Pirates down Dogs in shootout
Rarely is a 21-point loss considered a
good night on the gridiron, but the Bulldogs defeat to powerhouse
Polson Sept. 30 proved that Whitefish can hang with even the best
in the state. After a slow start that ultimately proved to be the
difference in the 53-32 loss, the Dogs played the No. 5 ranked
Pirates toe-to-toe in a shootout.
“We had some break downs in defensive
assignments to start,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said. “But then we
made some adjustments.
“We are the best 2-3 team out there. I
want to play Polson again. If we make a few more adjustments, we
could make it more interesting than it was.”
Polson took it to Whitefish in the
first quarter, scoring touchdowns on six- and 64-yard runs, and a
36-yard pass. The Pirates defensive line had their way in the
trenches and put some big hits on both Bulldog quarterbacks Connor
Donahue and Christopher Forrest.
The Dogs settled down at the end of the
quarter and played their game through the air. Polson’s defensive
backs were no match for Whitefish’s top-rated wide receivers.
Gage Vasquez pulled in a 30-yard pass
on the 5-yard line to get the offense rolling. Forrest then hit
Logan Harwood on a four-year TD pass, putting Whitefish on the
board.
Polson countered quickly with a
big-time 60-yard TD pass from Will Davey to Ian Laimbeer after
exposing blown defensive coverage.
But the Bulldogs put together a solid
drive to finish the second quarter. Receivers Gage Vasquez and
Harwood pulled in back-to-back passes from Donahue, and Forrest
made a diving catch up the middle to set up a chance in the red
zone. Donahue and Forrest hooked up again on a 2-yard TD pass to
end the drive. The Bulldogs were within reach of an upset with the
score 27-14 at halftime.
They kept it going out of the break.
Bryce Wehrli ended a Polson drive when he made an impressive
interception in the end zone.
The ensuing drive featured a long Shane
Marcial run, a great catch by Connor Ellis and a Wehrli reception
down the sideline to set up a TD chance. Forrest scrambled and made
a dive into the end zone to put Whitefish within reach.
Polson responded with a solid drive
capped off by a 16-yard Davey run. The Bulldogs countered with a
40-yard TD pass to Harwood. The two teams traded touchdowns in the
fourth to make it 32-41 with eight minutes left.
Koler Kanistanaux then recovered his
own on-side kick to give Whitefish the ball back in good field
position.
“We talked about having a chance at the
end of the game,” Ross said. “We were close to that when we got
that onside kick.”
A stalled drive was saved when Vasquez
pulled in a pass on a fake punt for a first down. But the wheels
fell off when Donahue was sacked and fumbled the ball back to
Polson.
The Pirates tacked on two touchdowns to
end the game. Whitefish is now ready to build on what was an
optimistic performance.
Whitefish passed for 387 yards. Forrest
was 10 for 17 for 107 yards and one touchdown and Connor Donahue
was 15 for 34 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
Vasquez had seven receptions for 123
yards and Harwood had six catches for 124 yards.
Ross commended the play of both
quarterbacks and the receivers.
“Boy can we pass,” Ross said. “Logan
has caught everything coming his way. He’s been spot on. The more
they double cover Gage and Chris Forrest, it’s going to leave Logan
and Connor Ellis wide open. All four guys can catch the ball.”
He noted Robby Neff and Maxl Smith as
the top defensive performers.
“They did a great job of making plays
and being aggressive,” Ross said.
More than 1,000 spectators came out for
the Homecoming game.
“We’ve got to have some of the best
fans ever,” Ross said. “The players are fueled by the crowd.”
Whitefish, 2-3 and 0-2, plays at
Columbia Falls this Friday.
Polson 20 7 6 20 - 53
Whitefish 7 7 12 6 - 32