Bulldogs bite Wildcats
Victory gives Whitefish playoff berth; Columbia Falls out
WHITEFISH - The last thing Whitefish High School football coach Patrick Dryden did at halftime of Friday's Northwestern A game against Columbia Falls is remind his defense that it hadn't forced a turnover in over six quarters and challenged it to end that streak.
The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) responded by forcing four second-half turnovers, which proved to be the difference as Whitefish won 27-7 to clinch a berth in the Class A playoffs.
With Whitefish leading 14-7, Brian Flickinger forced the Wildcats' first turnover when he hit Columbia Falls quarterback Michael Hader from behind as Hader threw a pass. The ball popped into the air and landed in the arms of Seth Thomas, who rumbled to the Columbia Falls 6-yard line with 9:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Luke Fennelly scored two plays later on a 3-yard run, Brad Nielsen added the extra point and Whitefish led 21-7. Fennelly also iced the game with a 26-yard scoring burst in the fourth quarter.
Fennelly finished with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, but he was equally impressive on defense, intercepting two Columbia Falls passes in Whitefish's end zone. His first interception came with 4:49 to play in the third quarter with Whitefish clinging to a 21-7 lead and Columbia Falls lined up on Whitefish's 14-yard line.
"That was a huge play because we had just turned the ball over and given the momentum back to them," Dryden said. "If they score there, it's anybody's ballgame."
Fennelly has rushed for 939 yards and 12 touchdowns as a running back, but he knows his play at free safety is just as important.
"You win football games on defense," Fennelly said. "To make it far in the playoffs, you need good defense. That's what football is all about."
Whitefish needed every one of its game-changing defensive plays because Columbia Falls sophomore running back Josh Wilson rushed for 171 yards, including a second-quarter touchdown. Wilson entered the game with 864 yards, raising his conference-leading yardage total to 1,035.
"Josh is a good back, he runs hard," Fennelly said. "You just have to keep rallying to the ball and hit him for four quarters."
The Wildcats accumulated 13 first downs and 223 yards of offense, but Whitefish limited their big plays and made big stops in the red zone.
"There's room for improvement," Dryden said. "I thought we gang tackled, but (Wilson) just kept his legs moving and got that extra yard or two and that's what good backs do."
Whitefish quarterback Zach Fennelly gave the Bulldogs their first lead when he ran for a 10-yard touchdown on a fourth-down option keeper in the first quarter. After Wilson's touchdown, Zach Fennelly helped Whitefish to its halftime lead by connecting with wide receiver Danny Neff on a 34-yard touchdown strike late in the second quarter.
Zach Fennelly completed five passes in nine attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 27 yards.
The loss means Columbia Falls (4-3, 3-2) won't reach the playoffs because Polson beat Ronan on Friday to secure Northwestern A's final berth. Even if Polson loses its next game against Eureka and Columbia Falls wins at Libby on Friday, Polson would get the postseason nod because the Pirates beat Columbia Falls in September.
Hader completed seven of 17 passes for 50 yards and three interceptions. He was 7-for-10 in the first half, however, completing three passes each to wide receiver Jared Jimmerson and tight end Mackey Nolan. Nolan also intercepted a fourth-quarter pass at linebacker.
The Wildcats won three games last year and are assured of at least an even record, no matter what happens against Libby, but the loss was hard to swallow.
"When you get in the red zone, you have to score and you can't give up turnovers," said Columbia Falls coach John Thompson. "You have to execute and at times we did and at times we didn't."
Dryden said there is no extra joy in clinching the playoffs against rival Columbia Falls.
"We've got a lot of goals set for us, but this was the first major one - to make the playoffs," Dryden said.
Columbia Falls 0 7 0 0 - 7
Whitefish 7 7 7 6 - 27
First Quarter
Whitefish - Zach Fennelly 10 run (Brad Nielsen kick), 7:22
Second Quarter
Columbia Falls - Josh Wilson 6 run (Mackey Nolan kick), 4:45
Whitefish - Danny Neff 34 pass from Z. Fennelly (Nielsen kick), 3:01
Third Quarter
Whitefish - Luke Fennelly 3 run (Nielsen kick), 9:04
Fourth Quarter
Whitefish - L. Fennelly 26 run (kick failed), 10:39
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CF WF
First downs 13 11
Rushes-yards 41-173 37-162
Passing yards 50 60
Passing 7-17-3-50 5-9-1-60 Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-30 5-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Columbia Falls, Wilson 32-171, Michael Hader 5-11, Stephen Baumgartner 3-5; Steve McNulty 1-(-14); Whitefish, L. Fennelly 21-126, Zach Fennelly 7-27, Colt Idol 7-3, Matt Starr 2-6
Passing - Columbia Falls, Hader 7-17-3-50; Whitefish, Z. Fennelly 5-9-1-60
Receiving - Columbia Falls, Jared Jimmerson 3-19, Mackey Nolan 3-25, Alex Sterhan 1-6; Whitefish, Idol 1-2, Kenny Overcast 1-6, Byron Whitcomb 2-18, Neff 1-34