A Football:10 Wildcats are All-State

by Daily Inter Lake
| November 24, 2023 12:00 AM

A run to the State A title game usually means the team is stacked, and Columbia Falls has additional documentation with 10 Wildcats making the Class A All-State team for football.

Dillon, which topped the Wildcats 36-35 in overtime for the state championship, had seven players selected at a total of 12 positions, in voting by the 13 league coaches. The Beavers’ honorees include offensive player of the year Kee Christiansen.

Columbia Falls had two players named All-State on offense and defense: Cody Schweikert (quarterback and linebacker) and Jace Hill (receiver and safety).

Schweikert threw for 2,886 yards — 402 against Dillon — and 26 touchdowns and ran for another 19 scores for the 9-3 Wildcats.

Hill caught 59 passes for 938 yards and 11 scores this season.

Additional Wildcats making All-State on offense were linemen Hunter Goodman and Tristan Crane, kicker Kai Golan and receiver Mark Robison; defense picks were linemen Lane Voermans and Lane Hoerner; linebacker Adler Waters and cornerback Alihn Anderson.

Schweikert is All-State for a third straight year, Golan, Crane and Hill made it for a second time.

Every player named first-team All-Western A is also All-State, and because the Western A had three of the four semifinalists the league was allowed an additional four All-State picks.

Crane is on that list; so is Polson offensive tackle Austin Oberwegner.

Like Polson, Libby had one All-State selection: Senior linebacker Jace DeShazer.

Whitefish’s Mason Kelch is All-State at receiver and safety for a second straight season; the Bulldogs’ Dane Hunt was selected at corner.

Ronan had two All-State picks: senior offensive lineman Coleton Sherman and junior linebacker Laurance Lozeau.

Bigfork, back in Class A this season, had four All-State selections.. Seniors Eli Thorness (tight end), Tristen Herd (safety) and Wyatt Johnson (running back) and junior Henry Carlson (offensive tackle).

Herd was All-State in Class B a year ago.

All-Western A

OFFENSE

First Team*

Center Coleton Sherman, sr., Ronan

Guards Landen Peterson, sr., Dillon

Isaac Stoker, sr., Corvallis

Tackles Hunter Goodman, sr., Columbia Falls

Andrew Burrows, sr., Hamilton

Henry Carlson, jr., Bigfork

Running backs Kale Konen, sr., Dillon

Logan Avery, jr., Corvallis

Wyatt Johnston, sr., Bigfork

Quarterbacks Cody Schweikert, sr., Columbia Falls

Kee Christiansen, sr., Dillon

Receivers/Tight ends Jace Hill, sr., Columbia Falls

Carter Curnow, jr., Dillon

Eli Thorness, sr., Bigfork

Lucas Lant, sr., Hamilton

Hunter Stewart, sr., Hamilton

Mason Kelch, sr., Whitefish

Max Davis, sr., Dillon

Dillen Potter, sr., Corvallis

Mark Robison, sr., Columbia Falls

Zane Moodry, sr., Butte Central

Kicker Kai Golan, sr., Columbia Falls

Punter Kee Christiansen, sr., Dillon

Offensive Player of the Year — Kee Christiansen, Dillon

*-All first-team selections are All-State; additional All-State picks are in bold.

Second Team

Center — Taylor Handlos, jr., Dillon.

Guards — Tristan Crane, sr., Columbia Falls; Lane Voermans, jr., Columbia Falls.

Tackles — Henry Bennetts, sr., Whitefish; Austin Oberwenger, sr., Polson; Ryleigh Plovanic, sr., Dillon.

Running backs — Gunnar Larson, sr., Stevensville; Andrew Frederick, sr., Hamilton; Tahj Wells, jr., Browning.

Quarterbacks — Tristen Herd, sr., Bigfork; Aydan Mayn, jr., Corvallis.

Receivers/Tight ends — Billy Corette, jr., Frenchtown; Laurance Lozeau, jr., Ronan; Cooper Anderson, sr., Dillon; Gideon Moswell, jr., Corvallis; Dane Hunt, sr., Whitefish; Tommy Running Rabbit, sr., Browning; Lane Hoerner, sr., Columbia Falls; Chance Miller, sr., Columbia Falls.

Kicker — Ryder Barinowski, sr., Whitefish

Punter — Ryder Barinowski, sr., Whitefish

Honorable Mention

Centers — Andrew Wallen, sr., Bigfork; Gaige Bache, sr., Libby; Carson Reid, jr., Columbia Falls.

Guard — Trevor Lewis, sr., Hamilton.

Tackles — Danner Therrien, sr., Corvallis; Tas Smith, sr., Corvallis; Logan Olson, sr., Columbia Falls.

Running back — Brady Schmill, jr., Frenchtown.

Quarterbacks — Tyson Baduer, sr., Hamilton; Holden Emerson, so., Polson; Carson Gulick, jr., Whitefish; Kolby Finley, so., Ronan.

Receiver — Tommy Sherry, sr., Polson.

DEFENSE

First Team*

Linemen Lane Voermans, jr., Columbia Falls

Isaac Stoker, jr., Corvallis

Ends Andrew Burrows, sr., Hamilton

Landon Peterson, sr., Dillon

Lane Hoerner, sr., Columbia Falls

Drew Lewis, jr., Corvallis

Inside linebackers Cody Schweikert, sr., Columbia Falls

Lucas Lant, sr., Hamilton

Levi Reynoso, sr., Corvallis

Carter Curnow, jr., Dillon

Jace DeShazer, sr., Libby

Outside linebackers Laurance Lozeau, jr., Ronan

Adler Waters, sr., Columbia Falls

Kale Konen, sr., Dillon

Max Davis, sr., Dillon

Safeties Mason Kelch, sr., Whitefish

Hunter Stewart, sr., Hamilton

Tristen Herd, sr., Bigfork

Gideon Boswell, jr., Corvallis

Cooper Anderson, sr., Dillon

Jace Hill, sr., Columbia Falls

Cornerbacks Dane Hunt, sr., Whitefish

Alihn Anderson, sr., Columbia Falls

Cameron Whiteley, sr., Corvallis

Defensive Player of the Year — Andrew Burrows, Hamilton

Second Team

Linemen — Misael Jiminez, jr., Dillon*; Giuseppe Eldridge, sr., Hamilton.

Defensive ends — Joel Goodman, jr., Libby; Scott Dalen, jr., Whitefish; Tristan Crane, sr., Columbia Falls; Brock Henriksen, sr., Polson.

Inside LB — Henry Bennetts, sr., Whitefish; Hunter Goodman, sr., Columbia Falls; Wyatt Johnson, sr., Bigfork.

Outside LB — Carson Krack, sr., Whitefish; Gunnar Larson, sr., Stevensville; Chance Miller, sr., Columbia Falls.

Safeties — Brody Hardy, jr., Frenchtown; Jack Keeley, sr., Butte Central; Tommy Running Rabbit, sr., Browning; Dillen Potter, sr., Corvallis; Kee Christiansen, sr., Dillon; Mark Robison, jr., Columbia Falls.

Cornerbacks — Jesse Burrough, sr., Whitefish; Tommy Bender, sr., Hamilton; Bennett Boelman, sr., Corvallis.

Honorable Mention

Linemen — Taeshawn Luster, fr., Stevensville; Zachary Sannar, sr., Stevensville; Ezra FastHorse, sr., Polosn; Felix Zambergs, sr., Bigfork.

Defensive end — Keyen Nash, sr., Dillon.

Inside LB — David Schmidlin, sr., Dillon; Asher Knopik, so., Bigfork; Zhander Moua, jr., Frenchtown.

Outside LB — Connor Benson, jr., Libby; Nate Young, sr., Ronan; Carter Morgan, sr., Hamilton; Cole Moses, so., Whitefish.

Cornerbacks — Cole Zeigler, jr., Frenchtown; Brenden Griffin, sr., Polson; Austin Dodson, jr., Columbia Falls; Maurice Redhorn III, sr., Browning.