Bulldogs, Loggers in state final

The Daily Inter Lake

LIVINGSTON - To say the undefeated Bulldogs are finally peaking sounds like a stretch; it's also hard to deny.

The Whitefish High School boys' soccer team crushed Livingston 8-0 Saturday in a Class A semifinal match, securing a spot in next Saturday's state championship game.

The Bulldogs will defend their title at home against Northern A rival Libby while looking to cap an unprecedented second straight perfect season.

Whitefish gave Livingston little hope from the onset, taking a 2-0 lead after four minutes en route to a 4-0 halftime advantage.

"They were extremely focused," Whitefish coach O'Brien Byrd said. "I think we've got a very motivated group of seniors that want to make sure that their high school careers end on a high, and what a dream come true to have an opportunity to do that in front of your home crowd."

The Rangers fouled the Bulldogs 16 times, trying to slow them with physical play. But senior forward Preston Taylor scored four goals, while Alex Konopatzke, Matt Grindrod, Shane Widdifield and Pat Jones struck once apiece.

Jones, Grindrod, Jonas Magstadt and Ian Hosek had assists, while Marc Hotzfield played wonderfully off the bench, showcasing Whitefish's tremendous depth and versatility.

Whitefish's offensive onslaught was more than enough as Tyler Gardner, Nik Ortman and Jake Danczyk were solid in the back. Goalkeeper Joe Galbraith secured the shutout with eight saves.

"It hailed on us for half the game, and it's on a football field, so it's choppy and it's real easy to make mistakes back there with the ball," Byrd said. "They just played with confidence and knew they had to play no-risk back there, and they got the shutout."

The Bulldogs (14-0) hope to take their game to yet another level against Libby, which earned its berth with a shootout victory over Columbia Falls. The Bulldogs beat the Loggers twice in conference play.

"You never want to have to play a team three times," Byrd said. "Libby's seen a lot of us, not just this season but in the past. They know what we're going to do and they know who our dangerous players are, but thankfully it's not just one or two guys, it's six or seven."

Whitefish 4 4 - 8

Livingston 0 0 - 0

WHITEFISH - Alex Konopatzke (penalty kick), 1:00; Matt Grindrod, 4:00; Preston Taylor (Pat Jones), 20:00; Shane Widdifield (Grindrod), 25:00; Taylor (Jonas Magstadt), 53:00; Jones, 60:00; Taylor (Ian Hosek), 63:00; Taylor, 70:00

Shots on goal - WF 21, Liv. 8

Corner kicks - WF 6, Liv. 2

Goalie saves - WF 8 (Joe Galbraith), Liv. 10 (Robert Lahren)

Fouls - WF 11, Liv. 16

Cards - WF 1 (yellow), Liv. 3 (2 yellow, 1 red)

Libby 3, Columbia Falls 2 (shootout)

LIBBY - The Loggers kept their breakout season alive, and now have a chance to claim their first state title.

Senior Riley Hoyer was the man of the match, scoring twice in regulation and once in the shootout as Libby rallied past the Wildcats. Sophomore James Schnackenberg provided the clinching goal on Libby's seventh shot of the shootout.

Columbia Falls took a 1-0 lead on DJ Stoneman's first-half penalty kick, but Hoyer scored in the 47th and 62nd minutes to put Libby up 2-1. Chase Jackson's 67th-minute goal forced overtime, which preceded the shootout.

Hoyer connected on the first shot of the shootout and made a save on Columbia Falls' first attempt after moving to goalkeeper.

Libby coach Mike Wickstrom said the all-Northern A contest was precisely the scrap he envisioned.

"I expected this thing to go to- to-toe, and I presumed it would either be a shootout or decided on a mistake, and that's exactly what happened," Wickstrom said.

"This was a team effort. The shots were spread amongst everybody and so were the saves."

Libby narrowly out-shot Columbia Falls 17-15. Loggers goalkeeper Tad Downey made eight saves, while George Kimerly stopped nine shots for the Wildcats.

Libby's Evan May and Scott Harlow also scored in the shootout, as did Jackson, Stoneman and Cody Bowman for Columbia Falls.

Wickstrom knew the Loggers were capable of greatness early in the season.

"I think we were two games in and I told my guys that I felt I was seeing a team that could go deep into the playoffs if they continued to do the work," he said.

"Obviously (the Bulldogs) are a tough draw, but we're coming to give them the same toe-to-toe game, and we expect to play well."

Columbia Falls 1 1 0 0 0 - 2

Libby 0 2 0 0 1 - 3

COLUMBIA FALLS - DJ Stoneman (penalty kick), 17:00; Chase Jackson, 67:00

LIBBY - Riley Hoyer (penalty kick), 47:00; Hoyer (Cyrus Maloney), 62:00

Shootout goals - CF 3 (Jackson, Stoneman, Cody Bowman), Lib. 4 (Hoyer, Evan May, Scott Harlow, James Schnackenberg)

Shots on goal - CF 15, Lib. 17

Corner kicks - CF 4, Lib. 7

Goalie saves - CF 9 (George Kimerly), Lib. 8 (Tad Downey)

Cards - None