Fresh off a bye, Columbia Falls is ready to extend its season as the Wildcats battle East Helena in the Class A football quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m.

It will be a tall ask: The Vigilantes come to the Flathead Valley 8-2 with a 40-8 victory over the Wildcats earlier this year, in a lightning delayed matchup on Sept. 12. 

Since that matchup Columbia Falls is unbeaten, running the table in Northwest A play to take a 5-3 record into the playoffs. 

“Hopefully we can win one more to get one more,” second-year Wildcats coach Kelly Houle said. “In the playoffs, it’s the second season and your 0-0.”  

Banyan Johnston leads the Wildcats offense, throwing for 1,611 yards and 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions, with one coming in the first matchup with East Helena. He has thrown three touchdowns in each of the last five games. 

Out wide, Easton Brooks and Jory Hill headline the receiving corps for Columbia Falls. Hill averages 56 yards per game with Brooks right behind at 53 with six touchdowns. 

“We are taking one practice at a time, one day at a time,” Brooks said. “We had a bye week gratefully last week, so each day coaches make the point to ‘win the day.’ ”  

Trip Ross guides the running game with 84.6 yards per game and seven rushing scores. 

On defense, Daniel Contreras has six sacks for the Wildcats. 

East Helena defeated Glendive in the first round 54-22 to secure its spot in Friday’s game.  

East Helena’s Bearek Shuman is fourth among all quarterbacks with 2,169 passing yards. He has 24 touchdowns, including three against Columbia Falls in September. 

Leo Longcake provides a rushing spark for the Vigilantes with 1,164 yards on the ground — good enough for second in Class A behind Laurel’s Curtis Fox — and 20 touchdowns.