Bulldogs pick up win over Broncs

Nobody left early during this one — not

with a long-awaited victory in the crosshairs.

Whitefish finally closed the deal with

a 20-17 win over Hamilton after shutting down the Broncs on a

last-second field goal attempt that would have sent the

nonconference game to overtime.

“That was a lot of fun,” Whitefish

coach Chad Ross said. “It feels good to win, it’s been awhile.”

Whitefish (1-1) last won a game in

early September of 2010 against Browning. This one came as a result

of solid team defense and key offensive production from senior

Christopher Forrest and junior Shane Marcial.

“We performed in the clutch,” senior

Maxl Smith said. “We just buckled down on defense.

“This early win is huge for us. It’s

habit-forming. Mentally, it will really help.”

Marcial opened the scoring after bring

in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Forrest.

The duo connected again in the second

quarter when Forrest rolled out of the pocket on the 5-yard line

and dumped a shovel pass off to Marcial who took it into the right

side of the end zone. The TD gave Whitefish a short lived 14-7

leave before Hamilton ran back the ensuing kickoff to tie it up

14-14 at the half.

Bryce Wehrli picked off a pass on

Hamilton’s opening drive which led to what would be the

game-winning drive.

Forrest tallied a 30-yard run to put

the ball on Hamilton’s 17 yard line. Marcial followed with a tough

run up the middle for a key first down. Forrest finished it off

with a 5-yard touchdown run to give Whitefish the 20-14 lead.

Whitefish then controlled the clock for

the remainder. Hamilton tallied only 24 yards of total offense in

the third quarter.

“That was really big for us,” Ross

said. “We did a great job of bending, but not breaking on

defense.”

A lot of credit for the defensive

success goes to the student section and the crowd noise. Bulldog

fans overpowered Hamilton quarterback Tyler Muray’s calls as he

attempted to run their no-huddle offense on the south end of the

field.

“Half the time it was hard to hear our

own plays,” Smith said.

“The student section was phenomenal,”

Ross added. “It played a major role. We had great community

support.”

Hamilton attempted a field goal as time

expired but senior Gage Vasquez pressured the kicker into shanking

the attempt to seal the win.

Ross commended both Marcial and

Forrest.

“They’re both great competitors,” he

said. “Neither of them came off the field except for a few plays.

That’s offensively and defensively.”

Marcial has scored three touchdowns

this season.

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Whitefish hosts Browning in a day game

this Saturday at the Dawg Pound.

The Bulldog’s picked up their lone win

last year against the Indians in a 27-6 rout. Libby topped Browning

last week 41-6.

Whitefish coach Chad Ross says

Browning’s main weapon is their speed. They run a double-wing

offense that could give defenders trouble if they don’t play their

position.

“We need to be disciplined on defense,”

he said.

Penalties and special teams need to

continue to improve, too.

“We have to get better there if we want

to compete in this league,” he said.

No major roster changes are expected in

the Bulldog’s final nonconference warm-up before facing Libby Sept.

23.

“We need to win this game,” Ross said.

“We haven’t had a winning record in a long time.”

CONFERENCE SCORES

LIBBY 41 BROWNING 6

CFALLS 14 CORVALLIS 6

WFISH 20 HAMILTON 17

STEVI 29 FRENCHTWN 0

POLSON 40 BELGRADE 0

SCORING LEADERS

1. Marcial, Whitefish 18

2. Digiallonardo, Polson 14

3. Valentine, Libby 13

4. Mclurg, Polson 12

4. Broden, Libby 12

4. Winslow, Libby 12

5. Mills, Polson 6

5. Liamber, Polson 6

5. Windauer, CFalls 6

5. Johnson, CFalls 6