Chiefs drop one to Cats

RONAN — In Ronan football team’s second appearance on their new turf, the Chiefs couldn’t muster a win.

Ronan lost 31-6 against Columbia Falls last Friday night in it’s homecoming game.

“We played well through two and a half quarters and then things just fell apart on us,” head coach Jim Benn said. “We had some breakdowns in coverage and gave up some long passes. That’s uncharacteristic of our kids because they’ve done a great job in coverage.”

An interception by junior defensive back Lucas Black gave the Chiefs good field position in the first quarter.

Senior running back Xavier Morigeau had a two-yard  touchdown run with 2:50 left in the first quarter. As it turned out, that would be all the points the Chiefs would score.

After trading possessions, Columbia Falls got on the board with 6:07 left in the second quarter on a 19-yard pass reception. The point after touchdown was good, giving the Wildcats a 7-6 lead. Columbia Falls would tack on another touchdown before half-time.

“We put ourselves in some bad situations,” Benn said. “Kids were missing some assignments and we didn’t block particularly well after the first quarter.”

The second half was more of the same, as long pass plays allowed Columbia Falls to score seven points in the third quarter and 10 more in the fourth. The offense couldn’t seem to get on track, despite Morigeau’s 100 yards rushing on 19 carries and his touchdown run.

“We’re gonna have to take care of the same issues,” Benn said. “We weren’t blocking correctly and we had turnover issues.”

The Chiefs will look to get back on track Friday night at Whitefish in another conference game.

“Whitefish has had pretty good success in the preseason,” Benn said. “They’re a solid, well coached team with a big backfield. They’re going to come at you. They play a simple base defense and they’re just gonna let their kids play ball.”

The loss drops the Chiefs to 2-3 overall, 0-1 in conference.