Thompson Falls fell to third ranked Loyola-Sacred Heart 40-6 on Friday. The undefeated Rams bettered their record to 3-0, while the winless Bluehawks fell to 0-3.

It’s been a tough start for the Bluehawks, but head coach Doug Padden stood by his decision to schedule three tough non-confence opponents to open his season.

“It doesn’t do much for my record, and it doesn’t do much for a man’s ego, but what it really does is it lets our kids get a good look at what caliber of ball-play we need to be at,” he said. 

The Rams may have showed the Bluehawks a high-caliber of play, but they certainly didn’t show any mercy as they held Thompson Falls to 104 total yards, out-rushing the Bluehawks 244 to 30 yards, and 144-74 passing.

Sophomore quarterback Bo Hughes scored three times, twice through the air, and once on the ground leading the Rams to the win, while all-state running back Shiloh Kerr did his part, gaining 121 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Cody Phillips, who earned all-conference honorable mention last season as a sophomore, was the lone bright spot for Thompson Falls catching four passes for 67 yards, and a touchdown from quarterback Garrett Rheinschmidt.

Padden was optimistic despite the loss. “We saw a big improvement in our special teams against Loyola, and that really hurt us against Fairfield,” he said.

The previous week, Padden’s team missed three snaps, handing Fairfield great field-position which paved the way for their 42-7 win.

“I worry about their attitudes, when teams are beating them like this, but on the same token if they approach it with the right frame of mind they should just be chomping at the bit,” Padden said. “I think our kids are ready, and we’re ready for conference play. This is as jacked as I’ve ever seen these kids this year so far.”

The Bluehawks face Bigfork next Friday, who handed Plains their third straight loss 42-7 last Friday. The Vikings will be the first of three-straight road contests for Thompson Falls, and will enter the game with a 2-1 record.

Padden wouldn’t predict the final score, but he expects his team to play well versus Bigfork. “I think our offense is going to go a little smoother,” he said. “I think we’ll put up a lot more than seven points.”