One Timer: No chance Scholz could pass this up

As Evergreen State and Spokane Falls Community College took the field for the second half of Saturday’s second match at the Glacier Park College Soccer Showcase, one substitution stood out from the rest.

Columbia Falls senior Jackson Scholz entered the game for the Sasquatch for the final 35 minutes.

“They reached out beforehand, and I got the gear and I was looking forward to playing with them,” Scholz said.

Scholz was the second leading scorer for the 2025 Wildcats, who fell in heartbreaking fashion in the Class A semifinals to eventual champion Polson, 7-6 in a shootout back in October.

The senior had an assist in the semifinals and finished the year with 13 goals and eight apples to put him fourth in Class A for points.

Saturday’s opportunity presented him with a sneak peak of the future as he prepares for college and continued play on the pitch.

“It was a lot more physical than I was used to,” Scholz said. “It was a lot more fast-paced, I assumed it was going to be, and it was a great time. I hope to do it again. I look forward to doing it again.”

Scholz was able to reconnect with a pair of old teammates on the opposing side with Finley Sundberg and Walt Nichols, both in their sophomore campaigns for the Geoducks (pronounced gooey-ducks).

“It was awesome going against some of my fellow teammates I had a few years back,” Scholz said.

Sundberg and Nichols were also appreciative of the ability to play in their backyard one more time in front of friends and family.

All three were a part of the Wildcats’ 2022 state championship run that finished with a 5-2 victory over Livingston.

The opportunity for Scholz came about thanks to a relationship with both coaches — both SFCC and Evergreen State are recruiting him — and Columbia Falls boys soccer coach O’Brien Byrd’s goal to inspire youth soccer players in the Flathead Valley.

Byrd helped to bring both squads along with Carroll College for a trio of games at Legends Stadium, along with a youth clinic held by Carroll on Sunday. Something he hopes to turn into a yearly event, alongside the women’s college matches that Columbia Falls has hosted the past two summers.

As for Scholz, where he will play in the fall is yet to be decided, and while he said Evergreen State and SFCC were recruiting him, he said he didn’t have a list of his top schools at this time.

One thing is for sure: regardless of his decision, this opportunity was one he wasn’t about to let slip.

Reporter Jon Allen can be reached at 406-758-4426 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.