Glacier preps for tough test at Missoula Big Sky
There’s one more big hurdle between Glacier’s football team and its late season push for an ninth straight trip to the playoffs.
And that hurdle could show how much the Wolfpack (3-4) has improved over the last month.
Missoula Big Sky (6-2) and senior quarterback Levi Janacaro have given defenses trouble on the ground the last two seasons, but the 6-foot, 218-pound bruiser has rounded out the Eagles attack with a potent passing game this year.
Janacaro has run for 1,324 yards this season, more than 165 a game, and has been keeping teams honest on defense. Against Flathead two weeks ago, Janacaro completed just three passes, but two of them were touchdowns, a 22-yarder to Rylan Wilcox and a 44-yarder to Ben Meahl.
That has translated into the state’s No. 3 scoring offense, with Janacaro accounting for 21 touchdowns by himself.
“He’s one of those special athletes that doesn’t come along very often in (Class) AA,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “He’s just so unique with his size and speed. Just the way he plays the game. He’s really throwing it well this year, too.
“You’re not going to stop him, obviously, but if we can just contain him and limit the big play (we’ll win). I think we did a good job last week with Schneider. It’s a bend, but don’t break in a sense and limiting those big plays. We have to do the same thing.”
Glacier has won its last three games after losing its first four, and has looked impressive on offense. The Wolfpack defense has been strong against the run and saw an uptick in special teams in last week’s win at Helena Capital.
Where it has struggled is on third down and against play action, spots where it will be stressed against the Eagles.
“The main thing with (Janacaro) is he can extend plays,” Bennett said. “It’s so hard to get him down with one guy, sometimes two or three, he can just keep plays alive. We have struggled a bit with that. Our DBs are going to have to stay locked on. They can’t lose their guy, they’ve got to stay in coverage for potentially a long time until the play is over.”
Glacier’s offense has been equally potent in its winning streak, averaging 456 yards a game, including 383 yards against the state’s top defense last week at Capital. Quarterback Evan Todd has averaged 220 yards passing in the stretch, which has opened up lanes for running back Drew Turner, who has run for nearly 200 yards a game.
“Offensively, our excution is by leaps and bounds better every week,” Bennett said. “That’s fun for the kids. They see that, they know that. They start to get a sense of how good they can be, how good they can play. It’s fun for them, because then practice is fun. You’re excited to go out there and keep working hard. Especially when you start 0-4 and it finally starts to click and you see the offense take shape. You just want to keep it going.”
The defense, stout against the run, has been able to limit opposing offenses just enough to pull out victories the last two weeks.
“It’s just finally finding a way to win,” Bennett said. “Early on we weren’t. Now, we’re finally finding a way to get it done. Whatever it takes. We really did that against GFH and last week every time it seemed like it may be in jeopardy, the guys found ways to step up and get that W.”
If Glacier can find a way to win against Big Sky, it would put itself in the driver’s seat to clinch a playoff seed at home in the final week. The Wolfpack plays winless Missoula Hellgate in the final week and could finish the season with five straight wins to lock up a likely 7- or 8-seed in the playoffs.
Tonight’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at Missoula County Stadium. It will be broadcast in the Flathead on 103.9 FM The Monster.