Class A football: C-Falls flies by Fergus
COLUMBIA FALLS — With most of their starters returning from last year’s playoff team, the Columbia Falls Wildcats entered the season with high expectations.
They showed why with a dominant 43-13 nonconference win over Lewistown in their season-opening Class A football game Saturday afternoon.
Second-year coach Jaxon Schweikert’s no-huddle, pass-heavy offense proved explosive as quarterback Jared Trinastich connected with seven different receivers for 329 yards and five touchdowns. Ty Morgan caught seven passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns and running back Zach Darling ran 113 yards on 13 carries.
It took awhile for the Wildcats to adjust to Schweikert’s offense last season, but Trinastich said the team is much more comfortable in year two of the system.
“We’ve been working all summer,” Trinastich said. “Our thing was just keep taking steps forward all summer. Everybody started getting used to it more and more and once we came to camp it was a lot better.”
The defense was just as impressive, holding Lewistown to 193 passing yards and 21 rushing yards. The Wildcats had three tackles for a loss and defensive end Jason Williams had two sacks.
“I thought our under coverage from our ’backers was excellent and I thought our corner play and safety play was really, really good,” Schweikert said. “And our d-line gave a really good pass rush.”
Lewistown got a dream start when linebacker Thad Kucera picked off Trinastich’s first pass of the game and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, but Columbia Falls answered with an 80-yard scoring drive and extended its lead to 21-7 before the end of the first quarter.
“(In the past) we’ve been a team that if we get down, we lay down, and today we showed that’s not the case this year,” Morgan said.
The Wildcats added two more touchdowns in the second quarter to go into the break with a 34-7 lead.
Columbia Falls opened the second half with five straight runs that advanced the ball to the Lewistown 12-yard line. A screen pass to Josiah Osborne gained 1 yard before Trinastich found Morgan over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Wildcats kept the clock running with their ground game the rest of the way while also giving significant repetitions to the second-team offense.
Lewistown receiver Brock Butcher caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback James Derheim with 1 minute, 55 seconds to go in the third quarter and Columbia Falls kicker Alex Presnell added a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
Columbia Falls totaled 509 yards compared to 214 for Lewistown.
“I think everything went the way we thought it would go,” Schweikert said. “It was one of those games where you never had that sense where you thought the other team could really be a factor.”
Columbia Falls returns to the gridiron on Friday with a nonconference home game against Hamilton.
Lewistown 7 0 6 0 — 13
Columbia Falls 21 13 6 3 — 43
First Quarter
LEW - Thad Kucera 25 interception return (Dylan Stenseth kick), 11:52
CF - Zach Darling 45 pass from Jared Trinastich (kick missed), 9:47
CF - Ty Morgan 21 pass from Trinastich (Morgan pass from Trinastich), 5:56
CF - Trevor Houston 19 pass from Trinastich (Alex Presnell kick), 3:05
Second Quarter
CF - Darling 4 run (Presnell kick), 7:22
CF - Morgan 17 pass from Trinastich (kick blocked), 2:40
Third Quarter
CF - Morgan 11 pass from Trinastich (kick missed), 3:42
LEW - Brock Butcher 38 pass from James Derheim (bad snap), 1:55
Fourth Quarter
CF - Presnell 27 field goal, 5:46