Polson’s junior quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo runs over

Corvallis

POLSON - There are plenty of sleepless nights ahead for coaches in the Northwest A Conference who will have to figure out some way to try and stop Polson junior quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo.

"I know as a coach, I'd rather play against quarterbacks that throw the ball or quarterbacks the run the ball. Not one that you have to keep an eye on all the time," Polson head coach Scott Wilson said.

When the passing game wasn't working for DiGiallonardo, who had three interceptions in the Pirates second game of the season last Friday against Corvallis, Polson simply went to the ground game. DiGiallonardo still proved to be a lethal threat with 14 carries for 114 yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 28-7 victory.

"We pretty much moved the ball anytime we wanted," DiGiallonardo said.

It was the same result on the win column, but was in stark contrast from last week when Vince passed for 269 yards and two touchdowns against the defending state champion Frenchtown Broncs.

"It doesn't matter as long as the ball goes in the endzone," DiGiallonardo said.

The quarterback credited a large amount to the success on offense to the offensive line. Senior lineman Noah Hoffman delivered a huge block for DiGiallonardo on a 21-yard touchdown score to make it 21-0 in the second quarter. He also thought that the receiving corps for the Pirates is something to talk about as well.

"I think this is the best receiving corp we've ever had in Polson," he said.

Wilson said he felt that while other defenses may try and key in on senior wide receiver Kyle Bagnell, there are three to four other guys that can step up throughout the season.

While the receivers weren't used extensively against Corvallis, the Pirates did see impressive rushing performances from the running backs. Junior Jake Skelton had seven carries for 86 yards, junior Chris Cote added 56 yards on nine carries.

The first score by the Pirates wasn't even on offense, but interestingly enough it was still DiGiallonardo, as he returned an interception off a deflected pass back 23 yards for a touchdown. It was that type of performance by the defense that really helped Polson win the game.

"The defense had their back to the wall and didn't let them in," Wilson said.

There were three times when Corvallis were inside the 20-yard line and the defense didn't allow any points. Corvallis didn't score in the second half either.

"My assistants have done great jobs making adjustments and the kids have done a great job making those adjustments," Wilson said. "The defensive line did a great job stopping the run."

Polson will host Hamilton at 7 p.m. on Friday.