Class A football: Late burst boosts Whitefish

WHITEFISH — The Whitefish Bulldogs overcame a rocky first half riddled with penalties and mental mistakes to earn an emotional 45-24 win over Class A nonconference rival Havre in their season opener Saturday afternoon.

While Havre wilted in the afternoon heat, the Bulldogs played their best football late in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Blue Ponies 21-0 in the final two minutes to turn a previously nip-and-tuck affair into a rout.

“It’s all about finishing,” said Whitefish running back Shane Marcial, who scored two of the Bulldogs’ fourth-quarter touchdowns.

“You can never be too conditioned for the first game, and to come out and finish like that is something unbelievable.”

Whitefish appeared to be in trouble midway through the fourth quarter as Havre’s offense drove into Bulldog territory, but before Havre could break the tie, Whitefish received a huge play from an unexpected source.

Havre running back Thurman Holdsclaw received a pitch from quarterback Dane Warp at the Whitefish 28-yard line, but before Holdsclaw had a chance to look up, freshman linebacker Jed Nagler exploded into the backfield. In a moment of indecision, Holdsclaw looked to pitch a lateral instead of securing the football, allowing Nagler to jar the ball loose and recover the fumble at the Whitefish 31-yard line.

“I saw him have the ball and he was gonna toss it, so I just jumped,” Nagler said.

“My legs were caught up, so I laid out for it and got it.”

Five-plays later, Marcial found running room on the outside for an 18-yard touchdown that broke the tie with 1:40 remaining.

Havre took over at its own 22-yard line, but on its first snap, Nagler flew into the backfield again, dropping the Havre quarterback for a seven-yard loss with a vicious hit that bloodied his own nose.

After an incompletion, Whitefish defensive back Logan Harwood picked off Havre’s third-down pass to set up another touchdown run for Marcial, but Nagler wasn’t done making big plays.

With 17 seconds remaining, Nagler picked off a Havre pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

“It’s definitely way better than eighth grade,” Nagler said.

Nagler wasn’t supposed to see the field Saturday, but an injury to starting linebacker Gage Smith opened the door for the freshman to be a hero.

“He wasn’t even going to play,” Whitefish head coach Chad Ross said.

“He’s such a natural athlete, he just made plays because he’s quick. That was just a great effort by a young kid. He’ll probably play a little more.”

Whitefish was penalized nine times for 80 yards in the first quarter and five times for 35 yards in the second, but big catches by Harwood kept the Bulldogs in the game. Harwood, who finished the first half with five catches, 158 receiving yards and a touchdown, did most of his damage on deep corner routes.

The rest of the offense sputtered as a result of drive-killing penalties, but the Blue Ponies only held a narrow 24-18 lead at the half.

“We were still in the game,” Marcial said. “We were only down one score and we were playing one of the worst games we’ve played in two years. It can only go up from there.”

Ross said he told his players to get ready for a big finish.

“No team had dominated the football game yet,” Ross said. “(I told them) we’re playing crappy, they’re playing crappy, so this next part of the game is going to be determined up front. We’re going to run the ball, we’re going to take a deep breath and we’re going to be the marathon runner with the huge kick.”

Whitefish gained 154 of its 209 total rushing yards in the second half, and while it didn’t score in the third quarter, it wore out the Blue Ponies in the trenches to set up a 27-point fourth.

“We’ve been conditioning a lot in practice, but our coach was like, no matter how conditioned you think you are, it’s still going to be tough with the two o’clock game and the heat and all that,” Whitefish offensive and defensive lineman Jake May said. “We kept telling ourselves we’re not tired, so that pushed us forward.”

Marcial finished with 132 rushing yards on 20 carries, while Harwood was the Bulldogs’ leading receiver with 210 yards on 10 catches.

Quarterback Luke May completed 15 of 29 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Havre hammered Whitefish 54-25 in last season’s opener, and rode that momentum to a strong campaign that ended in the semifinals of the state playoffs.

Whitefish lineman Wolf Zinke said he hopes his team can similarly take advantage of the momentum gained by an opening-day win.

“I feel like we’re going to have a really good season after this win,” he said.

“I feel like our team is looking good.”

Havre 6 18 0 0 — 24

Whitefish 6 12 0 27 — 45

Whitefish — Logan Harwood 36 pass from Luke May (kick failed)

Havre — Thurman Holdsclaw 75 kickoff return (kick failed)

Havre — (name not available) 9 pass from Holdsclaw (conversion failed)

Whitefish — Marcial 10 run (conversion failed)

Havre — Zach Plum 4 pass from Dane Warp (kick blocked)

Havre — Holdsclaw 36 pass from Warp (conversion failed)

Whitefish — Harwood 58 pass from May (conversion failed)

Whitefish — Marcial 26 pass from May (kick blocked)

Whitefish — Marcial 18 run (Marcial kick )

Whitefish — Marcial 30 run (Marcial kick)

Whitefish — Jed Nagler 42 interception return (Marcial kick)