Bulldogs rally late to edge Vikings in regular-season finale
BRANDON HANSEN For the Eagle | Bigfork Eagle | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
Bigfork tight end Austin Savik (32) picks up yardage after a reception in the second half against Whitefish at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork defenders Austin Savik (32) and Dane Carlsen (34) pursue Whitefish running back Cole Moses (32) on a run in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork running back Tayden West (33) is tackled by Whitefish defensive back Cooper Akey (12) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork quarterback Cole Schmit (1) throws under pressure from Whitefish linebacker Jordan Harmon (7) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork linebacker Austin Savik (32) celebrates after tackling Whitefish running back Cole Moses (32) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork running back Treker Hickey (31) breaks into the Whitefish secondary on a run in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork quarterback Cole Schmit (1) picks up yardage on a run in the first half against Whitefish at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork tight end Austin Savik (32) catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against Whitefish at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork tight end Austin Savik (32) and Whitefish defensive back Vlad Shestak (5) vie for a deflected pass in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork defenders stop a run by Whitefish quarterback Luke Dalen (10) in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
The Bigfork Vikings saw an 11-point fourth-quarter lead slip away Friday night as Whitefish rallied for two late touchdowns to escape with a 22-21 victory in the Northwest A regular-season finale.
Bigfork (5-3, 3-2 Northwest A) appeared in control after Tayden West powered into the end zone from a yard out late in the third quarter, extending the Vikings’ advantage to 21-10. But the Bulldogs found a late spark behind senior running back Cole Moses, who carried the load in the final period.
Moses rumbled for 98 rushing yards and scored on a 1-yard plunge with 6:36 left to cut Bigfork’s lead to 21-16. Whitefish’s defense forced a punt on the next series, and quarterback Luke Dalen capped a game-winning drive with a 2-yard keeper that gave the Bulldogs (6-2, 4-1) their first lead since the opening quarter.
The Vikings had controlled the tempo for much of the night behind their ground game. Treker Hickey opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, finishing with 134 rushing yards on the night. Quarterback Cole Schmit added a 5-yard touchdown pass to Austin Savik just before halftime, pushing Bigfork ahead 14-10 at the break.
Schmit completed 13 of 23 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 56 more. West added 48 yards on the ground to complement Hickey’s output.
Whitefish’s offense came alive after halftime, with Dalen throwing for 118 yards and a touchdown and adding 69 rushing yards. His first-quarter strike to Vlad Shestak and a 34-yard field goal from Tait Orme had given the Bulldogs an early lead before Bigfork surged ahead with 14 unanswered points.
The Vikings’ hopes for a final drive ended when Whitefish recovered the ensuing squib kickoff following Dalen’s go-ahead score. The Bulldogs earned one last first down and ran out the clock.
Despite the loss, Bigfork secures the No. 3 seed out of the Northwest A and will travel to Hamilton for the opening round of the Class A playoffs on Friday, October 31 at 7 p.m.
Bigfork defenders Austin Savik (32) and Dane Carlsen (34) pursue Whitefish running back Cole Moses (32) on a run in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork running back Tayden West (33) is tackled by Whitefish defensive back Cooper Akey (12) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork quarterback Cole Schmit (1) throws under pressure from Whitefish linebacker Jordan Harmon (7) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork linebacker Austin Savik (32) celebrates after tackling Whitefish running back Cole Moses (32) in the second half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork running back Treker Hickey (31) breaks into the Whitefish secondary on a run in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork quarterback Cole Schmit (1) picks up yardage on a run in the first half against Whitefish at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork tight end Austin Savik (32) catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against Whitefish at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork tight end Austin Savik (32) and Whitefish defensive back Vlad Shestak (5) vie for a deflected pass in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Bigfork defenders stop a run by Whitefish quarterback Luke Dalen (10) in the first half at Bigfork High School on Friday, Oct. 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider