It was the kind of game everyone was expecting, if not looking forward to.
Tense. Close. Hard fought.
For example, the Cats second touchdown came by driving the length of the field after intercepting a Bulldog pass in the end zone
A tense first half ended 14-7 Wildcats, with perhaps a bit of disappointment for the Cats. Just before the half, Whitefish’s defensive stand at their 3-yard line held the Cats out of the end zone, leaving Wildcats fans wondering if that stand would set the tone for the second half. Plenty of halftime talk centered around concern that a decision to go for it on fourth down at the Whitefish three would haunt the Cats.
20 minutes later, it became quite clear that the tone for the second half had been set – in the Cats locker room.
John Thompson’s Wildcats came out for the second half of play like they had been fired from a cannon. Most of the 3rd quarter was played on the Bulldog end of the field – much of that in or near the red zone – and before anyone in green and yellow knew what hit them, the tide had turned and Cats had visited the end zone for three touchdowns.
When the smoke cleared, the lead stood at 35-7.
Whitefish never really threatened in the second half and the Cats managed to get some clean jerseys into the game for the second week in a row. On a personal note, I was disappointed that senior offensive lineman Nathan Woods (#75) didn’t get to run the ball on a 4th and three in the red zone at the very end of the game. Of course, I’m the only one who wanted him to try it.
With the loss, Whitefish will draw an away game for the first round of playoffs, while Columbia Falls will host the first round on their home field.
Stephen Baumgartner (#20) leaves his feet to grab Alex Erespuru (#17). Baumgartner held on while the calvary (#24 John Woody and an unidentified Wildcat) arrived to finish the job.
The Whitefish defense finds out that no one in the Columbia Falls offensive backfield is easy to tackle. In this case, it took eight Bulldogs to get Mackey Nolan (#4) to the ground.
