Football: Glacier dumps Big Sky, advances to AA title game

Glacier knew it needed to stop the run in its Class AA semifinal football playoff game against Missoula Big Sky on Friday night at Legends Stadium.

The Wolfpack not only stopped the run, it held the Eagles under 100 yards of total offense until pulling its starters midway through the fourth quarter and made more interceptions than Big Sky completed passes.

“Our (defensive) front is big, they’re physical, but they’re fast, they’re athletic,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “So, they’re able to shed blocks and even at times when you get them blocked, they’re going to get off and still get in on the play.

“All of our guys in the secondary, they read their keys so well. If they read run, they’re going to factor into the run game. They’re going to come downhill and be a part of it. If they read pass, they’re going to obey their coverage responsibilities.”

The defensive masterpiece highlighted a 42-8 victory and moved the Wolfpack back into the state championship game for the second straight year. It will be the first time the game has been hosted in Kalispell since 1980.

“I’ll never forget after the championship loss (in Bozeman last year) ... those guys committed that night,” Bennett said.

“That’s what’s helped us continue this roll. This group wanted to get better because every game meant getting back here. It was 365 days of watching a group just work and commit. It was amazing.”

The Wolfpack put an exclamation point on the game early, giving Big Sky fits with its active defense. Glacier forced punts on the first two Big Sky drives, then scored quickly on its second drive of the first quarter.

It took two plays to score the next touchdown, Thomas Trefney punching in his second of the night by breaking through the middle of the line untouched 36 yards for a touchdown, giving Glacier a 14-0 lead seconds into the second quarter.

On Big Sky’s next drive, safety Tucker Rauthe connected on a blitz, forcing a fumble from Big Sky quarterback Luke Entzel that was scooped up by linebacker Josh Hill for a 20 yard touchdown.

Caleb Jones intercepted Entzel on the next drive and Hill picked off another on the drive after that. In between, Glacier scored on an untouched run up the middle again, this time by Logan Jones from 15 yards out.

At halftime Glacier led 28-0 and never looked back.

On the opening possession of the third quarter, senior Jacob Janke caught a hitch on the right sideline, reversed field and outran the entire Big Sky defense around the left end for a touchdown.

On its third possession of the quarter, Glacier killed clock, using up 12 plays to travel 55 yards and cap it with Trefney’s third touchdown of the game. It was his eighth straight game with more than one touchdown. He now has 29 touchdowns this season, leading the state in scoring.

After forcing Big Sky to punt on its next drive, Glacier didn’t play its starters for the final eight minutes of the game. It nearly completed the shutout anyway, not surrendering a score until Big Sky running back Cory Diaz ran 70 yards for a touchdown with 48 seconds in the game.

“(Glacier offensive coordinator Arron Deck) put together a really aggressive gameplan so the kids knew that we’re not going to shy away from any weather,” Bennett said of the game that was played in single-digit temperatures.

“All week long we knew we were going to come out and wing it around, do our thing.

“That was good for the kids because then you’re practicing being aggressive.

“We knew if we could get out in front and make them change what they do and put the pressure on that way, it was going to be hard for them.”

The win advances Glacier back to the state title game, where it will meet Great Falls C.M. Russell. The Rustlers topped Helena High 24-13 in the Capital City behind 207 yards rushing from all-state running back Andrew Grinde.

Glacier beat CMR 49-31 in Kalispell the second week of the season, in its toughest test of the season thus far.

“I really have felt all year, that now the top two teams in the state are playing for it,” Bennett said.

“It’s going to be a great football game.”

Flathead hosted CMR in the last title game held in Kalispell, losing 25-0 in 1980. Kalispell hasn’t won a state football championship since 1970 and hasn’t won it outright on the field since 1959.

Big Sky 0 0 0 8 — 8

Glacier 7 21 7 7 — 42

First quarter

G — Thomas Trefney 1 run (Brandon Purdy kick), 2:34

Second quarter

G — Trefney 36 run (Purdy kick), 11:52

G — Josh Hill 20 fumble return (Purdy kick), 10:23

G — Logan Jones 15 run (Purdy kick), 3:47

Third quarter

G — Jacob Janke 22 pass from Brady McChesney (Purdy kick), 10:34

Fourth quarter

G — Trefney 1 run (Purdy kick), 11:48

BS — Cory Diaz 70 run (Luke Entzel run), :48

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Big Sky Glacier

First downs 9 12

Total yards 176 302

Rushes-Yds 49-180 25-118

Passing Yds -4 184

Comp-Att-Int 1-14-2 15-35-0

Punts-Avg 3-23 2-41

Fumbles-Lost 3-2 0-0

Penalties-Yds 1-5 5-35

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Big Sky, Cory Diaz 32-157, Michael Bana 8-28, Luke Entzel 9-(-5). Glacier, Thomas Trefney 12-73, Logan Jones 6-40, Brady McChesney 1-6, Alex Stewart 2-5, Patrick O’Connell 3-3, Leif Ericksen 1-(-9).

PASSING — Big Sky, Luke Entzel 0-11-2-0, Cory Diaz 1-2-0-(-4), Michael Banna 0-1-0-0. Glacier, Brady McChesney 15-31-0-184, Leif Ericksen 0-4-0-0.

RECEIVING — Big Sky, Michael Banna 1-(-4). Glacier, Jacob Janke 3-30, Thomas Trefney 1-6, Logan Jones 5-69, Sam McCamley 2-29, Devin Cochran 2-32, Noah Lindsay 2-18.

Great Falls C.M. Russell 24, Helena 13

HELENA — Andrew Grinde ran for 207 yards and scored a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead CMR back to the state title game after a five-year hiatus.

CMR 7 7 3 7 — 24

Helena High 0 6 0 7 — 13

First quarter

CMR — Evan O’Neill 16 fumble return (Dylan Sandefur kick), :58

Second quarter

CMR — Bryce Cochine 70 punt return (Sandefur kick), 5:18

HHS — Paul Hart 7 pass from Jackson Thennis (Willem Morris kick blocked), :02

Third quarter

CMR — Sandefur 32 field goal, 3:06

Fourth quarter

CMR — Andrew Grinde 53 run (Sandefur kick), 10:28

HHS — Hart 30 pass from Thennis (Morris kick), 6:23

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CMR HHS

First downs 10 13

Rushing 214 135

Comp-Att-Int 4-11-0 12-24-0

Passing yards 33 126

Total offense 247 261

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2

Punts-avg 4-33.25 4-38

Penalties 8-55 2-10

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — CMR, Andrew Grinde 35-207, Karl Tucker II 2-19, Dallas Farren 2-minus 12. HHS, Ryan Arntson 4-27, Lane Kokoruda 6-15, Nick VanHorssen 7-36, Nick Winfield 9-47, Jackson Thennis 8-21, Chase South 1-minus 11.

PASSING — CMR, Farren 4-11-0-33. HHS, Thennis 12-24-0-126.

RECEIVING — CMR, Grinde 2-10, Tucker II 1-15, Santiago Fleming 1-8. HHS, Paul Hart 5-77, South 3-10, Winfield 1-17, Kokoruda 2-17, Henry Garrett 1-5.