Key grid matchups for second weekend of Northwestern A play

The second week of the Northwestern A conference football schedule is an important one. Teams that lost in the first week simply can't afford to drop to 0-2 and expect to make the playoffs with any amount of certainty.

"They are all going to be big between now and then," Wildcats coach John Thompson said.

Likewise, teams that won last week can improve their postseason chances greatly by getting to 2-0.

Tonight in the conference, Columbia Falls (1-0) heads west to Libby (0-1); Whitefish (1-0) is at Ronan (0-1) and No. 3 Polson (1-0) is in Bigfork (0-1).

Saturday morning could see six teams tied at 1-1 or a couple of schools putting some distance between them and the rest of the field.

The most intriguing game is the Wildcats-Loggers matchup. Considered a preseason conference favorite, Libby can ill-afford another loss after Polson defeated them last week.

"It's their homecoming, they lost a tough game last week," Thompson said. "They've talked about that, and turning things around in conference play."

With just three more games after this week, you would have to figure the undefeated teams have the inside track to one of the three playoff spots while any winless teams would be in a world of hurt.

"We need to continue our focus," Thompson said.

"The kids are excited. We went up there two years ago and played real well and won. Last year we played them here and played well again but lost a close one."

For the Wildcats to be successful again, they'll have to stop Libby's mid-line option attack.

"One of the biggest things will be recognizing formations and the tendencies out of those formations," Thompson said. "They do so many different things … they have a lot of weapons.

"Offensively, it's the same things you need to do each week - not make mistakes that stop drives and hold onto the ball."