Johnston accounts for 5 TDs in C-Falls win

Columbia Falls quarterback Banyan Johnston (7) gets tripped up trying to hurdle a defender in the third quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls running back Reggie Sapa (22) breaks a run in the second quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls wide receiver Easton Brooks (10) scores a touchdown on a reception in the third quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls defenders Jory Hill (14) and Easton Brooks (10) celebrate after Hill intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in the second quarter of a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls defenders wrap up Corvallis quarterback Aydan Mayn (9) on a run in the second quarter of a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls running back Reggie Sapa (22) picks up yardage on a run in the fourth quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls quarterback Banyan Johnston (7) throws a pass in the second quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls defenders Trip Ross (30) and Cooper Ross (30) celebrate after a stop in the second quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls wide receiver Easton Brooks (10) looks for running room after a reception in the first quarter against Corvallis in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Corvallis quarterback Aydan Mayn (9) drops back to pass in the first quarter against Columbia Falls in a Class A playoff game at Satterthwaite Field on Friday, Nov. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by JOSH AMICK
Reporter | November 2, 2024 12:00 AM

COLUMBIA FALLS — Quarterback Banyan Johnston accounted for five touchdowns as the Columbia Falls Wildcats advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 42-16 home victory over the Corvallis Blue Devils Friday night.

After the first quarter the score was tied 0-0 and on a cold night where space heaters were needed, it looked like it might be a defensive battle — until the Wildcats got warmed up in the second quarter.

On their own 37-yard line, Johnston threw a quick screen to wide receiver Ethan Brooks, who made a shoestring catch. He immediately turned upfield and made three defenders miss to finish the highlight play and put the Wildcats up 7-0.

Just three plays later, sophomore Jory Hill intercepted the Blue Devils’ deep pass on third down and followed a convoy of blockers into the endzone and suddenly it was 14-0.

“Our game plan was to put Brooks on their best receiver, but Hill had a huge day with his pass breakups and his interception return,” Wildcats head coach Kelly Houle said. “Our whole secondary and outside linebackers are outstanding, so it allows our defense to be tough in the box.”

The Blue Devils responded on their next drive with a run-heavy attack, capped off by Aydan Mayn’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Logan Avery. They connected again on the two-point conversion to trim the lead to 14-8.

On the Wildcats’ next drive, running back Reggie Sapa broke a 25-yard run to set up a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Johnston rushed it in from 5 yards out, his first of three rushing touchdowns on the night.

After the halftime break the Blue Devils had a chance to get right back in the game, when a Wildcats miscommunication led to a fumble on their own 38-yard line.

The defense responded by forcing a long third down, before Cooper Ross deflected Mayn’s pass attempt to himself to secure the interception and give the ball right back to the offense.

Johnston found Brooks again on another quick screen, which he broke to the outside for a 19-yard touchdown. Brooks finished the game leading the Wildcats with six catches for 93 yards and two scores.

“We saw something in their defense when we lined up in trips formation that gave us the alignment we wanted,” Houle said. “It allowed us to send in a couple pullers and attack them with power in the second half.”

And attack they did.

After Mayn’s 30-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 28-16 late in the third quarter, the fourth quarter was all Wildcats.

Sapa was heavily featured, running the ball up the middle and wearing down a Blue Devils defense that spent the majority of the game on the field. Sapa finished with a season-high 170 yards and added 25 yards receiving.

“It’s like 10 percent me and 90 percent the offensive line,” Sapa said. “The holes they were creating for me were unreal, so the 170 yards all goes to them.”

Mayn ran for 91 yards and threw for 77 for the Blue Devils (5-4).

That balanced passing and rushing attack is a key reason for the Wildcats six-game winning streak and advancing in the second round of the playoffs to face Laurel next Friday.

Laurel has the same record as the Wildcats (7-2) and earned a bye week and home field advantage for the second round.

“I think next week we just need to keep doing what we have been doing and establishing our identity as a physical run team,” Houle said. “In my time here coaching at Columbia Falls, we have never played Laurel but the teams in the East are run-heavy teams, and we have a pretty good run defense. We just have to watch some film to prepare and keep this thing rolling.”

Corvallis 0 8 8 0 — 16

C-Falls 0 21 7 14 — 42

CF — Brooks 37 pass from Johnston (Ross kick)

CF — Hill 40-yard interception return (Ross kick)

C — Avery 10 pass from Mayn (Avery 2-point pass from Mayn)

CF — Johnston 5 run (Ross kick)

CF — Brooks 19 pass from Johnston (Ross kick)

C — Mayn 30 rush (Hunter Loesch 2-point pass from Mayn)

CF — Johnston 1 run (Ross kick)

CF — Johnston 48 run (Ross kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Corvallis (35-235) — Mayn 15-91, Avery 12-85, Soloman Morgan 3-20, Reese Tucker 2-12. Columbia Falls (35-266) — Sapa 21-170, Johnston 11-88, Ross 3-8.

PASSING: Corvallis — Mayn 10-26-1 for 77 yards. Columbia Falls — Johnston 15-23-2 for 125 yards.

RECEIVING: Corvallis — Loesch 5-48, Avery 2-23, Morgan 1-0. Columbia Falls — Brooks 6-93, Sapa 5-25, Ross 1-7, Jett Pitts 2-1.

MONTANA PLAYOFFS

Class AA

First Round

Friday, Nov. 1

Helena 34, Great Falls CMR 12

Butte 21, Great Falls 17

Missoula Sentinel 42, Bozeman 19

Missoula Big Sky 34, Billings Seniors 13

Quarterfinals

All games Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

Helena (5-5) at Gallatin (9-0)

Butte (4-6) at Glacier (8-1)

Missoula Sentinel (5-5) at Helena Capital (8-1)

Missoula Big Sky (7-3) at Billings West (8-1)

Class A

First Round

Friday, Nov. 1

Havre 42, East Helena 19

Columbia Falls 42, Corvallis 16

Whitefish 24, Bigfork 21

Lewistown 37, Miles City 7

Quarterfinals

Dates, times TBA

Havre (7-3) at Frenchtown (9-0)

Columbia Falls (7-2) at Laurel (7-2)

Whitefish (7-2) at Billings Central (9-0)

Lewistown (8-2) at Dillon (7-1)

ClassB

Saturday, Nov. 2

All games at 1 p.m.

Townsend (4-4) at Red Lodge (7-1)

Conrad (5-4) at Missoula Loyola (5-4)

Baker (3-4) at Manhattan (9-0)

Eureka (7-2) at Glasgow (7-2)

Thompson Falls (3-6) at Malta (9-0)

Three Forks (6-3) at Huntley Project (4-4)

Fairfield (4-4) at Florence (8-1)

Joliet (6-2) at Boulder (7-2)