Pivotal week for prep playoffs
Friday marks the start of the home stretch to the high school football season, and an important date for many local schools trying to stretch their season a few more weeks.
It is the first of three games to end the season in Class A and B and the last three before crosstown for Flathead and Glacier, with playoff implications for nearly every team in the area.
Glacier, which sits atop Class AA after an undefeated 6-0 start to the season, faces a much different task than most. The Wolfpack is virtually assured of a playoff spot, and is two wins from locking up its spot in the postseason.
But just securing a playoff spot isn’t on the mind of the Wolfpack. After three straight trips to the state semifinals and a runner-up finish last season, Glacier has its eyes on the state’s top seed and home-field advantage for the rest of the season.
That likely will mean the Wolfpack needs to win its final four games, with a schedule that lines up favorably to do so, or get help from an old foe. Glacier’s next three opponents have a combined four wins this season, if the Wolfpack is able to get through that stretch, it could have the top-seed locked up entering the final game of the regular season against Flathead.
The importance of that last week to Glacier could change if second-ranked Helena High, the only other undefeated team in the class, is able to get a win this weekend against third ranked-Great Falls C.M. Russell. The Rustlers, who gave Glacier a run in a loss earlier this season, could help Glacier by handing Helena a loss, in turn giving the Wolfpack a tiebreaker for the top seed.
By comparison, Flathead is looking to make that last week of the season more meaningful than it has been in years.
Sitting at 2-4 after a tough stretch of games, the Braves likely need to win their next three games to give themselves a chance of making the playoffs, a mark that is achievable with Flathead’s stark turnaround this season.
If Flathead is able to get through winnable games against Bozeman (3-3), Missoula Hellgate (0-6) and Sentinel (2-4), it would be 5-4 entering the crosstown game with Glacier. With most of the state wavering around .500 this season, even a loss in the final game could seal a trip to the playoffs at 5-5.
A win would almost guarantee the Braves were in the postseason.
Only one team in the Northwestern A can clinch a playoff berth this weekend, that’s Frenchtown, though nearly every other team can take one step closer.
Columbia Falls, having a week to recover from its only loss this season, can end the Broncs hopes of clinching the playoffs with a homecoming win on
Friday. The Wildkats would also boost themselves back into the conversation for the state’s top teams in a class that looks wide open this season.
Whitefish can’t clinch this week, but it’s because the Bulldogs are playing out of conference against Livingston, a game that could add to their growing resume. Likewise, Libby and Polson take on each other, both looking to notch their first conference win of the season and stay in the hunt for the conference’s third seed.
A Lincoln County showdown is happening in District 7B this weekend, where Eureka and Troy face off for lead position on the conference’s second playoff seed. Bigfork can put some distance on each with a win over winless Plains.
This weekend is shaping up to be crucial in the hunt for playoff bids for every team in the region. Whether it’s part of a process to gain higher seeding, or to remain in the running, a win this weekend will go a long way.
Football season doesn’t end on Friday, but what might be the most important part of the year is beginning. Every win counts in the home stretch, and every loss is one step closer to the end of the season.
The playoffs are around the corner. What happens in the next three weeks will determine who gets there.