Class A football: Whitefish aces first playoff test; Bulldogs advance to state semis
WHITEFISH — Running off the field after its first offensive possession stalled, a shout came, clear and decisive, from the Whitefish offense.
“We got a football game today.”
Truly tested and forced to play their starters throughout for the first time in more than two months, two long Chris Park runs early in the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to pull away and knock off a game Sidney team, 24-0, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field in the quarterfinals of the Class A playoffs.
The win sends Whitefish on the road to face unbeaten Miles City in next week’s semifinals.
“We haven’t played four quarters in a long time,” Bulldogs coach Chad Ross said.
“It was good for our boys just to have to go that long and know that the playoffs are a battle. It’s not an easy game.”
While their offense took time to click into gear, the Bulldogs defense was stifling from the opening whistle. Sidney managed only six first downs and 89 yards offensively in the game, but the Eagles defense kept them close in the first half.
With the game still scoreless late in the second quarter, quarterback Luke May deftly eluded a gaggle of tacklers in the backfield and scrambled to get the Bulldogs inside the 10-yard line. May finished the drive one play later with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Holding just a 7-0 lead at the break, the senior captain had a message for his teammates.
“It’s playoff football and nobody rolls over,” May said to his fellow ’Dogs. “It’s four quarters of football every time you go out there and play in the playoffs. We were just telling our guys — stick to your jobs and we’ll win this game.”
On the first play out of the locker room, Whitefish’s offense delivered. May tossed an option pitch to Park that he carried 50 yards down the left sideline to set up a first and goal, leading to a Haley Nicholson 21-yard field goal.
Whitefish’s defense snuffed out a fake punt on the next Sidney possession and Park carried another option pitch — this one to the right — 44 yards down to the one. May punched it in on the next play and less than four minutes into the second half the Bulldogs lead had swelled to 17-0.
“When we came in (at halftime), the one adjustment we made is how we blocked the speed option,” Ross said. “They were taking away the original so we drew some things up. It was a good game adjustment.”
Park ran for 164 yards on 14 carries to lead the offense. May added 23 on the ground and was 18 for 29 for 177 yards through the air.
Whitefish had what appeared to be another touchdown later in the third quarter when May launched a picturesque deep ball to Brian FauntLeRoy in the end zone, but the play was called back on a penalty.
May and FauntLeRoy hooked up on a play that would stand in the fourth quarter, this time from 16 yards out, to account for the final margin.
“We kind of beat ourselves,” Ross said of his team’s offensive struggles. “It goes back to a couple penalties, we lose a (long) touchdown, we give them a first down, we lose a couple other big plays.
“The further you go (in the playoffs), the more that will hurt you.”
Whitefish (9-1) is going to have to go pretty far next week, trekking all the way to Miles City to meet the Cowboys (10-0).
The two teams met in the quarterfinals of the playoffs last year, with Whitefish eking out a 34-29 win at home.
“They’re a great team,” May said of Miles City.
“It was a battle last year. It’s going to be a great game and I’m super excited.”
Miles City downed Butte Central, 42-20 on Saturday to advance to the semifinals. The Cowboys’ longtime head coach, two-time state champion Dan Stanton, passed away after a long battle with brain cancer early in the season.
“They’re a great team and well coached with the staff doing it by committee,” Ross said.
“I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of those guys at the Badlands game last year, and that community just loves football and loves their high school.
“It’s going to be a crazy environment down there.”
Sidney 0 0 0 0 — 0
Whitefish 0 7 10 7 — 24
Second quarter
WF — Luke May 8 run (Haley Nicholson kick), 2:25
Third quarter
WF — Nicholson 21 field goal, 10:26
WF — May 1 run (Nicholson kick), 8:40
Fourth quarter
WF — Brian FauntLeRoy 16 pass from May (Nicholson kick), 7:48
SID WF
First downs 6 18
Total yards 89 371
Rushes-yards 32-39 31-194
Passing yards 50 177
Comp-Att-Int 6-17-2 18-29-1
Punts-avg 6-39 4-32
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WF: Chris Park 14-164, Luke May 12-23, Brian FauntLeRoy 4-9, Tyler Cote 1-minus 2.
PASSING — WF: Luke May 18-29-1-177.
RECEIVING — WF: Brian FauntLeRoy 9-126, Jed Nagler 2-24, Chris Park 3-12, Tyler Cote 2-8, Brady Staves 2-7.
INTERCEPTIONS — WF: Luke May 1, Peter Mow 1.
No Sidney individual statistics available.
Miles City 42, Butte Central 20
Butte Central 0 6 8 6 — 20
Miles City 0 20 16 6 — 42
MC — Lesh 14 pass from Blunt (Blunt run)
BC — Hollow 29 pass from Kump (kick failed)
MC — Blunt 1 run (run failed)
MC — Lesh 40 pass from Blunt (run failed)
MC — Morris 20 run (Giovanetti reception from Blunt)
BC —Burton 21 run (Kump reception from Harper)
MC — Bartlett 3 run (Blunt run)
MC — Bartlett 21 run (pass failed)
BC — McGree 5 run (pass failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING — BC, Kump 13-27-0-173. MC, Blunt 11-15-0-150.
RUSHING — BC, Burton 11-55, Moodry 9-55, Harper 1-22, McGree 1-5, Kump 10-(-10). MC, Bartlett 13-104, Burk 4-71, Blunt 13-40, Morris 7-33.
RECEIVING — BC, Harper 4-79, McGree 4-57, Hollow 2-36, Moodry 2-11, Burton 1-2. MC, Morris 6-80, Lesh 2-54, Petross 1-8, Burk 2-2.