Last year, the Polson Pirates sported the best defense in the

state, went undefeated in conference and came just a crossbar call

away from the state championship game. This year, head coach Jess

Kittle retooled the team and decided to unleash "the greatest show

on the pitch" en route to a seven-win season and the No. 2 Northern

conference seed heading into the Montana state playoffs.

Last year, the Polson Pirates sported the best defense in the state, went undefeated in conference and came just a crossbar call away from the state championship game. This year, head coach Jess Kittle retooled the team and decided to unleash "the greatest show on the pitch" en route to a seven-win season and the No. 2 Northern conference seed heading into the Montana state playoffs.

Polson is currently ranked second in the state in scoring behind conference rival Whitefish, who is still undefeated in the Northern A, and it's easy to see why. Every Pirate on the team has scored a point and 12 of the players have scored goals.

"It's great to see that we can spread the wealth," Kittle said.

Spearheading the attack is FIFA 2012 cheat code and junior forward James "The Lawman" Larson, whose control of the ball is impeccable and presence on the field is undeniable.

Simply put, nobody has been able to beat Larson going one-on-one against him. Or one-on-two, or one-on-three for that matter. The Lawman has handcuffed the competition and scored 13 goals and nine assists during the season including two games with a hat trick.

Joining him is senior forward Riley "The Leg" Lemm, whose propensity for big shots had gotten him 15 goals and three assists on the season. Quickly becoming a big YouTube sensation for his redonkulous goals and "interesting" self made basketball slam dunk videos, Lemm has had two hat tricks on the season and most recently scored four goals against Bigfork in an 8-0 victory last week.

"He and James work real well together," Kittle said. "When we move James up from midfield they have real good combinations together."

Defensively, Polson finished the season strong with goalie Peregrine "The Falcon" Frissell, although he should probably work on his Dikembe Motumbo finger wag considering the amount of shots he blocks. Speedy Sweeper Nick Howell, who downs forwards threatening to score like Tom Cruise taking out MIGs in Top Gun, is the heart and soul of the defense.

His skill in getting the ball up to Polson's scorers is also invaluable.

"I liked that we ended the regular season with two wins and they're two solid wins," Kittle said. "They were two shutouts, I'm really happy with how our defense is playing."

Polson will play the winner of the "play-in" game from the No. 2 and No. 3 seeded teams from the Eastern conference on the road this weekend.

However, the Pirates do have a chance of hosting a playoff game if Libby knocks off No. 1 Southern seed, Hamilton.

SCOUTING REPORT

James Larson - Remember the movie "Troy" when two Greek armies would just have their two best warriors duke it out to decide who wins? If Montana soccer games went that way, something tells me Polson trots out the Lawman to take care of business.

Riley Lemm - Ask the Whitefish goalie how he felt after Lemm got three goals past him from at least 20 yards out. It's the equivalent of sniping somebody from across the map in Halo. And that's right, we did just compare Lemm to the sniper rifle in Halo.

Jon Murphy - Murphy's throw-ins are one of the Pirates' deadliest weapons.

He's able to find the right guy to put it in the goal. He's also scored three goals himself while assisting on seven goals. Move over Calvin Johnson, Murphy is about to take your "Megatron" nickname.

Spencer Raymond - Spencer had taken to the role of defender and has showed great soccer IQ. He's had good communication on the field and seems like he's always near the ball.

Steven Walk - The master of running down the soccer ball in open space, Walk is a blur out on the field. He had a goal and two assists on the season.

Nick Howell - He should just take a cue from the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis and start screaming like a maniac after every great defensive play.

Great defensive players celebrate alike.

Alex Helgeson - Even though he's just a freshman, Alex has been all over the opponent's side of the field at forward. He had a goal and an assist on the year and has stood up to players several years his senior.

Peregrine Frissell - You're more likely to get Muammar Gaddafi past TSA security than getting a soccer ball past The Falcon.

Morgan Moll - Another freshman phenom, Moll made a spectacular goal against Bigfork by heading it in on a corner kick. In other words, he's already a human highlight reel and he still has three years of soccer ahead of him.

Spencer Kittle - With a nickname like "Spence the Fence," its easy to see why he has seen goalkeeper action and also can play defender and wing.

VJ Araos - This being his first year of soccer, VJ's approach to the game is unwavering and he's really come on late in the season. In a game that requires a lot of energy, VJ is the speedy change of pace that could really mess with some teams' defenses.

Caden von Wildenradt - How are you going to mess with someone whose nickname is "The Baron?" Caden plays a tough brand of defense and is part of the senior backbone of the Pirates team.

Jonah Kasnitz - Jonah has been playing great soccer this season and scored his first varsity goal this week. He's starting to make a big impact when he's out on the field and that should only become more and more evident.

Everardo Guerrero - Guerrero is yet another forward that can do some damage for the Pirates and defenses would be smart to mark a man on him as he knows how to position himself around the goal.

Zach Calhoun - Zach has no problem getting into the face of opposing defenses and wreaking havoc. He is another great player that Kittle can call on when he needs things to get done out on the field.

Trevor Basler - Only a freshman, Trevor can make some strong contributions at the wing position.

Sam Heutmaker - Sam showed a lot of promise during spring ball and has seen plenty of playing time. It's easy to see why, the midfielder had great passing and ball control skills.

Jacob Raymond - With a nice touch around the ball, Jacob's passing skills and smarts allow him to be a vauled defender for the Pirates.