Kats pummel Polson, win 11-0
Hungry Horse News
Teams are measured by how they respond to challenges, and the Columbia Falls girls soccer team came back from their first loss with a vengeance.
The Wildkats (5-1-0, 1-0) spanked Polson 11-0, pelting the goal with 32 shots, with nine different girls scoring goals.
Lisa Carter netted three, as Alona Raymond, Ashley Horine, Amber Lampman, Jamie Valov, Beth Karper, Lindsey Henning, Jessica Boyer and Katelin Anderson each had one.
Lampman and Karper each had two assists, and Horine, Carter and Sarah Franck also assisted on goals.
The offensive showing was encouraging for head coach Greg Trenerry, and he said it was important to maintain momentum.
"We started real well and we finished the game real well," he said. "I was able to play everybody."
The Wildkats lost last Tuesday to AA Flathead 5-0, and were determined from the beginning to not let this one slip away, as they raced out to a 5-0 lead at the half.
"We've been working on stepping to the ball a little harder and playing a little faster," Trenerry said. "They've been doing pretty good on that."
Defensively, the girls limited Polson's chances, as senior goalkeeper Vanessa Almanza stopped all three shots she saw and the Kats were able to preserve the shutout.
"Vanessa did have a shutout," Trenerry said. "She was there when we needed her."
Heading into conference play, Trenerry said the girls are focused on one goal - to return to the state championship.
"They realized they need to step it up, so their focus has been pretty good," he said. "It's all key, trying to get them going hard.
Correction: In the Sept. 15 edition of the paper, it was misreported that Alona Raymond scored a goal against Hellgate. It was actually Beth Karper who scored the goal, with an assist from Raymond.
The Hungry Horse News regrets the error.
Wildcats blank Pirates 2-0
By JOHN VAN VLEET
Hungry Horse News
Once again, the Columbia Falls boys soccer team attacked the net, but once again they struggled to score.
Generating an astounding 35 shots, the Cats (3-1-2, 1-0) opened conference play with a 2-0 defeat of Polson on Saturday, but head coach Peter Browne said that the boys must be able to capitalize on these scoring chances to succeed as conference play unfolds.
"We're just going to have to bring that element of the game to practice," he said. "Scoring goals in soccer sometimes can be difficult, but it's a mindset. We're just rushing it a little bit, we have to be able to finish."
Guy Smith scored the first goal of the game on a Cory Pete assist in the 68th minute, and Smith assisted on Dustin Gibson's goal in the 78th minute to ensure the victory.
A strong defensive effort helped preserve the shutout, and senior goalkeeper Lee Kizer blocked all three shots he faced.
Browne was complimentary of the team's effort, and praised the team's determination despite the scoring difficulties.
"It was scoreless at half-time, but we knew we were a much better team," he said. "The kids really bore down in the second half and were determined to win the game. The kids just worked hard for the win."
The Cats will play at conference foe Libby on Thursday (today) away.
Rodeo team excels in Ronan
Columbia Falls High School rodeo team members Rachel Thomson and Shane McCaffree were stars at the high school rodeo competition in Ronan.
Both members, unfazed by the bad weather, garnered points towards qualification for the Montana State High School Rodeo Finals.
Thomson began the day with a slight tick on a pole to give her a five second penalty in the pole bending, knocking her out of second place.
She came back in the barrel racing to edge her nearest competitor by over two-tenths of a second to secure a win.
Thomson finished third in the pole bending and second in the barrel racing in the second rodeo, and that consistency gave her the lead in the two rodeos.
She was awarded a trophy breast collar as the Barrel Racing Average winner.
McCaffree had a sixth place finish in tie down roping in the first rodeo, but didn't fare as well in the team roping as he and partner Casey Weekes, from Babb, had a no time.
Not satisfied with that performance, the two came back in the second rodeo to net second place.
In the tie down roping, McCaffree gave his best performance yet, roping and tying his calf in 13.03, good enough for second place for the day and third place for both rodeos.
McCaffree was declared the Boy's All Around Champion for the second Ronan Rodeo.
The rodeo team will be competing in Dillon this weekend.
Golfers beat
Whitefish
The Columbia Falls High School golf team competed in two tournaments last week, with the varsity boys taking on the Whitefish "A" team on Thursday at Meadow Lake while the varsity girls and the junior varsity boys hosted a 6-team tournament at West Glacier on Friday.
Home course advantage on the tough track at Meadowlake favored the Cats as they posted a 373 to 381 win over the Bulldogs.
Junior Bobby Pearce continued his solid season leading all of the competitors with an 82, followed by Andrew Sweeney (91), Robbie Dakin (98) and Zane Riding (100). Also competing for the Cats were Shawn MacNorius (102), Jacob Lutz (106), Michael Hensley (106) and Micah Jam (111).
"This wasn't the best five boys Whitefish can put up, but it is the group we see at most of our conference tournaments, so we feel good about the win," said Coach Gene Marcille.
On Friday at Glacier View, Senior Sydney Jordt was one stroke better than sophomore Sarah Cazier who was competing in her first tournament as a Wildkat.
Sophomore Bobby Lawson shot 86 to pace the Columbia Falls boys' team, while Luke Lengstorf carded a respectable 97. Also competing for the Cats were Andrew Zollman (101), Cody Maynard (105), Nico Venteicher (118), Kyle Cazier (138) and Taylor Hopkins (140).
The Bigfork Golf Invitational is today (Thursday) at Eagle Bend followed on Monday by the Whitefish Invitational.