Cats bag stunning win against Browning

Devyn Rocker returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and Nate Thompson rushed for 180 yards in the first half alone to lead the Columbia Falls football team to a 42-12 victory over Browning.

The Cats defense also had a stellar night, holding the Indians to just 19 yards in the first half.

Coach Bill Coleman was pleased with the Cats' first win of the season.

"It's always good to get the first win," he said. "… We cleaned up some things we needed to clean up."

The Cats had no turnovers and few penalties as the team is beginning to gel. Junior quarterback Austin Barth connected with Rocker twice in the second quarter for 15- and 20-yard passes respectively and he also hit Kaleb Johnson for an 18-yard touchdown that Johnson snagged on a deflection. Johnson also returned a kickoff in the second half for 86 yards.

"I was pleased with the way we threw the ball," Coleman said. "… Austin Barth played well."

Thompson scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a 5-yard run as the Cats had a 32-0 lead after the first half.

In the third quarter, Coleman put in the second string and Browning scored 12 points.

The longest run of the night for the Cats came at the 1:10 mark of the fourth quarter when runningback Dan Jones sprinted 95 yards after lineman Cole Jones (no relation) put a pancake block on a Browning defender to open up a huge hole in the line. Dan Jones also had a great night on the defensive end. He had a sack and a fumble recovery.

Coleman said the team still has some work to do, as they face Dillon away this Friday.

"We've got to get better against a really good opponent," he said. But with the improved play, " We're definitely moving in the right direction."

The Cats are now 1-2. They had no injuries in the Browning game. They tallied 361 yards total offense. Thompson finished the game with 189 yards rushing and is now the leading scorer in the conference.

Browning 0 0 12 0 - 12

Columbia Falls 12 20 7 6 - 45

CF - Devyn Rocker 89 kickoff return (kick failed),

CF - Nate Thompson 2 run (run failed),

CF - Kaleb Johnson 18 pass from Austin Barth (pass failed),

CF - Rocker 15 pass from Barth (Rocker pass from Barth),

CF - Rocker 20 pass from Barth (pass failed),

B - Unknown 20 pass from Kurt Redcrow (run failed),

CF - Johnson 86 kickoff return (Barth kick),

B - Marcus Cobell 43 run (pass failed),

CF - Dan Jones 95 run (kick failed).