Whitefish, Billings Central boys set for Class A soccer final

It’s safe to say it might be a low-scoring boys Class A soccer final at Billings’ Amend Park on Saturday at noon.

Between the two of them, Whitefish and Billings Central have allowed fewer than 15 goals this fall. Officially, Whitefish has allowed six and Billings Central eight. Neither have allowed a goal thus far in the playoffs.

“I think our two programs are coming into the game with the stingiest defenses,” Whitefish boys coach John Lacey said. “Goals are gonna be at a premium.”

Both teams have unbeaten records too: Whitefish is 14-0-0 and Central is 11-0-3. 

“They've obviously had a great season,” Lacey said. “They have a legacy of being in this position before, they've won (a state title) before and the coaching staff, they’ve always got teams ready to go.”

The Rams beat Polson 3-0 in the quarterfinals and Corvallis 2-0 in the semifinal; Central has won one state title, in 2009, and was last in a championship in 2012 (Whitefish won 4-1), according to MHSA.org records.

Whitefish won four titles from 2018-2021 and the program has nine all together. The Bulldogs bounced Livingston 2-0 in quarters and Lone Peak 5-0 in semis. 

The Rams and Bulldogs are pretty similar as far as goal scoring goes — Ryder Elliott, Whitefish’s leading scorer, has 12 goals. Central’s leader, Cole Bland, has 11. 

But the toughest opponent might prove to be the weather. The forecasted high is 27 degrees, with some wind and snow showers.

“The weather's gonna challenge both teams, but that's an equal thing,” Lacey said. “May not be fun, but we're both gonna have to deal and overcome it.”

Whitefish has 11 seniors on its roster, and it's bittersweet to play a state final and their last high school game on the road.

“We're healthy, we’re excited,” Lacey said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors on this team, so they know that no matter what happens, this is the last time they get to play together and I think they're gonna be fired up to make that a good game. Everybody's recognizing that this is the game we play for, so we're excited.”