Pirates down Dogs in shootout

Rarely is a 21-point loss considered a

good night on the gridiron, but the Bulldogs defeat to powerhouse

Polson Sept. 30 proved that Whitefish can hang with even the best

in the state. After a slow start that ultimately proved to be the

difference in the 53-32 loss, the Dogs played the No. 5 ranked

Pirates toe-to-toe in a shootout.

“We had some break downs in defensive

assignments to start,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said. “But then we

made some adjustments.

“We are the best 2-3 team out there. I

want to play Polson again. If we make a few more adjustments, we

could make it more interesting than it was.”

Polson took it to Whitefish in the

first quarter, scoring touchdowns on six- and 64-yard runs, and a

36-yard pass. The Pirates defensive line had their way in the

trenches and put some big hits on both Bulldog quarterbacks Connor

Donahue and Christopher Forrest.

The Dogs settled down at the end of the

quarter and played their game through the air. Polson’s defensive

backs were no match for Whitefish’s top-rated wide receivers.

Gage Vasquez pulled in a 30-yard pass

on the 5-yard line to get the offense rolling. Forrest then hit

Logan Harwood on a four-year TD pass, putting Whitefish on the

board.

Polson countered quickly with a

big-time 60-yard TD pass from Will Davey to Ian Laimbeer after

exposing blown defensive coverage.

But the Bulldogs put together a solid

drive to finish the second quarter. Receivers Gage Vasquez and

Harwood pulled in back-to-back passes from Donahue, and Forrest

made a diving catch up the middle to set up a chance in the red

zone. Donahue and Forrest hooked up again on a 2-yard TD pass to

end the drive. The Bulldogs were within reach of an upset with the

score 27-14 at halftime.

They kept it going out of the break.

Bryce Wehrli ended a Polson drive when he made an impressive

interception in the end zone.

The ensuing drive featured a long Shane

Marcial run, a great catch by Connor Ellis and a Wehrli reception

down the sideline to set up a TD chance. Forrest scrambled and made

a dive into the end zone to put Whitefish within reach.

Polson responded with a solid drive

capped off by a 16-yard Davey run. The Bulldogs countered with a

40-yard TD pass to Harwood. The two teams traded touchdowns in the

fourth to make it 32-41 with eight minutes left.

Koler Kanistanaux then recovered his

own on-side kick to give Whitefish the ball back in good field

position.

“We talked about having a chance at the

end of the game,” Ross said. “We were close to that when we got

that onside kick.”

A stalled drive was saved when Vasquez

pulled in a pass on a fake punt for a first down. But the wheels

fell off when Donahue was sacked and fumbled the ball back to

Polson.

The Pirates tacked on two touchdowns to

end the game. Whitefish is now ready to build on what was an

optimistic performance.

Whitefish passed for 387 yards. Forrest

was 10 for 17 for 107 yards and one touchdown and Connor Donahue

was 15 for 34 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

Vasquez had seven receptions for 123

yards and Harwood had six catches for 124 yards.

Ross commended the play of both

quarterbacks and the receivers.

“Boy can we pass,” Ross said. “Logan

has caught everything coming his way. He’s been spot on. The more

they double cover Gage and Chris Forrest, it’s going to leave Logan

and Connor Ellis wide open. All four guys can catch the ball.”

He noted Robby Neff and Maxl Smith as

the top defensive performers.

“They did a great job of making plays

and being aggressive,” Ross said.

More than 1,000 spectators came out for

the Homecoming game.

“We’ve got to have some of the best

fans ever,” Ross said. “The players are fueled by the crowd.”

Whitefish, 2-3 and 0-2, plays at

Columbia Falls this Friday. 

Polson 20 7 6 20 - 53

Whitefish 7 7 12 6 - 32