Columbia Falls Beats Sidney to Reach State a Championship Game

Columbia Falls defeated Sidney 34-13 on Friday to advance to the State A championship game.

The Wildcats, who entered the semifinal with a 10-1 record, ended Sidney’s undefeated season on the road. This victory earns Columbia Falls the right to host the title game at home on Friday, Nov. 20.

While Sidney opened the game with a scoring drive featuring 10 runs and a 21-yard touchdown pass, the momentum shifted quickly toward the Wildcats. According to Hungry Horse News, Trip Ross scored a 32-yard touchdown run as the first quarter expired to tie the game.

The defensive performance proved to be the deciding factor in the contest. The Wildcats’ defense held Sidney to just 10 rushing yards during the second half, effectively neutralizing an Eagles offense that had been prolific throughout the season.

“I thought we controlled the ball really well, we possessed the ball really well,” Columbia Falls coach Kelly Houle said by phone Friday, according to dailyinterlake.com.

Columbia Falls capitalized on multiple turnovers to build a decisive lead. Banyan Johnston intercepted an Aiden Anderson pass on Sidney’s following possession, which set up a 33-yard touchdown run by Ross to give the Wildcats a 14-7 lead, Hungry Horse News reported.

Columbia Falls Beats Sidney to Reach State a Championship Game

The second quarter saw further defensive dominance. Jory Hill intercepted another Anderson pass, leading to a 4-yard touchdown run by Johnston. Shortly before halftime, Hill caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Johnston with only one second remaining in the half, extending the lead to 28-7, dailyinterlake.com reported.

The statistical breakdown of the game highlights the gap in efficiency between the two sides:

Statistic	Columbia Falls	Sidney
Total Offense	405 yards	183 yards
Second Half Rushing	N/A	10 yards
Passing Yards (Leader)	252 (Johnston)	99 (Anderson)

Individual performances were central to the victory. Johnston accounted for 252 passing yards and 87 rushing yards, while Ross added 173 rushing yards and several key tackles, Hungry Horse News reported. Dailyinterlake.com said that Johnston also recorded 119 yards on 16 carries.

Manhattan kansas arizona wildcats offense and kansas state wildcats defense on the field

The Wildcats will face East Helena in the final. East Helena secured their spot in the title game by defeating Hamilton 28-14 in their respective semifinal on Friday.

This marks the second time in four seasons that Columbia Falls has appeared in the State A title game. Their previous championship appearance resulted in a victory in 2017, according to dailyinterlake.com.

The championship game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.