley Swan 62-20 at Drummond High School.

The Titans win knocks the Blackhawks from the ranks of the unbeaten and puts both teams at 3-1. If the two teams were tied going into the postseason, Flint Creek would hold the tie-breaker. The win also extends the Titans home win streak to 18 straight games, dating back to September 9, 2016.

The night belonged to juniors Kade Cutler and Preston Metesh, the latter having just returned from a deep thigh bruise he received in Week 1 of the season. The duo accounted for all nine of the Titans’ scores, including a 43-yard scoring pass play with 5.8 seconds to play in the first half that put the locals ahead to stay.

At the outset it was clear that the visitors were not the Seeley Swan of old. Flint Creek blasted the Blackhawks a year ago 82-0 and it was clear that Seeley wasn’t about to have that happen again. The two teams played each other tough on their opening drives and the visitors held fast against Flint Creek’s second drive as well.

The Blackhawks drew first blood with 3:02 to play in the first when Avery Smith pushed the ball in from three yards out to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.

“That’s a good win for us, we’ve just got to build on it. We’ve got some young kids, but the game is starting to slow down for them if you know what I mean." ~ Mike Cutler, FC Head Coach

“Hats off to their coach over there,” said Flint Creek Head Coach Mike Cutler after the game. “They’re doing some good things over there. They’re young; they only have three seniors so they’ve got some kids that are going to improve. So (SSHS Head Coach Jay Crum) is doing a great job over there.”

After the quarter change, Preston Metesh got the Titans even when he ran it in from two yards out to open the second quarter.

The Blackhawks answered two minutes later when Owen Mercado hit Smith with a 31-yard scoring strike. The two linked up on the conversion and lead 14-6.

Another two minutes clicked off the clock before Kade Cutler got his team within two points when he scampered 12 yards for a score.

But as they have all year, when it looks like they should be running out the clock, the Titans found a way into the end zone. With just 5.8 seconds to go before halftime, Cutler hit Metesh with a 43-yard scoring pass. Metesh had to reach back underneath the defender to make the catch and give Flint Creek a lead they would never relinquish, 20-14.

The fourth quarter was all Flint Creek as they scored four times in a nine-minute span on three TD runs by Cutler and one by Metesh.

Seeley got one last score with 7:17 to play when Mercado hit Walker McDonald with a 36-yard pass, but that was as close as they’d get.

Cutler and Metesh each added scoring runs in the final stanza to secure the win going away.

“That’s a good win for us, we’ve just got to build on it,” added Coach Cutler. “We’ve got some young kids, but the game is starting to slow down for them if you know what I mean. They (Seeley) were doing some things on defense that when you do that, you’re going to get some plays against them.”

While the Flint Creek offense was running up the tally, the Titans defense was all over the Blackhawks. After a slow first period, Flint Creek’s Wyatt Rigby and Tucker Weaver led an assault on the line that caused problems all night for Mercado and Seeley Swan.

The Titans will now turn their attention to the Blue Hawks of Thompson Falls, who are also 3-1 after beating Darby Friday night, 64-22. The game will be played at 7 p.m. in Thompson Falls.

Seeley Swan – 6/8/0/6 – 20

Flint Creek – 0/20/26/16 – 62