Cowboys vs. Havre, Playoff Edition
Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
In anticipation for the Custer County Cowboys' home playoff game against the Havre Blue Ponies tomorrow, here is the series history between Miles City and Havre (since 1986, Havre's first season in Class A):

1986 - @Havre 35, Miles City 14
1994 - @Miles City 43, Havre 7 (State championship game)
1996 - Miles City 38, @Havre 14 (quarterfinal playoff)
2002 - @Havre 19, Miles City 14 (semifinal playoff)
2003 - @Miles City 20, Havre 12 (semifinal playoff)
2010 - Miles City 34, @Havre 14; @Miles City 54, Havre 26 (first-round playoff)
2011 - Miles City 48, @Havre 14
2012 - @Miles City 35, Havre 14
2013 - Miles City 6, @Havre 6 (tie); @Havre 21, Miles City 20 (first-round playoff)
2014 - @Miles City 27, Havre 19

The Cowboys (7-2 / 4-1, 2nd Eastern 'A') have won eight of the team's 12 meetings and are undefeated against the Blue Ponies (4-5 / 2-2, 3rd Central 'A') at home. The teams have tied once. In the playoffs, Miles City holds a 3-2 advantage, but will be looking to avenge a controversial 21-20 loss that ended the Cowboys' 2013 season.

Miles City is averaging 355 yards per game this season, and 159 of that has been through the year. The Cowboys are one of the more balanced teams in Class A and have averaged over 32 points per contest. Miles City has a much-improved defense this season and has allowed only 234 yards per game, second only in the Eastern 'A' to Laurel's 220 ypg.

Senior quarterback/wide receiver Alec Haughian leads the team with 197.3 yards of total offense per game. He's the team's leading rusher and receiver with 799 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground to go with 24 catches for 489 yards and six scores. His 20.4 yards per catch leads the conference and is among the best in the state. Also a threat to throw the ball when he lines up behind center, he has completed 34 of his 55 passes for 511 yards and nine touchdowns. He has not been intercepted this season.

One of the most pleasant surprises for the Cowboys this season as been the play of junior quarterback Matt Blunt, who leads the team with 924 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. He's completed 58 of his 103 passes and has only been intercepted seven times. Blunt has added 222 yards rushing on 48 carries.

Tyler Burk, only a sophomore, has rushed 53 times for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns and has caught 15 passes for 246 yards and four scores. He's joined in the offensive backfield by junior Jared Bartlett, who has added 303 yards and a score on 47 carries. Senior Evan Haughian, who was slowed by a knee injury early in the season, has 120 yards and a TD on 31 carries and has been a stalwart at linebacker.

Beyond Alec Haughian and Burk, the Cowboys have multiple threats to catch the ball. Senior wideout Brett Keith has 17 receptions for 288 yards and is tied with Alec for the team lead with six touchdown catches. Junior Wyatt Lesh is close behind with 16 catches for 220 yards and four scores.

The Cowboys enter the game with the most productive passing offense in the Eastern 'A' Conference, but the Blue Ponies have the most prolific passing attack among all Class A teams. Havre averages 377 yards of offense per game, with 260 of that coming via the pass.

Dane Warp, still only a junior, leads all of Class A with 180 completions in 268 attempts for 2342 yards and 26 touchdowns. He's only been intercepted five times. He's improved his mobility this season, and has rushed for 211 yards and a score on 88 carries.

Over the course of his remarkable career, Warp has passed for 7,990 yards and 76 touchdowns, totals that surpass all other quarterbacks in Class A history. He joined Dillon's Zach McRae (2004-06) as the only Class A players with three career 2000-yard passing seasons.

Warp spreads the ball around to multiple targets (five different players have led the team in receiving this year), but his primary weapon is sophomore Parker Filius, who has caught 57 passes for 703 yards and seven touchdowns. Filius has added 240 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Warp's little brother, Isaac, has also had a very good year catching the ball. The sophomore has caught 31 passes for 503 yards and five scores. Jase Stokes, another sophomore, has contributed 316 yards and two TDs on 23 receptions to go with 35-289-4 on the ground. Jacob LaBrie - you guessed it, another sophomore - has grabbed 17 catches for 240 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns, all over the last five games. He had four TD catches last week against Browning.

Like Filius and Stokes, Kody Pribyl, a junior, is a dual threat running and receiving. He's averaging over 10 yards per carry on the ground, having rushed for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries and has caught 10 passes for 130 yards and other score.

The Blue Ponies are young and small, but they've got surprising experience and good speed. They are as dangerous an opponent as any team in the state. The Cowboys need only to think back to this time last year when they let a 20-point halftime lead slip away in a first round playoff loss. I would be shocked if the Cowboys don't avenge themselves this time around, but the Blue Ponies aren't going to go down without a fight.

Prediction: Cowboys 28, Havre 20.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Cowboys lead, 6-0 in 1st quarter on 42-yard run by Alec Haughian.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Now tied, 6-6. Three minutes left in 1st.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Another TD run for Haughian. Cowboys up, 13-6 going into second quarter.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Bartlett blocked punt sets up Blunt-to-Keith TD pass. Cowboys up, 20-6 early in second quarter.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Havre scores again. Now 20-14, Cowboys midway through second quarter.

At this rate, I'm guessing my predicted score will be surpassed by halftime.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Game tied at 20 with a minute left in the first half. Jase Stokes has three TDs for Havre.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Haughian-to-Keith TD pass to put Cowboys up, 27-20 at half. TD pass is Haughian's 10th of the season and Keith's TD catch is his eighth, giving him a tie for the second-most receiving scores in a single season by a Cowboy receiver.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Haughian now has now accounted for 31 touchdowns this season, making him the first Eastern 'A' player to have 30 or more combined TDs in a single season. No one else ahead of him on the all-time list - all quarterbacks - had more than one scoring catch among their totals.

Here's the all-time list for Class A (updated through Friday night):

Matt Ritter, BTC 2007 - 47 TDs (18 pass/29 rush)
Torrey Thomas, DIL 2003 - 43 TDs (27 pass/16 rush)
Gary Wagner, HAV 2004 - 43 TDs (36 pass/7 rush)
Bryce Carver, DIL 2008 - 43 TDs (18 pass/25 rush)
J.T. Linder, DIL 2011 - 40 TDs (22 pass/18 rush)
Bryce Carver, DIL 2007 - 37 TDs (24 pass/13 rush)
J.D. Ferris, DIL 2013 - 36 TDs (26 pass/9 rush/1 rec.)
Zach McRae, DIL 2005 - 35 TDs (26 pass/9 rush)
Joel Fuller, LIB 2008 - 35 TDs (25 pass/10 rush)
J.D. Ferris, DIL 2014 - 35 TDs (28 pass/7 rush)
Matt Kimmet, LAU 1999 - 34 TDs (27 pass/7 rush)
Gary Wagner, HAV 2003 - 34 TDs (28 pass/6 rush)
Justin Jensen, HAV 2011 - 34 TDs (31 pass/3 rush)
Jared Trinastich, CF 2013 - 34 TDs (34 pass/0 rush)
Caleb Vance, STE 2010 - 33 TDs (24 pass/9 rush)
Jake Stagnoli, BTC 2005 - 31 TDs (20 pass/11 rush)
Andy Ritter, BTC 2009 - 31 TDs (9 pass/22 rush)
Ben Folsom, DIL 2012 - 31 TDs (16 pass/15 rush)
Alec Haughian, MC 2014 - 31 TDs (10 pass/15 rush/6 rec.)
Joel Fuller, LIB 2007 - 30 TDs (22 pass/8 rush)
Dane Warp, HAV 2012 - 30 TDs (30 pass/0 rush)
Josh Bauder, HAM 2013 - 30 TDs (23 pass/7 rush)

[This message has been edited by Brian A. Reed (11/1/2014)]
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Stokes ran in his fourth TD of the game, Cowboys still up, 27-26 with 8:03 left in 3rd.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Another Brett Keith note - he now has 15 career touchdown receptions, second only to Alec Haughian in CCDHS history. Congratulations, Brett! Here's hoping for many more!
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Cowboys up, 27-26 after three quarters. Cowboys ball on Havre 15 to start 4th ...

Cowboys fumble and turn ball over on downs.

[This message has been edited by Brian A. Reed (11/1/2014)]
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
C'mon, Cowboys! I really - REALLY - want to do a story about the 20th anniversary of the 1994 semifinal against Whitefish.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Uh oh. Stokes again - fifth TD of the game. Havre now up, 34-27, with less than 4:00 to play.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Haughian caught a 35-yard TD catch, but there was a bad snap on the PAT attempt. Havre up, 34-33 with a little over two minutes left. C'mon, defense - get the ball back!
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supporter
Posted by Shu (+1794) 9 years ago
WOW! TIED ON 2-PT CONVERSION WITH 1 SECOND LEFT!!! I WISH I WAS THERE!!!
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supporter
Posted by Shu (+1794) 9 years ago
COWBOYS WIN IN OT 48-47!!!!!
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Posted by Shu (+1794) 9 years ago
OMG, sounds like I missed a helluva game! Stokes and Warp are awesome players for Havre. They made the Cowboys fight hard for this one.
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supporter
Posted by Shu (+1794) 9 years ago
Brian, looks like you get to blog and stat another week. I always enjoy that, and I do, indeed, look forward to your Whitefish anniversary tale. :-)
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moderator
founder
Posted by David Schott (+19044) 9 years ago
I got a phone call when the Blue Ponies had the ball 4th and 1, the Cowboys had used up all of their timeouts, and it seemed like certain doom. I have no idea how it wound up 48-47 Cowboys with so little time left in the game. WOW the last few minutes of the 4th quarter and overtime must've been some amazing football!
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Posted by Tim Wagoner (+760) 9 years ago
Missed the game. Wish there was a TV replay. I would even pay to see it..... GO COWBOYS..
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Posted by boxdmc (+89) 9 years ago
What a game! Leave it to the Cowboys to pull a rabbit out of the hat with 35.4 seconds left! The cowboys have done this last second kind of thing before against Dillon in the quarter finals in 2010. I just wish for my heart's sake that they could use a few of these plays earlier in the game to not have it so close to going the other way! Great job team!
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Thanks for taking over the updates - I had to run out of the house to get my son to an appointment, but I was driving very unsafely and getting updates on the phone. I am stunned, but thrilled! Lots of tidbits to come. Simply amazing! WAY TO GO COWBOYS!
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supporter
Posted by ike eichler (+1226) 9 years ago
After the low snap on the extra point to tie, I turned the radio off and went back to watching the Griz on TV. Please someone post what happened.
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Posted by Jeri Dalbec (+3260) 9 years ago
The score was tied at 41 to 41 when they went into OT. I am going by what Joe said as I could not watch..too nervous. Apparently, Havre scored but missed the extra point. Then, Miles City scored on a 4th down with less than a foot to go after a Havre penalty. They completed a touchdown on a pass and then Matt Blunt kicked the extra point and it was good. 48 to 47. It was a killer game. Congrats to the Cowboys. Go to Custer County Sports Boosters on Facebook and you will see a video of the last touchdown...very exciting. Disclaimer: This could be a tad inaccurate but..you get the gist of it?
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founder
Posted by David Schott (+19044) 9 years ago
I heard the Cowboys score the TD and miss the PAT bringing the score to 34-33 (Havre) -- this is where Ike bailed out.

The Cowboys kicked off to Havre -- I think the kick went out of bounds and the Cowboys were penalized for that. The Cowboys used up their timeouts as Havre tried to burn up the clock. The Blue Ponies had a 3rd-down running play that was very close to a 1st down. I heard the radio announcer say they were bringing out the chain to measure and that Havre was short -- 4th and a short 1 yard to go. It was at that point that I got a phone call and missed everything that happened after. Apparently both Havre and Miles City scored TD's with less than 2 minutes left in the game and Miles City pulled off a 2-point conversion to tie the game?

Jeri summed up what happened next in overtime.

Congrats to the Cowboys for coming out on top!
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
What an unbelievable game! I hate that word as an adjective, since I think most things that are labeled, "unbelievable" are, in actuality, quite believable. But this game ... damn.

Preliminary tidbits:

- This was the first overtime game for the Cowboys since the 2005 quarterfinals against Dillon. The Beavers won that game, 24-21, in three overtimes. Dillon, which went on to win the state championship that season, won each of their four playoff games in come-from-behind fashion in one of the most remarkable postseason runs in Class A history. The Cowboys (7-2) finished that season with the best rushing attack in school history, as Miles City averaged 336 yards per game on the ground. Unfortunately, the Cowboys could not complete a pass in the final overtime frame to secure the victory.

The Cowboys' only other overtime playoff game was the 1994 semifinal against Whitefish, which Miles City won, 18-12 after having trailed, 12-0, with six minutes to play. The win preserved the Cowboys' undefeated season and was the most dramatic game of that year. Miles City went on to win the state title game over Havre, 43-7.

- With 95 combined points, the Cowboys' victory set a new record for total points scored in a playoff game, breaking the previous record of 80, set Miles City's 54-26 win over Havre in the first round of the 2010 playoffs. The Cowboys' 48 points are tied for the fourth-most in a playoff game (57 against Livingston in 2011, 56 against Bigfork in 1997, 54 against Havre in 2010).

- The 47 points allowed by Miles City are the most the Cowboys have surrendered in any playoff game (the previous record was a 43-7 loss at Frenchtown in 2004) and the most allowed in any game since a 53-0 loss to Powell in the opener of the 2013 season.

- There has only been one game in CCDHS history with more combined points, a 54-43 Miles City win over Glendive in the final game of the 2001 season.

- This was the highest-scoring playoff game in all of Class A under the current four-division format, which started with the 2000 season. The previous record of 83 points had been set in 2001 with Butte Central's 55-28 victory over Colstrip.

- The last time there were more points scored in any Class A game was Belgrade's 76-33 win over Frenchtown in 2013.

- This was the first one-point win for the Cowboys since the 2011 quarterfinal game in Polson (7-6).

- The last game that the Cowboys played that was decided by a single point was the first round playoff in Havre last season. The Blue Ponies won that game, 21-20, after the Cowboys were unable to get a play off before final gun sounded.

- The Cowboys have now faced the Blue Ponies in the playoffs more times than any other opponent. Miles City has won five of seven meetings against Havre. This record will be matched next week when the Cowboys play Whitefish for the seventh time in the postseason. The Cowboys have won four of the previous six meetings, but haven't faced the Bulldogs since 1995.

- The Cowboys' overall playoff record since 1980 now stands at 32-18 (.640 winning percentage). No other Class A team has more postseason wins over that span.

- The victory over Havre was the 75th of Dan Stanton's career as a head coach (2004-14). Minus the 2-7 mark posted by the Cowboys under interim coach Jared Bankey in 2007, the Cowboys are 75-29 (.721) under Stanton.

- Alec Haughian rushed for three touchdowns, caught one and rushed for another to give him five total scores for the game, matching the CCDHS playoff record first set by Matt Gittings against Polson in 2002. Haughian now has four career games with at least five touchdowns, matching Ben Herzog's career record.

- Haughian's three rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most by a Cowboy quarterback in a playoff game. Shane Cooley holds the record with four against Columbia Falls in 2010. He had his second career game with touchdowns scored on the ground, through the air, and via the pass.

- Haughian had 120 yards rushing and 106 passing, giving him the first double-100 passing/rushing game in his career and the first in the playoffs by a Cowboys quarterback since Shane Cooley against Dillon in 2010.

- Brett Keith had six catches for 130 yards and three touchdowns. His was only the seventh 100-yard receiving game in school playoff history and his yardage total ranks fourth all-time for postseason games. His three touchdowns matched the playoff record set by Ace Berry against Polson in 2002.

- Matt Blunt's three touchdown passes tied him for the second-most in team playoff history. Jordan Bryant set the CCDHS record with five against Frenchtown in 2008.

- Jase Stokes was heroic in defeat, running for six touchdowns to give him a season-high for among Class A rushers. He joined Haughian (7 vs. Glendive), Dillon's J.D. Ferris (6 TD passes vs. Anaconda), Columbia Falls' Dakota Bridwell (6 TD passes vs. Browning), Havre's Dane Warp (6 TD passes vs. Livingston), Butte Central's Danny Peoples (5 TD passes and 1 TD rush vs. Stevensville), and Whitefish's Luke May (5 TD passes and 1 TD rush vs. Browning) as the only Class A players with as many touchdowns in a single game this season.

What a game! So many tidbits ... I could go on and on. Enjoy these for now!
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supporter
Posted by Jeri Dalbec (+3260) 9 years ago
I just had this posted on Facebook:

http://www.milescitystar....e-overtime
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Posted by ike eichler (+1226) 9 years ago
Thank you all for the report of the last 2 minutes. I big slap on the forehead to me. "I could of had a V8" or "It ain't over till it's over. "It's not over till the Fat lady sings". Oh ye of little faith. Great game Cowboys.
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Posted by MR (+397) 9 years ago
It was an awesome game !!! So many people left when Havre made that last touchdown in regular play time. Idiots...you stay till the end, cheer for your team , winning or losing. You all missed a great game . Congrats Cowboys, coach's, managers, cheerleaders and all the high school kids that ran onto the field ! Great day !
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
I don't get it. If the Cowboys would have lost, would you not have clapped for them in salute to a season well played? Please, if you're one of the people who left early, don't bother going to Whitefish. And if the Cowboys win that game, just stay home for the semifinals and/or championship game. Cheer for your team, win or lose, ESPECIALLY when it's the final game of the season.

The team gave the game everything they possibly could and deserve much better than fair-weather fans. Do better, people.
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+1
Posted by Tim Wagoner (+760) 9 years ago
Heard a former QB bailed on the game too.. One that gave his all during play when the front line couldn't keep the defenses off.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
More tidbits:

- Alec Haughian moved to 14th on the all-time Cowboy career rushing list. He now has 1,697 yards on the ground, which ranks fourth among CCDHS quarterbacks. Brennan Haughian - Alec's cousin - holds the record for all Cowboys with 3,344 yards. Shane Cooley holds the quarterback record with 2,583.

- With 929 rushing yards this season - fifth among Cowboy quarterbacks - he is now just 71 yards shy of becoming the 17th CCDHS player with at least 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. Brennan Haughian holds the single-season record with 1,883 yards in 2008. Cooley holds the record for quarterbacks, with 1,404 in 2010.

- Haughian is now tied for seventh all-time in the Cowboy record book with 22 rushing touchdowns over his career. He is tied for second among quarterbacks. Joe Baker holds the record with 35 career rushing touchdowns. Cooley has the quarterback record with 29.

- Haughian has 16 rushing touchdowns this season, which ranks eighth all-time. He broke Cooley's quarterback record of 15 rushing TDs, set in 2010. Justin Venn holds the team record for rushing touchdowns, with 22 in 2000.

- Haughian's 130 yards gave him nine 100-yard rushing games for his career, good for second all-time behind Cooley's quarterback record of 12. Haughian has five such games this season, tying him with Matt Gittings for the third-most 100-yard rushing games in a single season. Pat Regan (2005) and Cooley (2009 and 2010) share the record of six.

- Unofficially, Haughian now has 4,512 yards of total offense for his career, putting him second on the all-time list for his career. Only Ben Herzog (5,018) has generated more offense than Haughian. Haughian has 2,070 yards on the season, good for the third-best effort in CCDHS history. Cooley holds the record with 2,418 yards in 2010.

- Haughian moved to within three touchdowns of Herzog's career record of 62 total scores. Haughian has rushed, passed, or received a total of 33 touchdowns this season, breaking the former record of 28, which was shared by Cooley (2010) and Herzog (2013).

- With one catch for 35 yards and a touchdown, Haughian now has 112 career receptions, extending his team record. He now has 25 receptions for the season, which puts him in a tie for sixth for a single season.

- Haughian also extended his team record for career receiving yards. He now has 1,816 yards on receptions, a total which is more than the next two players - Dustin Frize (908 yards from 1994-95) and Pat Bergman (868 yards from 1981-83) - combined.

- Haughian has 524 receiving yards this season, ranking him sixth on a single-season basis and making him the only Cowboy with two seasons with as many as 500 receiving yards. Haughian set the single-season record with 934 yards in 2013.

- Haughian now has 20 career touchdown receptions, the most ever for a Cowboy receiver. His seven TD catches this season are tied for the fifth-most in one year.

- Brett Keith's three-TD game give him nine scores this year, putting him in a tie for the most in a single season with Dustin Frize (1995) and Scott Malloy (1996).

- Keith now has 16 career touchdowns, behind only Haughian all-time.

- Keith is also closing in on top-five totals in career yardage. His 654 receiving yards are only 32 away from Devin Begger's fifth-ranking total. With 418 yards this season, he's only 40 yards away from the top 10 single-season efforts.

- Matt Blunt broke into the top 10 best passing totals. He now has 1,098 yards this season, good for ninth on the single-season list.

- Blunt's 16 touchdown passes rank fourth. Chris Morford (1997) holds the single-season record.

- Blunt has completed 65 passes this year, good for the fifth-best effort in a single season among Cowboy quarterbacks. Herzog (2013) holds the record of 94.

Once I have the complete stats on Monday, I'll post any other bits of trivia that become evident. While I hate close games when the Cowboys are involved, I do love games that give me a lot of stats to research. This season has been a fun ride and I can't wait to see what the Whitefish game brings.
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Posted by Brian A. Reed (+6139) 9 years ago
Former QB? Which season(s)?
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supporter
Posted by Richard Bonine, Jr. (+15582) 9 years ago
The game was in . Why would ANY resident leave the game before it is over? Were there 50 cent tootsie rolls at the dolar store?
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