Happy Thursday, Beacon readers! Lauren Frick here, and I’ve got a question for all the history buffs out there. What do these four events all have in common? World heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano’s retirement, the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Marilyn Monroe’s marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s re-election as president.

(Insert Jeopardy thinking music here … ba bum bum bum bum bum bum)

For $200, what is the year 1956? (A metaphorical $200, of course. Magazines grow on trees over here at Beacon HQ, not money.) 

You know what else happened in 1956? The Flathead Valley’s own Whitefish High School football team first took the field at Memorial Field. Seventy years later, on Friday, Oct. 23, the Bulldogs will play their last regular-season game there, under the lights at 1135 E. Second St.

Whitefish High School is inviting the community to celebrate seven decades of football tradition and memorable games at Memorial Field during Friday’s home finale against the Bigfork Vikings at 7 p.m.

If you’ve ever played, coached, or cheered at Memorial Field, the school will be doing a “Final Walk” across the field, open to all. In addition to the walk, the first 1,000 fans at the stadium will receive a commemorative ticket celebrating Memorial Field’s rich history.  

Next season, the Bulldogs will move across the street, on campus, to the new Bulldog Sports Complex, which will be completed in August 2027, the school said. 

The Whitefish sports festivities will continue through the weekend with the Class A state soccer soccer tournament, as both the girls and boys Bulldogs soccer programs will play host in a pair of semifinal matchups at Smith Fields.

The Whitefish boys squad is one win away from making their return to the Class A title game after falling 4-0 to the Polson Pirates in the crowning fixture of the 2025 tournament. The Bulldogs will take on Livingston at 1 p.m. at Smith Fields on Saturday, Oct. 24. Whitefish enters the match riding the momentum of a thrilling penalty kick shootout win over Lockwood, prevailing 4-2 in penalties following a 1-1 double-overtime result.  

Securing a penalty kick shootout victory against Bigfork last week, the Polson Pirates sit across from the Bulldogs on the bracket, still alive in their quest of a state title defense. The Pirates will take on Billings Central in Polson at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23. 

In Class A girls soccer action, the Whitefish Bulldogs are on the hunt for their first state title since 2023. Whitefish, which secured its spot as the No. 1 seed from the North, will take on Laurel at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Smith Fields in Whitefish. 

Across the bracket is the defending state champion Columbia Falls Wildkats squad. Securing the No. 2 seed from the North, the Wildkats are rolling into the semifinals after a dominant 5-1 defeat of Hamilton last week. Columbia Falls will travel to take on Billings Central at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, with another trip to the title game on the line.

Both boys and girls squads from Glacier High School round out the Flathead Valley representation in the Class AA state soccer tournament this year. 

The Wolfpack teams will be on the road for quarterfinal action this weekend. After a commanding 4-0 victory over Helena Capital, the girls squad will take on Billings Senior at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. The boys will face Billings West at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. 

That’s all I’ve got for ya on this sunny Thursday. Let’s kick it to the rest of today’s Daily Roundup.