Wildcats drop Loggers to get back on winning track

The Columbia Falls football team got back on track last week, downing the Libby Loggers at home Friday, 35-33, in a game that often wasn’t as close as the score would suggest.

The Wildcats had leads of 21-0 and 28-6 against the Loggers, but Libby fought back in the fourth to cut the margin to one score, but Libby needed to recover an onside kick with less than a minute to play, but failed.

The Cats started out playing nearly flawless ball. Cade Morgan had two touchdown catches in the first half for quarterback Mason Peters and Isaiah Roth scored on a 6-yard run. Neils Getts was perfect on point-after attempts and it was 21-0 with four minutes left in the half.

But with just over a minute left, Libby blocked a Wildcat punt on the Cats’ 21 and converted the turnover to a touchdown. The two-point PAT was no good, Cats 21, Libby 6 at the half.

The second half opened up in Columbia Falls’ favor as Taylor Bryant returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Getts’ PAT was good. Cats up 28-6.

But Libby battled back with a double wishbone offense, scoring two touchdowns in the third to make it 28-20.

Rowdy White would scamper in the end zone for the Cats in the fourth to make it 35-20, but Libby scored two more touchdowns in the last four minutes, the final score coming with 43 seconds left to play.

The onside kick, however, was recovered by the Wildcats and they ran out the clock. Overall, it was a solid game for the Cats. Aside from the blocked punt, they had no turnovers and looked sharp on offense. The offensive line did a great job opening holes for the running game and they gave Peters time to throw.

Zane McCallum had an interception for the Wildcats on defense that led to a Columbia Falls score in the first half. Alec Knapton had an interception, too. Peters was 11-for-17 passing for 190 yards and Roth ran for 83 yards. Libby actually outgained the Cats, 420-361.

Coach Jaxon Schweikert was pleased with the offensive line.

“Our kids played extremely hard up front,” he said.

Overall, the game went well.

“We beat a pretty good team and we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” he said.

Libby tried three twopoint PATs, but only converted on one in the loss, which proved to be the difference. Credit

the Cats defense for turning them away.

The Cats travel to Browning this Friday.

Schweikert said the team isn’t taking them lightly. They have some talented players and he noted they beat the Wildcats last year.