Dogs rumble into playoffs
It wasn’t pretty, but football games
aren’t judged on style. All Whitefish needed was a win, and they
got what they were after.
The Bulldogs defense held off
Frenchtown in the fourth quarter for an 18-12 victory at home Oct.
21, securing their first postseason appearance since 2008.
Whitefish wrapped up the regular season with a 5-3 overall record.
Friday’s win was their third consecutive.
“We did the job and got done what we
needed to,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said. “We keep finding a way
to win.
“You can feel the excitement in the
locker room that we’ll be playing in the postseason.”
Koler Kanistanaux had a 32-yard field
goal in the first quarter as the Bulldogs went into the half down
6-5.
Coming out of the break, Frenchtown
exploded for a big run that was stopped when Bryce Wehrli made a
shoelace tackle that may have proved to be the difference in the
game. The Dogs’ defense stood strong in the redzone and the Broncs
turned it over on downs.
On the ensuing drive Whitefish junior
Shane Marcial punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to cap an
impressive march down the field. Logan Harwood pulled in a great
catch on fourth down to keep the scoring drive alive, and a big run
by Robby Neff up the middle set up Marcial’s touchdown.
Marcial’s second score came on a
24-yard reception from quarterback Connor Donahue. Marcial made the
catch, broke a few tackles and dove into the end zone for an 18-6
lead. Connor Ellis snagged a long pass in the middle of the field
to set up the touchdown.
Whitefish’s defense came up big in the
fourth by putting consistent pressure on Frenchtown’s
quarterback.
“We blitzed the quarterback well,”
Whitefish senior Jimmy Boles said after the game. “Maxl did a great
job on the other side and it allowed me to get to the
quarterback.”
Frenchtown was stuffed on their final
play as they again turned the ball over on downs.
Frenchtown 6 0 0 6 - 12
Whitefish 5 0 13 0 - 18
F - Daniel Lebsock 14 run (kick
failed)
W - FG Koler Kanistanaux 32
W - Punter ran out of end zone
W - Shane Marcial 2 run (Kanistanaux
kick)
W - Marcial 24 pass from Connor Donahue
(run failed)
F - Brydon Peacock 3 run (pass
failed)
Up Next
Whitefish travels to Stevensville on
Friday, Oct. 28 for a first-round Class A state playoff game. The
Yellowjackets are 3-2 in the Southern A league and 6-2 overall.
Stevensville lost 18-15 to Corvallis
last Friday. The weeks prior they topped Hamilton 41-13, Anaconda
41-6 and they lost to Dillon 41-0.
They average 32 points a game and rely
on a ground game that averages 180 yards per contest. Senior Caleb
Vance has 562 yards rushing this season
“If we can control Vance, that gives us
a chance,” Ross said. “The key to the game will be our defensive
line.”
Whitefish will continue their offensive
assault through the air. The Bulldogs have tallied 2,299 passing
yards and 20 touchdowns led by senior quarterbacks Connor Donahue
and Chris Forrest.
They’ve racked up 1,388 yards rushing
and average 173 yards at game on the ground.
The Bulldogs defense needs to make
first-chance tackles to slow the Jackets’ running game.
“We’ve got to be better than we’ve ever
been before,” senior linebacker Jimmy Boles said. “We have to play
perfect.”