Wolfpack to 'let it fly' against Bruins
What kind of advice did David get before facing Goliath?
Let if fly.
That's the same advice Glacier football coach Grady Bennett is giving junior quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann and the tenacious Wolfpack as they prepare to take on two-time defending state champion and undefeated Helena Capital tonight in Helena at 7 p.m.
"The key for Shay is to compete," Bennett said after practice this week. "When he's playing careful, he's not as efficient. I just tell him 'Let it fly.'"
The Wolfpack (2-3) are at the season's halfway point tied with three other schools, and have realistic dreams of playing in November's playoffs.
But in Class AA, all playoff roads eventually run through Helena.
"Our next two games are against real good football teams," said Bennett, whose team faces both Helena schools back-to-back. "The key for us is to not worry about who we're facing. We need to just worry about us. Our goal is just to get better."
The Capital Bruins (5-0) have won five state championships since 1999, including the last two. The offense scores more than any other team in AA, averaging over 36-points per game, while the defense has kept opponents to an average of under two-touchdowns per game.
The Capital offense is led by senior quarterback Mathew Reyant, who has proven to be an air-to-ground threat, something the Wolfpack have struggled against.
Last week, No.2-ranked Billings West appeared to have found a chink in Goliath's armor, and took a 21 point lead into halftime. Then Reyant took over. He threw for 197 yards and ran for another 50, but it was the final 1:32 that appears to define his season so far.
With no timeouts left, he marched the Bruins down the field and hit Josh Dirks (one of two top-notch receivers for whom Glacier will need to find an answer, the other being Matt Miller) in the end zone as the final second dropped. Then, down by one point, head coach Pat Murphy gambled on a 2-point conversion. Reyant snuck the ball through his senior-loaded offensive line to win the game 22-21 and remain the only undefeated team in AA.
But enough about Goliath.
The Glacier defense has forced top-ranked teams to put together lengthy drives in order to score.
"Our defense has played a lot of football this season and they've made other teams drive all the way down the field," Bennett said.
Senior defensive back Taylor Graham leads the secondary with two interceptions this season.
In the last two games, Glacier's defense has held opponents to under two touchdowns in the first half. But short drives offensively have left the worn-out defense on the field more than Bennett would like.
The key to this game, he said, is keeping the offense on the field, thus resting his defense.
An offensive tool Bennett has been trying to use any-which-way is senior Phil Heimerl, who's been returning kickoffs. Heimerl has been on the cusp of taking one all the way in several games this season, but hasn't been able to quite yet.
Running backs Taylor Hart and Wiley Fusaro won't be running into the best defense in the league (Great Falls) this week and look to find their feet in the end zone again.
Then there's Smithwick-Hann, who is quietly putting together a stat-packed season at quarterback, ranking third in AA behind Flathead's Brock Osweiler and Great Falls CMR's Dan Olinger. Smithwick-Hann has thrown nine touchdowns and just one interception and Bennett thinks he can do even better than that.
"Shay's capable of making some big plays," Bennett said.
Against Hellgate earlier this season, Smithwick-Hann did just that. He threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns.
But more importantly for his team, it won the game.
"Team comes first," Bennett said.
This mentality is evident in almost every aspect of Glacier's program, which is why at the start of every game, Glacier neglects starter introductions and bursts onto the field as a team.
"I tell the guys 'If you want to hear your name over the loud speaker, make a play," Bennett said.
Reporter Dillon Tabish may be reached at 758-4463, or by e-mail at dtabish@dailyinterlake.com