Built for November

By JOSEPH TERRY

The Daily Inter Lake

COLUMBIA FALLS — Columbia Falls was built for this.

A year after falling short in the Class A championship game on its home field, the Wildcats football team is back in a position to play for another title precisely because it did things differently.

Last season, playing on a sloppy Satterthwaite Field in the middle of a slush storm, Columbia Falls committed six turnovers in a 34-17 loss to Dillon. With a slippery ball on a slippery field in slippery weather, the pass-heavy offense of the Wildcats faltered.

Heading into this season, already needing to shift some of its main pieces on offense, the Wildcats decided to shift their focus. With former receiver Austin Green at quarterback and a pair of power backs in Colton McPhee and Logan Kolodejchuk running behind him, Columbia Falls built its team for bad weather, focusing on the power run game to compliment the always potent passing attack in the up-tempo offense.

“You’ve got to have that power run game in Montana,” Columbia Falls coach Jackson Schweikert said.

“Everywhere else I’ve been, by the time you get to (this point of the season), you’re playing in a dome or on turf fields. In Montana, you’ve got to take in account for (the conditions). You’ve got to be ready for anything. Last year we needed to be better in the power run game. We took care of that this year.”

Columbia Falls has averaged 265 yards rushing per game this season, rolling into the state championship on a seven-game winning streak. Among full-time backs, McPhee averages a state-best 9.5 yards per carry and Green is second at 8.8. The run game has complimented a defense that has allowed just 101 yards a game in the playoffs and just 38 total yards after halftime of its two games, having yet to give up an offensive touchdown in November.

That combination has allowed the Wildcats to roll through one of the toughest playoff slates in years, beating an eight-win Miles City team by 40 points and shutting out a nine-win Sidney team 17-0 on the road.

“It’s a good group,” Schweikert said. “They’re a smart group. They like football, they like practice. We haven’t had a kid miss a practice this year. They come out, they really pay attention, they focus. They have teachable spirits and they want to be coached. They all know their role, and every player on the team has a role. That makes a fun team.”

If the Wildcats can continue their run, they would close out their first state championship in school history. Columbia Falls lost its only two chances at a title, both at home, in 1970 to Havre and last season to Dillon.

The senior-laden team is confident heading in and has fought for its shot at the championship.

“Everybody’s earned it out here,” Kolodejchuk said. “We’ve worked our tails off to get back here and made it happen. It wasn’t by chance, we earned it all the way.”