Football playoff berth on line for Wildcats against Bigfork
By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News
Inability to capitalize on Polson mistakes doomed Columbia Falls last Friday (Oct. 10) as the Wildcats dropped a 20-10 decision to the homestanding Pirates. The loss was the first in Northwestern A Conference play. The Wildcats are 2-1 in league games and 3-3 overall going into the final home game of the regular season — Friday (Oct. 17) against Bigfork. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
A win over Bigfork gets Columbia Falls into the state playoffs.
Polson suffered four turnovers in the first half, losing three fumbles, but the Wildcats trailed 13-10 at intermission.
The Cats got on the board first on an 87-yard run by Stephen Baumgartner after Columbia Falls recovered a Pirates fumble to stop a drive.
"We did a nice job blocking at the point of attack and Stephen had a great run," Cats coach John Thompson said of the touchdown.
But on the next Cats possession, they turned it over. A Mitchell Wassam pass was a little behind receiver Kaleb Johnson, who got his hands on it. The ball richocheted into the arms of Ryan Kelly, whe returned the interception 44 yards for a Polson touchdown. The conversion kick tied the game at 7-7.
Polson drove for a second-quarter touchdown, scoring on a 2-yard run by quarterback Craig Bagnell. The kick was blocked and the Pirates led 13-7.
In the final minute of the first half, the Cats took over deep in Polson territory after a bad punt snap. But CFHS could not get a touchdown out of it, settling for a 22-yard field goal by Mackey Nolan with eight second left in the half.
"We didn't make the most of an opportunity there," Thompson said. "We have to be more consistent scoring in the red zone."
The Cats threatened to score again in the third period, but the Pirate defender Brock Picard picked off a pass on third-and-goal when CFHS was at the 9-yard line.
"We had a nice drive going. It kind of bogged down in the red zone," Thompson said.
CFHS struggled with its passing game, as Wassam completed only one of 12 passes with the two interceptions.
Polson converted a fourth-and-goal with 8:52 left in the game when Bagnell connected with Kelly on a 7-yard touchdown pass for insurance.
"Polson is a solid team," Thompson said. "They have great balance between the pass and the run. They hustle to the ball (on defense). We had some opportunities. Unfortunately we didn't make the most of them."
The coach gave credit to Nolan for his punting in windy conditions.
Bigfork, the Cats' opponent Friday, is hungry for a win. The Vikings are 0-3 in the conference and 0-6 overall.
"They're getting better every week. If we do not prepare well we're going to have our hands full," Thompson said, who added that minimizing mistakes and maximizing opportunities will be important.
It's Senior Night for the Cats on Friday.
Spikers fall to Polson; entertain Stevi, Dillon
Columbia Falls dropped to 1-5 in the Northwestern A Conference with a three-game loss to Polson last Thursday (Oct. 9) in Polson.
The Pirates took the first game, 25-22, and the second set, 22-15. A 22-16 victory game Polson the sweep.
Polson had the superior attack in the league match, registering 34 kills to Columbia Falls' 19.
Kayla DeWit and Brooke Cady led the Wildkats with five kills each. Cassidee Skiles dished out 17 assists. Alyssa Ladenburg was busy in the back row; she led the Kats with 20 digs.
Breanne Kelley paced Polson at the net with 12 kills and a pair of blocks. She also had four service aces. Nicole Davey added 11 kills and two blocks.
The Kats are on the home court twice this weekend for non-conference action against Southwestern A Conference opponents. They host Stevensville on Friday (Oct. 17), and entertain Dillon on Saturday (Oct. 18). The freshman matches start at 1 p.m. each day, followed by the junior varsity and varsity matches.