The 202-pound senior rushed for 96 yards, most of it coming on his game-changing 65-yard touchdown burst in the second half, as the Eagles cold-cocked Kalispell Flathead 20-17 on Saturday night at Missoula County Stadium.
The burst, which came on the very first play of the third quarter, put Big Sky ahead 20-10 in a Class AA contest void of quick-strike potential.
And that they did. The Eagles improved to 2-1, while the Braves sunk to 0-3 on the season.
Big Sky's balanced attack was led by senior quarterback Joe Petritz, who threw for 144 yards and a score, a 36-yarder to Mike LaValley that put the Eagles up 13-10 just before halftime.
Big Sky gained 147 yards on the ground. Senior back Trevor Kamura had 48 tough yards on 18 carries. His 1-yard TD run answered a first-quarter field goal by Flathead.
Still, it was Tripp's run that finally gave the Eagles some breathing room.
“If you give him a little daylight, he's gone,” said Big Sky coach Gary Ekegren.
That put the potentially dangerous Braves offense in a two-score hole, and that was needed, Ekegren said.
“They outplayed us I thought,” Ekegren said. “We had a lot go wrong for us. Tiny things like kids slipping on big, crucial third-down plays, but the kids persevered and got a win. That says a lot about their character. They're easy to be proud of.”
Flathead's sling-it-around offense totaled 196 yards in the air, and amazingly, another 185 yards on the ground, but three interceptions seemed to kill its big-play opportunities.
Senior quarterback Brock Osweiler, who's committed to playing for Arizona State next fall, ran for 105 yards and both Braves scores. He was 15-of-24 on his passing.
While Osweiler showed some deft running moves, his offensive line did a good job of holding the Eagles at bay.
“He's one of the best athletes I've ever went against,” said Tripp, who also plays defensive end. “He goes hard every play. You gotta respect a guy like that.”
Osweiler's second score, from 17 yards out, closed the Braves' gap from 10 points, 20-10, to just a field goal with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
“We lost a couple good pass-rushers early on,” said Ekegren, whose team was hit by the injury bug again. “We used some second stringers and JV kids and they played their butts off.”
A knock-down, drag-out final quarter would ensue and the outcome wasn't clear until Big Sky senior linebacker Kody Reed intercepted Osweiler for the final time and returned it to near midfield with 4:03 to play.
“We lost a lot of guys,” Tripp said, “but we came together to get it done.”
Flathead's Bryce Stacy added 82 yards rushing on 17 carries and he also tallied 96 yards on a team-high seven receptions. Stacy had his team's only interception, too.
Flathead 3 7 7 0 - 17
Big Sky 0 13 7 0 - 20
First quarter
F - Michael Windham 33 FG 3:56
Second quarter
BS - Trevor Kamura 1 run (Drew Owens kick) 7:32
F - Brock Osweiler 5 run (Windham kick) 6:01
BS - Mike LaValley 36 pass Joe Petritz (kick blocked) 3:12
Third quarter
BS - Jordan Tripp 65 run (Owens kick) 11:48
F - Osweiler 17 run (Windham kick) 3:26
Individual leaders
RUSHING - Flathead (32-185): Brock Osweiler 15-103, Bryce Stacy 17-82. Big Sky (33-147): Jordan Tripp 7-96, Joe Petritz 7-1, Trevor Kamura 18-48, Glen Maricelli 1-2.
PASSING - Flathead: Osweiler 15-24-3-196. Big Sky: Petritz 10-16-1-144.
RECEIVING - Flathead: Stacy 7-96, Travis Andrus 2-14, Cody Bouley 2-23, Nolan Grosswiler 2-37, Bryant Eickert 2-26. Big Sky: Drew Owens 5-49, Mike LaValley 3-65, Kevin McHugh 2-30.
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