Bridwell sets record for TD throws

Dakota Bridwell set a new school record for touchdown passes in a game as the Columbia Falls football team rolled over Browning 54-8 at home Friday night.

Bridwell threw seven touchdown passes.

The Cats scored early and often against the hapless Indians. Braxton Reiten capped off a 65-yard drive and leapt in from a half-yard out on a short pass from Bridwell and the Cats were up 7-0 with 9:39 in the first quarter.

After a couple of turnovers by both teams, Tyler Murphy scored on a 55-yard pass from Bridwell and the Cats were up 14-0 with 2:17 left in the quarter.

Reiten would score again on a 58-yard strike from Bridwell with 7:41 in the second and a couple minutes later Bridwell called his own number from the one-yard line and the Cats were up 28-0 with 5:15 left in the first half.

Browning would get a lone touchdown on a 19-yard pass to make it 28-7. But the Cats weren’t done. Wyatt Green nabbed a 2-yard pass from Bridwell and the Cats were up 35-7 with 2:56 in the third. Tyler Murphy then caught a 2-yard pass from Bridwell and the Cats were up 41-8 after the point-after attempt failed, with 11:14 in the fourth.

Green then caught an 8-yard screen pass from Bridwell and rumbled in to make it 48-8 Cats with 7:42 remaining. Murphy capped off the scoring with a little more than a minute left on an 8-yard TD reception. The extra point was blocked and the final score was 54-8. Senior Nic Ream got some playing time, hitting two extra points — the first in his high school career.

Despite the score, the game was ugly. There were 39 penalties total and it took nearly three hours to finish, ending at 9:55 p.m. The Cats had 140 yards on the ground and 253 yards passing. Bridwell was 17 of 41 and had 190 yards passing by the end of the first half.

The Cats young defense was stellar, holding Browning to just 12 yards rushing and 81 yards passing. The Cats (2-1) have a bye this week and then face Dillon away Oct. 2

Browning 0 0 8 0 — 8

Columbia Falls 14 14 7 19 — 54

CF — Braxton Reiten 1 pass from Dakota Bridwell (Brandon Karberg kick)

CF — Tyler Murphy 55 pass from Bridwell (Nic Ream kick)

CF — Reiten 58 from Bridwell (Karberg kick)

CF — Bridwell 1 run (Karberg kick)

B — J. Monroe 19 pass from R. Lorinz (Lorinz run)

CF — Wyatt Green 2 pass from Bridwell (Ream kick)

CF — Murphy 2 pass from Bridwell (kick failed)

CF — Green 9 pass from Bridwell (Karberg kick)

CF — Murphy 7 pass from Bridwell (kick failed)