Local title contenders galore in Class A soccer

Class A soccer playoffs begin today with quarterfinals and there are a number of possible title contenders that hail from the Flathead Valley.

The Whitefish and Columbia Falls boys finished as No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in Northern A respectively, and while Whitefish is the favorite, Columbia Falls is a not-so-dark horse that could make a strong title bid.

In girls soccer, Columbia Falls and Whitefish are No. 1 and No. 2 Northern A seeds. Columbia Falls is expected to have a long run and Whitefish should be included in that conversation.

Semifinals are Oct. 26 and the state title game is Nov. 2.

No. 1 North, Whitefish (12-0)

vs.

No. 3 South, Stevensville (2-6-4),

3 p.m. at Smith Fields

The Whitefish Bulldogs, defending Class A state champions, are the undisputed favorite to win another title.

Whitefish is undefeated at 12-0 overall and have outscored opponents 77-7 and has three of the state’s top six point scorers in Casey Schneider, Ian Lacey and Sam Menicke.

“We’re prepared for this, we’re hungry,” coach John Lacey said.”Its doesn’t feel ike pressure but the opportunity to get this done. We’re not laying on any laurels from this season or last.”

 Whitefish’s title bid in 2018 was its first since 2012 and the school’s six state championships are the most in Class A.

The Bulldogs have been contenders for most of recent memory.

In 2017, the Bulldogs lost to Belgrade in the tile game and beat Polson the year after in the 2018 title game.

Many of those players from last year’s final, 10 of 11 starters to be exact, are still on the team and a few were in the final two years ago.

It’s no secret that depth has been key in Whitefish’s dominant run.

“I would say that any sport any level returning that quantity of quality is appreciated,” Lacey said. “I would be comfortable playing any one of the 20 guys on our roster. They’ve all played in playoffs. No one is unfamiliar with what we’re about.”

Stevensville is the South No. 3 seed and a somewhat unfamilar opponent as the two teams have not played each other in five years.

“At this point we’ve just got to focus on our strengths and dictating out style of play,” Lacey said. “We aren’t going to stray from what’s gotten us here. We’re gonna try to continue to play Whitefish soccer.”

No. 2 North, Columbia Falls (7-4-1)

at No. 1 South, Frenchtown (7-3-2), 1 p.m.

With Whitefish dominating the Northern A division, it would be easy enough to overlook the Columbia Falls Wildcats.

But coach O’Brien Byrd would beg to differ. “I’ve got a special feeling about this group,” he said. “If we play our cards right, it could get interesting.”

The Wildcats boast two scorers in the top five of Class A, junior Simon Magg with 15 goals and 38 points and junior Niels Getts at 13 goals and 31 points.

“They’re guys that are tough to keep off the scoreboard,” Byrd said. “Our attack is potent enough. The only team that’s kept us off the scoreboard this year is Whitefish.”

Magg and Getts are two of several returning players from last season who experienced the loss to Polson in the 2018 play-in game and that are hungry to make it farther this year.

“We’ve practiced all week long super focused,” Byrd said. “The only team that can beat us in this game is ourselves. Even though we’re taking on a tough opponent, if we stick to our game plane we can beat them and get to the semifinals. The key is focus.”

Frenchtown is a team that doesn’t score much but also keeps things tight defensively. The Broncs have only allowed 13 goals against this season, second in the state, and scored 24.

“We know their stats,” Byrd said. “They’re relatively stingy on defense. They’ve got a lot of things going for them. We just can’t feel the pressure. We’ve got to apply it.”

Girls

No. 1 North, Columbia Falls (11-1)

vs. No. 3 South,

Stevensville (4-6-2)

Stevensville will have its hands full with state title favorite Columbia Falls Wildkats and Class A leading scorer Josie Windauer.

Windauer, a University of Montana soccer commit, set a Columbia Falls school record with 31 regular-season goals. She also has 67 points and averages 6.09 points per game.

Maddie Robison feeds Windauer for many of her goals and has 14 goals and 42 points.

The Wildkats have outscored opponents 61-13 this season.

Last year Columbia Falls lost to Laurel in the first round of the playoffs.

Stevensville is known as a tight defensive team and its strategy will undoubtedly be to to try to slow down the Wildkats’ attack as well as Windauer.

No. 2 North, Whitefish (8-4)

at No. 1 South, Missoula Loyola (7-4-1)

1 p.m.

Whitefish has some firepower with double-digit goal scorers Josie Schneider and Anna Cook as it faces off with Missoula Loyola, who has only lost one game in the past month.

The Bulldogs may be able to take advantage of Loyola’s back line, which has allowed 34 goals this season.

Whitefish has outscored opponents 45-23. Against conference opponents, that number improves to 40-11.

Last year Whitefish lost to eventual state champion Billings Central in the semifinals.