It’s homecoming in Whitefish and the Bulldogs are welcoming the undefeated Columbia Falls Wildcats into Memorial Field for another installment of the their long-standing rivalry.

The Bulldogs (2-2) are coming off their second loss in as many games, dropping a road contest to undefeated Corvallis 34-26. The week prior, Whitefish was edged by No. 5 Belgrade 29-28 in overtime.

The recent slide spoiled two-straight victories in the opening weeks of the season. Whitefish outlasted Havre 27-14 on the road before trouncing Browning 48-0.

“We just want to have a good game,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said.

“We’re still looking for an identity. We’re beating ourselves with penalties and big plays. Columbia Falls is a great football team. We need to not beat ourselves and make them beat us. Coming off two tough losses, if we want to be in this game we need to play a full game.”

Meanwhile, No. 1 ranked Columbia Falls is looking like the team to beat in Class A. The Wildcats survived a scare in Week 2, defeating Hamilton 14-9, but they have won their other three contests by at least 35 points, including a 47-7 rout of Lewistown, who currently sits in first place in the Central.

“It’s a long-standing rivalry and they’re usually really close games and hard fought battles,” Columbia Falls coach Jaxson Schweikert said.

“It’s a big game and we don’t shy away from that, but we have our process and we stick to that process no matter who we’re playing.”

Anything can happen in a rivalry game. The Bulldogs will have some extra motivation, honoring their alumni on homecoming, but the most intriguing part of the matchup is the similarities of the two featured offenses.

Both teams are the bottom two in the conference in rushing yards. Whitefish, fourth in the conference, has rushed for 649 yards and four touchdowns this season, averaging 162 a game. The Wildcats, fifth, have rushed for 581 and seven touchdowns, a 145-yard average per contest.

Passing is a different story.

The Wildcats and Bulldogs are the top two passing teams in Northwestern A.

Columbia Falls sophomore quarterback Dakota Bridwell has a league-high 16 touchdown passes, accumulating 1,170 yards through the air.

“He’s doing a great job and he’s getting better every time out,” Schweikert said.

“He does a great job of studying film and has learned how study film. He’s does a good job with his progressions. A lot of it is our offenisive line. Their pass protection has been outstanding. He has plenty of time because of it.”

The second leading passer in Northwestern A is Luke May of Whitefish.

The junior has thrown for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“Hes done great. It’s his third year as a starter so he knows our offense,” Ross said.

“Sometimes he just needs to take what defense gives him and be OK with that, but I think he’s ready, and he’s going to have to have a big game.”

With each team averaging nearly 300 passing yards a game, it’s no surprise the conference’s top-five receivers are from Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

Wildcat senior Ty Morgan leads the league in receptions and yards, catching 26 balls for 651 yards and five touchdowns. Teammate Tyler Houston is fourth in the conference with 253 receiving yards and five scores as well.

“They’re both very smart and very athletic,” Schweikert said.

“They’ve been in our system for three years now, and they’ve seen a lot of different looks. They’re both very explosive kids and when they put it all together it makes for a really tough duo to defend.”

The Bulldogs are led by junior Jed Nagler. Averaging 135 receiving yards a game, Nagler has hauled in 21 receptions for 543 yards and a league-high six touchdowns. He is joined by senior Jared Streibich, who has five touchdowns on 21 receptions for 401 yards.

“Him and Jared kind of go hand-in-hand. They’ve both made some really big catches for us,” Ross said.

In a matchup boasting high-powered offenses, the difference could come from the defensive side of the ball.

“We’re pretty good defensively,” Schweikert said

“We’re big up front. We’re athletic. Our linebacking crew is second to none. They’re all three-year starters and very experienced.”

Experience bodes well in big games. The intensity will be high, and opportunities will need to be seized. Limiting the big play could determine the outcome.

“I think it’s really going to come down to big plays,” Ross added.

“They kept us from having any (last year). They’ve done a great job at spreading the ball out. If we don’t beat ourselves with penalties and don’t give up big plays, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.”

The pivotal conference action kicks off at 7 p.m.