MISSOULA — The Knights dealt the first two blows, but the Braves had the final say Friday.

Flathead turned a 14-0 deficit into a 49-28 victory over Hellgate thanks to a big day on the ground from Leum Saisbury and two interceptions from Kellan Manning. 

Flathead is now 3-0 for the first time since 2001 and the three wins are the most for a Braves team since 2018 when they reached the state championship under now-Montana Tech head man Kyle Samson. 

“Early on, we just didn’t come out and operate,” Braves coach Mac Roche said. “We weren’t doing our jobs. We were blowing assignments ... we just needed a reset. 

“Going into halftime I told them ‘Guys, I 100% believe we are going to win this game, but you guys have to focus up and just do your assignment.” 

The Braves did just that out of the half. 

Trailing 14-7, Flathead took the opening kick of the third quarter and drove down the field to tie the game on a Dillon Wink 39-yard touchdown catch-and-run from Bear Barker that just slipped by the Hellgate corner. 

That was the spark the Braves needed as the defense forced a quick 3-and-out. 

Saisbury rattled off three runs on the next drive, then caught a 45-yard screen pass on the left side for a touchdown to put Flathead in front for the first time. Saisbury finished the day with 206 yards rushing — 159 coming after halftime — with three touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 54 yards and another score. 

“O-Line was just moving everyone, making those holes for me,” Saisbury said. “After that, it was just the wide receivers blocking for me and I get to run free. It’s all props to them, without them I couldn’t do it.” 

After Saisbury put the Braves in front, Manning continued to shift the momentum in Flathead’s direction with what looked to be a pick-6 off a tip from Jakob Berry. An unnecessary roughness penalty took the points off the board but the interception stood. Manning had two picks on the night — a third was called back for defensive pass interference on another Braves defender — while battling an illness. 

“I got to give a lot of credit to my team, because I am not feeling great,” Manning said. “The team was all there and they were playing super hard. Our DBs started playing lock down (in the second half) and we just started playing great.” 

Saisbury made quick work of the short field that Manning’s second pick set up and made it 28-14 Flathead. 

Hellgate (0-3 overall, 0-1 in Western AA games) wasn’t going away lightly. 

A double-reverse pass from Isaac Wade to Everett Roberts got the Knights a 36-yard gain, then Cannon Clark found Will Petrino for a 16-yard touchdown on 4th-and-11 to cut the Braves' lead to 28-21. 

Saisbury had the answer though as he broke free up the right sideline for a 43-yard touchdown run to restore a 14-point advantage. 

Clark found Roberts two plays into the Knights next drive for a 68-yard score down the right side as the teams traded scores through the fourth quarter. Clark finished the day 16-for-37 passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Flathead then worked the clock on an 11-play drive that ended with Saisbury working up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. 

Flathead’s defense forced a turnover on downs before Brett Chivers capped off the night with a 12-yard rushing touchdown. 

While the 3-0 mark means a lot to this Braves team, Roche notes that the important thing is that they sit 1-0 in Western AA games. 

“Out of conference is great, we are 2-0, but the reality is that this is where it really starts. The playoffs, the seeding and we needed to get a good start,” Roche said. 

Flathead now welcomes in Helena High for Homecoming next week, kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. 

Flathead    0    7    21    21    -    49 

Hellgate    14    0    0    14    -    28

H — Will Petrino 32 pass from Cannon Clark (Grant Liphardt kick), 10:49 1Q 

H — Isaac Wade 32 pass from Clark (Liphardt kick), 7:32 1Q 

F — Oliver Rosenberg 9 pass from Bear Barker (Brett Chivers kick), 11:46 2Q 

F — Dillon Wink 39 pass from Barker (Chivers kick), 8:53 3Q 

F — Leum Saisbury 45 pass from Barker (Chivers kick), 5:50 3Q 

F — Saisbury 1 run (Chivers kick), 4:50 3Q 

H — Petrino 16 catch from Clark (Liphardt kick), 10:18 4Q 

F — Saisbury 43 run (Chivers kick), 8:54 4Q 

H — Everett Roberts 68 pass from Clark (Liphardt kick), 8:17 4Q 

F — Saisbury 6 run (Chivers kick), 3:49 4Q 

F — Chivers 12 run (Chivers kick), 2:35 4Q 

Individual Stats 

RUSHING: Flathead (37-191) — Leum Saisbury 31-206, Brett Chivers 2-18, Collin Skinner 1-3, Team 1-minus 5, Bear Barker 2-minus 31. Hellgate (21-35) — Tor Cooper 12-33, Isaac Wade 1-15, Ian Bullard 1-minus 2, Seamus Kane 1-minus 3, Cannon Clark 6-minus 8. 

PASSING: Flathead — Bear Barker 15-25-1 for 182 yards. Hellgate — Cannon Clark 16-37-2 for 264 yards, Isaac Wade 1-1-0 for 36 yards. 

RECEIVING: Flathead — Oliver Rosenberg 4-35, Ben Reichner 3-25, Leum Saisbury 2-54, Robbie Wells 2-18, Liam Rech 2-8, Dillon Wink 1-39, Kellan Manning 1-3. Hellgate — Everett Roberts 6-126, Will Petrino 6-70, Isaac Wade 3-97, Ian Bullard 1-8, Grand Liphardt 1-minus 1.