Bulldogs pick up win over Broncs
Nobody left early during this one — not
with a long-awaited victory in the crosshairs.
Whitefish finally closed the deal with
a 20-17 win over Hamilton after shutting down the Broncs on a
last-second field goal attempt that would have sent the
nonconference game to overtime.
“That was a lot of fun,” Whitefish
coach Chad Ross said. “It feels good to win, it’s been awhile.”
Whitefish (1-1) last won a game in
early September of 2010 against Browning. This one came as a result
of solid team defense and key offensive production from senior
Christopher Forrest and junior Shane Marcial.
“We performed in the clutch,” senior
Maxl Smith said. “We just buckled down on defense.
“This early win is huge for us. It’s
habit-forming. Mentally, it will really help.”
Marcial opened the scoring after bring
in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Forrest.
The duo connected again in the second
quarter when Forrest rolled out of the pocket on the 5-yard line
and dumped a shovel pass off to Marcial who took it into the right
side of the end zone. The TD gave Whitefish a short lived 14-7
leave before Hamilton ran back the ensuing kickoff to tie it up
14-14 at the half.
Bryce Wehrli picked off a pass on
Hamilton’s opening drive which led to what would be the
game-winning drive.
Forrest tallied a 30-yard run to put
the ball on Hamilton’s 17 yard line. Marcial followed with a tough
run up the middle for a key first down. Forrest finished it off
with a 5-yard touchdown run to give Whitefish the 20-14 lead.
Whitefish then controlled the clock for
the remainder. Hamilton tallied only 24 yards of total offense in
the third quarter.
“That was really big for us,” Ross
said. “We did a great job of bending, but not breaking on
defense.”
A lot of credit for the defensive
success goes to the student section and the crowd noise. Bulldog
fans overpowered Hamilton quarterback Tyler Muray’s calls as he
attempted to run their no-huddle offense on the south end of the
field.
“Half the time it was hard to hear our
own plays,” Smith said.
“The student section was phenomenal,”
Ross added. “It played a major role. We had great community
support.”
Hamilton attempted a field goal as time
expired but senior Gage Vasquez pressured the kicker into shanking
the attempt to seal the win.
Ross commended both Marcial and
Forrest.
“They’re both great competitors,” he
said. “Neither of them came off the field except for a few plays.
That’s offensively and defensively.”
Marcial has scored three touchdowns
this season.
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Whitefish hosts Browning in a day game
this Saturday at the Dawg Pound.
The Bulldog’s picked up their lone win
last year against the Indians in a 27-6 rout. Libby topped Browning
last week 41-6.
Whitefish coach Chad Ross says
Browning’s main weapon is their speed. They run a double-wing
offense that could give defenders trouble if they don’t play their
position.
“We need to be disciplined on defense,”
he said.
Penalties and special teams need to
continue to improve, too.
“We have to get better there if we want
to compete in this league,” he said.
No major roster changes are expected in
the Bulldog’s final nonconference warm-up before facing Libby Sept.
23.
“We need to win this game,” Ross said.
“We haven’t had a winning record in a long time.”
CONFERENCE SCORES
LIBBY 41 BROWNING 6
CFALLS 14 CORVALLIS 6
WFISH 20 HAMILTON 17
STEVI 29 FRENCHTWN 0
POLSON 40 BELGRADE 0
SCORING LEADERS
1. Marcial, Whitefish 18
2. Digiallonardo, Polson 14
3. Valentine, Libby 13
4. Mclurg, Polson 12
4. Broden, Libby 12
4. Winslow, Libby 12
5. Mills, Polson 6
5. Liamber, Polson 6
5. Windauer, CFalls 6
5. Johnson, CFalls 6