Whitefish High School alum Thomas Clark is the new head girls soccer coach at Columbia Falls.
Clark, 24, had been coaching the goalkeepers for the Columba Falls boys and girls teams since 2017 under O’Brien Byrd, who had been leading both programs. Byrd stepped down from the girls team following last season but will remain as the boys coach.
The relationship between Clark and Byrd dates back to both men’s tenure at Whitefish, where Byrd was a highly successful coach and Clark was a standout keeper, leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back Class A state championships in 2011 and 2012. Clark then spent four years playing at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington before graduating in 2017.
The Wildkats went 8-4-0 last season, winning the Northern A conference and reaching the state tournament. Columbia Falls should return a formidable lineup this fall, led by striker Josie Windauer, a University of Montana commit.