Beating Columbia Falls last Friday night 14-6 in the rain in Columbia Falls was huge for Whitefish's football team on several fronts.

n It stopped a five-game skid in the series ...

n Helped take some of the sting out of last year's 51-0 loss at home to its chief rival ...

n And gave the Bulldogs their first Northwestern A conference victory of the season after two losses.

n But more importantly, it put Whitefish in the playoff picture.

Yes, the playoff hunt for the first time in several seasons.

If Whitefish wins its season league finale - at home with Frenchtown on Oct. 21 - the Bulldogs will earn a spot in the postseason as the No. 3 seed from Northwestern A.

That would give Whitefish a 2-2 league mark.

Overall, the Bulldogs sit at 3-3 heading into tonight's nonconference game at Belgrade.

"We went in with a playoff mentality," Whitefish coach Chad Ross said of the Columbia Falls contest.

"If we want to keep playing, we have to win."

The team has lived by that motto all season long. And what a difference a year makes.

A year ago at this time, Whitefish players were already turning in their football gear. Whitefish, which had a bye to end the season, finished 0-4 in league, 1-7 overall.

"We're really excited where we are at," Ross said.

"Three-and-three (overall) is not a great record, but the last game was the first game we've had all our kids healthy. We're finally getting everyone back. We're as healthy as we can be. Hopefully we can start putting the pieces together.

"We've competed in every game," he said.

"Even in the games we've lost, we've been competitive."

Whitefish, which was devasted a year ago by injuries, has managed to play through a few this year. Both starting tackles - Jake May and Wolf Zinke - missed the first three games of the season.

Calub Thilmony, a linebacker, was sidelined for the Polson and Libby games.

All are back in uniform for Whitefish's final push of the season.

On the other hand, center Jacob Forrest has played every down this fall at that position.

"All six games," Ross said.

"He hasn't had a bad snap yet, plays really consistent."

Ross says that when he looks back on this season, one game stands out more than any other.

"A huge game for us was the Hamilton game," Ross said.

"Winning by three points, our first win of the year, giving ourselves a chance to win a close game."

Offensively, Whitefish has been explosive. The Bulldogs are averaging 161 yards rushing a game, second best in the league, and lead in passing with 1,693 yards.

Whitefish is averaging 28 points per game.

Despite sharing duties, Connor Donahue and Christopher Forrest are ranked 1-2 in Northwestern A passing.

Donahue has completed 46 of 88 for 874 yards, while Forrest is 58 of 111 for 819 yards.

Whitefish has the top three receivers in the league - Gage Vasquez, 30 receptions for 535 yards and a TD; Logan Harwood, 21 catches for 425 yards and seven touchdowns; and Forrest, 19 receptions for 315 yards and three scores.

Forrest is third in league rushing with 44 carries for 340 yards and six touchdowns.