ALBERTON/ST. REGIS – The Clark Fork Timberwolves saw defeat in their game against the Grass Range/Winnett Rangers Saturday, eliminating them from the playoff competition.

The game was hard fought, with the Rangers gaining a big lead early in the first quarter. The Timberwolves were unable to pull back and though they gained some touchdowns, they could not bring in enough to make up the difference.

According to Head Coach Jake Giffen, the biggest cause of the loss was the team being at less than full strength. Early in the first quarter, senior Troy Munsch had to be removed from the game with a knee injury. Added to the loss was senior Andrew Lommen who was injured earlier in the season.

“You lose even one player in a game like that, it can be the difference between losing a couple games or not losing,” said Giffen.

The injuries of Munsch and Lommen were especially hard since both were strong players in the team’s defensive strategy.

Giffen said senior Keir Sanzano played a great game, making two touchdowns and adding several yards to his stats. Throughout the game, the Rangers would focus their blockers on Sanzano to keep him from advancing down the field.

“A lot of teams are keyed on [Sanzano] and I would if I were playing against a team like us,” said Giffen.

Another cause Giffen attributed the loss to was the team’s versatility. He said he stressed to the team the importance of not playing one dimensional roles and taking over to fill any gaps. This led to problems when two powerful defenders were lost and their roles could not be filled.

The outcome disappointed Giffen a little. He felt they would have won if the team had been at full strength. He complimented Grass Range/Winnett, saying they were a good team and a good fight. Giffen said this stage of competition requires the teams bring their best and play with all they have.

“When you get into the playoffs, you have to have your best guys on the field,” he said. “If you don’t, you can end up in a position like we were in.”

Other than workouts, Giffen does not expect to work much with the team for the rest of the school year. However, he said they may go to a football camp in the summer. The rest of the year will likely be making plans for next year’s season.

After the current seniors leave, the team will have a lot of very young players. Giffen said the new players brought in will have big shoes to fill and will need to bring everything they have.