Whitefish rolls on homecoming, Bigfork earns first win

WHITEFISH — Luke Dalen and Brody Forthofer were tough to slow down Friday night in Northwest A football action.

Dalen had a hand in three touchdowns, and Forthofer scored three times as the Bulldogs (6-0 overall, 2-0 in Northwest A) rolled past Polson 49-3. 

Dalen completed 8 of 17 passes for 173 yards and collected 102 yards on the ground and Forthofer caught three passes for 93 yards. 

Whitefish opened the scoring on Dalen’s 49-yard touchdown run before Vance Schwaiger scored from 5-yards out in the second quarter. 

Polson (2-3, 1-1) answered with a 28-yard Roman Sawyer field goal, but Forthofer returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-3 halftime lead. 

Forthofer caught touchdown passes of 61 and 27 yards in the second half, while Sam Rainford and Schwaiger added rushing scores. 

Whitefish held Polson to 175 yards of offense and intercepted two passes. 

Whitefish    7    14    14    14    -    49 

Polson        0    3    0    0    -    3 

W — Luke Dalen 49 run (Owen Aldridge kick good) 

W — Vance Schwaiger 5 run (Aldridge kick blocked) 

P — Roman Sawyer 28 field goal 

W — Brody Forthofer 85 kickoff return (conversion good) 

W — Forthofer 61 pass from Dalen (Aldridge kick good) 

W — Sam Rainford 7 run (Aldridge kick good) 

W — Forthofer 27 pass from Dalen (Aldridge kick good) 

W — Schwaiger 9 run (Aldridge kick good) 

Bigfork 50, Libby 6 

LIBBY — Rye Rodriguez found the end zone three different ways as Bigfork picked up its first win of the season. 

Rodriguez returned a kickoff 63 yards for a touchdown, caught a 19-yard touchdown pass and added a 12-yard rushing score as the Vikings (1-4, 1-1) rolled past Libby. 

Alex Ochs threw three touchdown passes, connecting with Wyatt Daken, Rodriguez and Cavin Wiest. Quinn Kerr added a 57-yard touchdown run, while Cooper Porrovecchio returned an interception 60 yards for a score. 

Quinten Cossins scored the lone touchdown for the Loggers (1-4, 0-2). 

Bigfork    22    15    13    0    -    50

Libby    0    6    0    0    -    6 

B — Wyatt Daken 14 pass from Alex Ochs (Quinn Kerr kick good) 

B — Safety

B — Rye Rodriguez 63 return (Kerr kick failed) 

B — Rodriguez 19 pass from Ochs (Kerr kick good)

B — Kerr 57 run (conversion good)

B — Cavin Wiest 6 pass from Ochs (Kerr kick good)

L — Quinten Cossins 6 run (Conversion failed)

B — Rodriguez 12 run (Kerr kick good)

B — Cooper Porrovecchio 60 interception return (Kerr kick good) 

Columbia Falls 69, Ronan 0 

COLUMBIA FALLS — Banyan Johnston threw three touchdown passes and Tripp Ross rushed for two more to lead the Wildcats past the Chiefs. 

Johnston completed 9 of 11 passes for 191 yards, while Hayden Strandberg caught four passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Ross finished with 105 yards on 11 carries. 

Columbia Falls piled up 414 yards of offense and held Ronan to 122. Wyatt Nadeau returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and Connor Davis added a 71-yard punt return for a score. 

Columbia Falls    27    21    7    14    -    69 

Ronan    0    0    0    0    -    0 

CF — Banyan Johnston 56 pass to Hayden Strandberg (Tripp Ross kick good) 

CF — Ross 11 run (Ross kick good) 

CF — Johnston 9 pass to Strandberg (Ross kick good) 

CF — Zariah Graham 2 run (Ross kick failed) 

CF — Ross 2 run (Ross kick good) 

CF — Wyatt Nadeau 36 interception return (Ross kick good) 

CF — Johnston 21 pass to Kyler Voermans (Ross kick good) 

CF — Voermans 6 pass to Kris Davis (Ross kick good) 

CF — Magnus Magnuson 5 run (Ross kick good) 

CF — Connor Davis 71 punt return (Ross kick good)

    Whitefish High School senior running back Vance Schwaiger runs for a touchdown in the first half of a game against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
 Casey Kreider   

    Whitefish Bulldog senior Sam Rainford gains yards against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Whitefish Bulldog wide receiver Vlad Shestak hauls in a pass and gets both feet inbounds for a first down against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Whitefish High School Head Football Coach Brett Bollweg huddles with the team in a game against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
 Casey Kreider   

    The Whitefish High School student section cheers during the homecoming game against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Whitefish High School senior quarterback Luke Dalen drops back for a pass in a game against Polson at Memorial Field in Whitefish on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)
 Casey Kreider