LAUREL — Driven largely by the legs of junior running back Curtis Fox, the Laurel football team has marched into its fourth State A title game in the past six years.
Fox has had his way with Class A opponents this season, running behind an offensive line that’s paved some big running lanes. The combination of that line with Fox’s skill set has opened some eyes.
“I didn't know if I was going to run the ball good or not, but I got the ball in my hands and the line blocked good for me," Fox said.
"His best trait is his vision and his ability to cut while running downhill," Laurel head coach Travis Rauh said. "Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, that kind of sets apart a great high school running back from a good one. The ones that can cut while running downhill, those are the better backs.
After vanquishing Havre last weekend, Laurel has just one foe left to exact revenge upon — rival Billings Central.
The Rams pulled away in the second half of their regular-season win at the Locos, though Laurel has been anxiously awaiting this opportunity.
“Coach said that we're going to have to face adversity," Fox said. " We're going to come out and show them what we've got. We respect them but we don't fear them."
“The last six weeks we have been much better at executing our offense and not making mistakes," Rauh said. "Central is too good of a team and if you make mistakes they're going to capitalize and make you pay. They made us pay in a big way in a short amount of time the last time we played. Obviously, we're going to need to play much more clean this time."
Laurel and Central are slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Herb Klindt Field on the campus of Rocky Mountain College.
