Fourth quarter touchdown pass from Robbie Gauthier gets Ronan

into state semifinals against Malta

BAKER - If you get into a heavyweight bout, you'd better be able to throw punches. Ronan got the knockout punch against a brutally tough Baker team with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter as senior quarterback Robbie Gauthier found senior receiver Marcus Hungerford for a 40-yard touchdown pass and the 14-9 win.

"Marcus just flat out beat the kid [covering him] and Robbie swears he hung the ball out there for him to get it," Ronan head coach Jim Benn said. "It was a perfect throw and catch."

Ronan's defense held Baker out of the end zone for the entire second half for the victory, and gave up just 125 yards of offense. Ronan advances to the state semifinals for the first time since 1990 and will play at Malta this Saturday.

"I felt good about our defense," Benn said. "Our kids did a nice job."

It looked as if Baker might have the upper hand in the game in the early stages, mainly because they played keep away from the Chiefs.

"Baker just had the ball early," Benn said.

An onside kick, maybe intentional or maybe not because of the wind, didn't help the Chiefs either. Ronan ran just three plays in the first quarter and eight in the first half. Meanwhile, Baker pounded the ball against the Ronan defense to no avail.

"In the first quarter they ran the ball a lot, it had to be 20 times in the first," Benn said. "They weren't getting any big plays but they had the ball and were burning the clock."

While Baker would get a field goal in the first quarter and a 3-yard touchdown run by speedster Kodee Barnar in the second quarter, the Chiefs' defense held strong. While Barnar had the majority of Baker's rushing yards, Ronan still did a good job of bottling up a kid that won the 100-meter dash in Class B last spring.

"When you only allow 1.9 yards a carry against a team known for running the ball, I would say that the defense stepped up and did fantastic," Benn said.

Senior Jake Skelton got the momentum swinging back Ronan's way in the second quarter after Baker had built a 9-0 lead. Skelton scooper up a fumble and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown. Leo Michelin kicked the extra point to make it 9-7. Skelton finished with 82 yards as the Chiefs' leading rusher. Ronan rushed for 169 yards in the game against Baker and the two teams were scoreless in the third quarter. Gauthier's touchdown throw in the fourth quarter that won it for the Chiefs was his sixth touchdown pass of the year and his third thrown to Hungerford.

Now Ronan turns its attention to Malta, which is coming off a 42-0 victory over Bigfork and has a killer running back in Jade Olson, who rushed 258 yards and scored five touchdowns against the Vikings. However, Benn said the team is a more balanced team and can throw the ball. They also have an excellent legacy like Baker, have played in three state championship games in the 2000s and have had numerous semifinal trips. Coach Scott King has won over 200 games as the head coach.

"You're talking about another tradition-rich program," Benn said.

Ronan also has to hit the road again - 425 miles on way -to play the game, but as they showed against Baker, that's not a problem. The Chiefs now are just one win away from the state championship game, and if that happens, would the last person in Ronan please turn the lights out before heading to the big game?

RONAN 14, BAKER 9

Ronan - 0 - 7 - 0 - 7 - 14

Baker - 3 - 6 - 0 - 0 - 9

SCORING SUMMARY

Baker - Jordan Gray 24-yard field goal

Baker - Kodee Barnar 3-yard run (kick failed)

Ronan - Jake Skelton 45-yard fumble return (Leo Michelin kick)

Ronan - Marcus Hungerford 40-yard pass from Robbie Gauthier (Michelin kick)