Broncs outlast Bulldogs, 23-20

FRENCHTOWN — The Frenchtown Broncs hogged the ball and grabbed a state title berth Friday night, outlasting the Whitefish Bulldogs 23-20 in a Class A semifinal football game. 

The game wasn’t decided until Frenchtown recovered an onside kick with 1:07 left; Bulldog quarterback Luke Dalen had just scored on a 10-yard run, and Tait Orme’s PAT kick had cut the Broncs’ lead to three. 

Frenchtown, 10-1, will host defending champion Billings Central (11-0) next Friday for the title, but they’ll do it minus their star player: Running back Cole Johnson was ejected with 7:44 left in the game, and he’ll have to sit out the championship. 

Dalen had a big game, sandwiching two touchdown runs around a fourth-and-7, 46-yard touchdown pass to Cole Moses in the third quarter that drew Whitefish to 20-14. 

The trouble was once the Bulldogs (8-3) kicked off the Broncs weren’t prone to give the ball back. Frenchtown began the third quarter with a 15-play drive and then, after the Moses touchdown, held the ball for 19 plays. 

Both drives ended in Brett Kleinsmith field goals, his second and third of the game.   

Whitefish never led and looked to be in big trouble when Frenchtown, already up 10-0, recovered a pooched kickoff inside the Bulldog 20-yard line. But then Kleinsmith missed a field goal and on the next snap, Dalen tore off a 71-yard run. 

On first-and-goal Dalen ran in from 9 yards out, cutting the gap to 10-6.  

“That’s been our guys all year,” Whitefish coach Brett Bollweg said. “They’ve learned how to play with grit and class and play the game the right way. I’m super proud of them for that. No quit in these guys.” 

The Broncs blocked the PAT kick, then answered with a quick drive that was capped by a 28-yard halfback pass from Konnor Klimpel to Bailey Corette 

That came at 5:05 of the second quarter and Frenchtown took a 17-6 lead into halftime. 

Then they played keep away, going up 20-6 on a 32-yard field goal with 3:39 left in the third quarter. The Broncs held a 286-280 advantage in yardage, but ran 38 plays the second half to 16 for the Bulldogs. 

“They did a great job of converting,” Bollweg said. “We played OK on defense but we couldn’t finish some things off on our end, and they made the plays they needed to.” 

Moses’ touchdown came just a couple minutes later, but then Frenchtown held the ball for next 10. Along the way Johnson converted a fourth-and-2 from the 12-yard line, shaking one tackle before getting into some extra-curriculars on the Whitefish sideline. He ended up with two penalties and an ejection; Whitefish also had a personal foul, leaving the Broncs with a first down back at the Bulldog 24.  

Eventually, Kleinsmith hit a 26-yard field goal with 3:51 left in the game. 

Unofficially, Johnson ran for 145 yards. 

Dalen has 12 times for 144 yards on a night when the Broncs clogged the running lanes for Moses, who picked up 17 yards on six carries. The quarterback shook off an early interception — the Broncs cashed it in for a Rodoni TD pass — to finish 9 of 15 passing for 119 yards.

“Luke’s just been everything we could have hoped this year,” Bollweg said of the junior. “He’s grown into his position and grown as a leader. A gutsy game for him, and I’m glad we get to spend another year with him.” 

The Bulldogs were chasing their first state berth since the 2015 championship season. 

Frenchtown is in the title game for the first time since 2009; the Broncs beat Billings Central 28-6 in the final. 

On Sept. 23 Frenchtown played Central with Johnson in the lineup and fell to the Rams 35-7. The Rams beat East Helena 42-7 in the other semifinal. 

Whitefish    0    6    7    7    -    20 

Frenchtown    10    7    3    3    -    23 

F — Cooper Michaud 10 pass from Dawson Rodoni (Brett Kleinsmith kick), 8:31-1Q 

F — Kleinsmith 31 FG, :36-1Q 

W — Luke Dalen 9 run (kick blocked), 8:26-2Q 

F — Bailey Corette 28 pass from Konnor Klimpel (Kleinsmith kick), 5:05-2Q 

F — Kleinsmith 32 FG, 3:39-3Q 

W — Cole Moses 46 pass from Dalen (Tait Orme kick), 1:36-3Q 

F — Kleinsmith 26 FG, 3:51-4Q 

W — Dalen 10 run (Orme kick), 1:07-4Q