Football ends in Billings, but future looks bright, too

The Columbia Falls football team had a tough ending to an otherwise good season, losing to Billings Central, 38-6, in the opening round of the state A playoffs on the road.

Central shot out to a 14-0 lead and extended it to 28-0 at the break.

The Wildcats had chances, however. They forced three Central turnovers in the first half, but couldn’t convert them into points.

Mason Peters was 7 for 29 passing for 70 yards and two picks, while freshman Cody Schweikert was 7 for 12 for 117 yards and a touchdown and one pick. He also had the two-point conversion.

Cade Morgan led the Cats in receiving yards with eight catches for 152 yards and the Cats lone touchdown in the second half.

Isaiah Roth had 10 carries for 53 yards.

The Cats end the season at 6-4, a marked improvement over last year, when they didn’t make the playoffs.

The future looks bright for the team. While they lose 15 players to graduation, they retain some key positions, including Peters, Morgan, Schweikert and Roth.

Younger players also stepped up to the plate and contributed valuable minutes over the course of the season, as some games saw players out due to coronavirus quarantines.

“They were a little fast for us,” coach Jaxon Schweikert said of Billings. “But we took away their core stuff.”

But he said the young players overall did well.

“A lot of our younger players got experience,” he said.

While the team will lose some key seniors on the o-line and on defense, such as Lucas Thacker and Cole Karlin, the hope is younger players can step up next year.