FOOTBALL: Wolfpack wary of well-coached Bison
Statistically, Glacier football is one of the best teams in the state.
The Wolfpack boasts the second-best offense and one of the top defenses, fittingly, helping the team to an undefeated start despite the toughest schedule in the state through the first three weeks.
Glacier’s opponent this week would look on the surface to be on the other end of the spectrum. Great Falls has started 1-2 and, given that they’ve won a combined 10 games in the past five seasons, would look similar to the teams that have lost to Glacier by an average of more than four touchdowns over the Wolfpack’s current seven-game winning streak.
However, this Bison team is no pushover. And that all starts with their head coach.
Great Falls hired former Helena Capital and MSU-Northern head coach Mark Samson to take over the program in the offseason and it’s paying almost immediate dividends. Samson, who won three state titles in seven years at Capital and went 67-12 from 1997-2003, has the Bison in position to win every game they’ve played this season. The only two losses on the schedule have come by one point each, including a four-overtime loss to Flathead last week.
“We knew the second he got the job, Great Falls High would be back,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.
“He’s got them on the right track. The kids are playing solid ball in all three phases, really what we expected.
“I tell the guys every week is going to be a challenge. Our goal this week is to play the best, complete game we have all year.”
Bison quarterback Kevin Boes threw two touchdowns last week and ran for two more in the loss to Flathead.
Glacier will have to hope its defense plays up to the level it saw last week in a close win over Helena Capital.
“Two weeks ago against Bozeman the defense had their struggles but the offense was there to pick it up,” Bennett said. “Then last week against Capital, the offense had their struggles but the defense played great.
“I told the guys after the game, that’s how good teams find a way to win. Some nights it’s going to be the offense, some nights it’s going to be the defense. You just have to play for each other and have each other’s back and step up, be ready to play when needed. The defense was fantastic last week. Just played great. Kept getting stop after stop even when we put them in short field, bad turnover situations. They just kept coming out and getting stops. We eventually found a way to get it done.”
Glacier rested junior running back Drew Turner much of the week after he got banged up early in the contest. He eventually recovered to notch a 76-yard touchdown to seal the win. The Wolfpack will need Turner and the offense to be as dynamic as its shown in earlier wins against Helena High and Bozeman to give itself a chance against a Great Falls defense that is nearly tied with Glacier in scoring this season.
“Last week for the first time ever we hurt ourselves, offensively with mistakes,” Bennett said.
“It’s the sport of football, some of those things are going to happen. You need to be able to overcome them. Now, we need to clean those things up and continue to take steps forward.”
The game is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. tonight at Legends Stadium and will be broadcast on 103.9 FM and streamed online at www.mtsport.tv.