Muskie ‘Bees’ come up short

The Muskie ‘B’ football team came close to winning their first game of the season yesterday, falling 12-6 to the host International Falls Broncos.
The Bees (0-3) hung in tough until the last few minutes of the game when their drive for the game-tying touchdown only got as far as midfield.
The Broncos (4-2) struck first late in the first quarter when they tipped Muskie quarterback Ty Griffith’s 20-yard pass attempt for an interception.
That play set up a 34-yard run by Jordan Hedlund to give the Falls a 6-0 lead (they missed the two-point convert attempt).
The Muskie defence showed signs of life late in the first half, stopping the Broncos on a short fourth down play and then recovering a fumble after linebacker Dennis Ogilvie blindsided their quarterback as the Falls was threatening near the Bees’ goal line.
The ball was recovered by Drew Allan.
Hedlund sparked another Bronco drive with a 30-yard run to the Muskie two. Rhegy Gilo then punched it into the end zone on the next play to give the Falls a 12-0 halftime lead (they failed on the two-point convert attempt again).
Jason Kellar scored the Bees’ only touchdown midway through the third quarter on a 50-yard punt return thanks to several key blocks thrown by his teammates.
They missed the two-point convert.
Considering two lopsided losses against Roseau and Warroad, and 22 day between games, Bees’ co-coach Lou Gauthier was pleased with the improvement he saw on the field yesterday.
“They were better prepared,” he said. “We never read some plays right that gave them big runs. [The team’s performance] was pretty sharp because they’ve been practising regularly with the [‘A’ team].”
Muskie Chris Faragher ran for most of his team’s yards in the first half before being slowed down with a minor injury in the second half. Griffith made only two pass attempts all game.
The Bees play their next home game Oct. 11 against Warroad at 4:30 p.m. before wrapping up their five-game exhibition season in Roseau on Oct. 16.