Whitefish storms back against Browning
A barrage of attacks from the backfield
and solid defense led Whitefish to a 53-26 nonconference win over
Browning on Saturday. The victory marks the first time Whitefish
(2-1) has had a winning record since they were 4-2 in 2009.
“It’s a really good feeling to be
winning,” said senior running back Robby Neff, who tallied a
touchdown and 50 yards rushing in the game.
After falling behind early in the
second quarter, the Bulldogs cleaned up some mental mistakes to
shut down Browning and post four unanswered scores. The Bulldgos
totaled 628 yards in offense, including 382 through the air.
Whitefish coach Chard Ross credited
assistant coach Eric May for creating the offensive plan.
“He does a great job of moving the ball
around,” Ross said. “We’re not a one dimensional team. We truly are
playing as a team right now. Other teams can’t just stop one
person.”
In all, five different players scored
for Whitefish. Neff said the ‘Dogs conditioning paid off against
the oversized Browning defensive linemen.
“We wore them down,” Neff said. “We had
great blocking and the field just opened up.”
Whitefish’s two senior quarterbacks,
Chris Forrest and Connor Donahue, each posted strong numbers.
Forrest was 14 of 18 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, while
Donahue finished 10 of 18 for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Forrest also rushed for 108 yards,
three touchdowns and caught three passes. Gage Vasquez tallied 168
yards on seven catches and Connor Ellis caught six for 92 yards.
Junior Logan Harwood made two touchdown catches, including a
spectacular grab in the second quarter to put Whitefish up
32-20.
While the offense was on cruise
control, Ross pointed to the defense for shutting down the Indians’
top playmakers.
“Our defense played a great game,” Ross
said. “We made some adjustments and everyone was doing what they
were suppose to.”
Conditioning played a roll, too.
“We’ve hit the conditioning hard since
day one,” Ross said. “We were pushed around in the first quarter,
then they got tired and we didn’t.”
Ross hopes the Saturday win sticks with
Whitefish as conference play starts up. The ‘Dogs have a bye week
before traveling to Libby on Sept. 23.
“Were ready to win a conference game
now,” Ross said. “We have a lot of confidence. This senior class
has done a really good job of getting everyone involved.
Expectations are up across the board — from practices to games to
watching film — this is the way we do it. They have taken it upon
themselves to lead the others.”
Forrest got the ‘Dogs on the board
first against Browning after a 2-yard touchdown run. Forrest then
hit Ellis on a TD pass to put Whitefish up 12-8, but two Bulldog
fumbles later in the half led to two Browning scores and a 12-20
Indian lead.
With about six minutes left in the
second quarter, Vasquez pulled in a long reception to put Whitefish
on the 3 yard line. Forrest then hit Harwood for a touchdown.
On Browning’s next possession,
Whitefish senior linebacker Jimmy Boles pressured Indian
quarterback Dontrell Spoonhunter into making an errant fumble deep
in the backfield. With the ball on the 13 yard line, two strong
Neff carries set up another Forrest touchdown run.
Whitefish’s Harwood added another TD
when he outjumped Browning’s cornerback to give the Dogs a 32-20
halftime lead.
After the break, Forrest kept the
momentum going with a touchdown run. Donahue then hit Harwood on a
20 yard TD pass and Forrest tallied another 24-yard touchdown
run.
Marcial scored at the end of the third
and Neff found the end zone on a six-yard run to make it 53-26.