Baumgartner, Wildcats demolish Browning in opener
COLUMBIA FALLS - Stephen Baumgartner scored four first-half touchdowns, two on long runs, leading Columbia Falls to a 42-0 blitzing of Browning in the Wildcats' season opener on a cool, windy Friday night.
On the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage after the opening kickoff, Baumgartner - a speedy 180-pound senior - came in motion to the left and took a handoff from quarterback Mackey Nolan. He turned the corner, getting a key block from lineman Nathan Woods, and raced 62 yards to the end zone.
Browning, which had been shut out by Corvallis by the same 42-0 score in the opening week, gave the ball right back when Dustin VonFeldt intercepted a Bill Blackman pass on the Indians' first offensive play. After an exchange of possessions, John Woody rambled 32 yards to give the Wildcats a first down at the Browning 28-yard line. On third-and-15, Nolan connected with Kyle Howell for 23 yards and a first down at the 8. On the next play, Nolan scored on a keeper. VonFeldt's two-point conversion run gave Columbia Falls a 14-0 lead midway through the opening period.
A face mask penalty by the Indians kept a Wildcat drive alive after a Browning punt. Mitchell Wassam, who shared quarterback duties with Nolan, went 14 yards on a keeper - setting up a 40-yard touchdown jaunt by Baumgartner. His first two scores came on Columbia Falls' bread-and-butter play, the 37 power.
It went from bad to worse for the Indians as Mike Macijunas stormed in and blocked a Browning punt on its next possession. Baumgartner scooped up the ball in stride and ran 37 yards for his third touchdown of the contest with 31 seconds left in the first period. Nolan's kick made it 28-0.
Browning's best chance to score came in the second quarter as the Indians drove to the Wildcat 14-yard-line. But a procedure penalty and bad shotgun snap helped keep the Indians out of the end zone.
Later in the period, Tanner Perry picked off a Blackman aerial at the Columbia Falls 45. A 27-yard pass from Wassam to Quenton Hegel set up Baumgartner's fourth touchdown, a five-yard run.
"I wanted to have a good game," Baumgartner smiled after the Wildcat win, "but I didn't think it would be this good."
Baumgartner, who had 131 yards rushing, credited his teammates for their blocking in enabling him to score three touchdowns.
"I couldn't have done it without blocking," he said.
Hegel intercepted another long Blackman pass with 24 seconds left before halftime. Nolan, back at quarterback, found a seam up the middle and scooted 89 yards downfield, breaking a tackle at the Browning 10-yard-line. Tony Sinclair made a touchdown-saving tackle and Columbia Falls' lead remained 35-0 at halftime.
VonFeldt scored the Wildcats' sixth touchdown on a 37-yard zigzag to the end zone midway through the third period.
"It was a great start to the season," CFHS head coach John Thompson said. "A lot of kids got on the field. We executed pretty well. We didn't have any turnovers. We saw some kids in a competitive setting."
Browning 0 0 0 0 - 0
Columbia Falls 28 7 7 0 - 42
CF - Stephen Baumgartner 62 run (pass failed)
CF - Mackey Nolan 8 run (Dustin VonFeldt run)
CF - Baumgartner 40 run (Nolan kick)
CF - Baumgartner 37 return blocked punt (Nolan kick)
CF - Baumgartner 5 run (Nolan kick)
CF - VonFeldt 37 run (Nolan kick)
Brown CF
First downs 6 9
Rushing yards 334 46
Passing (com-att-int) 6-19-3 3-7-0
Passing yards 59 86
Total yards 370 132