Glacier pounds Hellgate

They didn't know it at the time, but the Glacier Wolfpack football team was giving its final performance at Legends Stadium this season - and it was a good one.

Senior quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann put the Wolfpack on top from the start and finished with 343 total yards and three touchdowns to lead playoff-bound Glacier to a 42-14 AA victory over Missoula Hellgate at home on Friday night.

As the game ended and the Glacier coaches and players met in celebration, the news came over the loudspeaker that despite a 7-3 record, the Wolfpack would be traveling to Billings Skyview for next week's first round playoff game instead of being able to host (the teams will play on Friday at 7 p.m.).

But as it's been shown throughout three hard-fought years at Glacier, it isn't easy sullying the Wolfpack spirits.

"We're excited," said Smithwick-Hann, who had 238 yards passing and 105 yards rushing. "It's how we wanted to end our season. We talked about going out in style and playing well and playing hard for our seniors and I feel like we did that tonight."

"Like we've said all along, we don't care where we go or who we play, we really feel good about the team that we have," Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.

Glacier rattled off 28 points in the first half while holding Hellgate (1-9) to eight total first downs. The Knights managed to sneak a couple big-play touchdowns by the Wolfpack, but after those wake-up calls, that was the end of that.

"Sometimes tonight, with the lead you can get kind of complacent and lackadaisical but like we talked about, we wanted to play our best game, so we just tried to keep motivating everyone to play as hard as they can every snap no matter what the scoreboard says," Smithwick-Hann said.

Glacier had a number of players step up and make key plays in pressure situations. Receiver Colter Hanson had another exceptional night that was underscored by an 18-yard diving catch on 4th and 10 in the red zone. On the next play, Glacier scored.

Not to be outdone, in the second quarter receiver Bryan Chery, with a defender glued to his side, made a 19-yard falling-over circus catch that started in his hands and ended between his knees as he hit the ground. After that, Wiley Fusaro shuffled around the defense and scored from 21 yards out to make it 21-7.

"That's what we ask from our guys all the time is to just make plays," Bennett said. "Play hard and make plays, and when you get guys making plays like that, that's how you keep drives alive."

The Wolfpack defense, led by hard-hitting seniors Connor Fuller and Garrett Conners, held Hellgate to 46 total yards in the second half.

"(Glacier) got it done and we wish them well in the playoffs," Hellgate coach R. L. Boyles said.

A year after going 2-8 on the season, Glacier finished the regular season with its first winning record and first ticket to the postseason.

"I'm just so proud of these kids. Seven and three is a great record and it's a great season for these guys," Bennett said. "When we put our blueprint in place and we talked about building a brand new program from scratch, we obviously thought we could be pretty good in year three, but you never know ... So for these guys in their third year to do so well is such a credit to them and the kind of group that they are."

Hellgate 7 7 0 0 - 14

Glacier 14 14 7 7 - 42

First quarter

G -Shay Smithwick-Hann 39 run (Brendan Hagen kick), 10:12

G - Taylor Hart 1 run (Hagen kick), 6:53

H - Steven DeYoung 27 run (Lee Fostin kick), 1:48

Second quarter

G - Wiley Fusaro 31 run (Hagen kick), 6:58

G - Hart 1 run (Hagen kick), 4:20

H - Spencer Hale 52 pass from Sam Hall (Fostin kick), 00:33

Third quarter

G - Smithwick-Hann 13 run (Hagen kick), 2:25

Fourth quarter

G - Smithwick-Hann 8 run (Hagen kick), 4:17

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H G

First downs 8 15

Total yards 165 445

Rushes-yards 36-88 37-207

Passing yards 77 238

Com-Att-Int 5-15-1 14-19-0

Punts-yards 6-180 1-35

Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 2-15 6-50

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - Hellgate, Shawn Jensen 18-86, Steven DeYoung 8-30, Dalton Gensch 1-2; Glacier, Shay Smithwick-Hann 13-105, Wiley Fusaro 9-68, Bryan Chery 3-17, Taylor Hart 8-16, Scott Sutherland 4-1.

PASSING - Hellgate, Sam Hall 5-15-77-1-1; Glacier, Smithwick-Hann 14-19-238-0-0, Karl Hellwig 0-0-0-0-0

RECEIVING - Hellgate, Spencer Hale 1-52, DeYoung 3-13, Jensen 1-12; Glacier, Colter Hanson 3-82, Jacob Leininger 5-80, George Werk 1-28, Chery 3-25, Hart 1-19, Fusaro 1-4.