Flathead, Glacier set to scrimmage
Flathead head coach Kyle Samson will be in an unfamiliar position when his team takes the field tonight.
He won’t care who wins.
Both Flathead and Glacier will hold intrasquad scrimmages Friday night to give the players a chance to compete in an environment similar to the one they’ll suit up in next week when the regular season kicks off.
“We want to make it as game-like as possible for the kids to kind of go through the pregame routine,” Samson said. “We’ll have officials and try to make it as close to a game as possible to get us ready for next Thursday. We’re already only six days away from our first game, so we’re trying to be sharp.”
Flathead’s varsity and JV scrimmage, set for 7 p.m., will follow a 2:30 p.m. freshman scrimmage on the Legends Stadium practice field. The Wolfpack will kick off its scrimmage at 6 p.m. on the practice field at Glacier High School.
Each venue is standing room only, so fans are encouraged to bring their own seating, if desired.
The scrimmages will serve as the final tuneup for both teams before they open the regular season.
The Braves will face Butte at 7 p.m. next Thursday at Bigfork High School, while Glacier will play Billings Senior at 7 p.m. on Friday at Columbia Falls High School.
Both games had to be relocated from Legends Stadium due to delays in the ongoing renovation project.
Samson said Flathead has attempted to create some scrimmage-like situations in practice, but this will be the team’s first experience under the bright lights.
The Braves’ scrimmage will pit the first-team offense against the second-team defense, and vice versa on the other side of the ball.
While the fourth-year Flathead coach said his biggest priority is staying healthy through the scrimmage, he added he’s also anxious to see how his players respond to the biggest stage they’ll encounter before kickoff against Butte.
“It’s a good thing when you get to see a scrimmage on tape and see the things you want to work on next week during game week,” Samson said. “We’ve had a really good week of two-a-days, and I’m really proud of where the kids are at. We just honestly want to go out tomorrow night and have some fun and let the kids be in front of a crowd.”