The Whitefish Bulldogs will finally get to show the work they’ve been putting in this summer in the first football game of the season this Friday in Hamilton.

Kick-off is at 6 p.m. 

“We’re in a good place. We have a bunch of kids coming back with a lot of playing time last year,” said Brett Bollweg, head football coach for Whitefish High School.  

Whitefish ended the 2023 season 4-6 overall and 3-1 in Northwest A conference action. The Bulldogs were bounced in the first round of the playoffs in a tough 42-0 loss to rival Columbia Falls. 

The team graduated 13 seniors from last year, including All-State selections Mason Kelch and Dane Hunt. 

“We’ve lost some skilled players, but it’s one of those years where it doesn’t feel like we’ve lost our whole team. We’re spread out, so we’ll have some key role players back as well as new key players stepping up. We’ll see who rises to the occasion,” Bollweg said.  

Bulldogs quarterback Carson Gulick will be one of the key returning players. Gulick earned All-Conference honorable mention for his play last season. 

“He’s primed up and has put in a lot of work getting ready for the season,” Bollweg said. 

The coach is expecting a tough match up with Hamilton. The Broncs were 6-2 overall last season and finished third in the southwest A conference behind Dillon and Corvallis. Whitefish lost to Hamilton 21-7 in the season-opener last year. 

“They’re well coached and the kids play hard. It’s going to be a great challenge and a great test to see where we’re at as well,” he said. 

Dillon won the Class A title last year, narrowly defeating Columbia Falls in the championship game. 

Bollweg is looking forward to seeing how the Class A teams stack up this year. 

“The first game is always exciting because you get to see what we have and what we might have a chance to be. You go in blind, because in Class A things change, but I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can do,” Bollweg said.