Two different eight-man football philosophies clashed on Friday night as Montabella and Breckenridge put on a show for fans.
Montabella’s hard-nosed rushing attack went toe-to-toe with Breckenridge’s high-flying passing attack, and the two schools combined for 76 points. The Mustangs would get just enough stops to win 46-30 in a contest that was a lot closer than the final score would indicate.
It was a game where Montabella couldn’t stop the pass, but Breckenridge couldn’t stop the run; thus, it came down to who made fewer mistakes. Montabella was that team on the night, getting two red zone stops to help hold off the upset bid from the Huskies.
Austin Jensen is proving to be one of the best players in Michigan 8-man football. On 20 carries, he rushed for 275 yards and two touchdowns, coming about two inches short of scoring two more times. He put Breckenridge on the rocks immediately after a fourth-down red-zone stop in the third quarter, taking a reverse 89 yards for a score that put Breckenridge down two scores. He is up to 687 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first three games of the season. He also recorded an interception on the night.
Gabe Kauffman continued the dominant rushing attack for the Mustangs, rushing for 184 yards and three scores on 11 carries.
Breckenridge should come away from this game confident in themselves, because there were only two self-inflicted errors in the red zone that kept them from having this game tied.
The first was an interception late in the first half in the end zone; QB Gavin Corbat made his only real error on the night, throwing an out-route late that Jensen intercepted. The other was a pass that bounced off the fingertips of a wide-open receiver in the end zone that would’ve tied the contest. Breckenridge turned the ball over on downs a few plays later, then Jensen had his 89-yard scamper. Beyond that, Breckenridge matched Montabella blow-for-blow.
Corbat put on the best passing performance of anyone I’ve watched this season. He went 26-43 for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He did record two interceptions; one was the end-zone pick, and the second came at the end of the first half, essentially on a Hail Mary. Corbat also rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown. He was fun to watch in the fourth quarter as Breckenridge desperately tried to make the comeback.
His favorite receiver was Ely Chapin, who caught 14 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He was the perfect complement to Corbat’s passing attack.
These two teams could meet again late in the season, and if so, it will be fireworks. The air raid was a great test for the Mustangs, and it showed areas for improvement for a squad gunning for a title in its final year in 8-man football.
