One thing is for certain: the Western B 11-player football conference is a tough league.

And the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks, who are heading into the meat of their conference schedule, can attest to that. 

Friday night the Hawks took on conference co-leader Eureka (5-1, 1-1) and fell to the visiting Lions 30-6. Despite the setback, Thompson Falls remains in the thick of the conference standings with a 1-1 mark. 

The Lions scored first Friday night, capping a drive on a rainy, windy evening with a nine-yard scoring run. They added a two-point after touchdown (PAT) play take an 8-0 lead. That was the only score in the first quarter. 

Eureka added to their lead in the second quarter when their defense recorded a safety, good for two points and a 10-0 lead. They scored again before the second quarter came to an end when a Lions running back scooted eight yards for a touchdown. The PAT kick was good, giving the visitors a 17-0 lead. 

Thompson Falls got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, when sophomore running back Sam Burgess plowed into the end zone from five yards out. The PAT try was no good, putting the halftime score at 17-6 in favor of Eureka. 

The Lions added a touchdown in the third quarter via a 13-yard run and a successful PAT kick, enhancing their lead to 24-6 heading into the final quarter of play. 

As the Lions defense continued to throttle Thompson Falls’ offense, the Lions wrapped up game scoring with a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to wrap up the win. 

Eureka’s defense held the Blue Hawks to 27 total yards, while the Lions racked up 314 yards, including 273 rushing yards on 50 carries for the night. 

Senior quarterback Kaden Robins had 27 yards rushing to lead the Blue Hawks.   

Senior linebacker Bryson LeCoure had another solid night on defense, leading the Blue Hawks in tackles with 5 and 11 assists, including one sack.  Burgess had five tackles, four assists and one tackle for a loss. 

Eureka had three quarterback sacks and three other tackles for loss. The Lions also had two interceptions and one fumble recovering. 

Thompson Falls, which played three of its first four games on the road this season, remains at home for a second straight week, taking on Loyola of Missoula this Friday evening (Oct 12) at 7 p.m. on Previs Field in Thompson Falls. Loyola is a co-leader of the conference with a 2-0 record.