Freshman Finish: Bravettes knock off Wolfpack on late Herion TD
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Flathead wide receiver Lexi Herion (33) scores the game-winning touchdown on a reception in the fourth quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead players rush the field to celebrate after a 20-13 win over Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier wide receiver Zeila Wagner (29) scores a touchdown in the second half against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Violet Close (24) holds on to a touchdown reception in the first half against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead quarterback Julia Kay (13) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Lexi Herion in the fourth quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier quarterback Karley Allen (14) is tackled by diving Flathead defender Makenna Korf (35) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Lexi Herion (33) holds on to a long reception against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier wide receiver Remi Osler (9) picks up yardage after a reception in the fourth quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Hannah Cantrell (17) picks up yardage after a reception in the first half against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Rylee Galle (4) is tackled by Flathead's Lexi Herion (33) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
It’s debatable whether you can call Wednesday’s flag football battle between Glacier and Flathead Crosstown II, since both teams warmed up by playing 40 minutes against East Helena.
But when the tripleheader had ended it was a loud bunch of Bravettes (and fans) that clumped together on the Legends Stadium turf after Flathead’s landmark 20-13 win over Glacier.
Julia Kay threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns for Flathead, including a 5-yard strike to freshman Lexi Herion with 32 seconds left in the game.
Herion had a showcase game, with eight catches for 144 yards. There were other weapons for the Braves — Hannah Cantrell made a shoestring catch and run for 28 yards on the winning drive — but Herion stood out.
“She came in, 6-foot, maybe 6-1 freshman,” first-year Flathead coach Jess Hensley said. “Day 1 at practice, crisp routes, sticky hands, high points the ball. I mean, a weapon.
“We started working her in and if the ball is in her area she grabs it. As the season progresses we’re going to have to find creative ways to get her the ball because I think everybody else notices, too.”
Glacier scored first, cat-quick quarterback Karley Allen finding Lanee Anderson for a 6-0 lead. Flathead drew even just before halftime, Cantrell making a tightrope catch of a 3-yard dart from Kay.
The Bravettes took a 13-6 lead in the third quarter when Kay found Lily Rittenhouse with a 10-yard scoring pass; Glacier answered midway through the fourth, Zeila Wagner taking an option pitch in from 2 yards out.
That set the stage for Flathead’s final clock drive. Cantrell was key but so was a fourth-down throw that Herion grabbed in a crowd of defenders for a 26-yard gain. She scored the game-winner on the next snap.
“She’s really good,” said Kay. “We just send Lexi when we need it. Boom. We get it.”
Glacier got to midfield in the final 30 seconds and Allen spun a pass from midfield — the 40-yard line in flag — to the end zone but out of reach.
“We’re a young team,” Glacier coach Mark Kessler noted. “A bunch of sophomores that are new to flag football. We’re making those kind of errors, getting a little confused and stuff. But we’re super close.
“Our kids stepped up and competed. Any time or day, when you have a chance at the end — we get a stop there, maybe it goes overtime, all kinds of things could happen. It was a great game. Two great teams.”
The fledgling sport is in its fourth season — still waiting for Montana High School Association sanction — and Glacier and Flathead met in the first two state championships. Glacier won both, then won it again last year.
Flathead’s win Wednesday was its first over Glacier since that inaugural 2022 season.
Both Allen and Herion had interceptions in the game; Glacier’s Maggie Measure and Jillian McGuire were thorns for Kay in the pocket.
The Bravettes began the day with a 25-0 win over East Helena. The Vigilantes then took Glacier to overtime before the Wolfpack prevailed, 19-13.
Allen scored the game-winning TD in overtime; she also ran for a TD and threw a 55-yard scoring pass in regulation. Keely Hamilton scored both of East Helena’s touchdowns, catching a TD from Abby Hauck and getting a 31-yard pick-6.
Glacier 6 0 0 7 - 13
Flathead 0 6 7 7 - 20
G — Lanee Anderson 16 pass from Karley Allen (pass failed)
F — Hannah Cantrell 3 pass from Julia Kay (pass failed)
F — Lily Rittenhouse 10 pass from Kay (Lexi Herion pass from Kay)
G — Zeila Wagner 2 run (Anderson pass from Allen)
F — Herion 5 pass from Allen (Rittenhouse pass from Kay)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Glacier — Allen 7-60, Wagner 4-35. Flathead — Kay 12-36, Team 1-minus 9.
PASSING: Glacier — Allen 15-25-1 for 169 yards. Flathead — Kay 14-23-1 for 214 yards.
RECEIVING: Flathead — Herion 8-144, Cantrell 2-31, Rittenhouse 2-20, Charlotte Kay 1-9, JC Tillman 1-10.
Flathead players rush the field to celebrate after a 20-13 win over Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier wide receiver Zeila Wagner (29) scores a touchdown in the second half against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Violet Close (24) holds on to a touchdown reception in the first half against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead quarterback Julia Kay (13) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Lexi Herion in the fourth quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier quarterback Karley Allen (14) is tackled by diving Flathead defender Makenna Korf (35) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Lexi Herion (33) holds on to a long reception against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier wide receiver Remi Osler (9) picks up yardage after a reception in the fourth quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead wide receiver Hannah Cantrell (17) picks up yardage after a reception in the first half against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Rylee Galle (4) is tackled by Flathead's Lexi Herion (33) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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