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Glacier's playoff hopes still alive, but must win out

by David Lesnick Daily Inter Lake
| October 17, 2018 11:02 PM

Two weeks to go and one thing is set — Class AA has six teams who have qualified for the upcoming postseason. In that group is fourth-ranked Flathead (6-2).

That leaves five teams, including Glacier (3-5), battling for the two remaining playoff spots in the eight-team field.

Glacier gets an early start this week on improving its playoff chances by hosting Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium. The game kicks off tonight at 7.

“I can’t tell you how good it was for the kids to finish last Friday night,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said of the 35-21 home victory over Helena Capital.

“They made the plays they needed to make to win the game. We scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and did a lot of good things.”

Bennett and his staff has emphasized finishing strong and the Wolfpack finally did just that to pick up the victory.

“They have put themselves in position to do something really special,” he said of possibly making the playoffs.

“I’m proud of them, want them to keep it going.”

Closing out with two wins — the finale is Oct. 25 at Missoula Hellgate, also a Thursday night affair — would put Glacier at 5-5. That record might be just good enough to make the postseason if everything else falls Glacier’s way.

“Playing from 1-5, continuing to show up with great attitudes, believing, bringing enthusiam, postive energy says a lot about these kids,” Bennett said.

“Sometimes you attach negativity with a (losing) record, but this is a good group of kids.”

Winning out against two teams at 2-6 won’t be easy.

“They are the ones who put us out of the playoffs last year,” Bennett said of Big Sky.

Glacier finished at 4-6 in 2017, missing the postseason after eight straight years.

“They always play so hard,” he said of the Eagles.

“They are scrappy, physical, always give you a dogfight. They play with great heart. We will be in for a great battle.”

Regarding a Thursday game ...

“It shortens it up,” he said of the practice week.

“You have to combine a couple days (into one). Everything is accelerated, gets put in so much faster. You want to keep building on a successful thing once you get things rolling.”

Hellgate snapped a losing streak that dated back to October of 2012 on Sept. 21 with a 28-20 victory over Great Falls C.M. Russell. The Knights beat Billings Skyview the following week 41-27.

Also on the schedule tonight is Bozeman (8-0) at Great Falls High (4-4) and CMR at Billings West (7-1).

Flathead plays Friday night with Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. It’s the second time the Braves have played at the stadium this fall, beating Missoula Sentinel 34-31 on Sept. 14.

The Braves conclude regular-season play Oct. 25 hosting fifth-ranked Helena High (6-2).

Postseason action begins Nov. 2 with the quarterfinals.

Billings Senior defeated Helena High 21-12 in last year’s championship game at Daylis Stadium in Billings.

Standings

Class AA

Overall

W L

*Bozeman 8 0

*Billings West 7 1

*Billings Senior 6 2

*Helena High 6 2

*Flathead 6 2

Great Falls High 4 4

Missoula Sentinel 4 4

Helena Capital 3 5

Butte 3 5

Glacier 3 5

Great Falls CMR 2 6

Missoula Big Sky 2 6

Missoula Hellgate 2 6

Billings Skyview 0 8

*Clinched playoff berth

This Week

Today

7 p.m. — Missoula Big Sky at Glacier

7 p.m. — Bozeman at Great Falls High

7 p.m. — Great Falls C.M. Russell at Billings West

Friday

7 p.m. — Flathead vs. Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium

7 p.m. — Billings Skyview at Butte

7 p.m. — Billings Senior at Helena Capital

7 p.m. — Helena High at Missoula Sentinel

Last Week

Flathead 38, Great Falls CMR 9

Glacier 35, Helena Capital 21

Billings Senior 42, Missoula Hellgate 6

Billings West 34, Missoula Sentinel 28

Bozeman 45, Missoula Big Sky 14

Butte 28, Great Falls 14

Helena High 57, Billings Skyview 14

Class A

Western Division

Northwestern

Conf. Overall

W L W L

Columbia Falls 4 0 6 1

Whitefish 3 1 5 3

Libby 3 1 4 4

Ronan 1 3 1 6

Browning 1 3 2 6

Polson 0 4 0 8

Friday’s Games

7 p.m. — Columbia Falls at Polson

7 p.m. — Browning at Ronan

7 p.m. — Whitefish at Libby

Last Week

Columbia Falls 40, Whitefish 7

Libby 54, Ronan 14

Browning 34, Polson 0

Southwestern

Conf. Overall

Hamilton 4 0 8 0

Dillon 4 0 6 1

Frenchtown 2 2 6 2

Corvallis 1 3 4 4

Butte Central 1 3 3 4

Stevensville 0 4 2 6

Eastern Division

Conf./Overall

W L

Billings Central 8 0

Laurel 7 1

Lewistown 6 2

Belgrade 5 3

Miles City 5 3

Sidney 3 5

Glendive 2 6

Livingston 2 6

Havre 2 6

Hardin 0 8

Class B

Western

Conf. Overall

W L W L

Missoula Loyola 5 0 7 1

Bigfork 4 1 6 1

Eureka 4 2 6 2

Florence 3 2 6 2

Deer Lodge 2 3 2 5

Thompson Falls 0 5 0 8

Anaconda 0 5 0 7

Friday

7 p.m. — Bigfork at Deer Lodge

7 p.m. — Missoula Loyola at Florence

7 p.m. — Thompson Falls at Anaconda

Eureka is idle

Last Week

Missoula Loyola 26, Bigfork 21

Eureka 45, Deer Lodge 12

Florence 49, Thompson Falls 6

Anaconda was idle

Northern

Conf. Overall

Fairfield 5 0 7 0

Glasgow 4 1 5 2

Malta 4 1 4 3

Cut Bank 3 3 4 4

Wolf Point 1 4 1 6

Conrad 1 4 1 6

Harlem 0 5 0 6

Southern

Conf. Overall

Big Timber 5 0 6 1

Manhattan 4 1 4 3

Townsend 3 2 4 3

Columbus 2 3 4 3

Three Forks 2 4 4 4

Whitehall 1 4 2 6

Jefferson 1 4 2 5

Eastern

Conf. Overall

Roundup 4 0 7 0

Colstrip 3 1 7 1

Huntley Project 3 1 5 2

Red Lodge 1 3 1 6

Shepherd 1 3 2 6

Baker 0 4 1 6

8 Man

West

Conf. Overall

W L W L

Drummond-Philipsburg 8 0 8 0

Charlo 6 2 6 2

Arlee 6 2 6 2

Alberton-Superior 6 2 6 2

St. Ignatius 4 4 4 4

Darby 4 4 4 4

Seeley-Swan 2 6 2 6

Victor 2 6 2 6

Plains 1 7 1 7

Troy 0 8 0 8

North

A Sub Division

Conf. Overall

Great Falls Central 5 0 7 1

Choteau 4 1 6 2

Chester-Joplin-Inverness 3 2 5 3

Belt 2 3 2 5

Box Elder 1 4 1 6

Hays-Lodgepole 0 5 1 5

B Sub Division

Conf. Overall

Shelby 6 0 7 0

Centerville 5 1 7 1

Chinook 4 2 4 4

Fort Benton 3 3 4 4

Simms 2 4 3 4

Cascade 1 5 1 7

Rocky Boy 0 6 0 6

South

Conf. Overall

Joliet 7 0 8 0

Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap 6 1 7 1

Ennis 5 2 5 3

Twin Bridges 4 3 4 4

Park City 3 4 3 4

Absarokee 2 5 2 6

Lone Peak 1 6 2 6

Harlowton 0 7 1 7

East

Conf. Overall

Fairview 8 0 8 0

Culbertson 7 1 7 1

Circle 6 2 6 2

Scobey 5 3 5 3

Broadus 5 3 5 3

Forsyth 3 5 3 5

Plentywood 3 5 3 5

Lame Deer 1 7 1 7

Lodge Grass 1 7 1 7

St. Labre 1 7 1 7

6 Man

West

Conf. Overall

W L W L

West Yellowstone 7 1 7 1

White Sulphur Springs 6 1 6 2

Hot Springs 6 1 8 1

Noxon 4 3 4 3

Valley Christian 4 3 4 4

Gardiner 2 5 2 6

Sheridan 2 5 3 5

Lincoln 1 6 1 6

Lima 0 7 0 7

North

Conf. Overall

Geraldine-Highwood 6 0 7 1

Big Sandy 5 1 5 2

Denton-Geyser-Stanford 4 2 5 3

Sunburst 4 2 5 3

Power-Dutton-Brady 2 4 4 4

Valier 2 4 3 5

North Star 1 5 1 5

Heart Butte 0 6 0 8

South

Conf. Overall

Grass Range-Winnett 8 0 9 0

Roy-Winifred 8 0 8 0

Bridger 6 2 7 2

Shields Valley 6 2 6 3

Reed Point-Rapelje 4 4 4 4

Fromberg 3 5 3 5

Plenty Coups 3 5 3 5

Broadview-Lavina 2 6 2 6

Northern Cheyenne 0 8 0 8

Custer-Hysham 0 8 0 8

East

Conf. Overall

Wibaux 6 0 7 0

Richey-Lambert 5 1 6 2

Jordan 4 2 6 2

Westby-Grenora 4 2 6 2

Savage 2 4 4 4

Bainville 2 4 4 4

Ekalaka 1 5 2 5

Froid-Lake 0 6 1 6

Rankings

By 406mtsports.com

Class AA

1. Bozeman (8-0)

2. Billings West (7-1)

3. Billings Senior (6-2)

4. Flathead (6-2)

5. Helena (6-2)

Class A

1. Hamilton (8-0)

2. Billings Central (8-0)

3. Columbia Falls (6-1)

4. Laurel (7-1)

5. Dillon (6-1)

Class B

1. Fairfield (7-0)

2. Roundup (7-0)

3. Missoula Loyola (7-1)

4. Bigfork (6-1)

5. Colstrip (7-1)

6. Big Timber (6-1)

7. Eureka (6-2)

8. Florence (6-2)

9. Huntley Project (5-2)

10. Glasgow (5-2)?

Class C 8-Man

1. Drummond-Philipsburg (8-0)

2. Shelby (7-0)

3. Fairview (8-0)

4. Joliet (8-0)

5. Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap (7-1)

6. Great Falls Central (7-1)

7. Charlo (6-2)

8. Culbertson (7-1)

9. Alberton-Superior (6-2)

10. Circle (6-2)

Class C 6-Man

1. Wibaux (7-0)

2. Geraldine-Highwood (7-1)

3. Grass Range-Winnett (9-0)

4. Hot Springs (8-1)

5. West Yellowstone (7-1)

6. Richey-Lambert (6-2)

7. Jordan (6-2)

8. Roy-Winifred (8-0)

9. Big Sandy (5-2)

10. Westby-Grenora (6-2)