The 240-mile trip to eastern Montana was well worth it Friday night as the Powell football Panthers gained some early experience and came away with a 27-20 win over Miles City.

“They were a really good team,” Powell quarterback Mason Olsen said. “It was real good experience and a great way to start the season against strong competition.”

Miles City’s Custer County Cowboys went 11-1 a season ago, with their only loss coming in the state semifinal game, to the eventual state champion.

The Cowboys showed that strength early, scoring a touchdown each in the first and second quarters to go up 14-0 at halftime.

“Miles City usually has some real big kids and they did again, which was a good test for us up front with some of our younger guys,” Powell head coach Chanler Buck said. “It was a struggle early and we had a hard time running between the tackles.”

But the Panthers kept at it and their running game started to get some traction as they marched down the field with the opening possession of the second half.

Olsen would keep the ball himself on a 12-yard run, with freshman Garrett Stutzman drilling the extra point, to cut the lead in half at 14-7.

The Powell defense kept it there through the rest of the third quarter, with the offense then really coming to life in the fourth.

Extended drives worked the ball down the field and ate up the clock, with senior running back T.J. Abraham scoring twice from 2 yards out.

“As the game went on, our blockers really started to execute better and we were able to be consistent in marching down the field,” Buck said. “That will be key for us. We won’t be throwing many long passes, but we will put it in the air, and when they stacked the box with eight or nine guys, we were able to do that.”

One of those might not have been a long pass, but went for a big play as a bubble screen to Abraham wound up going for a 55-yard touchdown.

Custer County was able to get on the board once in the fourth, but it would only provide for the final margin.

“It was a good test against a very good team right out of the gate, and as long as you come out of it healthy, that’s the type of game you want,” Buck said. “Two of their three scores came on plays of over 50 yards, but we were able to run it against them, especially when we started executing in the second half.”

It is now on to the start of the regular season with the Panthers traveling to Douglas this Friday to face the Bearcats.

“Two of our three titles were against Douglas and came down to the last minute, so they have been playoff rivals for us,” Buck said. “We’ve also played them early in the season the last couple of years, so there is a lot of history.

“This early in the season, for both teams, there’s not much film to go off of, so it is hard to know what all to expect. But we know they’ll be a well-coached team and it will be about what changes and adjustments we can make,” he said. “It makes for an exciting week.”

Kick-off at Douglas is scheduled for 7 p.m.