‘Driven to Be Awesome’

With Columbia Falls leading Whitefish 29-0 late in the third quarter of a muddy rivalry game on Oct. 7, the competitive friction flared up. Players from both teams, caked in mud, exchanged a few pushes before referees burst in to extinguish the emotions.

In the immediate aftermath, tempers continued to simmer among the Wildcats, until a calming presence swept the sidelines, one player at a time.

“Keep your cool. Don’t respond,” Dakota Bridwell, the team’s relaxed, even-keeled senior quarterback, said as he patted each and every player on the shoulder pads.

Refocused, Bridwell and the Cats plowed through the mud in Whitefish, scoring two more impressive touchdowns before the score settled at 42-0, adding to the team’s perfect record with its sixth win in a row.

Seven weeks into the high school football season, Columbia Falls is the best team in Class A, a well-rounded, high-powered juggernaut that has outscored its six opponents 279-77 with two shutouts.

At the beginning of the season, head coach Jaxon Schweikert knew he had a championship contender and predicted that the only team that could truly defeat this Wildcat squad was itself.

Off-the-field issues have plagued previous teams, along with on-the-field mental lapses, but Schweikert’s senior signal caller — third-year starter Bridwell — is doing everything he can to ensure nothing derails this group.

“He has worked literally every day, studying game film, working in the weight room,” Schweikert said of Bridwell. “He’s a great leader. He’s driven to be awesome.”

Last week, leading up to the Whitefish game, Bridwell spent 25 hours studying film. He also spent hours in the weight room. This workmanlike approach fueled yet another spectacular performance — 20 of 41 passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns along with another two TDs on the ground.

For the season, Bridwell has 28 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. He has completed 64 percent of his passes and tallied more than 1,800 yards in the air.

“These kids follow him and believe in him,” Schweikert said. “He’s mature beyond his years. He’s a pretty amazing kid.”

Ask Bridwell about himself and his abilities and he’s quick to deflect, passing the praise to his teammates, or “brothers,” who he has played with since he can remember.

“We’re all in this together,” Bridwell, standing 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, said. “We’re stronger together and I know I can rely on everyone to play as a team and make a play.”

Bridwell certainly has an impressive supporting cast. Senior wide receiver Braxton Reiten erupted for 124 yards on five catches and a touchdown last weekend, hiking his season total to more than 750 yards and 12 TDs.

Junior running back Logan Kolodejchuk, a 6-1, 220-pound battering ram who has returned from injury in recent weeks to take over the starting role, had 115 yards on 23 carries in the mud and scored his third TD of the season. He’s also one of the best defensive ends in the state.

There’s also Trevor Hoerner, a senior wide receiver who has five TDs, and senior receiver Sean Miller, who has four TDs.

“These kids are mentally tough. We’ve had the talent to win before and we’ve let outside influences pull them apart,” Schweikert said. “It’s a brotherhood here and where we go as one we go all together. They’re not letting anything distract them.”

The biggest test of the season came two weeks ago against Dillon, last year’s state runner-up. In front of a large crowd in Columbia Falls, the Beavers jumped ahead 14-0 in the first quarter before Bridwell connected with Miller on a 16-yard TD in the second to cut the lead to 14-7. After the Beavers scored midway through the second to make it 21-7, the Wildcats came alive. Reiten took a kickoff return 89 yards for a score and Hoerner caught a 24-yard TD pass from Bridwell as the Cats clinched the victory, 28-21.

“That was a big upset win for us and showed how well we can play when we play together,” Bridwell said of the Dillon victory.

Columbia Falls (6-0 overall, 1-0 in conference) travels to Polson (5-1, 2-1) this Friday to battle for the Northwestern A crown. The Wildcats wrap up the regular season at home against Frenchtown (2-5, 0-1) on Oct. 21.

With another talented squad, Columbia Falls would like to imagine itself playing for a state championship, something that hasn’t occurred since 1970, the one and only time the Wildcats have been within one game of a title. That year Havre defeated Columbia Falls 34-18. Recent teams have shown signs of greatness but fallen just short. Last year’s team lost to Havre in the quarterfinals, 47-13, and the 2014 squad was eliminated in the first round, 27-21, to Hamilton.

A core group of 20 players from this latest squad met all summer, lifting weights, going over plays, fixated on fall and one final opportunity.

“We’ve been together, a lot of us, since first grade. This group has all played together that long,” Bridwell said.

“We’ve got one more chance and we’re going for it.”