Cats fall short against Dillon in championship
Trevor Hoerner fights for yards against a pair of Dillon defenders.
Wildcat receiver Trey Gates fights for yards against two Dillon defenders Saturday in Columbia Falls in the state A championship game. (Chris Peterson photo)
Columbia Falls quarterback Dakota Bridwell (center) fights for yards against Dillon in the first half of the state A championsips in Columbia Falls Saturday.
Teammates hug after a tough loss.
Dillon’s R.J. Fitzgerald loses the ball as Trevor Hoerner and Ben Windauer haul him down.
Coach Jaxon Schweikert talks to the team at the start of the fourth quarter.
Dakota Bridwell gets by a Dillon defender.
As the snow gets heavier, Bridwell throws a pass.
Steven Decamp, center looks to split teh defense while Trevor Hoerner, right, blocks.
Sean Miller can’t get his hands on a pass.
Trey Gates looks to break a tackle.
Colton McPhee with an interception in the second half.
Trevor Hoerner hauls down Dillon’s Troy Anderson.
Wyatt Green fights for extra yards.
Austin Green returns a punt in the second half.
Bryce Fagerland tackles Dillon’s Patrick Griffin.
Austin Green tackles Dillon’s Coby King.
The cheerleaders warm their hands in the frigid conditions.
A somber crowd in the second half.
The ball is just over Sean Miller’s hands in the end zone.
It was a tough ending to a great season for the Columbia Falls football team.
Dillon’s Troy Andersen had four touchdowns, including one on defense as the Beavers bested the Wildcats in the State A football championship Saturday, 34-17, at home.
The Wildcats were playing in their first football championship since 1970, but they committed six turnovers while the Beavers had two as a steady snow fell at Satterthwaite Field.
The game started out in the Wildcats’ favor as Wyatt Green ran a screen pass into the end zone from the 27-yard line at the 9:19 mark in the first quarter. Brandon Karberg knocked in the extra point and Cats took the lead, 7-0.
The Cats stalled an ensuing Dillon drive and got the ball back deep in their own territory. Andersen picked off a Dakota Bridwell pass at the 27 yard line and ran it back for the pick-six with 5:51 in the first.
The Beavers went for two, but the attempt was no good.
The Cats drove down to the Dillon 13 but couldn’t convert a first down, so on fourth-and-eight Brandon Karberg kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 10-6 Cats with 1:30 left in the first.
In the second quarter, Dillon took their first lead on an 8-yard run by Andersen. The point-after was good and Dillon was up 13-10 at the 8:46 mark.
The Cats started their next drive on their own 45 and a few players later Bridwell found Trevor Hoerner in the back of the end zone. Karberg’s point after was good and the Cats re-took the lead 17-13 with 7:45 to go in the half.
But then things began to unravel for Columbia Falls.
Dillon scored on their next drive as Andersen ran it in from 6 yards out. The point after was good and the Beavers were up 20-17 with 5:43 to play in the half.
On the next possession Bridwell collided with one of his own players and fumbled the ball on the Cats 48. Dillon recovered and a little more than a minute later, Andersen found Brent Tezak in the end zone on a 25-yard pass. The point after was good and Dillon went up 27-17.
On the next possession, the Cats’ drive stalled and they had to punt. The Beavers answered with another drive and 15-yard touchdown run by Andersen to go up 34-17. The Cats had three turnovers in the first half, including a muffed punt.
In the second half, neither team could score. Bridwell had three interceptions, including one in the end zone that killed a Wildcats’ scoring chance.
Andersen finished the game 7 of 12 for 112 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. He was picked off once by Wildcat Colton McPhee in the second half. Bridwell was 19 of 47 passing for 251 yards. The Cats had 25 yards rushing.
Wildcat coach Jaxon Schweikert had praise for his squad.
“They’re some of the best kids I’ve ever coached,” he said.
He also commended Dillon.
“They just outplayed us,” he said.
The Cats had nothing to hang their heads about. This was easily the best Columbia Falls squad in more than 20 years.
“They’re just great kids. They bought in 100 percent. We have a saying, ‘where we go one, we go all,’” Schweikert said.
The Cats finished the season 10-2 overall. They’ll lose 19 seniors, but Schweikert said the seniors set the bar high for the underclassmen, showing them the level of commitment it takes to get to this level, from the daily workouts in the weight room to the off-season camps and training.
The school sold 2,264 tickets, according to school athletic director Troy Bowman and he estimated there were about 300 people who didn’t buy tickets, including both teams and their personnel, media and other officials.
Columbia Falls 10 7 0 0 — 17
Dillon 6 28 0 0 — 34
First quarter
CF - Wyatt Green (27-yard pass from Bridwell. Karberg kick)
D- Troy Andersen (Interception, 2-point failed)
CF - Karberg (25-yard kick)
Second quarter
D- Anderson (8-yard run)
CF - Trevor Hoerner (20-yard pass from Bridwell)
D- Andersen (6-yard run)
D- Brent Tezak (Anderson 25-yard pass)
D- Andersen (15-yard run)