Being young and lacking experience can account for many things in life that don’t come out like one might hope.

In the case of the Plains Horsemen 8-man Montana high school football team, it is without a doubt a factor as evident by a 58-0 loss at the hands of the Seeley-Swan Blackhawks this past Friday evening.

No stats were made available by either team but this one clearly went sour for the Horsemen from the start.

With a new coach at the helm and an all underclassman roster on the field, the Horsemen have stumbled out of the gate to begin the 2021 football season.

They opened the year with a 66-8 loss to unbeaten Superior on the Plains High field.

From all indications, the game with Seeley was much the same.

By the end of the first quarter, the Horsemen trailed 22-0. By halftime that deficit had doubled to 44-0 and the Mercy Rule to keep the clock moving non-stop when one team trails by 30 points or more was in affect for the second straight game.

A bright spot may have emerged in the second half when the Horsemen defense found a way to shut down the Blackhawks potent offense, most likely involving the use of reserve players.

Another bit of good news is the large number of freshmen in the program, many of whom bring size and promising abilities to the years ahead. Without a senior on the roster this year, next year’s team can only benefit from the current group getting more experience and more accustomed to the style and ways of new coach Ryan Hart.

Plains will return to the field Saturday when they take on Flint Creek at 1 p.m.