Happy Friday, everyone! Class A playoff soccer is officially underway in Montana, and of course multiple Flathead Valley teams are still in the mix as the quarterfinals kickoff this Saturday.

In fact, when it comes to Class A soccer, much of the action has been in the Flathead Valley of late. The Columbia Falls boys team defeated Whitefish last week to win the conference title. Likewise, the Columbia Falls girls team played Whitefish to a tie last week, and enter the postseason as a top seed.

Consequently, the Bigfork and Whitefish boys teams squared off in a play-in game Tuesday afternoon, which ended in a 3-1 Whitefish win. The Bulldogs are at 7-2 on the year, and are now slotted to face the 5-4-3 Hamilton Broncs this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Smith Fields in Whitefish.

On the girls’ side of the tournament ledger, another Bigfork and Whitefish play-in showdown took place Tuesday, this one ending 2-1 in favor of the Valkyries. Bigfork will host Stevensville for a quarterfinal match this Saturday at 3 p.m.

Where does this leave the conference-winning teams from Columbia Falls? Well, the girls soccer team has their work cut out for them Saturday at 11 a.m., when they host perennial powerhouse Billings Central at Flip Darlington Memorial Field. I talked with head coach Thomas Clark earlier this week, and he did not shy away from the fact that the Rams will be a challenging opponent.

“To get the defending state champs in a quarterfinals, to me it’s awesome, because you’re going to have to go out and beat the best teams regardless of when you’re going to see them,” Clark said.

By the same token, Clark said that his players are eager for the opportunity to face a defending state champion team that has knocked them out of the tournament as recently as last year.

“They’re chomping at the bit,” he said.

The top-seeded Wildcat boys team is also looking forward to a challenge this Saturday against the counterattacking Lone Peak Big Horns. When I talked to head coach O’Brien Byrd earlier this week, he sounded genuinely excited about the season his team has put together to this point. He had expected a rebuilding year after losing a number of seniors to graduation, but instead, he said his team has reloaded with talented players.

The Columbia Falls boys will kickoff against Lone Peak at 1:15 p.m. at Flip Darling Memorial Field in Columbia Falls.

All of which is to say, if you’re looking to see some talented local soccer teams play this weekend in the Flathead, there are plenty of good options. Now that I’ve made my pitch, let’s get into some news.

I’m Mike Kordenbrock, bringing you the Daily Roundup …