Wildcats sink Pirates, 18-13

By JOE SOVA - Hungry Horse News

Spearheaded by a potent rushing game led by Mackey Nolan and Josh Wilson, Columbia Falls twice came from behind to earn an 18-13 Northwestern A Conference football home field victory over Polson.

With the win, the Wildcats are tied for second in the league with Whitefish — each with a 2-1 mark. Also last week, Libby buried Whitefish, 48-7, and Ronan defeated Bigfork, 48-21. Libby leads with a 3-0 conference record. Polson and Ronan are 1-2, and Bigfork stands at 0-3. Each has two league games remaining.

The Cats travel to Bigfork for another key conference game on Friday (Oct. 12). Whitefish hosts Polson, and Libby plays at Ronan.

When it appeared the Cats would go into the locker room trailing 7-0 at halftime, they put two touchdowns on the board in the last three minutes of the first half.

Tanner Perry intercepted a Craig Bagnell pass and returned it 54 yards deep into Polson territory. After a big gainer by quarterback Mackey Nolan, Josh Wilson scored to bring the Cats to within 7-6. The conversion kick failed.

For the second time this season, Nolan's kickoff caromed off the front man on the return team and Nolan recovered the free ball. Using a diverse rushing attack, the Cats took the lead when Chase Fairbank raced eight yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the half. The two-point conversion failed, but CFHS took a 12-7 lead into intermission.

Polson's first possession of the second half was a productive one, as the Pirates used effective rushing — with Cody Doyle carrying the load — for a touchdown drive and a 13-12 lead. Tim Rausch covered the final 21 yards on two carries, scoring on a four-yard run. Polson came up short on a two-point conversion try.

Pinned deep in their own territory late in the third period, the Cats marched 90 yards — consuming more than seven minutes of the game clock. They overcame a trio of 10-yard penalties, finally capping the drive with a six-yard touchdown dive by Wilson. The conversion pass was incomplete, but CFHS claimed an 18-13 lead with 7:56 left in the contest.

Polson had two possessions after that, getting to the Cats 35-yard line on the first and suffering a loss of 21 yards on a bad shotgun snap on a third-down play with a minute remaining. Perry broke up the fourth-down pass and the Cats had the win.

"Overall we played pretty well," Cats coach John Thompson said. "We moved the ball pretty consistently. We had a nice, long drive."

CFHS finished with 289 yards rushing out of the "read offense" — 119 by Nolan and 107 by Wilson on a combined 37 carries. The Cats had 38 yards passing. Polson had just 64 yards on the ground and 111 in the air.

"We'd love to have more balance, but you have to take what a defense is giving you," said Thompson, who was pleased with the blocking. "We did a nice job up front and carrying out fakes."

Bigfork is winless in the conference, but the Cats are not overlooking the Vikings.

"They can cause problems because they run a lot of misdirection on offense," Thompson said. "They're a better team than their record indicates. Their coaches are working with them in a positive way."

Polson 7 0 6 0 — 13

Columbia Falls 0 12 0 6 — 18

Pol — Kelley 31 pass from Bagnell (Rausch kick)

CF — Wilson 1 run (kick failed)

CF — Fairbank 8 run (run failed)

Pol — Rausch 4 run (run failed)

CF — Wilson 6 run (pass failed)

Jam ties for 21st at state golf

The 2007 high school golf season came to an official close with Columbia Falls senior Micah Jam competing at the Class A State Golf Tournament last Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 3-4) in Anaconda.

The challenging Old Works Golf Course and some brutal weather created a tough day for golfers on Wednesday, with Jam posting an 89 and still finishing in the top third of contenders. On Thursday, Jam came back with a solid 82 to finish the tournament at 171 and in a tie for 21st place in the 76-player field. Hamilton's Jake Wilson and Josh Grenier tied at 145, with Wilson claiming the championship after a two-hole playoff. The Hamilton boys were also the team state champions followed by Billings Central.

"Micah finished his high school career on a high note at state," CFHS coach Gene Marcille. "His effort throughout the season and at state was impressive, and his leadership on the team will be greatly missed next year."

Besides Jam, other Columbia Falls High School golfers to earn varsity letters for the 2007 season were Brad Narducci, Taylor Hopkins, Nick Ross, Jordan Mueller, Kelsey DeWit, Olivia Williams and Courtney Tamburelli.

Parents or students interested in golf for next season should contact coaches Marcille or Dan Frankino at 892-6500 ext. 245 and ext. 260, respectively.