Class AA Football Preview: No. 3 Helena arrives at Legends
TODAY: No. 3 Helena (3-0) at Glacier (1-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium
LAST WEEK FOR GLACIER: The Wolfpack fell behind 21-0 to Bozeman with just over four minutes to go in the first half and from there the hole proved to be too deep to dig out of. The second-ranked Hawks left town with a 35-13 victory thanks in part to a monster game by quarterback Tanner Roderick (five overall TDs, 339 combined yards).
"The focal point this week has been to really focus on ourselves ... I think last week against Bozeman we really got out of that," Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said. "We started worrying about Tanner Roderick. We started worrying about their speed. We started worrying about their athleticism ... So this week we just said we have to get back to worrying about us and what we do. We need to worry about doing our job and taking care of our team. I think the kids practiced a lot better when they knew that."
Against Bozeman, Glacier junior receiver Anthony Gugliuzza caught four passes for 82 yards, including a 58-yard TD. Senior quarterback Colter Hanson threw for 224 yards and two TD strikes. Senior co-captain Boyce Ballard led the defense from the linebacker position.
LAST WEEK FOR HELENA: The Bengals turned it on in the second half and defeated Hellgate 34-14 in Missoula. Helena outscored Hellgate 27-8 in the second half to remain one of four teams left undefeated in Class AA.
OUT OF THE GATES: Slow starts have haunted the Wolfpack so far this season. Glacier has yet to score in the first quarter. Overall in the first half the Wolfpack has been outscored by opponents 56-28. "Number 1 we have to start better," Bennett said. "All three games we've started poorly. Against CMR we were down 14-0 and we got off the deck, but still we started poorly. Last week our defense started well but offensively we were just struggling. You can't play behind a team like (Bozeman)."
ANOTHER RANKED OPPONENT: For the second week in a row, Glacier plays a ranked opponent at home. No. 3 Helena doesn't have the high-octane offense that No. 2 Bozeman had, but the Bengals' strength lies on the other side of the ball. Helena has the top-ranked defense and has held opponents to only 11.7 points-per-game. Overall, only 35 points have been scored against Helena, which translates to basically five TDs in three games. "On defense they create havoc," Bennett said. "Every year I think they're one of the most difficult defensive teams to go against. They're moving all the time and mixing up zone blitzes. It's tough to tell where they're coming from. They have a great scheme and coach (Tony) Arnston does a great job. He's out of the (CMR coach) Jack Johnson mold, and they're both just terrific football coaches."
LAST YEAR: Helena won 21-13 at home and improved to 3-0 against Glacier.