Whitefish had a memorable finale at Hamilton in Friday's Class A football action. The Bulldogs survived a late rally from the Broncs when Leo Bungener blocked a potential game-tying extra point with seconds remaining to secure a 29-28 victory. 

With four lead changes, the Bulldogs showed a "real no quit attitude" throughout the game.  

Coach Brett Bollweg said, "We were fortunate to make some plays early. We jumped on a good Hamilton early, and then they kept fighting, and so did we. Keenan Curtiss had a strip sack, and we got the ball back. They were driving on us, and we held tough, and then we came back."  

Quarterback Luke Dalen completed 9 of 16 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns while adding 91 rushing yards and another score on 17 carries. Senior Vlad Shestak caught four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a 71-yard completion on a trick play that helped spark the Bulldogs' fast start. 

The Bulldogs opened the game with a "Philly Special" as Shestak took a reverse and found Dalen for a 71-yard gain. Two plays later, Dalen powered in from 4 yards out and the extra point gave Whitefish a 7-0 lead. 

After recovering a Hamilton fumble, the Bulldogs capitalized again. Facing third-and-15, Dalen connected with Shestak for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was missed, but Whitefish still held a 13-0 advantage less than four minutes into the game. 

Hamilton settled in defensively and climbed back into contention late in the first half. Bronc quarterback Cooper Weston scored on a 4-yard run and then added the two-point conversion himself, cutting the deficit to 13-8 before halftime. 

The Broncs carried that momentum into the third quarter. Jude Widmer broke free for a 29-yard touchdown run and the extra point gave Hamilton its first lead of the night at 15-13. 

Whitefish responded. Dalen found Shestak for a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the Bulldogs converted the two-point attempt when Dalen connected with Rainford to reclaim a 21-15 lead. 

Hamilton answered with a 4-yard touchdown run from Widmer, followed by the extra point, pushing the Broncs back in front 22-21 heading into the final quarter. 

The Bulldogs delivered a drive midway through the fourth. Dalen converted a key third down, then capped the possession with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Curtiss. Whitefish added another two-point conversion on a Dalen-to-Shestak connection to extend the lead to 29-22. 

Hamilton's final drive set up a dramatic finish. The Broncs marched down the field and scored on a direct-snap touchdown run by Weston in the closing seconds, trimming the margin to 29-28. 

Hamilton initially appeared to convert a go-ahead two-point try, but a penalty took them out. Forced to kick the extra point instead, the Broncs saw Bungener break through and block the attempt, preserving the Whitefish victory. 

"It was pandemonium," Bollweg said. "All the good kinds of pandemonium. It was fun way to finish the game, to bounce back after we miss a bunch of tackles and they sneak in, but we get another chance."  

Hamilton finished with 220 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Weston completed 19 of 41 passes for 167 yards. 

In addition to Dalen and Shestak's big nights, Whitefish received 29 receiving yards from Rainford and a touchdown catch from Curtiss. 

The Bulldogs (2-0) have their first home game of the season on Friday against Corvallis. Scheduled is a class of 1986 reunion and future dogs night.  

"This being our last season at Memorial Field is something that we want to make special, and that starts on Friday," Bollweg said.  

W-  13   0    8    8   29 

H-    0    8   14  6   28 

W passing 

Dalen- 9/16, 158, 3 tds 

Shestak- 1/1, 71 yds 

H passing  

Weston- 19/41, 167 

W rushing 

Dalen- 17 for 91, 1 td 

Shestak- 3 for 16 

Schwaiger- 5 for 14 

Forthofer- 2 for 13 

Alton- 1 for 0 

Rainford- 2 for 11 

H rushing 

36 for 220, 4 tds 

W receiving 

Shestak- 4 for 92, 2 td 

Dalen- 1 for 71 

Rainford- 2 for 29 

Curtiss- 1 for 14 

Schwaiger- 1 for 6 

Alton- 1 for 2