Cats set state records in win over Browning

It was a record-setting night for the Wildcats Friday as they picked up a lopsided 78-20 victory over the Indians in Browning.

According to Brian Reed, the score set a number of new Montana Class A records and was also the most points Columbia Falls has scored in a football game since joining Class A in 1986.

The game was tied at 14 after one quarter of play, but it was all Wildcats from there as Columbia Falls went on to score 56 unanswered points in route to the win.

According to Reed, the 78 points by the Wildcats represents the most points scored by a Montana Class A team in the modern era (since 1980), just edging out Havre’s 76-0 win over Browning in 1998 and Belgrade’s 76-33 victory over Frenchtown in 2013.

The 267 points by the Wildcats over their first five games is also a new Montana Class A record, beating out Laurel’s 244 scored in 1999, a season in which the Locomotives went 11-0.

The 140 points scored by the Wildcats against Libby and Browning over the past two games is also a Class A record.

If the Cats continue to score at their current clip of 53.4 points per contest, they will also shatter the Class A record of 46.9 set by Billings Central in 2012.

Friday’s effort was led by running back Colten McPhee, who picked up 191 yards, four touchdowns and five two-point conversions on the ground while also catching two passes for 12 yards and another TD.

Quarterback Drew Morgan finished the night 6-12 passing for 53 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 109 yards and a score, returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown and also added a two-point conversion run.

Parker Greene, Isaac Balla and Cade Morgan also scored touchdowns for the Cats in the win. Greene’s came on a 33-yard pass from Drew Morgan in the first quarter while Balla ran the ball in from two yards out in the fourth quarter and Cade Morgan scored on a 20-yard run for the game’s final touchdown.

In total, the Wildcats amassed 457 yards of total offense, 379 on the ground and 78 through the air. Browning had 264 yards, 50 on the ground and 214 passing.

The Wildcats enter week 7 of the season with a half-game lead over Whitefish in the Northwest A Conference. The two teams will face off in Whitefish Oct. 12 in a matchup that should determine the conference champion.

The Wildcats will celebrate Senior Night at home this week as they host 1-4 Ronan. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.