Rams best Cats in quarters

The Columbia Falls boys soccer season came to a close Saturday as they lost to Billings Central in the first round of the state A playoffs, 4-0.

The young Wildcats hung in there with the Rams in the first half, down just 1-0.

But Central added three goals in 16 minutes in the second half to shut the door. Cal Weisen had a hat trick for the Rams.

“Our strategy was to negate their strengths and capitalize on our strengths,” noted coach O’Brien Byrd.

That worked for most of the first half, but in the second, the young team faltered.

“We were in it until that second goal,” Byrd noted.

While the game didn’t end the way they hoped, the future looks bright. They lose just three seniors to graduation and in the last 16 minutes of the game, they played four freshmen, which shows just how young this team is. This game provided excellent postseason experience.

Columbia Falls had eight shots on goal, while Central had 20. It was a physical game, with 24 fouls between the two teams.

The Cats finish the year at 8-5-1.