Class AA Football: Glacier visits Sentinel
The Daily Inter Lake
TODAY: Glacier Wolfpack (3-2) at No. 3-ranked Missoula Sentinel (4-1).
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. at Missoula County Stadium
LAST WEEK FOR GLACIER: In the third annual crosstown rivalry game, Glacier steamrolled Flathead 41-7 for its first win in the series. The running game, led by reliable running back Taylor Hart, totaled 249 yards and four touchdowns. Hart accounted for two (making that 10 on the season) and Shay Smithwick-Hann and Bryan Chery added one apiece. Hart had 77 yards on 13 carries and fellow tailback Wiley Fusaro notched 67 on 11 carries. On the other side of the ball, the defense held Flathead to under 100 yards rushing and had three interceptions, led by senior defensive back Justin Schenck, who had two.
LAST WEEK FOR SENTINEL: The Spartans continued their rise in Class AA with a dominating 46-14 home victory against Butte (0-5). Sophomore quarterback Riley King combined for four touchdowns and 320 yards (250 passing, 70 rushing), and the Spartans tallied 202 yards rushing with four players taking significant carries.
MIRROR IMAGE: This isn't the same Sentinel squad that struggled through one winless season after another. In five year's time, head coach Pete Joseph has turned the culture around at Sentinel and has the Spartans on the way to their first playoff berth in 20 years. The first time the Spartans crossed paths with Glacier was in 2007, when Sentinel snapped a 32-game losing streak that dated back five seasons with a win over the Wolfpack. "I think Coach (Pete) Joseph has done an incredible job with the program," Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. "You gotta give him a lot of credit. He hung in there those first couple years and kept believing in what he was doing and they kept plugging away. He got some good people around him and they just built it. And now they're a legitimate contender." In many ways, it's a similar story compared with Glacier's, and Bennett doesn't think the Wolfpack are too far behind. "I do think they're not that far ahead of us," Bennett said.
KEY TO WINNING: "Sentinel's probably as athletic as any team in the state," Bennett said. "Watching film this week, across the board their fronts, their backs, their secondary, their wide receivers, they are athletic." Everyone has heard of the Glacier passing attack, but so far it's been the diverse running game that has carried the Wolfpack. With Hart, Fusaro and Smithwick-Hann sharing the most carries, Glacier has three different types of backs that mix power, agility and speed thanks to a burly offensive line opening the door. "The mix of our running game is tough," Bennett said.
LAST YEAR'S GAME: In the second to last game of the season, Sentinel (5-5) outlasted Glacier (2-8) with a 42-28 victory at Legends Stadium. The Spartans grabbed the momentum early after scoring 20 points in the first quarter. The running attack is what did in Glacier as Sentinel tacked on 258 yards on 50 carries. Glacier's passing game was on cue and Smithwick-Hann totaled 203 yards and three touchdowns.