On Friday, Bigfork faced Columbia Falls in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Bigfork Vikings & Valkyries were outmatched by the Columbia Falls Wildcats on the road and fell 43-14. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Vikings & Valkyries of the 52-30 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2023.
Despite the loss, Bigfork still got an impressive performance from Treker Hickey, who rushed for 146 yards while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
Columbia Falls found their leader in sophomore Banyan Johnston, who rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. That's the most rushing yards Johnston has posted since back in October of 2023. Jory Hill got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Bigfork has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-3 record this season. As for Columbia Falls, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 5-2.
Bigfork will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Whitefish at 7:00 p.m. on November 1st. Whitefish's defense has only allowed 15 points per game this season, so Bigfork's offense will have their work cut out for them. Columbia Falls has already played their next contest, a 45-8 win against Ronan on the 25th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
