By CARL HENNELL

The Daily Inter Lake

POLSON - The Polson High School football team proved Friday night why it was the preseason favorite of the Northwestern A.

In a constant, cold downpour, the Pirates overcame 11 fumbles for a 26-6 victory over Columbia Falls.

Polson's strengths were threefold: Its defense pitched a shutout, two running backs combined for 140 yards and three touchdowns and a sophomore quarterback passed for 155 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats only score was a fumble recovery in the end zone by senior defensive tackle Keith Catt.

Ahead only 12-6 in the fourth quarter, Polson turned the running back reins over from Pat Dellwo, who had 77 yards and a touchdown in the first three quarters, to Ted Morigeau, and the 6-foot-0, 160-pound senior responded. Besides one incomplete pass on the Pirates' final two drives of the game, Morigeau carried the ball on every play. In the fourth quarter alone, he piled up 58 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.

"He's a beast," Polson quarterback Craig Bagnell said. "He is really amazing. And up front, the O-line really worked their butts off and got the job done. They finished the game for us."

The game was still up in the air until Morigeau scored his first touchdown from 6 yards out with 3 minutes, 54 seconds left in the game. But it wasn't because of the Polson defense.

After Columbia Falls sophomore sensation Josh Wilson - who led the conference in rushing as a freshman - ran for 87 yards in the first half, the Pirates' defense limited him to 8 yards on eight carries in the second half.

"We worked all week long on pursuing and gang tackling because Wilson is such a powerful and quick runner," Polson coach Scott Wilson said. "That was the key along with our everyday defensive gameplan of bringing our linebackers. Tom DiGiallonardo, our defensive coordinator, did a great job. We stunted right into their toss plays a lot and those were big plays."

Besides a five-man front base defense that constantly switched into a 3-4 with blitzing linebackers that registered nine tackles for losses and held the Wildcats to no second-half first downs, the Pirates offense controlled the ball.

After having just 15 rushing yards in the first half, Dellwo and Morigeau combined for 112 rushing yards in the second half.

"We just adjusted a couple little blocking things up front and then used a fresh running back in the fourth quarter," Wilson said. "Most of it was our kids not finishing their blocks. We did have to do some more combos and doubling on some blocking schemes, because they were shutting down our counters. But the bottom line was they started to control the line of scrimmage."

Of the 11 fumbles Polson put on the ground, it lost only two.

"It was a lot different out here because last week when we played Libby it was sunny and hot and then the weather didn't turn into this stuff until Thursday night," Bagnell said. "It hurt us. But (center) Rob (DiGiallonardo) did a good job snapping the ball to me in the second half and we turned it on."

In horrible passing conditions, Bagnell - a 5-10, 160-pounder - completed 12 of 24 passes and the team threw for more yards (155) than it ran for (127).

"I'm amazed that we threw as well as we did in these conditions," Wilson said.

Junior receiver John Rausch was Bagnell's favorite target with five catches for 53 yards. Senior receiver Conlin Benson had three grabs for 51 yards and senior receiver Billy Johnson caught the only touchdown pass before leaving the game because of an injury.

"Last week we couldn't get our running game going and had to pass it and that's what we are wanting to do," Bagnell said. "The passing game seems to be working for us and the running game is even better."

After totaling 108 yards in the first half, the Wildcats managed only 24 second-half yards on 20 plays.

"We wanted to establish the run and early in the game we did," Columbia Falls coach John Thompson said. "At halftime we talked about hitting that one extra block in the second level, but they picked up the defensive pressure and as a result of that, we were stagnant."

Polson improved to 1-1 in Northwestern A play and 3-1 overall heading into its open week.

Columbia Falls dropped to 1-1 in conference and 2-2 overall. It plays Bigfork next week.

PIRATES 26, WILDCATS 6

C-Falls 0 0 6 0 - 6

Polson 6 6 0 14 - 26

First Quarter

P - Pat Dellwo 10 run (kick failed), :34 (3 plays, 34 yards; key play: John Raush 26 pass from Craig Bagnell from to Pol. 10 on 2nd-and-13).

Second Quarter

P - Billy Johnson 11 pass from Bagnell (run failed), :49 (9 plays, 79 yards; key plays: Conlin Benson 31 pass from Bagnell on 1st play to CF 48, Rausch 7 pass from Bagnell on 3rd-and-4 to CF 34).

Third Quarter

CF - Keith Catt fumble recovery in endzone (kick failed), 4:36.

Fourth Quarter

P - Ted Morigeau 6 run (Dellwo pass from Bagnell), 3:54 (7 plays, 37 yards; key play: Morigeau 12 run on 3rd-and-2 to CF 5).

P - Morigeau 9 run (kick failed), 1:13 (3 plays, 26 yards; key play: Morigeau 17 run on 1st-and-10 to CF 9).

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CF Pol

First Downs 7 15

Total Yards 153 261

Rushes-Yards 38-127 36-106

Passing Yards 26 155

Comp-Att-Int 4-13-1 12-24-2

Kickoff Ret. 3-45 1-0

Punts-Avg. 7-39.4 2-36.0

Punt Ret. 1-0 2-2

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 1-5

Int. Ret. 2-0 1-17

Penalties-Yards 10-66 6-50

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INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING - CF, Josh Wilson 23-95, Steve Brennan 6-9, Steve McNulty 1-8, Michael Hader 6-(-5). Pol, Pat Dellwo 15-77, Ted Morigeau 15-63, team 2-2, Craig Bagnell 5-(-5), Jordan Thompson 1-(-10).

PASSING - CF, Hader 4-13-1-26. Pol, Bagnell 12-24-2-155.

RECEIVING - CF, Mackey Nolan 1-12, Chase Fairbank 1-6, Brennan 1-5, Jared Jimmerson 1-3. Pol, John Rausch 5-53, Conlin Benson 3-51, Morigeau 2-30, Billy Johnson 1-11, Dellwo 1-10.

Missed Field Goals - none.