Polson rolls past Ronan 44-6 behind Dumont’s three touchdowns

Polson's ground attack proved too much for Ronan on Friday night as the Pirates piled up more than 500 yards of offense in a 44-6 Northwest A football victory over the Chiefs.

"Losing our starting QB early in the season made us rely a lot more on the run game, and our offensive line, with Ryatt Maley, Aeden Dupuis, Carsten Wadsworth, Bridger Adams, Mitchell Kauley and Patrick Wyena, stepped up huge this year," Polson head coach Carson Oakland said. 

Kelby Dumont led the charge with 220 rushing yards and three touchdowns, helping Polson close out the regular season with a 4-4 overall record and a 3-2 mark in conference play.

"Kelby DuMont has been a leader all year for us and has a nice game rushing for 220 yards and 3 TDs," Oakland said. "Jaspin Fisher stepped in at linebacker and played well on that side of the ball."

The Pirates dominated offensively, rushing for 432 yards and finishing with 507 yards of total offense while holding Ronan scoreless in three of four quarters.

"First off, hats off to Ronan, which was able to move the ball and take advantage of some of our mistakes defensively," Oakland said. "I thought our offense did a nice job moving the ball. And our defense buckled down and got stops when we needed to." 

Polson struck first through the air when quarterback Bradley Smith connected with Eli Evenson on a 20-yard touchdown pass. Roman Sawyer added the extra point to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead after the opening quarter. Oakland said it was good to see Evenson in the end zone and watch his hard work pay off. 

From there, Polson turned to its rushing attack.

Kelby Dumont broke loose for a 29-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, extending the Pirates' advantage to 14-0 at halftime.

Luke Horner added to the lead in the third quarter, scoring on a 9-yard sweep. Horner finished with 83 rushing yards on just six carries and contributed another 53 yards on three receptions.

"Luke Horner has been Mr. steady for us all year and played well on both sides of the ball," he said.

Ronan found the end zone in the third quarter when Austin Schall hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass. The Chiefs' two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving them trailing 21-6.

"The rivalry game has been something we talk about but not a change in our approach," Oakland said. "We knew we had a chance of making the postseason this year and our kids were excited to play another football game that week." 

Polson quickly regained control as Dumont scored from four yards out to extend the lead to 28-6 entering the final quarter.

The Pirates continued to pull away in the fourth, with Dumont completing his three-touchdown performance on an 11-yard run.

A mishandled Ronan punt snap resulted in a safety for Polson, and Brayson Dumont capped the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run.

Sawyer converted all six of Polson's extra-point attempts.

Smith completed 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown while adding 48 yards on the ground.

The Pirates' combination of explosive runs and offensive balance kept Ronan's defense under pressure throughout the contest, with Polson scoring 30 unanswered points after the Chiefs' lone touchdown.

With the win, the Pirates will move into the playoffs on Friday when they travel to Frenchtown to take on the defending State A champion Broncs in the opening round. 

"The biggest focus heading into the playoffs is to enjoy it and do something with the opportunity," Oakland said. "Just because we made the playoffs doesn’t mean we can be satisfied. We need a good week of preparation and go compete like we believe we can."

 Ronan's Manny Barber reaches for the ball as Polson's Luke Homer begins to tackle Barber to prevent the catch. (Christa Umphrey Photo)
 Ronan's Mason Higgins runs the ball as Polson's Luke Homer and August Brown race to catch him. (Christa Umphrey Photo)