Class AA football Title rematch as 'Pack opens against Senior

Glacier will kick off the 2017 season in much the same fashion it ended 2016.

The Wolfpack will play Billings Senior at 7 tonight at Satterthwaite Field in Columbia Falls in a rematch of last season’s state title game.

Like last season, both teams enter this year as title favorites, each returning loads of talent at the skill positions, and each looking to stake a claim as the state’s top team early in the season.

“We were able to watch most of those guys on film from that state championship game, which is our last game,” Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said.

“It’s not that far ago as far as football goes. You’re able to see what they can do and they’re not going to change much, their schemes defense and offense, they’re going to be doing a lot of the same things. That makes it good.”

Senior is loaded with talent, the senior class stocked with many of the players that as middle schoolers made national news by competing in the 2011 Little League World Series national championship, but lost a lot of depth from the championship squad. The talent that returns is potent, however, with a pair of all-state players and Division I commits leading the charge.

University of Montana commit Gabe Sulser is the catalyst for the Broncs, one of the fastest players in the state who scored a state-best 24 touchdowns last season and had 1,321 receiving yards.

“Gabe Sulser is still where it starts,” Bennett said.

“He’s dynamic. When I think back, he might be top two or three of kids that you have to do something different, special (to defend). There’s a lot of guys I’ve been able to coach against that have maybe went on to play for the Griz or the ’Cats or gone somewhere and you have to do things (to stop). You have to be aware of them, sometimes you have to double-team them here and there. Then there’s those guys that completely change your gameplan and you have to account for them on every single play.

“He’s worth 21 to 28 points every single game if you don’t make sure where he’s at. He definitely requires some attention and changes the gameplan. We’re going to have to be focused and locked in on trying to limit the damage. There’s no way to stop him but he can damage you quickly.”

Senior will need to replace its starting quarterback from last season’s title team and is turning to Montana State commit Nolan Askelson to fill the role. Askelson, who played running back last season and starred at linebacker, will be asked to fill the shoes of Gatorade Player of the Year Nate Dick, a dynamic force that finished each of the last two seasons as the Class AA offensive MVP.

“We’re hearing he’s going to play both ways as a quarterback and a linebacker, which give him credit for that,” Bennett said of Aksleson.

“That shows you what kind of kid Askelson is that they think, on this team, he can play both. He’s obviously very special. He’s going to run the ball a ton from the quarterback position, but he can also throw it as well. They have enough weapons that you’ve got to account for Sulser, but if you spend too much energy on him they’ve got other people that can hurt you. Definitely a huge test for our D.”

Like Senior, Glacier lost a handful of talented players to graduation, including current Montana State Bobcats Taden Gilman and Jaxen Hashley, but returns most of the skill position talent.

Senior running back Drew Turner led the state with 1,617 rushing yards last season and the Wolfpack has a pair of Griz commits at wideout and in the defensive backfield in seniors Jackson Pepe and Mark Estes.

All of that talent is being trusted to senior Brady Peiffer, a wiry signal caller that looked impressive in spot duty covering for Gilman last season.

“He’s already been in the big lights,” Bennett said. “He’s already been in a huge situation. Normally, you would know you’ve got to kind of let a guy get his feet wet and get used to that. He’s still going to have to do that as the starter. But, he’s already been in the bright show and it’s happened for him, so he can relax and get started a little earlier.”

The defense should be as fast as ever, and will need that speed early to keep up with the quick scoring Broncs.

“We’ve been working our butts off all summer and it will pay off well, hopefully, in the end,” Turner said.

The game was shifted to Columbia Falls due to a delay in installing the new artificial turf at Legends Stadium. The Wolfpack, however, doesn’t expect that shift to change its preparation.

“What people don’t realize for us, that you forget, is every single Friday night home game we have to get on two buses about three hours before kickoff and drive down to Legends Stadium and kind of start our whole thing down there,” Bennett said of the trek from north Kalispell to the home field on the south end of town.

“Really for us it’s no different. Would we like to go down there and play on the turf where we usually do? Of course. Really we’re telling the guys that there’s a lot of things in life you can’t control. It is what it is. Instead of getting on the buses and going south, we’re going to get on the buses and go north. But, it’s really the same procedure. I think mentally they’re going to be fine with it. Bummed we’re not on the brand new turf because the seniors, I know, were excited about that. As far as game prep and what we do, it’s gonna be the same thing. We’re just going to go a few minutes further and go north instead of south.”

Admission for the game will be $6 for adults and $4 for students.