Wilson sccores 4 TDs to life 'Cats

COLUMBIA FALLS - Sophomore running back Josh Wilson rushed for 272 yards and four first-half touchdowns as the Columbia Falls beat Ronan 46-15 in its Northwestern A football opener Friday night.

Wilson scored on his first carry of the game, bursting through a huge hole bored by the Wildcats' offensive line before bulling his way into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown with 10:35 remaining in the first quarter.

Columbia Falls (2-1, 1-0) forced Ronan (0-3, 0-1) to punt on its next possession and then Wilson scored on his second rushing attempt. He took a toss from quarterback Michael Hader deep in Columbia Falls' territory and raced down the right sideline before cutting back at midfield to complete an 81-yard touchdown run. Steve Brennan added the point after and the Wildcats led 13-0 with 9:01 to play in the first quarter.

But the Chiefs stiffened defensively and forced punts on Columbia Falls' next two possessions. Then Ronan's offense went to work, rushing the ball eight straight times and scoring on a one-yard touchdown plunge by Tylar Espinosa. Alan Skogen added the point after and the Chiefs narrowed the score to 13-7 in the middle of the second quarter.

Espinosa led a physical Ronan rushing attack and finished the night with 163 yards on 32 carries. The Chiefs plugged away for 224 yards rushing, including 50 yards by Nick Courville.

"Espinosa is a good runner," said Columbia Falls coach John Thompson. "I think he's as good a runner as there is in this conference."

Wilson is no slouch either. He had more than 200 yards by halftime to pace a Columbia Falls offense which totaled 310 yards rushing.

Wilson's third touchdown came with 3:47 to play in the second quarter when he scored from two yards out, giving Columbia Falls a 19-7 advantage. He scored his final touchdown 22 seconds before halftime by taking a pitch down the right sideline for another 21-yard score and the Wildcats led 26-7 at the break.

Columbia Falls wide receiver Steve McNulty started the second half in style, fielding Ronan's kickoff and patiently waiting for his blocking wedge to develop before bursting through a seam for an 83-yard return.

Ronan forced the Wildcats to punt from their own 2-yard line on their first offensive possession of the second half, but the Chiefs ran into the punter, allowing Columbia Falls to kick again from its own 7. The ensuing punt was blocked through the end zone for a safety and Columbia Falls led 33-9 with 6:16 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs threatened to get back into the game when Espinosa ran 4 yards for his second touchdown of the night, trimming the Wildcats' lead to 33-15 with 1:23 left in the third quarter.

But Columbia Falls answered with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes by Michael Hader. Hader hit McNulty in the far right corner of the end zone from 9 yards out with 7:39 to play and then found Chase Fairbank in the near right corner of the end zone for an 11 yard touchdown with 1:38 remaining.

Hader finished with 47 yards passing and two touchdowns by completing five of 13 attempts.

Thompson said the Wildcats were able to make some late pass plays because so many defenders were committed to stop Wilson.

"The last couple weeks, we were seeing eight or nine guys in the box and it's tough to run with eight or nine guys in the box."

The Wildcats are still adjusting to their new zone blocking schemes as well.

"Up front it's a learning process and we've gotten better over the course of three games," Thompson said.

Ronan limited Wilson's damage in the second half and things get even tougher for the Wildcats next week when they play at Polson. Polson lost at Libby 35-14 Friday, but Thompson knows the Pirates are a great team.

"You hope you gain some confidence when you play well and we played well tonight," Thompson said. "I think our kids understand our ability and the level at which they can play."

WILDCATS 46, CHIEFS 15

Ronan 0 7 8 0 - 15

Columbia Falls 13 13 7 13 - 46

First Quarter

Columbia Falls - Josh Wilson, 21 run (kick failed), 10:35

Columbia Falls - Wilson, 81 run (Steve Brennan kick), 9:01

Second Quarter

Ronan - Tylar Espinosa, 1 run (Alan Skogen kick), 6:54

Columbia Falls - Wilson, 2 run (kick failed), 3:47

Columbia Falls - Wilson, 21 run (Brennan kick), :22

Third Quarter

Columbia Falls - Steve McNulty 83 kick return (Brennan kick), 11:47

Ronan - punt blocked out of end zone, 6:16

Columbia Falls - McNulty 9 pass from Michael Hader (kick failed), 7:39

Columbia Falls - Chase Fairbank 11 pass from Hader (Brennan kick), 1:38

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