'Cats' eyes set on conference repeat

They've got a big man behind center, a seasoned running back and a good offensive line. The stars could definitely align for this year's Columbia Falls football team.

"We'll be there right in the hunt with everyone else," Wildcat football coach Bill Coleman said.

Columbia Falls has plenty of talent in key positions. Senior quarterback Austin Barth has already verbally committed to play for Montana State University in 2012. Barth's 6-foot 6-inch height and strong arm should give the Cats a solid passing game.

Senior Parker Johnson should be a tough wide receiver. Johnson is playing both golf and football this season. In the backfield, senior Daniel Jones should get plenty of carries. Last year, he played a backup role to senior Nate Thompson, who broke the school rushing record. Even so, Jones had some excellent runs, including a 95-yard touchdown run against Browning.

The Cats have four returning starters on offensive line in Jacob Babcock, Josh Folsom, Garrett Houston and Nate Carr. Babcock was an all-state selection last season.

But the Cats definitely have some holes to fill. Thompson has graduated and is playing football at Montana Tech. Standout wide receiver Kaleb Johnson also graduated and is going to walk-on at Montana State University this year.

The Wildcats will see a tougher conference this season. Ronan is gone - it dropped to Class B. That moved Frenchtown to the Northwest A conference, and Frenchtown has an excellent football program. They won a state Class A title in 2009 and were runners-up in 2005 and 2006. Polson, the runner-up the in the Northwest A division last year lost several players, but senior quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo can win a game almost on his own.

Coleman says the Cats can get the job done.

"I'm pleased with the ways these guys have been working this year," he said. "There's some talented football players in this group ... We've got our sights on defending the conference championship."

The Cats open their season with non-conference games against Corvallis, Stevensville and Browning. The Corvallis game is at home on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats' first conference game is against Polson at home Sept. 23.

Last season, the Cats were 3-1 in conference play and 4-5 overall. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to Miles City.