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Kats thump Bigfork, 8-1

| August 30, 2007 11:00 PM

By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

Forward Kassi Hebert scored early and often, racking up a hat trick as the Columbia Falls girls beat Bigfork 8-1 in the season opener on Saturday.

Hebert scored two more goals on Tuesday, leading the Wildkats to a 4-1 victory over Polson.

Against Bigfork, Hebert scored at the four, eight and 49-minute marks. Frosh Elena Potter scored at the 57-minte mark and captain Kate Anderson also had two goals — at the 73- and 75-minute marks. Jamie Valov rounded out the scoring.

The game was actually closer than the score would suggest. The score was just 2-1 in the first half, but the Wildkats poured it on in the second.

The Kats outshot the Vals 24-7 and Kats' goalie Colyne Hislop had six saves.

"The main thing is they played as a team," coach Greg Trenerry said. "Kate Anderson played in the back because we're missing Jylisa (Fields) due to an injury. She did a great job."

Anderson normally plays forward.

Trenerry said he hopes to have Fields back by Friday.

The Kats can't afford any injuries, as they only have 15 players.

Trenerry played everyone.

"They stepped up well. Including subs," he said.

The game was marked by a gusty wind. The girls lost the toss, so they had to play against the wind in the first half. The goal was to win the first half and then use the wind to their advantage in the second. It worked.

The Kats host Park on Friday, Aug. 30 at 5:30 p.m. and Belgrade on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m.

CFHS boys roll past Polson, 8-0

By JOE SOVA

Hungry Horse News

In their high school boys' soccer opener, Columbia Falls fared well statistically, but could not find the net in a 2-0 loss to host Bigfork on Saturday. It was also the conference opener.

The Cats bounced back, storming to a 5-0 halftime lead and shutting out Polson 8-0 on Tuesday. Six players scored for CFHS.

The Wildcats nearly went into halftime with a scoreless tie against Bigfork, but Trey Leherman scored with less than a minute left in the first half to give Bigfork a 1-0 lead. While the Vikings' defense continued to thwart Columbia Falls, Roland Benedict added to Bigfork's lead with four minutes remaining in the match.

"We did have some opportunities and didn't capitalize on them," Kats coach Peter Browne said. "I thought we dominated most of the game. We couldn't finish the ball in the net."

CFHS outshot Bigfork, 20-18. George Kimerly had seven saves for the Kats and Levi Dockstader came up with eight for Bigfork.

"Unfortunately, the opener was a conference game. But that's how it is," Browne said. "We need to get back on track. A few of the experienced athletes were complacent and we paid the price for it."

The Kats were unable to score on any of their four corner kicks.

"It was a lack of mental concentration and they were totally not effective," Browne said of the corners.

According to Browne, Grant Getts, Uriah Keller and Dylan Day all played well as defenders in their first varsity start.

"That's a crucial spot for us," Browne said.

The Cats host Park on Friday, Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. and Belgrade on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.

CFHS golfers 10th at Ronan

Columbia Falls High School golfers Micah Jam and Tanner Lineberry made it clear to the rest of the conference at the first invitational of the season last Thursday in Ronan that they are ready to compete. Jam shot 78 to place 10th in the 75-player field while Lineberry was one shot behind at 79.

Jake Wilson of Hamilton and Jim Mee of Libby shared medallist honors with a 2-under-par 70 on the Mission Mountain Country Club course.

"Micah and Tanner were ready to go after working on their games all summer," Wildcat coach Gene Marcille said. "I was really pleased with the way they represented Columbia Falls High School. They looked like golfers and they played liked veterans. Watch for both of them to be in the hunt all season."

As a team, the Cats placed 10th out of 15 schools competing with a team score of 358. Hamilton took the team honors with a 295 followed by Whitefish (302) and Glacier (325). Rounding out the team score for Columbia Falls were freshman Jordan Mueller (100) and senior Brad Narducci (101). Freshman Nate Holt shot 105.

On the girls' side of the tournament, Columbia Falls sophomores Kelsey DeWitt and Jordanna Weimer shot respectable scores of 118 and 122.

"We're really excited to have at least two girls ready for this first tournament," Marcille said. "We have three others who are working really hard in practice and should be tournament-ready soon."

The Wildcats entertain Whitefish and Libby on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at Meadow Lake.