Class AA football playoffs wide open
By JOSEPH TERRY
The Daily Inter Lake
The loss of a game by four of 14 schools has left the Class AA playoffs wide open with one week to play in the regular season.
So far, six teams have clinched a playoff spot, but there are still two open spots for five teams. The final seeding is still open for all but the top spot, which was clinched by Billings Senior (9-0) last week.
The lost game leaves four teams in the playoff hunt with only nine games. As a remedy, Class AA chose to make win percentage the first tiebreaker this season, leaving the clubs with only nine games with either a slight advantage or a cruel missed opportunity.
Flathead (5-3) clinched its place in the dance last week with a win over Missoula Hellgate. The Braves could earn as high as a No. 4 seed and a home playoff game if the results break correctly, starting most importantly with the result of its own game at Helena High (7-1) tonight.
If Flathead wins, coupled with losses from Helena Capital (6-3) and Billings West (6-3), the Braves would host a playoff game for the first time since 2005.
A win doesn’t guarantee home field in the playoffs, however, with wins from either Capital or West knocking Flathead down to a fifth seed and wins from both leaving the Braves with the sixth seed.
The best Flathead could do with a loss is the sixth seed, given that Missoula Sentinel (4-4) loses to Helena Capital. If Sentinel beats Capital and Flathead loses, the Braves would be left with the seventh seed. Sentinel, would own a tiebreaker if both teams finish at 5-4, by virtue of having the strongest win, in this case against Capital.
Sentinel, which didn’t get to play its scheduled game against Flathead because of terror threats in the Flathead Valley, could finish as high as the sixth seed or be completely eliminated.
Glacier’s rough start to the season, coupled with a narrow loss last week at Missoula Big Sky, has left the Wolfpack in a precarious position, but not completely hopeless.
The Wolfpack can still get in the playoffs, and has the easiest matchup of the final weekend, playing host to winless Hellgate.
If Glacier is able to win, it would be in the playoffs with losses from either Sentinel (4-4) or Bozeman (4-5). If both teams lost, Glacier would even vault to the seventh seed and save a longer trip to Billings for at least a week.
A win alone doesn’t get Glacier in however. If both Sentinel and Bozeman win, Glacier will be left outside of the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
A loss, however unlikely, would completely doom Glacier’s chances and leave the Wolfpack on the outside looking in.
The same fate holds for Skyview and Great Falls C.M. Russell, the latter of which has the longest shot of making the playoffs, needing a win, a Glacier loss and a Bozeman loss to ensure a three-way tie at 4-6 for the eighth seed. CMR would win that tiebreaker due to an early season win against Big Sky (7-2).
Class AA
Standings
Team Record
Billings Senior 9 0
Helena High 7 1
Missoula Big Sky 7 2
Helena Capital 6 3
Billings West 6 3
Flathead 5 3
Missoula Sentinel 4 4
Bozeman 4 5
Glacier 3 5
Billings Skyview 3 6
Great Falls C.M. Russell 3 6
Great Falls High 2 7
Butte 2 7
Missoula Hellgate 0 9
Playoff Scenarios
BILLINGS SENIOR (vs. Billings West)
— 9-0, Clinched playoff berth
— Clinched No. 1 seed
HELENA HIGH (vs. Flathead)
— 7-1, Clinched playoff berth
— Earns No. 2 seed with win
OR with loss AND Big Sky loss
— Earns No. 3 seed with loss AND Big Sky win
MISSOULA BIG SKY (at Butte)
— 7-2, Clinched playoff berth
— Earns No. 2 seed with win AND Helena loss
— Earns No. 3 seed with win AND Helena win
OR loss AND Capital loss
OR with loss AND Billings West loss
— Earns No. 4 seed with loss AND Billings West win AND Capital win (West holds tiebreaker in three-way tie at 7-3 via win over No. 1 Senior, Big Sky holds tiebreaker on Capital via head-to-head win)
HELENA CAPITAL (at Missoula Sentinel)
— 6-3, Clinched playoff berth
— Earns No. 4 seed with win AND Big Sky win (Capital holds tiebreaker over West in two-way tie at 7-3 via head-to-head win)
OR with loss AND West loss AND Flathead loss
— Earns No. 5 seed with win AND Big Sky win AND West win (West holds tiebreaker in three-way tie at 7-3 via win over No. 1 Senior, Big Sky holds tiebreaker on Capital via head-to-head win)
OR with loss AND West win AND Flathead loss
OR with loss AND West loss AND Flathead win
— Earns No. 6 seed with loss AND West win AND Flathead win
BILLINGS WEST (vs. Billings Senior)
— 6-3, Clinched playoff berth
— Earns No. 3 seed with win AND Big Sky loss AND Capital win (West holds tiebreaker in three-way tie at 7-3 via win over No. 1 Senior)
— Earns No. 4 seed with win AND Capital loss (Big Sky holds tiebreaker on West in two-way tie at 7-3 via head-to-head win)
— Earns No. 5 seed with loss AND Flathead loss
— Earns No. 6 seed with loss AND Flathead win AND Capital loss
FLATHEAD (at Helena High)
— 5-3, Clinched playoff berth
— Earns No. 4 seed with win AND Capital loss AND Billings West loss
— Earns No. 5 seed with win AND Capital win AND Billings West loss
OR with win AND Billings West win AND Capital loss
— Earns No. 6 seed with win AND Capital win AND Billings West win
OR with loss AND Sentinel loss
— Earns No. 7 seed with loss AND Sentinel win (Sentinel holds tiebreaker over Flathead in two-way tie at 5-4 via win over Helena Capital)
MISSOULA SENTINEL (vs. Helena Capital)
— 4-4
— Earns No. 6 seed with win AND Flathead loss (Sentinel holds tiebreaker over Flathead in two-way tie at 5-4 via win over Helena Capital)
— Earns No. 7 seed with win AND Flathead win
OR with loss AND Bozeman loss AND Glacier loss
— Earns No. 8 seed with loss AND Bozeman win AND Glacier loss
OR with loss AND Glacier win AND Bozeman loss
— Eliminated with loss AND Bozeman win AND Glacier win (Glacier holds tiebreaker in two-way tie at 4-5 via head-to-head win)
BOZEMAN (vs. Billings Skyview)
— 4-5
— Earns No. 7 seed with win AND Sentinel loss
— Earns No. 8 seed with loss AND Glacier loss
— Eliminated with loss AND Glacier win
GLACIER (vs. Missoula Hellgate)
— 3-5
— Earns No. 7 seed with win AND Sentinel loss AND Bozeman loss (Glacier holds tiebreaker in two-way tie at 4-5 via head-to-head win)
— Earns No. 8 seed with win AND Sentinel win AND Bozeman loss
— Eliminated with win AND Sentinel win AND Bozeman win
OR with loss
BILLINGS SKYVIEW (vs. Bozeman)
— 3-6
— Earns No. 8 seed with win AND Glacier loss AND CMR loss (Skyview holds tiebreaker in two-way tie at 4-6 via head-to-head win)
— Eliminated with win AND Glacier win
OR with win AND Glacier loss AND CMR win
OR with loss
GREAT FALLS CMR (vs. Great Falls High)
— 3-6
— Earns No. 8 seed with win AND Glacier loss AND Bozeman loss (CMR holds tiebreaker in three-way tie at 4-6 via win over Big Sky)
— Eliminated with win AND Glacier win
OR with win AND Bozeman win
OR with loss
ELIMINATED — Great Falls High, Butte, Missoula Hellgate