Class A Football: Columbia Falls slips by Polson in playoff opener

COLUMBIA FALLS — One of the smallest guys on the field came up with the biggest play.

Wyatt Green, a speedy and shifty 5-foot-8, 175-pound junior running back, returned a kickoff 90 yards to set up the game-winning touchdown for Columbia Falls in Saturday’s 9-6 Class A playoff football victory over Northwestern A rival Polson.

Polson (3-6) took a 6-3 lead on Tanner Wilson’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Smith, who outjumped a Wildcat defender in the back corner of the end zone, in the third quarter.

Green immediately followed with his game-breaker and Columbia Falls quarterback Dakota Bridwell scored on the next play, bulling his way into the end zone for the touchdown.

Those points came 20 seconds after Polson had scored.

“Huge,” Columbia Falls coach Jaxon Schweikert said of the return.

“What a way to answer. We answered right back.”

Schweikert said it was the third time Green has almost taken a kickoff the full distance. All three of those, he said, have been inside the 5-yard line.

Columbia Falls (5-3) and Polson were limited offensively by a steady rain, which lasted the entire game.

Bridwell was held to 60 yards passing on eight completions in 18 attempts. Polson quarterback Tanner Wilson was 4 of 15 passing for 19 yards.

“As the game goes on, the field conditions got muddier and muddier, and it was harder to throw the ball,” Polson coach Scott Wilson said.

“Not being able to run the ball consistently put us in a lot of second- and third-and-long situations.”

Bridwell suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter, which didn’t help matters for the Wildcats offense.

“He couldn’t push off and throw the ball,” Schweikert said.

It also limited his running.

“He’s a great short-yardage runner,” Schweikert said.

Columbia Falls rolled up 274 yards on the ground in 46 attempts. Polson was limited to 85 yards on 28 carries.

Green led the ground game with 129 yards on 32 rushes.

Colton Cote rushed nine times for 55 yards and set up Polson’s lone score when he ripped off a 41-yarder to put the Pirates in position at the Columbia Falls 26.

“Our defense was outstanding,” Schweikert said.

“Polson has run the ball on everybody they have played this year. Cote is a great lead back. Those guys (Cote and Wilson) are really good. It’s difficult to defend those guys. But our guys, our D-line and our linebackers were just outstanding, coming down hill and attacking.”

The game featured a bizarre play, a scary one for the host team if you may since it was Halloween, when Columbia Falls’ Tristan Steinwand picked up a punt by Polson, which had been touched by a Polson player, and ran 45-plus yards the wrong way to the Polson end zone.

Steinwand dropped the ball, a Polson player jumped on it and the Pirates thought they scored a touchdown.

“I’ve coached a long time, never seen a kid pick up the ball and run the wrong way,” Schweikert said.

“They (officials) were blowing whistles all over the place. Half the kids stopped.”

Schweikert said Steinwand “was just playing hard and he just got lost in the moment.”

“I have never seen anything like that in my 20-plus years of coaching,” Wilson added.

“A strange play ... it caught everybody off guard.

“It was tough, both coaches screaming at (the officials to plead their case).

“It didn’t affect the football game,” Wilson added.

“They won the battle up front.”

And that was the difference.

“We were relentless today,” Schweikert said defensively.

“We blew it the heck up. They didn’t have any chance to get the momentum.”

The victory advances Columbia Falls to quarterfinal play on Saturday at Havre (7-2). The Blue Ponies, the Central Division champions, had a first-round bye.

In the day’s other games, Sidney scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Belgrade and reserve a game on the other side of the state against Whitefish.

Billings Central blanked Eastern A rivals Laurel to advance to a game at Dillon. Butte Central beat Hamilton on Friday to set up a game at Miles City.

Polson 0 0 6 0 — 6

C. Falls 0 3 6 0 — 9

CF — Brandon Karberg 29 field goal

P — Hudson Smith 8 pass from Tanner Wilson (kick failed)

CF — Dakota Bridwell 1 run (kick failed)

Saturday’s Other Games

Billings Central 28, Laurel 0

Laurel 0 0 0 0 — 0

Billings Ctl 0 14 7 7 — 28

BC — Evan Barthel 3 run (Josh Kraft kick), 11:56.

BC — Jacob Hadley 15 pass from Michael Stanton (Kraft kick), :34.6.

BC — Stanton 4 run (Kraft kick), 7:30

BC — Chrishon Dixon 7 pass from Stanton (Kraft kick), 4:21

Sidney 28, Belgrade 20

Sidney 7 0 8 13 — 28

Belgrade 0 2 12 6 — 20

First quarter

SID — Alec Lovegren 63 run (Jace Johnson kick), :00

Second quarter

BEL — Safety, Chris Gartner tackled in end zone by Derek Marks, 1:33

Third quarter

BEL — Trey Mounts 86 kickoff return (run failed), 11:47

BEL — Evan Luhrsen 7 run (kick failed), 4:52

SID — Tel Hermanson 1 run (Lovegren run), 2:01

Fourth quarter

SID — Lovegren 4 run (run failed), 2:22

SID — Lovegren 29 run (Johnson kick), :38

BEL — Mounts 32 pass from Luhrsen (no attempt), :00

Friday’s Game

Butte Central 49, Hamilton 14

Hamilton 7 7 0 0 — 14

Butte Ctl 14 14 0 21 — 49

BC — Cole Harper 65 pass from Tanner Kump (Tyler Kump kick)

HAM — Bret Huxtable 60 run (Bridger Bauder kick)

BC — Blake Burton 7 pass from Ta. Kump (Ty. Kump kick)

BC — Nate McGree 40 pass from Ta. Kump (Ty. Kump kick)

BC — Harper 45 pass from Ta. Kump (Ty. Kump kick)

HAM — Alex Draper 1 run (Bauder kick)

BC — Ryan Moodry 25 run (Ty. Kump kick)

BC — McGree 58 interception return (Ty. Kump kick)

BC — Ta. Kump 24 run (Ty. Kump kick)