Cat-Dog soccer final set up as instant classic

Here they go again.

Columbia Falls and Whitefish are set to meet in the Class A soccer final for the second straight year.

It’s almost hard to believe unless you take a look at just how good both teams are.

“You never count on being back here,” Columbia Falls coach O’Brien Byrd said. “If you look at the team’s potential, what we have to offer on paper, it’s predictable that we’d have this game again, but any coach would tell you there’s no guarantees.”

Whitefish has been in a class of its own for the past three seasons — with an unbeaten streak spanning that time period and three titles to boot. There are 10 seniors who have not lost a game during their high school careers thus far and could end them that way.

“Everybody has to go out and prove it,” Whitefish coach John Lacey said. “I mean, we went 1-0 in our very last game of the year and we trailed for games this year … That was a new experience for several of these boys. Nothing is guaranteed to any of us.”

The Wildcats have only lost to one team in the past calendar year — Whitefish. Both Cat-Dog games this year were won by Whitefish and last year the season series was 1-1. Columbia Falls last won a state title in 2005, which was the last time the school was in the final until the Wildcats’ 2020 season.

Last year the Wildcats were the youngest team in Class A, and are still fairly young. There are just three seniors graduating this year.

“Whitefish definitely has the advantage with their experience, all their accolades and they deserve them,” Byrd said. “So we’ll have to play our best game on Saturday to make it a classic.”

Though the Bulldogs won both meetings with the Wildcats this year, they aren’t taking their rival lightly.

“We’re prepared for Columbia Falls,” Lacey said. “It’s fun to play good teams and Columbia Falls is certainly a good team. We’ve had the benefit this year of several teams really pushing us and they’ve helped us to play better. We’ve had two great games with Columbia Falls and are certainly looking forward to a third one.”

Likewise for Columbia Falls. There is always work to be done and adjustments to be made, even for a very familiar opponent. They know each other well, and that in itself can be a challenge.

“Whitefish can say the same thing that we can say — there’s not any surprises on Saturday,” Byrd said. ‘We know what makes them great. We know of a few things we might be able to exploit. We’re not really going to surprise them. They’re going to exploit where we’re weaker and they’re aware of our dangers. It just seems more like a chess match this year than it was last year.”

Three of the top five goal scorers in the state wear Columbia Falls jerseys — Dale Blickhan (12 goals), Kai Golan (20) and Findley Sundberg (13). Whitefish’s Gabe Menicke leads the pack with 25 goals and Chase Sabin has 13.

There’s a good bit of firepower on both sides. It could end up, as Byrd says, a classic.

“I think whoever wants it more will end up walking away with the trophy regardless of past history,” Byrd said. “And that for me is way more exciting than the David vs. Goliath scenario. We’re definitely an extremely good team, way better than last year’s team, but this Whitefish team is still very, very good. So we’re very much more closely to almost evenly matched.”

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Smith Fields today.

“The fact that we get to have this inter-valley game again is just from my perspective, fantastic,” Lacey said. “It’s great for our community. I’m just really excited that both teams are doing well and whatever happens, I expect it’s going to be a well-earned battle.”