AA football semifinals: Glacier crushes CMR

Glacier wasted no time in putting its mark on the Class AA state semifinals.

The Wolfpack (11-1) scored two touchdowns in its first four plays of the game, running away with a 52-7 victory against Great Falls C.M. Russell (7-5) Friday night at Legends Stadium. With the win, Glacier advances to the state championship game against Bozeman next Friday.

“This is probably our best game of the season so far,” Glacier senior receiver Evan Epperly said. “We’re going to the state championship. That’s always a dream you want as an athlete to get there. It feels awesome.”

In a game punctuated by big plays by the Wolfpack offense, the biggest came from a receiver that started the season on the bench. Devin Cochran, a junior who only played in five games in the regular season, shined on the big stage, setting the school record for receiving yards with seven catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns.

Cochran stretched the field from the slot, getting behind the safeties on seam routes to catch touchdown passes of 61, 50 and 62 yards. His performance was the best ever by a Kalispell receiver and the most yards by a Class AA receiver since 1969.

“Holy smokes, what a game that kid had. Unbelievable,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.

Cochran, who started to make big plays for the Wolfpack in the second half of the season, was stuck on the depth chart behind senior tight end Kevin Malloy. When Malloy broke his ankle in last week’s game, Cochran stepped up.

“Devin is such a good receiver and he hasn’t gotten a lot of time,” Bennett said. “You realize here’s a kid that people haven’t really watched on film a lot. We thought we could get him matched up on their safeties. They were playing so tight and packing the box.

“CMR blitzed a lot more late in the season. We thought let’s go after that.”

The Wolfpack was able to attack the CMR defense for some explosive plays.

On just the second play of its second possession, Glacier running back Logan Jones scored a 41-yard touchdown when he reversed field and juked past two Rustlers defenders. Epperly caught CMR early in the fourth quarter with a 62-yard reverse and quarterback Brady McChesney scored minutes later on a 49-yard option keep.

That doesn’t include the 96-yard run from Todd Ogden, who stepped in at running back for senior Noah James, who broke his leg in the first quarter last week. Ogden punctuated a drive that started at the Glacier 3-yard line after a defensive stand. He was caught at the one, and Glacier settled for a field goal.

“I was so proud of the attitude our kids took into this week,” Bennett said. “They were facing a lot, not only with Noah and Kevin going down with broken legs but we were really banged up.

“The way these kids rallied during the week, practiced great, kind of got their wind back, you could just see the determination. I knew as the week went on it was going to be OK.

“I expected a tight game. I did not expect this.”

Glacier’s defense held CMR to just 110 rushing yards, for a team that averages 227 a game. The Rustlers had just 244 total yards, led by Andrew Grinde’s 98 rushing yards and 63 receiving yards. Quarterback Jayse McLean scored CMR’s only touchdown on a two-yard keep.

“I thought (CMR coach Jack) Johnson made some good adjustments going to the option game, getting the speed option going,” Bennett said.

“Our defense, man alive did they answer the bell. We knew we had to stop the run. You watch CMR in this winning streak, they run the ball very well. Man did they bottle it up. Then when they had to throw it a little bit we got after McLean.”

The win advances Glacier to the state championship in Bozeman. It’s the first time a Kalispell school has advanced to the final game of the season since 2000, when Bennett was an offensive coordinator at Flathead. The Braves lost that game to Helena Capital 35-6. A Kalispell team hasn’t won the state championship since 1970, and hasn’t won a championship final since 1959.

“To do what we’ve done in seven years, I’m just so proud of everybody involved,” Bennett said.

“Thankfully we were able to break through. One thing I didn’t want to be is a team that just keeps getting to the semis.”

CMR 0 0 7 0 — 7

Glacier 21 3 14 14 — 52

First quarter

G — Devin Cochran 61 pass from Brady McChesney (Brandon Purdy kick), 8:30

G — Logan Jones 41 run (Purdy kick), 6:30

G — Todd Ogden 2 run (Purdy kick), 3:34

Second quarter

G — Purdy 20 field goal, 1:23

Third quarter

G — Cochran 50 pass from McChesney (Purdy kick), 11:00

CMR — Jayse McLean 1 run (Dylan Sandefur kick), 5:22

G — Cochran 62 pass from McChesney (Purdy kick),

Fourth quarter

G — Epperly 62 run (Purdy kick), 11:47

G — McChesney 49 run (Purdy kick), 6:13

————

CMR GLR

First downs 16 13

Rushes-yards 38-110 16-119

Passing yards 134 312

Comp-Att-Int 15-28-1 15-22-0

Total yards 244 586

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0

Penalties-yards 6-66 4-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — CMR, Jayse McLean 16-6, Andrew Grinde 20-98, Carl Tucker 2-6. Glacier, Brady McChesney 6-59, Jake Willich 1-(-10), Todd Ogden 6-110, Logan Jones 6-53, Evan Epperly 3-65, Casey Kostecki 5-1, 1-(-4).

PASSING — CMR, McLean 15-26-134-0, Dallas Farren 0-2-0-1. Glacier, McChesney 14-19-308-0, Leif Ericksen 1-2-4-0, Jake Willich 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — CMR, Grinde 8-63, Justin Pfennigs 1-9, Karl Tucker 2-21, Eric Willis 1-2, Eric Dawson 3-69. Glacier, Jones 2-25, Epperly 3-43, Kaden Schoenthal 1-7, Devin Cochran 7-222, Sam McCamley 1-11, Alex Stewart 1-4.

Bozeman 56,

Billings Skyview 26

BOZEMAN — Bozeman (12-0) scored 35 points in the first quarter and cruised past Skyview (7-5), advancing to the state football championship next week. Bozeman, the state’s top seed, will host Glacier.

The Hawks got 140 rushing yards and three touchdowns from backup running back Cordell Appel and quarterback Will Weyer threw for four scores and 251 yards. Wyatt David had five catches for 156 yards.

Skyview overcame its bad start to push Bozeman in the second half. Scoring 14 unanswered points to start the second half, the Falcons cut the lead to 42-26 before Bozeman reasserted itself with two touchdowns.

Skyview 0 14 12 0 — 26

Bozeman 35 7 14 0 — 56

First quarter

Boz -- Hunter Gappmeyer 24 run (Ben Goertzen kick), 11:18

Boz -- John D’Agostino 7 pass from Will Weyer (Goertzen kick), 8:45

Boz -- Cordell Appel 18 run (Goertzen kick), 5:52

Boz -- Appel 9 run (Goertzen kick), 4:16

Boz -- Appel 1 punt block return (Goertzen kick), 2:19

Second quarter

Sky -- Gus Schaff 10 run (Reece Quade kick), 11:28

Sky -- Alex Picicci 4 run (Quade kick), 5:42

Boz -- Wyatt David 67 pass from Weyer (Goertzen kick), 1:24

Third quarter

Sky -- Jalen Whitley 43 fumble return (kick failed), 9:08

Sky -- Justin Keeling 3 run (pass failed), 7:51

Boz -- Will Dissly 12 pass from Weyer (Goertzen kick), 4:23

Boz -- D’Agostino 38 pass from Weyer (Goertzen kick), 2:58

———

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Skyview: Alex Picicci 19-52, Justin Keeling 18-47, Riley Barta 6-24, Gus Schaff 9-18, Taylor Trollope 2-10, Logan Sullivan 3-4. Bozeman: Cordell Appel 19-140, Hunter Gappmayer 2-31, Payton O’Reilly 2-(-6).

Passing – Skyview: Gus Schaff 5-19-2, 35 yards. Bozeman: Will Weyer 11-21-1, 251 yards.

Receiving – Skyview: Kendal Manuel 1-14, Alex Picicci 1-13, Kyle Broadbent 1-3, Jace Holman 1-3, Riley Barta 1-2. Bozeman: Wyatt David 5-156, John D’Agostino 2-45, Chandler D’Agostino 1-23, Hunter Gappmayer 1-13, Will Dissly 1-12, Cordell Appel 1-2.