Takeaways: CMR potential still there, West back to winning ways

C.M. Russell High suffered its first setback of the season Friday in a 49-14 defeat to Eastern AA opponent Billings West.

The Rustlers were right in the mix in the first half before the Bears scored five unanswered touchdowns to pull away.

Here are some takeaways from the contest as CMR prepares to head to Bozeman Gallatin on Friday.

West gets on winning track

Billings West entered the contest 0-2 but had lost two tight nonconference games against Helena High and Butte. Quarterback Drew McDowell had a fine game with 339 yards passing and four touchdowns, completing 27 of 33 passes.

The Bears’ offensive weapons are numerous, with receiver Mac Johns leading the way with six catches for 123 yards and two scores. Connor Stanton added two receiving touchdowns and running back Malachi Claunch also had over 100 total yards from scrimmage.

“They’ve got some big, strong, physical kids with good height and good speed,” CMR head coach Dennis Morris said. “In that second half, they kind of found our weak spots in our young secondary and they took advantage of that. I’m proud of our kids and how they played, but we were mismatched there. There wasn’t much our kids could do but learn how to be in a little bit better position. West is an impressive football team and they played so much cleaner than they put on film, so they’re getting better as well.”

Wasson continues outstanding season

Senior River Wasson led all receivers with 140 yards on six catches, including a 48-yard touchdown from quarterback Caleb Taylor in the second quarter. Wasson now has four touchdowns through three games, including a punt return score in the season-opener two weeks ago. Wasson also had two big grabs on the Rustlers’ first scoring drive against West, hauling in catches of 22 and 25 yards on third-down plays.

Taylor also spread it around to other targets, with Chase Morgan having another big gainer for 33 yards to move the sticks on a touchdown drive.

Running game consistency

In last week’s win over Missoula Big Sky, the Rustlers had two rushers in Kaiden Clement and Keegan Fuller go over 100 yards, which Morris said had created a fine balance for the sophomore quarterback Taylor.

On Friday, West’s defense kept the splash run plays to a minimum and held CMR to 137 yards on 33 attempts. CMR was also stopped on fourth-and-goal at the Bears’ 1-yard line in the first quarter on three straight rushing attempts.

“We’ve got to get the ground game going,” Morris said. “They’re going to man up over River (Wasson) and put an extra man in the box and kind of take away both of our worlds. We just couldn’t get the ground game going this week and that hurts what we try to do. We’ll just go back to the drawing board and work to get better.”

West’s future Kentucky Wildcat a weapon

Billings West kicker Jacob Kauwe has committed to play SEC football at the University of Kentucky, and it doesn’t take an experienced scout to see the potential.

Kauwe seemingly booted every West kickoff through the back of the end zone with ease, even making at least one kick through the uprights.

The Bears one field goal attempt from 48 yards was unsuccessful, but Kauwe displays a leg power that you don’t see too often in Montana high school football.

Hoiland's one-handed catch

It’s not often a six-yard catch that doesn’t go for six makes the highlight reel, but junior receiver Ben Hoiland made that happen against West.

Facing fourth-and-4 on the second possession, Taylor eluded pressure and rolled left and slung it up to Hoiland, who snagged it with one hand to come down for the first down.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Takeaways: CMR potential still there, West back to winning ways