Third-quarter burst sends Columbia Falls to semifinals
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 27 minutes AGO
COLUMBIA FALLS — The Wildcats saved their best answers for after halftime.
Trip Ross, Daniel Contreras and Jory Hill scored during a 21-point third quarter Friday, breaking a halftime tie and sending Columbia Falls past Hardin 35-22 and into the Class A football semifinals for the first time since 2023.
Getting there took some work first.
Three holding calls couldn’t keep Hardin (8-3) out of the end zone on its opening drive. Carlos Pisano went up for Cale Nedens’ pass and took it the distance for a 74-yard touchdown. A two-point run put the Bulldogs up 8-0.
Ross answered with a 14-yard touchdown run up the middle and kicked the extra point to bring the Wildcats (8-1) within one. A high snap on a Hardin punt attempt gave Columbia Falls the ball at the Bulldogs’ 22 early in the second quarter. Ross went right back up the middle, this time from 10 yards out, to put the Wildcats ahead 14-8.
Nedens answered with an 8-yard keeper with 4:50 left in the half, tying the game 14-14 after a failed two-point attempt. Hardin later sacked Banyan Johnston to hault the Wildcats' final drive before halftime.
"They played a lot faster than we thought they did," said Columbia Falls coach Kelly Houle.
At halftime, Houle told the Wildcats to stay the course. Johnston took a moment for himself.
"I just said a prayer, I was like, let me go out there and play like myself," Johnston said. "I was still confident; the whole team was confident."
Johnston found Hayden Strandberg and Hill on the opening drive of the second half before Ross took it in from 20 yards out. His third touchdown came just 54 seconds into the quarter. The senior finished with 101 yards on 18 carries.
On Hardin’s next possession, Contreras scooped up a fumble and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown as the Wildcats extended the lead to 28-14 before their offense took the field a second time.
When it did, Hill took a screen from Johnston 34 yards for a touchdown. In a span of 5:19, the Wildcats lead ballooned to 35-14.
“We never stopped, came out of half, two touchdowns real quick,” said Ross.
Johnston completed 14 of 23 passes for 159 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Hill caught six passes for 80 yards. Strandberg added five catches for 62 yards.
Nedens scored from 4 yards out with 8:41 left, and a two-point pass cut the lead to 35-22. Hardin recovered a backward pass on Columbia Falls’ next possession to give Nedens another shot with 6:30 to play. Strandberg intercepted Nedens with 4:16 left to end the threat.
“I thought our kids were resilient,” Houle said. “There were some things that didn’t go our way, but you know what? We were resilient. I am very proud.”
Nedens ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and threw for 198 yards and another score. Pisano caught five passes for 150 yards, and Tyran Joe ran for 96 yards on 10 carries.
Columbia Falls travels to Sidney (10-0) for a 7 p.m. semifinal next Friday. The Wildcats won a semifinal at Sidney 17-0 in 2017, a week before claiming their first state championship.
Hardin 8 6 0 8 - 22
Columbia Falls 7 7 21 0 - 35
H — Carlos Pisano 74 pass from Cale Nedens (2-point run good), 8:00.
CF — Trip Ross 14 run (Ross kick), 3:45.
CF — Ross 10 run (Ross kick), 8:52.
H — Nedens 8 run (2-point failed), 4:50.
CF — Ross 20 run (Ross kick), 11:06.
CF — Daniel Contreras 50 fumble return (Ross kick), 7:45.
CF — Jory Hill 34 pass from Banyan Johnston (Ross kick), 5:47.
H — Nedens 4 run (2-point pass good), 8:41.
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Hardin — Cale Nedens 26-109, Tyran Joe 10-96, Sam Koyama 3-15. Columbia Falls — Trip Ross 18-101, Banyan Johnston 12-33.
PASSING: Hardin — Cale Nedens 9-23-1 for 198 yards. Columbia Falls — Banyan Johnston 14-23-1 for 159 yards.
RECEIVING: Hardin — Carlos Pisano 5-150, Tyran Joe 1-20, Bruno Pallone 1-14, Markuz Brien 1-2. Columbia Falls — Jory Hill 6-80, Hayden Strandberg 5-62, Kris Davis 1-11, Kyler Voermans 1-6, Daniel Contreras 1-0.