Look for Cats to run against Havre

The second season begins for the Columbia Falls football team Saturday. The Wildcats host the Havre Blue Ponies at Satterthwaite Field in the second round of the state Class A playoffs.

The Wildcats (8-0) had a bye last week after winning the Northwest Class A conference championship, while Havre (5-4) is coming off a squeaker in a first-round win against Miles City.

In that game, the Blue Ponies came back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to down the Cowboys 21-20, despite turning over the ball five times. Miles City mounted a late drive, but Havre stopped the Cowboys inside the eight-yard line as time expired.

Columbia Falls is ranked third in the state and is coming off a 42-5 win over Polson, where the Cats racked up 477 yards of total offense, including 190 yards on the ground.

The Wildcats seem to get a little better each week. The defense, while it doesn’t grab the headlines, has been stellar. The Cats’ defense allowed the fewest rushing yards in the Northwest conference, 84 per game, and fewest points allowed, 10 per game. They were second in passing yards allowed, 106 per game.

That’s excellent stats for a defense that spends a lot of time on the field because the offense scores so quickly.

Look for Columbia Falls to utilize its running game against the Blue Ponies, second-year coach Jackson Schweikert said. Since coming off an injury earlier this season, running back Zach Darling has had a string of fine performances, including rushing for 170 yards against Polson in the season finale.

On defense, the Cats will look to shut down Havre quarterback Dane Warp.

“Their quarterback is good. He’s well-coached,” Schweikert said. “He’s the best coached quarterback we’ve seen all year.”

But Columbia Falls has the edge up front, Schweikert said, and offensively the Cats have a host of talent to choose from. Senior quarterback Jared Trinastich is proving to be an excellent pocket passer. While he isn’t fast, he has an uncanny ability to extend plays and keep his eyes down the field. His favorite target, Ty Morgan, had 14 touchdown receptions this year to lead the Northwest conference.

But Trinastich is also excellent at spreading the ball around — if Morgan isn’t open, he’ll hit Wildcat receivers Alex Presnell, Trevor Houston or Nakia Alexander.

The Cats boast their best regular season record since 1975 and 1976, when Columbia Falls also went undefeated. The Cats made a string of post-season appearances in the 1970s, but they’ve never won a state Class A football championship.

If Columbia Falls beats Havre, they’ll travel to the winner of the Hamilton-Billings Central game. The Cats beat Hamilton earlier this year in a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, 30-29, winning on a two-point conversion with no time left on the clock. Billings Central is ranked No. 2 in the state, Dillon is No. 1, and the Cats are No. 3.

If the Cats make it to the state championship, the game will be played here on Nov. 23.

Saturday’s game starts at noon. Ticket prices are $7. Conference and school passes are not honored for the event.