BELFIELD -- With his team trailing 7-3 at halftime, Killdeer football coach Chuck Wagner went back to his bread and butter.
The Cowboys came storming back from a first-half deficit to escape with a 22-7 victory over Belfield-South Heart at the Belfield football field in Class A, Region 4 action.
Though Killdeer entered the game as the favorite, the Bantams didn't see it that way. B-SH kept the Cowboys offense at bay the entire first half until Killdeer drove down the field and kicker Amos Buehner drilled a 24-yard field goal. Killdeer quarterback Mike Wagner threw the ball 17 times in the first half, which isn't the norm as the Cowboys are known for their running game.
"We did want to open it up," Chuck Wagner said. "We had opportunities and guys open down the field."
Killdeer reverted back to its old form, using a punishing running attack featuring bruising tailback Josh Karey and speedy senior Brady Flaget, who was used primarily on end-arounds.
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"Josh ran extremely hard," Chuck Wagner said. "Once we started running the ball, we were more successful."
Killdeer piled up 432 yards of total offense including a game-high 157 yards on 25 carries for Karey.
"They wore us down," B-SH coach Dave Hendrickson said. "They're a good football team. They didn't do anything fancy. We had guys who were tired. They went back to basic Killdeer football."
The Bantams had Killdeer on the run in the first half. After being pinned on the 3-yard line, B-SH put together a 14-play, 97-yard drive, capped by Jimmy Smith's eight-yard touchdown pass to running back Erick Iverson over the middle. The drive spanned two quarters and lasted less than 7 minutes.
"(B-SH) did a heck of a job," Chuck Wagner said. "Belfield(-South Heart) is a very good football team. They're well coached and they play hard."
Killdeer didn't waste anytime going to work in the second half. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, including a 24-yard scamper by Flaget down the right sideline to finish off the game's scoring. Flaget finished with 15 carries for 96 yards.
"It was hard for them to defend us (in the second half)," Wagner said. "We could run wide, play-action pass or right up the middle."
B-SH's defense couldn't stop the Cowboys in the second half, most notably the running game. However, the Bantams found plenty of weaknesses in Killdeer's defense but couldn't capitalize. Between dropped passes and turnovers, B-SH couldn't sustain drives.
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"We dropped at least 15 passes against Stanley(-Powers Lake)," Hendrickson said. "(Friday) wasn't so bad."
The Bantams, who fell to 2-3 in the region and 3-3 overall, were led by Smith, who went 9 of 20 for 102 yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Killdeer, which improved to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in the region, hosts Grant County-Flasher next Friday.
