Cats look to make their mark as postseason nears
Wildcat McKenzee West (15) fights for her chance to take a shot against the Libby Loggers during Senior Night Tuesday, Sept. 26. The Wildcats won 7-0.
Columbia Falls girls soccer played the Libby Loggers on Flip Darling Memorial Field for Senior Night on Sept. 26, securing a 7-0 win to boost the Cats’ overall conference points.
Senior players Brooklyn Gockman, Josie Harris, Hope McAtee, Ilah McKenzie, Hailey Thomas and McKenzee West were recognized for their contributions not only to Wildcats Soccer, but to the Columbia Falls High School community.
McAtee was leading the conference in points per match starting out this week, and already broke the all-class record for assists earlier this season. She has been named an all-conference and all-state player her entire high school career.
Harris garnered all-conference honors her sophomore season and all-conference and all-state her junior. This season she has also been a conference leader, with 22 goals to her name as of Monday.
West has been a great team leader, coach Thomas Clark said, and earned all-conference honors last season.
The story of Senior Night, according to Clark, was Thomas, the JV captain and Varsity Manager, scoring two goals in the first Varsity match of her career. Other senior accomplishments for the game included three McAtee goals, a West goal, two assists by Harris and one by West, alongside contributions from their underclassman teammates.
“They’re great young people that set a great example for their younger teammates,” Clark said.
The Cats will move on to their last conference match of the season in Whitefish on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., hoping to beat the Bulldogs after a tough 4-2 loss earlier this season.
“We’re in a spot where a win or a tie would clench us second place [in our conference],” Clark said. “Getting that momentum is really big heading into playoffs.”