Mustangs Defeat Spartans, Will Face Red Lodge in Malta

The Malta Mustangs football team started their 2023 campaign with a 36-8 win over the Baker Spartans last Friday, August 25, at Mustang Field.

"I am really proud of their efforts," Malta Head Coach Nick Oxarart said after the game. "The first game is really hard when you don't have a chance to scout your opponents but our effort was great. Kids played hard and we will hope to make great strides from week one to week two."

The Mustangs will host the Red Lodge Rams this Friday, September 1, at 7 p.m. The Mustangs defeated the Rams 34-13 in the opening round of the 2022 MHSA Class B Football Series.

"Red Lodge is an extremely talented football team," Mustang Head Coach Nick Oxarart said. "Coach John Fitzgerald and his staff do a very good job of preparing Red Lodge. We will see many of the same faces we saw twice last year."

Despite their win over Red Lodge last year, Coach Oxarart isn't planning on underestimating the Rams who welcome back a piece of their team that was missing.

"They will be led by senior Owen Reynolds who was sidelined all of last year with a knee injury," Coach Oxarart said. "He is a threat both offensively and defensively with his size, strength and speed. Other players that we will need to prepare for are senior QB Thomas Buchanan and senior WR Walker Boos, just to mention a few.

"They bring a lot of team speed and they can score from anywhere on the field," Coach Oxarart continued. "They have a very dynamic offense that will spread out our defense and we need to be disciplined and execute our scheme in order to slow them down."

The Mustangs posted a total of 429 yards offensively in their win over Baker last Friday. They held the Spartans to 190 yards. Baker was also a playoff team last season.

Malta was led by junior quarterback Stockton Oxarart who threw for 173 yards and two touchdown passes. He was 8-for-13. Oxarart also had an interception.

"We have been working as a team all year," Oxarart said. "We have been in the weight room all year. This summer has paid off so far, so let's keep it rolling."

He said that picking up a week one win feels great after having a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs to Jefferson. Malta lost that game 48-14 in the windiest game that many Mustang faithful had ever seen.

"It's tough to come back from that, so it feels really good to win our opening game," Oxarart said.

Junior Treyton Wilke led Malta's rushing attack with 169 yards and two touchdowns on 11 rushing attempts (15.36 yards per carry).

He also had one catch for 30 yards. This catch was reminiscent of an Odell Beckham (NFL wide receiver) highlight.

"I knew Stockton was going to throw it to me," Wilke said. "I trusted him to get it there and I made the catch."

Wilke's first rushing touchdown was a 54 yarder, where it seemed as though he would be tackled. He broke a few tackles on his way to the endzone.

"I have to give a shoutout to my right guard Chaka (Kohner Schipman), who made a heck of a block," Wilke said. "I cut off that block and used that weight room strength. I have been in the weight room all summer. I stiff-armed a kid and got a touchdown."

Wilke said that around 20 Mustangs were consistently in the weight room because Coach Oxarart spoke of the difference it would make.

"It helps us out," Wilke said.

Blaine Downing had 85 rushing yards on 11 carries (7.72 YPC), and one catch for a 30 yard touchdown.

"At practice we have been trying to pick up the intensity on blocking and tonight we really showed that intensity that we had been working on. That allowed me to get some good holes."

Downing, Colton Mears, and Mason Simanton were in the backfield often on defense, giving Baker fits.

"Our defensive line is the base of our defense and we got deep," Downing said. "We got a lot of pressures that allowed us to get a lot of stops."

Kyle Darrington had three catches for 59 yards and one touchdown. He also had 15 yards on two rushing attempts and an interception for 17 yards.

Trooper Stiles had an interception for 28 yards.

Malta also found success from the kicking leg of Landon Retan, who kicked two field goals for Malta. The first, a 27 yard goal that netted Malta their first points of the year in the first quarter. The second was a 26 yard kick in the second quarter.

"It feels really great," Retan said of the team's success in scoring field goals. "I wouldn't have been able to have done it without my dad."

Retan is the son of John Retan, a Malta alum, who played football for the Mustangs, John graduated from MHS in 2002.

"He started teaching me (how to kick) in fourth grade," Landon said. "I just picked it up, kept practicing and now I am here."

The Mustangs will be without senior wide receiver Mason Sjostrom who suffered a leg injury in the win.

Scoring Summary MALTA vs BAKER:

1st Quarter: Landon Retan 27 yard field goal 6:57 3-0

Kyle Darrington 30 yd pass from Stockton Oxarart (Dawson Hammond run) 1:32 11-0

2nd Quarter: Landon Retan 26 yard field goal 9:02 14-0

Blaine Downing 30 yd pass from Oxarart (Retan kick) 5:55 21-0

4 th Quarter: Treyton Wilke 54 yard run (Retan kick) 6:42 28-0

Wilke 22 yd run (Wilke run) 2:36 36-0

Quinn Griffith 3 yd run (Jesse Brawley run) 0:20 36-8