The on-paper mismatch never actually materialized, but that may have only made the result more painful.

Flathead tamed Bozeman’s vaunted passing attack, ran the ball better than it has all season and played four inspired quarters on homecoming but still lost 24-7 to the defending state champion Hawks on Friday night at Legends Stadium.

It was Bozeman’s eighth straight win over the Braves.

The two teams finished with near-identical offensive numbers but Flathead fell victim to a handful of ill timed, deflating miscues, twice moving the ball inside the Hawks’ 10-yard line and failing to score, and stalling a couple other promising drives will backbreaking penalties.

“There’s a small difference between winning and losing, and it showed,” Flathead coach Kyle Samson said. “It’s tough to come in the locker room when you know they gave everything they had, just a couple mistakes here and there. I’m proud of them.”

Flathead (1-4) trailed 24-7 entering the fourth quarter but, having controlled time of possession for the first three periods, started to gash a worn down Bozeman (4-1) defense on the ground. The Braves ran the ball 15 times on a 16-play drive that covered 73 yards. With the ball two yards away from the end zone, Flathead fullback Jonathan Baker tried to leap over the line but the ball was knocked out of his hands and pounced on by the Hawks in the end zone, giving Bozeman the ball back with six minutes left.

“That’s tough, [Baker]’s just trying to make a play,” Samson said. “One play doesn’t lose us the game. It’s not his fault we lost the game. He was just giving a great effort and it just so happens the ball came out.”

On Flathead’s first two drives of the game, the Braves rolled deep into Bozeman territory only to come away empty-handed.

Trailing 7-0 after Bozeman’s Callahan O’Reilly scurried for a seven-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening possession, a long Eric Reyna kickoff return set Flathead up in great field position. After a couple of Bridger Johnson to James Flannigan passes, the Braves got as deep as the Bozeman 27 before turning it over on downs.

Bozeman’s next offensive drive ended with punter Lance McCutcheon scrambling away from an oncoming rush and failing to reach the first down marker, giving the Braves the ball at the Hawks’ 19. Flathead picked up a first down and reached the one-yard line before a penalty pushed it back. Facing fourth and goal at the eight, the Braves opted to play for the touchdown and Johnson’s pass fell incomplete, again turning the ball over.

“We’re a young football team that’s just battling,” Samson said. “We’ve just got to keep fighting and try to learn from these small mistakes and get better because of it.

“I don’t like losing but I feel a heck of a lot better than last week (a 41-12 loss at Missoula Big Sky).”

Flathead’s only scoring drive came early in the second quarter, immediately following an O’Reilly touchdown pass to his tight end, Cade Wessel. Backed up at the Braves’ 20-yard line, Samson called a designed keeper for Johnson and the senior quarterback reached the edge and took off down the right sideline, racing 74 yards before being dragged down at the six. One play later, Baker plowed into the end zone to get Flathead on the board and pull the Braves within 14-7.

Bozeman tacked on a Jack Tetrault three-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter and Connor Coles kicked a 24-yard field goal after a Johnson interception.

Despite playing without three injured running backs the Braves had their best day of the year running the ball. Johnson, boosted by his big run, finished with 84 yards on eight carries. Reyna, starting at running back for the first time, finished with 68 yards on 18 carries. Flathead ran for 172 yards in the game.

“I thought our offensive line did a nice job tonight,” Samson said. “They’re starting to come together. They’re a young group and they’re not the biggest guys but they’re starting to get better and that’s exciting going into the second half of the season.

“Shoot, we’re down to our fourth running back but I thought Eric Reyna did a really nice job running the football tonight. I was proud of him. For his first start I thought he did a really nice job.”

The Braves also held a Bozeman passing attack that averaged nearly 400 yards per game coming in to just 226 through the air. O’Reilly finished 19 for 35 passing with just one touchdown. The senior threw 13 touchdown passes in Bozeman’s first three games.

“Our defense did a nice job against them all night,” Samson said. “I thought our defensive backs did a really nice job. We got some pressure on the quarterback a couple of times, too.”

Johnson went 16 for 25 through the air for 157 yards, connecting with Flannigan six times for 67 yards. Bobby Lowry and Reyna each hauled in four grabs.

The Braves will pick up a win next week, with Flathead scheduled to host Missoula Hellgate. The Knights are forfeiting this varsity season so the Braves will be credited with a 14-0 victory.

Bozeman 7 7 10 0 — 24

Flathead 0 7 0 0 — 7

First quarter

BOZ — Callahan O’Reilly 8 run (Connor Coles kick), 8:20

Second quarter

BOZ — Cade Wessel 7 pass from O’Reilly (Coles kick), 8:44

FLT — Jonathan Baker 6 run (Cody Cusker kick), 8:17

Third quarter

BOZ — Jack Tetrault 3 run (Coles kick), 7:38

BOZ — Coles 24 field goal, 5:53

BOZ FLT

First downs 19 18

Rushes-yards 29-165 34-172

Passing yards 226 157

Comp-Att-Int 19-35-0 16-25-1

Total offense 391 329

Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1

Punts-avg 4-34 4-35

Penalties-yards 7-68 7-50

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — BOZ: Callahan O’Reilly 14-90, Lance McCutcheon 3-41, Cade Wessel 1-21, Jack Tetrault 8-7, Logan Kleinhans 1-6, Joe Olsen 1-0. FLT: Bridger Johnson 8-84, Eric Reyna 16-68, Jonathan Baker 6-20, Bobby Lowry 2-0.

PASSING — BOZ: Callahan O’Reilly 19-35-0-226. FLT: Bridger Johnson 16-25-1-157.

RECEIVING — BOZ: Jack Tetrault 6-87, Bailey Paddock 4-39, Lance McCutcheon 4-38, Logan Kleinhans 1-38, Cade Wessel 2-10, Joe Olsen 1-8, Bryce Lingle 1-6. FLT: James Flannigan 6-67, Bobby Lowry 4-33, Austin Demars 2-31, Eric Reyna 4-26.