Football playoff lineup set for area teams

The Daily Inter Lake

Class A Columbia Falls and Class B Eureka start high school football playoff action at home on Saturday, while Whitefish and Troy hit the road for their first-round games.

Columbia Falls (5-3 overall), runners-up in Northwestern A, will host Corvallis (6-3), third-place finishers in Southwestern A. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Columbia Falls activities director and head coach John Thompson has announced that ticket prices for the game are $6 for adults and $5 for students. No activity tickets or passes are accepted during Montana High School Association postseason play, he said.

Corvallis went 2-1 versus Northwestern A foes this fall, beating Ronan 30-20 and Libby 41-29, while losing to Polson 36-6.

Columbia Falls whipped Ronan 42-6, slipped past Libby 20-12, and also lost to Polson 20-10. The Wildcats, on the other hand, only played on team from Southwestern A - Stevensville, losing 36-22 to the Yellowjackets.

Corvallis beat Stevensville 49-8.

This marks the second-straight year Columbia Falls opens the playoffs at home. Hamilton blanked the Wildcats 24-0 in Columbia Falls in 2007.

Eureka (6-1), winners of 7B, will entertain Florence (5-2), runners-up in 6B. Kickoff is 1 p.m. The Lions are ranked No. 5 in this week's Class B state poll.

The schedules for both teams were identical. Eureka's lone loss was to fourth-ranked Missoula Loyola 31-12. Florence also lost to Loyola 34-12, and to 7B's Thompson Falls 13-6.

Eureka downed Thompson Falls 29-6, giving coach Ed Newell his first win at Thompson Falls in his nine years at Eureka. It was also the Lions first victory over the Bluehawks in four season.

Eureka fell at Deer Lodge 15-14 in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.

Whitefish (4-5) finished third in Northwestern A and travels to third-ranked Dillon (6-2), which placed second in Southwestern A. Saturday's kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Frenchtown eliminated Whitefish from playoff action in the first round a year ago, 35-7.

Troy qualified for the playoffs by defeating Thompson Falls 22-14 last Friday. That gave Troy (4-3) the No. 2 seed from 7B. The Trojans now travel to Missoula Loyola (7-0). That playoff game is set for Friday at 7 p.m.

Loyola won the 6B title regular-season title.

Troy did not make the playoffs in 2007.

There are four undefeated teams heading into playoff action in Class B - Loyola, Fairfield (8-0), Glasgow (8-0) and Huntley Project (8-0).

Polson (6-2), Northwestern A champions, has a first-round bye. The Pirates will host the Butte Central (4-5) at No. 2-ranked Miles City (8-1) winner on Nov. 1. Central and Miles City play on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Top-ranked Billings Central, fourth-ranked Havre (7-2) and fifth-ranked Frenchtown (7-1). Billings Central (9-0) is the only undefeated team in Class A.

A complete list of playoff action follows.

Prep Football Playoffs

CLASS A

First round

Saturday

Whitefish (4-5) at Dillon (6-2), 1 p.m.

Corvallis (6-3) at Columbia Falls (5-3), 1 p.m.

Butte Central (4-5) at Miles City (8-1), 1 p.m.

Hardin (6-3) at Belgrade (7-2), 1 p.m.

Byes: Billings Central, Havre, Polson, Frenchtown

CLASS B

First round

Friday

Troy (4-3) at Missoula Loyola (7-0), 7 p.m.

Saturday

Malta (6-2) at Fairfield (8-0), 1 p.m.

Shepherd (6-2) at Baker (6-2), 1 p.m.

Broadus (5-3) at Townsend (6-2), 1 p.m.

Whitehall (6-2) at Huntley Project (8-0), 1 p.m.

Conrad (5-3) at Colstrip (7-2), 1 p.m.

Florence (5-2) at Eureka (6-1), 1 p.m.

Fort Benton (4-4) at Glasgow (8-0), 1 p.m.

CLASS C

First round

Saturday

Culbertson-Bainville (4-4) at Scobey (7-1), 1 p.m.

Wibaux (6-1) at Ekalaka (7-1), 1 p.m.

Harlowton (5-3) at Absarokee (8-0), 1 p.m.

Joliet (7-1) at Denton (8-0), 1 p.m.

Belt (4-4) at Centerville (8-0), 1 p.m.

Charlo (5-3) at Superior (8-0), 1 p.m.

Sunburst (5-3) at Chinook (7-1), 1 p.m.

Victor (6-2) at Twin Bridges (7-1), 1 p.m.

6-Man

First round

Saturday

Belfry (4-4) at West Yellowstone (7-1), 1 p.m.

Dubois, Idaho (5-2) at Roberts (7-1), 1 p.m.

North Star (4-4) at Hysham (8-0), 1 p.m.

Custer-Melstone (5-3) at Reed Point-Rapelje (3-5), 1 p.m., at Rapelje

Big Sandy (3-5) at Bridger (8-0), 1 p.m.

Terry (6-2) at Highwood (6-2), 1 p.m.

Augusta (5-3) at Lambert (7-1), 1 p.m.

Savage (4-4) at Geraldine (8-0), 1 p.m.