Football Friday: Bigfork Blasts Champs, Glacier Claims First Victory
Flathead, Columbia Falls, Whitefish also notch impressive wins
By Andy Viano
On their home field in 2016, the Eureka Lions ended Bigfork’s five-year run atop what was then District 7B en route to the first of back-to-back Class B state championships.
Back in Lincoln County on Sept. 14, the Vikings earned their revenge.
Bigfork (4-0, 3-0 Western B) handed Eureka (3-1, 1-1) its first loss on the gridiron in two seasons in emphatic fashion, scoring 34 second-half points and shutting out the Lions 37-0.
Senior running back Randy Stultz ran for three touchdowns in the win, including a 70-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Anders Epperly, who caught a touchdown in the game two years ago, threw for a 22-yard score to make it 17-0 in the third quarter.
In Kalispell, both Glacier and Flathead won on the same night for the first time this year. The Wolfpack (1-3) cracked the win column with a dominating victory at Legends Stadium against previously undefeated Helena (3-1). Glacier won 48-14, controlling the game with a suffocating defense and getting a handful of big plays from the offense. Evan Todd returned from an injury suffered last week to throw for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Blain ran for 122 yards and also found the end zone three times.
PHOTO GALLERY: GLACIER vs. HELENA
Flathead (3-1), meanwhile, bounced back from its first loss of the season with a thrilling 34-31 triumph against Missoula Sentinel (2-2) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Braves were paced by the bruising Blake Counts, who ran wild for 276 yards and three scores. Counts has run for 835 yards this season in just four games. Senior wide receiver Anthony Jones added his best game of the season, snaring eight passes for an even 100 yards.
The two Kalispell schools will face each other in the annual crosstown game Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium.
In Class A, defending state champion Columbia Falls blew away Stevensville 55-14 in its first road contest of the season, while surging Whitefish made it two straight wins with a 27-20 victory over Corvallis. The Bulldogs won just one game all of last season.