Brett Bollweg had big shoes to fill when he took over the Whitefish Bulldogs football team, but any first-year head coach would benefit from having a three-year starter at quarterback.

“Makes it a lot easier,” Bollweg said of Fynn Ridgeway, now a senior signal-caller for the Bulldogs. “He’s not just a three-year starter, but a kid who wants so much more for himself and everyone around him.

“As talented a player as he is, he’s that much better as a leader and a person. He cares about people, in the right way. He’s the leader the coaches want him to be.”

Among the things he’s leading is all of Montana in rushing yards, with 747, on 9.3 yards a carry. Whitefish is 5-1 heading into a Friday home game with Libby, and Ridgeway is a big reason.

“He’s every bit of 200 pounds and runs the ball really well,” Bollweg said. “And it’d be pretty silly to not keep the ball in his hands as much as possible, as many plays as he makes.”

The son of a Missoula Sentinel quarterback, Ridgeway played a little receiver growing up in Whitefish, but when he reached middle school he gravitated naturally toward QB.

“You’re in control,” he said. “You get to manage the game. It puts you in some pretty high-pressure situations. You’re kind of forced to be the leader, because everybody’s looking at you, waiting for you to call the plays and make decisions. And I like that.”

Brad Ridgeway started for a couple injury-shortened years for the Sentinel Spartans, in 1988-89, before calling signals for Montana Western. Seeing his son play QB in Whitefish wasn’t by his design.

“That wasn’t the intention,” he said. “He does his own thing, and we kind of let him find his way.”

Then, in 2019, Fynn Ridgeway found his way into the starting lineup as a freshman.

“I was really really surprised,” said his dad. “”But he was also very determined. He went into it with a mindset, and I think that’s why he ultimately won over the coaches and ended up starting freshman year.”

In three-plus seasons the younger Ridgeway has piled up 4,996 passing yards and another 1,294 rushing. He’s thrown for 43 TDs and run for another 15. Each year the rushing totals have gone not just up, but way up.

“You know, I wasn’t thinking about stats or anything like that coming into the season,” Fynn Ridgeway said. “I wasn’t expecting to be rushing or running like I am right now. But it’s awesome.”

He’s more interested in wins, and In his time at QB the Bulldogs have gone 22-12. The program had to transition to a new coach after Chad Ross’s retirement following last year’s 7-3 campaign, but Whitefish hired from within and kept the rest of an experienced staff in place.

And Ridgeway took off.

“I think we’re in a good spot right now,” the quarterback said. “There were a lot of question marks, but I think we’ve battled and done a really good job. Losing to Dillon (26-9) was a tough way to start, but I’m really happy with the way we’ve grown and progressed.

“Playing Dillon and Frenchtown (a 24-13 road win), I’m pretty happy being 5-1 right now.”

It was the summer of 2021 when Ridgeway, a talented baseball player, started settling on college football for college. He has offers from three Frontier Conference schools — Western, Carroll College and Rocky Mountain College — and interest from NCAA Division II schools Mary in Bismarck, N.D., and Minnesota State-Moorhead.

“Obviously, it’s stressful,” the 18-year-old said of the recruiting process. “Especially when you’re younger. But it’s been a ton of fun watching everything unfold.”

He might study kinesiology, he says, or athletic training or business. He’ll figure it out, from the sounds of it.

“It’s been a joy and honor to watch him the last four years, and see what he’s grown into,” said his dad. “The thing I and his mom (Amy) are most proud of is the leader he’s become. His teammates like him and look up to him. It’s pretty special.”

“I really can’t say enough about what he’s meant to our program,” Bollweg said. “The character he’s shown and displayed, he’s a special kid. It’s not all about the plays on the field.”

The Bulldogs close the regular season with three 2021 playoff teams, starting with Libby. Road games at Columbia Falls and Polson follow.

“We’ve got a great challenge this week with Libby,” Bollweg said. “The rubber meets the road pretty soon and we’re excited to find out how we do.

“We have a chance to put on display the work these guys put in and see what happens.”

It follows that with Ridgeway, the Bulldogs just might find a way.