AA football title game: Bozeman rocks Glacier

BOZEMAN — After a season of big plays and big results, Glacier (11-2) couldn’t catch a break, losing 24-14 to Bozeman (13-0) in the Class AA state football championship game on Friday night at Van Winkle Stadium.

Its defense playing exceptionally well in the second half, Glacier mounted a charge trailing 21-7 in the fourth quarter.

The Wolfpack forced Bozeman to punt from its own end zone and senior Evan Epperly returned the offer to the Hawks’ 22-yard line. Two plays later, Epperly made a twisting catch on a 17-yard pass in the end zone to pull the Wolfpack within one score.

At least that was before a flag was thrown.

An illegal formation, caused by having too many men in the backfield when a receiver on the far side lined up off the ball, negated the play. Three plays later, Bozeman came down with an interception that ended the threat.

“We teach our receivers, very well to go out and tell the official, ‘I’m on (the line), sir’ or, ‘I’m off sir.,’” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.

“Most officials, if our kid tells them, “I’m on, sir,” most officials will say, I think you need to move up if they’re not on. I think it’s a bad piece of officiating when you don’t tell the kid, “Move on,” when he says he’s on and help him out. They call him off and obviously that’s the case. I hate to complain like that. Every other crew would do it to help the kids out. Most crews are very good about it.

“In the championship game, I think you need to help the kids out a little bit. Our kid went out and said, “I’m on, sir.” He wasn’t so it’s a touchdown called back. It stinks.”

On the ensuing drive, Bozeman found another pair of controversial calls, each extending its drive. On third-and-11 from midfield, the Hawks picked up a crucial first down on a pass interference call and a defensive holding three plays later. Bozeman got a field goal on the drive to extend its lead to 17 points.

“It obviously did not come down to officiating,” Bennett said. “But, you always hope that officials won’t be noticed. When a game is well officiated you’re not even noticed out there. I’m bummed out because it seems like it’s such a huge factor.”

Glacier would score with four minutes left, but didn’t have quite enough to make up for its mistakes.

“Credit to Bozeman, they were the lead horse in the race all year,” Bennett said.

“They had the No. 1 and they kept it. They’re a great team. Obviously you want to win the championship, but if we’re going to be second to those guys, that’s a great accomplishment.”

The normally high-flying Wolfpack offense was grounded by a lack of run attack, settling for just 40 yards on 16 carries. That lack of a threat on the ground prevented Glacier from connecting on big plays throughout the game, especially early as it fell behind Bozeman 21-0.

“I knew eventually, I thought it would happen earlier, I knew the loss of Noah James was going to be big,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “We couldn’t manufacture anything (on the ground).”

James, who led the team in rushing this season, suffered a broken leg in the playoff’s first week against Butte. In his absence, the Wolfpack went with a platoon backfield, with little success against the second-ranked run defense in the state.

Quarterback Brady McChesney led the team with 17 yards on three rushes. Logan Jones had four rushes for 15 yards.

“It gets a lot tougher,” Bennett said.

“Then you’re trying to pit the perfect call with the right package. That’s a lot harder to do.”

Bozeman broke open the game in the second quarter, scoring on three straight drives and getting the types of big plays Glacier is used to making itself.

After a scoreless first quarter and three-and-outs on three of its first four drives, Bozeman found a groove. The Hawks drove 81 yards in three plays, capped by a 39-yard touchdown scamper from junior running back Cordell Appel for its first score. A 44-yard pass to uncovered tight end Payton O’Reilly scored the second and a 40-yard pass and a late hit penalty set the Hawks up in the red zone for a third score.

Glacier finally got a big play just before half, McChesney finding Logan Jones on a crossing route for a 72-yard touchdown.

“The one thing I knew about Bozeman that would be different for us is we’ve had so many big plays,” Bennett said. “Big plays have been our thing. I was worried tonight. I knew Bozeman would make us drive the ball. We haven’t done that for awhile.”

McChesney was 13 for 33 with 222 yards passing and four interceptions to lead Glacier.

Appel finished with 142 yards rushing to lead the Hawks.

“It’s been 100 years of football that’s been played in Kalispell,” Bennett said.

“Nobody’s ever won 11 games. Nobody’s ever done the things that these kids have done. Nobody can take that away from them.

“They won 11 games and the only two that they lost were to that team. And, that’s one of the better team’s that’s played. Holy smokes, when you’re playing against three or four Division I players, I thought our kids fought hard. We didn’t play very well, especially like we have been playing. But, that’s credit to them.”