How are the Cowboys/Cowgirls going to look this fall?? Anyone have any insight.

This has been on my mind, too. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Slosh has to say. I would guess, however, that it may be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the footballers. Replacing players like Haughian, the Love twins, Berg and many others is no small task. It will be a tough act to follow. Time will tell...but you can bet I WILL be pulling for them!

The key will be the offensive line.

The key is always the offensive line. Offensive linemen rule!

This is my quick, and non-educated (ok, somewhat educated) thinking on the 2009 Cowboys and is completely subject to change once I spend more time at practices and scrimmages.

Obviously, replacing the talent they had last year is not going to happen. It's pretty hard to replace the single season rushing and single season passing record holders at the same time, and then that defense. Holy Cow, what a defense that was.

But I don't see this team trying to replace anybody. There's no point in trying, so I don't think they will.

This is going to be a very young team, I want to say there's only a handful of seniors, so most of the starters will be juniors, and maybe a sophomore or two. But there is a ton of talent. Shane Cooley may be one of the most gifted athletes I've been around in my 5 years at the Star, and there are some big lineman.

I'm not sure who's going to be running the ball, but I'm guessing you could be seeing something different in the offensive system that was run last year.

I want to say they're replacing something like 19 starters, or pretty close to that, so there's not going to be a lot of expectations. But I see this team doing well. Looking at the rest of the Eastern A- Billings Central is going to be tough, really tough. I think they only lost a few guys (Grosulak being the most recognizable). Hardin lost their coach, who was a good one and will be missed. Laurel will be decent, but lost some studs. Sidney is still in a rough patch and Glendive wouldn't compete in most Class B conferences.

So in my predictions, I'm going with the Cowboys second in the Eastern A this year and will be at least a few games over .500.

Bold.

Glendive unable to compete in class B gives me a warm fuzzy.

I'm waiting for Marley to tell us about the team.

Bridgier,

What?? are you talking about....I thought you loved the Red Devils?

Naw you're right it makes all of us feel pretty damn good. I hope we shut them out-Jerks

I may have been fond of certain individual Red Devillettes, perhaps...

GLENDIVE SUCKS!!!...oops, wrong thread!

By the way, thanks to Slosh for the forecast - we'll see how it goes.

Thank you very much, Slosh....I am looking forward to a losing Glendive season as much as I am pulling for the Cowboys.

Thank you very much, Slosh....I am looking forward to a losing Glendive season as much as I am pulling for the Cowboys.

That's like saying that you're looking forward to night being dark, Gunnar.

Glendive is 2-27 over the last three seasons and hasn't had a winning season since 1995 (when the Red Devils lost to the Cowboys in the state championship game). Their high-water mark since then was a 4-4 campaign in 2004.

Miles City has won its last 12 against Glendive and are 32-7 against the Red Devils since 1972.

Wow. I knew Glendive sucked... but I didn't know it was that bad. Only one break-even season in over a decade? That's... that's awesome.

The Cowboys are scrimmaging here in a few minutes. I'll let you know how I thought it went later.

How'd it go, Slosh?

Sorry, forgot to stop by after the scrimmage.

FIrst thing, they looked really out of shape. The big guys were struggling (in their defense, it was really, really hot yesterday afternoon).

Second, I think Shane Cooley is going to be just fine at the quarterback spot. He reminds me a lot of Pat Regan (even down to wearing number 14). He made a lot of great plays with his feet. His ball isn't as good as Jordan Bryants, but then again, there aren't many that throw as well as Jordan. I think he'll be fine.

Looks like we're going with a sophomore tailback in Tyler Essex, he's big (listed at 6'1, 205) and runs well. I think the guy to watch from the backfield will be fullback Layne Johnson. Expect the Cowboys to go back to a lot more option this year, which could be fun.

Defensively, it's hard to say. They got some big boys up front (Jarrod Grasby, 6'3, 275 and probably bigger) but not sure who the big playmaker is going to be in the linebacking corps. Cooley, just a junior, is already in his third year starting in the defensive backfield.

Hey Slosh: Jarrod Grasby = O.J.'s kid?

yeah, and dang near as big as OJ too.

Option? Did I read option?

Sweet.

yeah. Cooley throws it pretty well, and we'll see a lot of two tight ends (juniors Kyle Stanton and Chris Kurkowski will likely be the top targets in the passing game) but I get the feeling we'll see mostly an option attack from the Cowboys. I'm going to have my hands full keeping stats. It's been pretty easy the last few years....Haughian up the middle....bryant pass to whoever..... now I'm going to have to actually pay attention to who has the ball.

Awesome.

It sounds trite, but when the option is executed properly, it cannot be stopped. That is, of course, unless the quarterback can't pass the ball on the bootleg.

Slosh - check your email here shortly. I've got updates for you.

Updates sent.

Any chance that someone could post the Cowboys' schedule in this thread?

8/29 - Powell (A)
9/4 - Dickinson (H)
9/11 - Livingston (H)
9/19 - Belgrade (A)
9/25 - Billings Central (H)
10/2 - Glendive (A)
12/9 - Sidney (H)
10/16 - Hardin (A)
10/23 - Laurel (A)

And any chance we could get a score tonight?

None at all.

They play tomorrow.

hardy har har

Good luck (and safe travel!) today, Cowboys!

cowboys won 7-0

HEY - any word on how they did against Dickenson?

Cowboys Win 7 -0

HUH - same score as LAST weekend??? Really?

Yes same score as last weekend Shu. Very sloppy game lots of mental mistakes and penalties, some which you expect with a young team some which you do not expect. Defense was very tough this evening, Midgets moved the ball at times but keep shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. I believe the Cowboys picked off 5-6 passes, and recovered a fumble or two.

Cowboys will have to play at a higher level on the offensive side of the ball when they travel to Belgrade in a couple weeks.

Give me a few minutes and I'll let you know the last time the Cowboys posted the exact same score in consecutive weeks ...

(a few minutes later)

The last time the Cowboys posted identical scores in consecutive weeks was in 1973, when Miles City defeated Glendive 24-14 in the second week of the season and beat Sidney by the same score a week later.

Other notes of possible interest:

- The last time the Cowboys had two games with identical scores at any point in the same season was 2002, when Miles City beat Colstrip and Glendive by matching 35-0 margins in the sixth and eighth games of the season, respectively.

- The Cowboys came very close to posting identical scores in the first two games of the 2004 season when they beat Belgrade 26-7 and defeated Sheridan 25-7.

- Miles City beat Sidney 44-12 and topped Lewistown 43-13 in the second and third weeks of the 1983 season.

- The last time the Cowboys posted back-to-back shutouts was in the 2000 season, when Miles City held three consecutive opponents scoreless: Livingston (44-0), Sidney (37-0) and Hardin (21-0).

- The last time the Cowboys opened the season with consecutive shutouts was 1981, when they beat Lewistown 37-0, Glasgow 6-0 and Baker 43-0 in their first three games. Miles City had four shutouts in their first five games that season, outscoring their opponents 128-7 over that span.

- This was the Cowboys' first win at Denton Field over Dickinson. They've played the Midgets three times at home (1978, 2007 and tonight).

- Logan Leidholt tied a team record with three interceptions. Jeff Losett (vs. Poplar in 1973), Scott Kirby (vs. Lewistown in 1986), Dirk Schmidt (vs. Hardin in 1988), and Darin Muri (vs. Frenchtown in 2003) also share the record.

[This message has been edited by Brian A. Reed (9/5/2009)]

Thanks, Brian - once again I am impressed with the stats you keep!

So, it's sounding like this young team has some bugs to work-out as far as being able to execute offensively...that's something that experience has to fix. Let's hope they make some progress in the coming weeks. Defensively, though, it sounds like they're pretty sharp. Back-to-back shutouts are impressive on ANY level. Of course, as has been mentioned, it helps when the other team shoots themselves in the foot, too, but that is what that is.

Logan Leidholt is playing now, huh?...Daren's son, if I'm not mistaken. Daren was in my class - God, I am getting old.

Thanks, Shu.

My statkeeping started out of necessity and evolved into a hobby. It's now an obsession that's probably not all that healthy. I've recently branched out to include every Class A football program since 1980. So ... if anyone is just dying to know how many points the 1989 Sidney Eagles scored or what Polson's overall record is since 1980, hit me up.

I was very impressed with the team. Especially on defense and especially the defensive front Grasby, Armstrong and Hess and look out because the Cowboys have their next great linebacker in Lane the Hammer Johnson.

Offensively they need work and they need more weapons to take the pressure off of Cooly or he will not make it a whole season. He is the QB, DB, Punter and return man and all with a bad shoulder. Someone else had better step up or he will get beat to a pulp never leaving the field.

Stone,

Thats a lot on the QB. Is there no one else who can take on those duties? I'm curious, because I know in the past MC coaches have been hesitant to play all of thier depth.

That is a lot to put on a quarterback. It's worked for Dillon (Torrey Thomas, Zach McRae) though.

:I know in the past MC coaches have been hesitant to play all of thier depth."

What depth? There is only 75 kids out for football Freshman-Senior.
There is only ten freshman and 11 seniors give or take a few. Numbers are the same in all sports in all towns-kids just are not going out for sports. My senior year we had 130 kids out for football.

Our Freshman season has now become a Froshmore season.

Brian, I agree he can do the job he is tough enough and athlete enough but he is playing with a bad shoulder that will require surgery in the off season. So a little help could be nice-plus when all the film study show Cooly right Cooly left, Cooly roll out and throw. I think the LB core can lock on the QB.

Stone,

I'm just speaking from the past. I had no idea of thier numbers now. I'm sure he is tough, but do you want to expose your QB to that much contact? In pretty much any other position you can play hurt or injured, not so much as QB.

[Glendive is 2-27 over the last three seasons and hasn't had a winning season since 1995 (when the Red Devils lost to the Cowboys in the state championship game). Their high-water mark since then was a 4-4 campaign in 2004.]



Hey Brian I don't usually comment on here but I see one stat flaw and thought I would give you a chance to update your stats, they are very entertaining and I appreciate someone keeping up on them. In 1996 my senior year Glendive beat us in the last seconds of the game they were 7-1 or 6-2 I think with their only conference loss to Sidney who was undefeated. They had a great team with RB Tom Ziegler and Company and lost in the second round of playoffs to Butte Central, Ziegler was hurt early in the game and they did not recover. Hope this helps you.

Thanks, Brian. You're right - it was a typo on my part. 1996 was Glendive's last winning season (7-2, second seed in the Eastern A). The Red Devils' only loss in the regular season was to conference champion Sidney (33-24).

Glendive's season ended in the quarterfinals with a 13-12 (a very unlucky set of numbers for the Red Devils, mind you) loss to Hamilton. It was Hamilton's first-ever playoff win.

[This message has been edited by Brian A. Reed (9/9/2009)]