Through the first half of their Class B playoff opener against Plains-Hot Springs on Saturday, the Loyola Sacred Heart Rams successfully sabotaged themselves with penalties.

Ironically, it was a costly two-for-one call against the Rams early in the second half that finally gave them the spark they needed to take control for good.

Following the ejection of an assistant coach with two minutes gone in the third quarter and the score tied 7-7, Loyola came alive, rattling off three unanswered touchdowns to seize a 28-7 victory over the game but outmatched Savage Horsemen at Rollin Field.

The turn of events that ultimately swung the momentum in their favor started badly for the Rams.

On the first possession of the second half, one of head coach Dan Weber's underlings was booted while arguing for a late hit call after quarterback Brandan Haggarty got popped in front of the LSH bench on 4th-and-9.

Instead of getting their way, the Rams were flagged for an illegal forward pass and unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench - resulting in the ejection. To top it off, Plains-Hot Springs took over on downs at Loyola's 32-yard line.

Unfortunately for the Horseman, the penalties were like a punch in the gut that only reminded the Rams they were in a fight.

"That kid came and whacked our boy three yards out of bounds," Weber said. "It should have been a flag on the other team, it wasn't. I don't know what the officials saw but yeah, that fired our kids up."

Loyola responded by holding Plains to 9-yards of total offense for the rest of the game.

On the Rams' next possession, Kevin Berland crashed into the end zone from 4-yards out to give LSH a 14-7 lead. Five minutes later, Shiloh Kerr also found pay dirt on a 5- yard run. By the time Kerr capped the scoring with a 3-yard TD midway through the fourth, the game was well in hand.

Berland finished with 109 yards on 24 carries, while Kerr added 89 more on 20 totes.

"We always talk about Shiloh and Kevin being the heart and soul of this team but I'll tell you what it was today, it was the boys up front ...," Weber said. "They were opening some big holes for them."

It was a 180-degree turnaround from a first half that saw Loyola stymied by five penalties. None was more costly than a false start that erased a go-ahead 6-yard touchdown pass from Haggarty to Peter Shaughnessey with 1:07 left before the break. That drive ended with a missed field goal and the game went to the half knotted at sevens.

While Loyola was busy shooting itself in the foot, the Horsemen looked sharp with their own passing game early on. Quarterback Reiley Winebrenner completed his first six tosses, including a pretty 24-yard strike to Tanner Ostrom that set up Plains-Hot Springs' only score - a 2-yard run from Cody Hoff with 1:21 left in the first.

"Reiley has been our leader all year... ," said coach Seth Pettite. "He played his heart out. The guys just didn't quit, (but) we didn't get any breaks."

Winebrenner finished 10-of-17 for 100 yards in the Horsemen's first playoff game since their co-op moved up to Class B.

The victory sets Loyola a date for a rematch with No. 4 Townsend in Missoula next Saturday. The Bulldogs spoiled the Rams' homecoming with a 27-13 win on Sept. 25.

"We're going to have to go back to the drawing board the see what we can put together for them," Weber said. "Last time they were here they ran the Iso down our throat for 400-yards."

Plains 7 0 0 0 - 7

Loyola 0 7 14 7 - 28

P - Cody Hoff 2 run (Carson Lilja kick)

L - Michael Kuntz 39 pass from Brandan Haggarty (Austin Dauenhauer kick)

L - Kevin Berland 4 run (Dauenhauer kick)

L - Shiloh Kerr 10 run (Dauenhauer kick)

L - Kerr 3 run (Dauenhauer kick)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING - Plains (21-4): Reiley Winebrenner 15-(-4), Hoff 4-7, Dillon Fryxell 1-(-1), Trevor Bras 1-2. Loyola (54-235): Berland 24-109, Kerr 20-89, B. Haggarty 7-32, Peter Schaughnessey 1-(-3), Kuntz 2-8.

PASSING - Plains, Winebrenner 10-17-100; Lilja 0-1. Loyola, Haggarty 4-11-74.

RECEIVING - Plains, Brian Green 4-55, Tanner Ostrom 3-30, Fryxell 2-14, Trevor Bras 1-1. Loyola, Schauhnessey 2- 29, Kuntz 1-39, Carter Berminham 1-6.