Back to the gridiron: Seniors ready to lead Bulldogs in new season

Last season the Whitefish football team got a taste of what it feels like to have success. The guys began their season 7-0, but unfortunately dropped the final three games of the season. All the games were close, and all were potentially winnable games.

And the players returning know that’s true.

“We came up short by a couple plays in each of those last three games…” Whitefish head coach Brett Bollweg said. “They know that we had chances and just came up short. It's a great tool to learn from for them, to be competitive in big games and put themselves in a situation to win. Now we just need to learn how to finish those games, one play at a time.”

Bollweg is in his first year at the helm after Coach Chad Ross retired after last season. With his 16 years of experience on the coaching staff, Bollweg is prepared to take over but says Ross will be greatly missed.

“It's just a great honor to be a part of this program, no matter what position it is…” Bollweg said. “I still wish Coach Ross was with us but I feel really honored to be able to have the chance to speak into the lives of our players. Chad did such a great job of preparing us all as coaches and I hope to be able to do that for our staff as well.”

Bollweg will have some help not only with the experienced coaching staff but also on the field. The team will be led by senior quarterback Fynn Ridgeway who has started on varsity since his freshman year.

“[Ridgeway] has worked really hard this offseason on being the leader of the team which I am most excited about,” Bollweg said.

He added that there is a talented group of seniors returning alongside Ridgeway. Montana Cohenour and Kai Nash will bring intensity to the line, Clayton Godsey will check several statistics at the wide receiver and defensive back positions, and Ty Schwaiger has a knack for being able to punch the ball through and pick up yards on the ground.

“Ty Schwaiger is a stud,” Bollweg expressed “There isn't much he can't do on the field.”

Additionally, Whitefish has a weapon in the kicking game with Ryder Barinowski who kicked several clutch field goals and extra points last season.

As Whitefish will return several stars, Bollweg says the team has the most depth on the outsides that he can recall in recent years. The team has a good group of seniors but also a mix of juniors that will perform well.

“I am excited to see how they respond to the Friday night lights,” Bollweg said. “We have a team that is spread pretty evenly between juniors and seniors, it certainly is not a bad thing, I think we will continue to grow and get better each week.”

Whitefish won’t waste much time getting into a competitive battle as the Bulldogs face Dillon in its season opener at home on Friday. Though every game is an important matchup for the Dogs, Dillon will be a fun game given the two programs' history of meeting in significant games.

“They are always well coached and disciplined and it will be a great test for us,” Bollweg said. “We want to be as prepared as possible and control what we can control. It's the first game so there are a lot of question marks.”

Whitefish will host Dillon on Friday at the Dawg Pound. Game time is 6 p.m.