That Townsend kid is the real McCoy.

The Darby Tigers, spurred on by talented quarterback McCoy Townsend, defeated the St. Regis Tigers 40-34 in a battle of two of the top Western C 8-Man teams in Darby Friday.

Now 4-2 in conference play and overall, coach Jesse Allan and his Tigers host the Arlee Warriors Friday. Arlee defeated Plains 52-32 in Plains last week. Darby improved to 5-1 with the win over St. Regis.

Allan was impressed with Townsend’s play in Darby. “This kid is talented, relentless, and the epitome of a true competitor,” he said. “If he's not playing next fall on Saturdays (in college), it would be a travesty.”

Allan added that Darby controlled the game most of the night but that his Tigers gave themselves a chance to win in the end with their gritty play. He felt St. Regis could have come away with the win with one more possession. “I believe would have found a way to win it if we had gotten the ball at the end,” he said, pointing to his own star quarterback Conner Lulis as “possibly the best pure quarterback in the league.”

Truth be told, Allan liked the way all his guys played. “Our skill guys made some incredible plays throughout, Nate Bohn and Isaac Kelly proved they are a tough cover for any defense,” he said. “And keep an eye on Tucker Desoto, a talented freshman for sure.”

Backing up Allan’s claims, Lulis completed 16 of 24 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns while throwing only one interception. Bohn pulled down eight receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns while also returning a kickoff 62 yards for another TD, Kelly caught six passes for 46 yards including a touchdown, and DeSoto caught five balls for 42 yards and yet another touchdown.

Allan looks forward to his team’s remaining games. “Love our kids' grit to make it a game and give ourselves a real shot until that last 60 seconds,” he said. “Our young guys up front will continue to get better the rest of the way and we'll see how the last 3 weeks of the season shake out.”

Although effectively shadowed by Darby’s defense on the offensive side all night, Barrett Bessette led St. Regis on defense with 15 total tackles Friday.