Polson defense has yet to be scored on

COLUMBIA FALLS - In their toughest matchup to date, the Polson Pirates came out and gave up the game's first seven points to the Columbia Falls Wildcats. It was about the only thing that went wrong all night.

Vince DiGiallonardo rebounded from an early interception that Columbia Falls returned for a touchdown by accounting for 199 total yards and three touchdowns as the Pirates ruined the Wildcats' Homecoming with a 36-7 drubbing on Friday, Sept. 23.

A year after Columbia Falls came to Polson and defeated the Pirates on their homecoming night, it looked as if they could be poised for a repeat performance in Wildcat country. Instead, it was Polson's turn to put a damper on festivities for their rivals to the north.

"It feels good," head coach Scott Wilson said. "Homecoming is a big tradition. The kids took it harder as it was their first conference loss last year, which added insult to injury. It's kind of sweet to be able to return the favor."

DiGiallonardo threw for 95 yards on 6-of-8 passing, but added three touchdown runs (32, 29, 3) and picked off a Columbia Falls pass to atone for his pick-six, while Chris Cote and Paul McClurg each added a scoring scamper of their own to earn the victory. Beau Mills recorded 56 yards on just eight rushes as the Pirates, as a team, carried the ball 44 times for 261 yards, an average of just under six yards per rush.

"Vince has enough experience, he doesn't get rattled," Wilson said of DiGiallonardo's early miscue. "It was kind of interesting, I wanted to see how the whole team reacted. It was the first time we had been down. It was kind of a gut check for the kids and they responded."

The defense's sterling season continued, as the Wildcats gained just 106 total yards, with 32 of those coming on 31 carries.

"Brock Bleazard and Eric Williamson, those two had good games for us," Wilson said of his senior and junior, respectively.

DiGiallonardo's first touchdown run tied the game in the first quarter before his second in the second counted as the game-winner. Cote's 1-yard score gave Polson a 21-7 halftime edge.

In the third quarter, DiGiallonardo found the end zone on the ground for the 11th time in four games before McClurg capped the scoring in the fourth with a 3-yard TD run of his own.

The final score did raise some questions within the clubhouse about whether the team earned donuts for their performance. As a reward for donuts on the scoreboard, the coaches bring the players the treats.

"Yeah, I don't know about that," Wilson said with a laugh before admitting the coaches held up their end of the bargain since C-Falls only score came against Polson's offense.

Ian Laimbeer and Will Davey each snagged three passes, with Laimbeer notching 61 yards receiving and a 2-point conversion, while Davey added the other 34 yards.

Justin Hoel had an impressive night on returns, returning three punts for 39 yards while adding a 34-yard kickoff return to set up the Pirate offense.

Polson hits the road again this week when they go north again to face Whitefish. According to Wilson, the matchup will be a good test for the defense.

"The biggest thing about them is that they have a potent passing game," Wilson said, "They have two quarterbacks who throw the ball well with good receivers, so our main focus is to shut down their passing game."

Game time in Whitefish is set for Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.