Whitefish coach Chad Ross was nervous about the Bulldogs’ game last week in Miles City, one they won 31-14 to reach today’s state championship game.

But this week, with Whitefish going on the road to play two-time defending state champion Dillon today at 1 p.m. with a chance to win the school’s first state football title since before the Reagan administration?

“Crap, we were in the fourth quarter with this team that’s won (seven) state championships since 2000,” Ross said.

“We can play with a dynasty program. We’ve got a chance and our kids believe we have a chance.”

Ross’ confidence isn’t false bravado, either. As the coach alluded, his squad was three minutes away from beating Dillon back on September 5. The Beavers’ 22-21 win in Whitefish featured some of the typical early-season miscues on both sides, but it also showcased the immense talent all over the field.

“They’re going to be a lot better and we’re going to be a lot better, but we can still play with them,” Ross said. “If we don’t beat ourselves we can come out victorious.”

Dillon has dominated Class A football since the turn of the century and will be playing in the state championship game for the fifth straight year.

That’s a stark contrast from the Bulldogs, who were last in the title game in 2001 and last took home a title in 1979. It’s been a consistent build to this moment for Whitefish’s 15-member senior class, a handful of whom have been playing in varsity games since their freshman year and helped the Bulldogs to the state semifinals last season.

Still, Whitefish nearly didn’t make it to this game at all. The ‘Dogs were down 14-7 at halftime last week at then-unbeaten Miles City, and the locker room at the break was not a happy place.

“We got in to halftime and a lot of guys were kind of getting on each other,” senior quarterback Luke May said. “And Chris (Park), one of our captains and a big leader on our team, stood up and was like ‘we don’t fight like this. We’re a team … we’re supposed to make each other better, not yell at each other.”

Whitefish outscored the Cowboys 24-0 in the second half behind three May touchdowns and hopes the emotion of the comeback carries over for another week.

“That second half is at the top (of our games this year),” Ross said. “The gut-check that they had with that crowd was crazy. I just remember the fourth quarter they were really quiet and we were really loud.”

A dual-threat quarterback, May leads the offensive attack for the Bulldogs but he’s far from the only weapon. Whitefish boasts a 1,000-yard rusher in Park, a dynamic, versatile weapon in wide receiver/running back Brian FauntLeRoy and Montana-commit Jed Nagler catching passes and wreaking havoc on defense.

“This is one of the most selfless teams I’ve ever been involved with,” Ross said. “You can look at Jed’s (statistics) but not once has he complained. Not once has Luke (May) come up and said, ‘you know what … why aren’t we throwing?’ If anything, he’ll come up and say ‘why the heck are we throwing the ball, man? Give it to (Chris Park) and let him run.’

“It’s pretty special, you don’t get that very often, especially with 17 and 18 year old kids. That’s one of the chemistry things that makes this team what it is.”

The loss to Dillon is the Bulldogs’ (10-1) only one this year. The Beavers (10-0) are unbeaten and as ruthless as they are balanced.

Quarterback Troy Andersen was 14 of 15 passing for 179 yards in Dillon’s 43-8 semifinal rout of Havre, when the Beavers also ran for 164 yards.

Ross praised Dillon’s coaching staff, including head coach Rick Nordahl, who Ross said laid the foundation for the Bulldogs’ current defensive scheme at an offseason camp several years ago.

“I said ‘I really like what you did’ and he said ‘yeah, here are the reasons why’ and he kind of gave it to us,” Ross said of the teams’ shared defensive philosophies.

Whitefish made the trip to Dillon yesterday, and with a team loaded with seniors, Ross was asked if facing one final shot at a state title laid pressure at the Bulldogs’ feet.

“I look at it and it is their last and, yeah, there is some pressure, but it’s almost as if Dillon has really taken the pressure off of us,” he said.

“It’s their fifth time they’ve been in the show in a row, they’ve won three of the last four, they’re going for four of the last five. We’re playing almighty Dillon.

“I don’t know if we feel the pressure as much but we’re excited that we get the opportunity to go play.”

The game will be streamed live through the Montana High School Association website (www.mhsa.org) via the NFHS Network on a pay-per-view basis.

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