Submitted by admin on Sat, 2006-11-18 08:00. ::
At the time it might have seemed odd, even far-fetched, since the Rams had just finished 2005 at 2-3 in conference, 4-4 overall and missed the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. Not to mention that the Loyola football team had never advanced to a state title game in the school's 91-year history with the sport, let alone won one.
However, the players at Missoula's private Catholic high school - where devotion and education are held in equal regard - believed.
Perhaps above all else, the story of the undefeated 2006 Rams, who host Malta this Saturday in the state championship at Rollin Field, is one of faith.
“I remember when I first saw the shirts I was kind of skeptical on how to approach it," says junior running back John D. Robertson. “Now that we're finally here, it's like ‘Wow, that was real.' "
Loyola rushed its way to 10-0 and into its first ever title game on the belief that the idea could be real and on the strength of a Wing-T backfield featuring Robertson, Ryne Dougherty and Robert Falcon, that pounded opposing teams into submission all season.
“We're more of a smashmouth running team this year," Dougherty says. “The great thing about the Wing-T is that other teams can shut down one thing, but that opens up another aspect of the game for us."
At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, Dougherty is a hard-nosed senior fullback nicknamed, obviously, Rhino. He's the kind of runner who gives out as much punishment as he receives and has rushed for 755 yards so far this season.
“Ryne, he's the toughest kid I've ever seen," Robertson says. “He runs up the middle and he just gets pounded, I see him go flying. He always just gets back up, with grass all stuck in his helmet, like it doesn't even phase him."
“Obviously I don't have the speed of John D. or Rob," he says. “So I just lower my shoulder and get as many yards as I can, maybe try to lay the wood on some defensive person."
At halfback, Robertson is a tweener. Not as powerful as Dougherty or as swift as Falcon, he serves as a bit of a change of pace between the two. He is also one of the Rams' primary pass receivers, totaling 100 all-purpose yards last week in Loyola's 7-6 semifinal win in Baker. He enters the title game with 793 total yards on the ground.
Robertson turned in the athletic play of the day against the Spartans. In the third quarter he leapt in the air for a Luke Mitzel pass and used his size and strength to wrestle the ball away from a Baker defensive back, turning a sure interception into a big gain for the Rams.
Falcon is the speedster. The son of head coach Terry Falcon, he barely edges his backfield mates as Loyola's leading rusher. He's racked up 811 yards so far, including a 100-yard performance against Shelby in the playoff quarterfinals.
Each of the backs is quick to point out that Loyola's big offensive line deserves much of the credit for the team's success this season. That unit features Will Taylor and Harry Simons who both transferred from Class AA schools this year.
“They're awesome," says Robertson of the offensive line. “They're the guys who have the heart on our team. They're big and they're strong and they don't give up. I'm scared of some of them."
Coach Terry Falcon is also in the title game for the first time and says it's been a pleasure running his Wing-T offense with three talented running backs like Dougherty, Robertson and his son.
Like the Rams, Malta comes to Missoula this weekend without a loss, at 11-0. Unlike Loyola, the Mustangs have a long playoff pedigree: 18 consecutive postseason appearances, 11 trips to the semifinals, two state titles in four championship games.
Still, the Rams now have their chance to bring the first ever championship home to Loyola. For a bunch of kids who began their high school careers at 0-6 as freshmen on the junior varsity team three years ago, and who suffered through the disappointment of last season, it's hard to blame them for feeling a little obsessed in the days leading up to Saturday's game.
“I had a calculus test," says Dougherty, “and let's just say I probably would've done better on it if it had been next week instead of this week."
Their regular season finale against conference rival Florence was played in a driving rain storm that left several inches of standing water on the field and made offensive production nearly impossible. In Shelby there were high winds that made the passing game difficult. The bus trip to Baker was 10 hours one way, so the team pulled an overnighter in Billings and practiced at Billings Skyview's facility.
Through it all, they have emerged as-yet unscathed, but the three running backs say they need one more win to make 2006 a success. A victory in the one game they've had their eyes on for more than a year.
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