FRENCHTOWN — The game had been over since before the sun set, but the Frenchtown Broncs had no intention of letting up.

The Corvallis Blue Devils trailed 42-0 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter while still trying to put their first points on the board. With the Broncs' second-unit defense on the field and a running clock in effect, Frenchtown sought a goal-line stand. 

It appeared Corvallis scored, but a penalty on the play pushed the visiting Blue Devils back behind the 10-yard line. On the final play of the game, quarterback Aydan Mayn was sacked.

This one was clearly personal.

"Really excited by the way our backups answered the call and kept the zero on the board," first-year Frenchtown head coach Seth Mason said. "A full program win."

The goal-line stand preserved the shutout, capping off a 42-0 rout in Mason's home opener as head coach.

Mason, though in his first year at the helm of the Broncs' program, served on the coaching staff for four years before reaching the head position. He saw three-straight playoff appearances, and three-straight wins over the Blue Devils, before a 2023 season that included a 41-6 loss at Corvallis and a 4-4 record which failed to qualify for the postseason.

In total, Frenchtown had both reached the playoffs and beaten Corvallis six-straight years before 2023. After one down year, the team has outscored its' first two opponents this season 84-12.

"It's one that's been circled on the calendar," Mason said. "When you get these southwestern A matchups, they mean historically a little bit more to all of us."

"We're a really tight-knit group," Mason said. "There's a really strong brotherhood between them, and they've gotten that from the work they've put in in the summer."

Broncs senior quarterback Brody Hardy gave the Blue Devils' defense fits throughout the night, recording three rushing touchdowns and throwing one more.

Broncs quarterback Brody Hardy rushes the ball against Corvallis at Lyle Bagnell Stadium in Frenchtown Friday, Sept. 6. 

"We pegged him at the beginning of the year to be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference," Corvallis head coach Josh McCrossin said. "He certainly had a good game today.

Tensions rose in the conference matchup early on, as unsportsmanlike conduct penalties flew on both sides throughout the first half. After the Broncs jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, three-consecutive 15-yard penalties against Frenchtown vaulted Corvallis down the field. 

Down in the red zone with a chance to get back into the game, the Blue Devils were stopped when Frenchtown defensive back Bailey Corette intercepted Mayn and took the ball 96 yards to the house. The play, predictably, also featured another 15-yard penalty.

"The order of the game is structured by the players," McCrossin. "Players play hard, things happen and I understand and respect that. There's a line to it, and both teams found their line."

Hardy's third rushing touchdown closed out the first half, giving the Broncs a 35-0 lead that prompted a running clock for the second half. Junior running back Cole Johnson, who ran for 136 yards in week one, burst out for a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that ended the scoring.

"Offense did a great job moving the ball on the ground," Mason said. "Once we got things going in all three phases, we were good."

Both teams hit the road next Friday as Frenchtown travels to Lakeland, Idaho while Corvallis heads to Whitefish. The Blue Devils beat Whitefish 7-0 last year. 

"Football is about doing hard things," McCrossin said. "when hard things happen, you have to make a choice to keep going on the path that's trusted or step aside. I think our guys are ready to take on the hard choices."