Trojans open season with road win

It was a tremendous start to the season for the Whitehall/Harrison High School football team.

Sparked by incredible play on defense, the Trojans picked up their first win of the season last Friday with an impressive 12-7 road win over Cut Bank.

Whitehall head coach Dan Lacey said it was a great feeling returning to Cut Bank for the first time since a 2016 playoff victory and grinding out a win in a tough environment.

"I was very proud of the unity our team showed on the first long bus trip of the year," he said.

The Trojans excelled on defense throughout the night and came away with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a turnover on downs.

"We did a great job of making each drive difficult for the Cut Bank offense," he said.

Cut Bank would score their lone points of the game on a punt return, and Lacey said special teams will be a focus this week in anticipation of the September 6 home opener against Shepherd.

"Special teams are an area we really need to clean up. We need to take more pride in special teams, it's a huge part of the game and it's an opportunity to really swing the momentum," he said.

Lacey added he was extremely proud of how well the younger players on the team responded to the first game of 2019.

"We had multiple underclassmen contribute and perform at a high level," he said.

When the Trojans take to the field Friday against the Mustangs, it will be the fourth matchup between the two teams in the last 22 games. Lacey said he is extremely excited to get a chance to play at home in front of the Trojan fans.

"It will be nice having a home volleyball game Thursday followed up by football on Friday. I'm excited to go out and compete against a physical Shepherd team," he said.