Cats down Bulldogs

Hungry Horse News

At 8:32 in the second quarter Cooper Ross kicked a 37 yard field goal for the Wildcats.

It would prove to be enough, as the Cats dropped the rival Whitefish Bulldogs 3-0 Friday night.

Ross would also snare an interception with 26 seconds left in the game to quash any hopes of a Bulldog comeback.

The Cats played stellar defense and the offense drove into the Bulldogs’ red zone five times in the game, but couldn’t convert, as penalties and mistakes hurt what was otherwise a nice offensive effort by the Cats.

“Defensively we played with a tremendous amount of effort,” coach Kelly Houle said.

But they have to eliminate the mistakes on offense, he noted.

For example, on one drive the Cats were down to the Bulldogs’ 34 yard line, but two holding penalties and a false start killed the drive.

“We can’t have those penalties when we’re driving the ball,” Houle said.

Still, the offense looked worlds better than it did at the beginning of the season.

Sophomore quarterback Banyan Johnston  was 21 of 33 passing for 153 yards and rushed for 60 yards.

Jory Hill led receivers with six catches for 73 yards and Easton Brooks had three catches for 28 yards.

Brooks also had a nice kickoff return for 45 yards.

The Cats had their chances to score, the best one was fourth and about a yard at the Whitefish four yard line with 10:24 in the third, but they couldn’t convert.

It was the defense that ruled the night for the Cats. They held Whitefish quarterback Carson Gulick to just 44 yards passing and they picked him off twice and sacked him several times, too.

Jett Pitts picked off Gulick with 1:57 in the fourth to kill a drive.

“It was an important win for our kids,” Houle noted.

Not only does it get them back to .500 at 2-2, it helps greatly with momentum, as the team steadily improves. Houle said they’ll work on communication with the offensive line this week and with Johnston adding the run to his repertoire, they become more dangerous offensively.

The boys travel to Polson this week, as they’re now in the thick of the conference schedule. Polson (3-1)  is coming off a 37-14 win over Ronan. The Cats will look to slow down Pirate quarterback Hunter Emerson, who ran for 181 yards against the Chiefs.

    Easton Brooks with a nice return against the Bulldogs.
  

    Daniel Contreras (8) sacks Bulldog Carson Gulick.
  

    Cooper Ross holds up the football after making an interception against Whitefish to quash any hopes of a Bulldog comeback against the Wildcats.
  

    Jory Hill with a nice run after the catch.
  

    Banyan Johnston runs against Whitefish Friday night.