Whitefish upsets Polson to make playoffs
Team faces C-Falls to end regular season tomorrow night
By DAVID ERICKSON - Whitefish Pilot
It was the upset of the week Friday night at Whitefish High School. The Bulldog football team, with a bag of tricks and big plays, gunned down Polson 28-6 in a light downpour to eliminate the Pirates from playoff contention while clinching a spot for themselves.
The win sets up Whitefish (3-1 conference) with a big showdown against rival Columbia Falls (3-1 conference) on Friday night to determine which team gets home-field advantage for the playoffs.
The Polson match-up was senior night for the Bulldogs, and senior running back/reciever/tight end Brad Nielsen set the tempo just four minutes into the game. He broke open on a deep-corner route, and Whitefish quarterback Alex Elespuru hit him for a 43-yard touchdown reception.
Needless to say, the crowd went wild.
From there, the Bulldogs rumbled off two more touchdowns to lead 20-0 at the half, and the defense stifled the Pirates all night.
Whitefish came into the game knowing that a playoff berth was at stake.
"Win and we're in —that was our motto all week," head coach Patrick Dryden said. "I told the guys there's no point in saving anything."
The undersized Whitefish squad took that message to heart, playing some of their best football of the season on both sides of the ball.
"I thought the defense played very well," Dryden said. "We gave up some yards, but every time Polson got in the red zone, we came up with a big stop. Nielsen and Jake Smith got a lot of pressure on the quarterback, which is something we haven't done much of this season."
Nielsen and Smith both finished with 1.5 sacks apiece. Smith tackled Polson punter John Rausch in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter.
In the first quarter, Whitefish utilized their secret weapon. Byron Whitcomb, the Bulldog's speedy receiver/running back/free safety/punter, lined up at quarterback from the shotgun, unprecedented for this season, and took a quarterback draw 52 yards to the end zone, leaving confused Polson defenders in his dust.
"We've been toying with that for nine weeks now," Dryden said. "Whitcomb's definitely going to take some snaps Friday night against Columbia Falls. That's all right if they know — it gives them one more thing to think about."
Junior running-back Jesse Strunk had a big game for the Bulldogs, taking the first hand-off of the second quarter 45 yards to pay dirt. He finished the night with a team-high 78 yards on only four carries to go along with a fumble recovery on defense. Whitcomb finished with 60 yards on offense, six tackles and an interception.
All four of the Bulldogs' touchdowns came on plays of 35 yards or longer.
"We really put the big plays together," Dryden said. "And we didn't turn over the ball."
Dryden said he expects a fight out of the Wildcats on Friday night in Columbia Falls.
"C-Falls has been having an outstanding year, their fans are excited," Dryden said. "I can't remember the last time both teams were in the playoffs, so it adds a new twist to things."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday night at Columbia Falls High School.
Polson 0 0 6 0 — 6
Whitefish 13 7 8 0 — 28
First Quarter
W—Brad Nielson 43 pass from Alex Elespuru (Nielson kick), 10:48.
W—Byron Whitcomb 52 run (kick failed), :46.
Second Quarter
W—Jesse Strunk 45 run (Nielson kick), 11:52.
Third Quarter
P—Tim Rausch 1 run (kick failed), 8:52.
W—Safety, Jake Smith tackled John Rausch in end zone, 2:48.
W—Matt Whitehead 35 pass from Elespuru (run failed), :12.
Pol. Wf.
First Downs 14 8
Total Yards 221 294
Rushes-yards 48-86 31-196
Passing 135 98
Punt Returns 1-4 1-14
Kickoff Returns 4-63 3-67
Int. Returns 0-0 1-0
Comp-Att-Int 12-26-1 6-14-0
Sacked-Yds. Lst.4-30 2-10
Punts 3-35.7 7-34.3
Fumbles-Lost 4-2 1-0
Penalties-Yards 3-15 10-65
Individual Stats
Rushing — Wf, Jesse Strunk 4-78, Byron Whitcomb 4-60, Matt Starr 12-48, Aaron Tkachyk 6-16, Jake Smith 2-8, team 1-(-3), Alex Elespuru 2-(-11).
Passing — Wf, Elespuru 6-13-0-98, Whitcomb 0-1-0-0.
Receiving — Wf, Matt Whitehead 2-43, Brad Nielson 1-43, Seth Wiley 1-6, Starr 1-3, Tyler Mason 1-3.
Missed Field Goals — none.