Cats drub Broncs 54-13, now 6-0

A recipe for football success: Force seven turnovers, score 54 points. The Columbia Falls football team did just that against Frenchtown last week, drubbing the Broncs 54-13 in an Oct. 11 away game.

Wide receiver Ty Morgan caught three touchdowns, and running back Zach Darling ran three more in as the Cats steamrolled the Broncs. Speedy senior Josiah Osborne scored two touchdowns — one in the air and another on a 33-yard run.

Quarterback Jared Trinastich completed 17 of 26 passes for 193 yards, Darling rushed for 85 yards on 15 attempts, and Morgan had six catches for 104 yards.

Defensively, the Cats made just two mistakes. Bronc Gus Butler had a 46-yard sprint for a touchdown, and Cody Lemons scored a 46-yard TD just 90 seconds later.

“We’re playing really strong in the middle,” coach Jackson Schweikert said of his defense. “We’re playing really fast. When we get there, we usually make the tackle. A team that tackles badly is usually a step behind.”

On offense, Schweikert said Trinastich is doing a good job of spreading the ball around to his receivers, and getting Darling back on the field after an early season injury “has been huge.” The Cats have also been getting good play from the line.

“The offensive line has improved every single week,” Schweikert said.

The Cats are now 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference. They travel to Libby on Friday.

Looking back, if the Cats beat Libby, they’ll be 7-0 — their best record since 1975, when they went 8-0. That year they lost to Livingston in the state Class A semifinals, 20-0. In 1970, the Cats went 6-1 but lost to Havre in the state Class A championship, 34-18. In 1970, the state playoffs were a one-game affair — the conference champion from the east played the conference champion from the west.

Columbia Falls is currently ranked No. 3 in Class A, behind Dillon and Billings Central.

Col. Falls 20 21 13 0 – 54

Frenchtown 0 13 0 0 – 13

C – Zach Darling 22 run (kick failed)

C – Ty Morgan 15 pass from Jared Trinastich (kick good)

C – Darling 2 run (kick good)

C – Darling 1 run (kick good)

F – Gus Butler 46 run (Lorenzo Camac kick)

F – Cody Lemons 46 run (kick failed)

C – Morgan 48 pass from Trinastich (kick good)

C – Josiah Osborne 29 pass from Trinastich (kick good)

C – Osborne 33 run (kick good)

C – Morgan 27 pass from Trinastich (kick failed)