Columbia Falls gears up for NWA football opener against Polson

(From the Daily Inter Lake - Sports editor David Lesnick)

No, that zero for points allowed is not a typo.

Far from it.

Fifth-ranked Polson's defense has been that stubborn and difficult to score on during the first three weeks of Class A football play.

The Pirates have crushed, in order, Belgrade 40-0, Hamilton 41-0 and Anaconda 44-0.

Up next is Columbia Falls.

"They have been very impressive defensively," Columbia Falls coach Bill Coleman said. "They are tough in the red zone and they play good defense in the open field. We absolutely have our work cut out for us."

Today's kickoff at Satterthwaite Field is 7 p.m. It's also homecoming for the Wildcats.

This is the Northwestern A opener for all schools.

Columbia Falls enters with a 2-1 nonconference mark and is coming off a 38-0 triumph over Browning last week.

"One of most impressive defensive outings I've seen in my 26 years of coaching, " Coleman said. "We allowed only 38 yards (10 rushing and 28 passing) on 70 plays and had a couple defensive scores."

Dan Jones, a senior linebacker, took both a fumble 16 yards and an interception 25 yards to the end zone.

Offensively, quarterback Austin Barth had his best game of the fall campaign, passing for two touchdowns and running for another.

Columbia Falls opened its season by topping Corvallis 14-6 and losing to Stevensville 34-14.

"We're still sputtering," Coleman said of the offense. "Mentally as much as anything else, we just haven't been very sharp. Penalties, missed assignments, we‘ve been our own worst enemy. We have faced a lot of third and long. That is not a good position for any offense."

As a result, Coleman said the Wildcats have focused on cleaning up those errors this week.

"We have to get back to disciplined football," he said. "Making sure we're taking care of assignments and not shooting ourselves in the foot."

That also means not turning the ball over. The Wildcats have had at least one in every game to date.

Coleman says Polson is just as impressive on the other side ball. Led by senior quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo, the Pirates are a scoring machine.

"They are explosive because of Vince DiGiallonardo," Coleman said. "He's a phenomenal athlete. You can't stop a kid like Vince, but you have to figure out a way to contain him."

DiGiallonardo leads the league in scoring, 50 points, is third in rushing, 255 yards on 34 carries (7.5 yards per carry average) and eight touchdowns and is fifth in passing, 11 out of 24 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

Barth, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound senior, is third in passing, 23 of 54 for 294 yards and four touchdowns.

Barth will play his football next fall at Montana State University.

"Hopefully ours (Barth) will have a little better protection so he has time to throw the ball and show what he's capable of doing," Coleman said.

"It's nothing physical," Coleman said of the line play. "Missed assignments ... just mental."

NOTE: This game has special meaning for Coleman and the DiGiallonardos. "It's a family affair," Coleman said. "Vince is my third cousin. His dad Tom and I grew up together, we coached together in the past. When we get together for this rivalry, that's the connection. It's a fun aspect of this game." Columbia Falls knocked off Polson a year ago in Polson when the Pirates where ranked No. 4. It was also the Pirates homecoming. "I'm sure this is a red-letter game for them," Coleman said. "I'm sure they would like to come in here and spoil our homecoming like we did to them last year."