Despite valliant effort, Cats' season ends

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

It was not for the lack of great effort, but the high school football season came to an end for Columbia Falls with a 27-13 loss to unbeaten and defending Class 1A state champion Billings Central in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs Saturday at Daylis Stadium in Billings.

Trailing 21-7, the Wildcats scored on a 15-yard pass from junior quarterback Mitchell Wassam to sophomore receiver Kaleb Johnson with 3:05 remaining in the game. CFHS then recovered an onside kick at midfield, but could not sustain a drive to get the equalizer.

The Rams scored an insurance touchdown in the final minute and advanced to the semifinals with a 27-13 win. Central plays at Dillon on Saturday while Miles City hosts Frenchtown. In the other quarterfinals games, Dillon beat Havre 21-7, Miles City held off Polson 26-20 and Frenchtown got by Hardin 14-7.

"I'm really proud of the effort all year and in that game as well," Wildcats head coach John Thompson said. "We ran into a pretty darn good football team."

Billings Central, now with a 22-game win streak, went into the quarterfinal contest averaging more than 300 yards per game rushing. Against CFHS, the Rams amassed 319 yards — 218 by senior back Aleksei Grosulak. Tyler Hawkins added 100 yards.

On the flip side, the Cats managed just 11 yards on 27 rushing plays after averaging 240 yards a game during the regular season.

"We have been able to move the ball on the ground pretty effectively all year," Thompson said. "They (the Rams) did a nice job shutting that down."

THE CATS lost one of their top playmakers, senior Stephen Baumgartner, in the third period when he collided with Grosulak during a running play. Baumgartner was diagnosed by a doctor on the sideline with a concussion and was not allowed to re-enter the game.

Snuffed on the ground, the Cats went to the air — with good success. Wassam completed 19 of 38 passes for 252 yards — nearly as much as CFHS had passing in the previous nine games. Wassam threw only one interception. He completed passes to nine different receivers; no one caught more than three.

"Mitchell and our receivers stepped up," said Thompson, who gave credit to the Cats line for its pass protection against Central's frequent blitz. Mackey Nolan, who had only six carries for negative yardage, effectively picked up blitzing linebackers, according to Thompson. "We found the middle of the field was open."

Central used its vaunted ground game on its first possession with an 11-play drive capped by a seven-yard touchdown run by Grosulak. The conversion failed.

The Cats had the Rams pinned inside their own 10-yard line after a Nolan punt, but Grosulak got to the sideline and raced 91 yards for a Central score on the next play. The conversion run made it 14-0.

CFHS responded with its own scoring drive, keyed by a 53-yard pass play to Tanner Perry. Wassam connected with Johnson for a key first down at the Central 4-yard line. Two plays later, John Woody scored on a four-yard reverse with 10:10 left in the first half. Nolan's kick got the Cats to within 14-7.

Later in the period, Central drove 80 yards for another touchdown. The key play was a 53-yard pass from Cole Cattelan to Hawkins, setting up a five-yard scoring run by Grosulak. The Rams lead was 21-7 at halftime.

A sack by Dustin VonFeldt and a key pass defense play by

Quenton Hegel in the end zone helped the Cats hold inside the CFHS 30-yard line as the third period ended.

With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Cats took over at their 34-yard line after a Rams punt. CFHS got a first down at the Central 15 on a fourth-and-3 play when the Rams were flagged for pass interference. On third-and-10, Wassam hit Johnson in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.

Since long snapper Baumgartner was sidelined with the concussion, Thompson elected to go for a two-point conversion rather than the kick. The ensuing pass was incomplete, but the Cats were within 21-13 with three minutes to play.

The onside kick was executed perfectly as Nolan's kick was muffed by a Central player and recovered by Wayde Martinson at the 49-yard line. Wassam scrambled for a first down, but he was sacked on the next play for a loss of 15. His next three passes were incomplete and Central took over with 2:04 remaining.

The Rams drove 55 yards for a touchdown, scored by Kevin O'Brien on a seven-yard run with :39 to go.

Thompson had praise for captains Nolan, Hegel, Nathan Woods and Baumgartner and the rest of the Wildcat seniors.

"I can't say enough about the leadership they provided," the coach said. "They led by example. They will be sorely missed.

"Ending the season on a loss was a tough thing to swallow," Thompson added. "I have nothing but respect and admiration for the kids who played this year. They did a nice job of seeing that our program continues to improve."