Glacier looks to keep rolling against Bison

A sleeping giant just woke up.

That’s how the Glacier football team felt after beating Missoula Sentinel 48-23 last week. Picked by most outlets at the beginning of the year as a state title contender, the Wolfpack was finally able to unleash its considerable talent and turn in a dominating performance.

“I guess we kind of woke up and figured out we need to play some football,” Wolfpack senior running back Drew Turner said.

“That’s what we went out and did. We’re going to keep rolling on.”

It’s a performance Glacier will have to continue in its homecoming contest against Great Falls High tonight, which means another big game from its top talent.

Turner ran for 223 yards and five touchdowns in the win and Jackson Pepe and Mark Estes each caught touchdown passes from quarterback Evan Todd. It was the first time all season that the Wolfpack’s three Division I recruits scored in the same game.

“Things finally just came together, just clicked,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “This is a team we always knew that we could have, and would have. Unfortunately, for various reasons, it just took awhile to all come together. I’m proud of the kids for not giving up or getting frustrated and losing hope. They kept working and it finally came together.

“They just played well across the board. We executed well, that was something we hadn’t been doing.

“Evan played really well in only his second start. Finally those pieces came together. Guys knew what they were doing and they were able to do it with confidence. Everybody played well.

“More importantly, the guys just relaxed and quit worrying about the big picture. We just isolated it down to one game and having fun.”

Glacier barely edged Great Falls High last season, winning a 31-28 nail-biter after trailing 20-3 in the fourth quarter. It’s looking for something a little more comfortable this season facing the well-coached Bison.

Great Falls is 1-5 this season, but much like Glacier (1-4) has lost close, with two losses coming by one possession. First-year starting quarterback Blake Thelen has found some recent success after a mid-season move from receiver, finding connections with fellow juniors Luke Banderbob and Kyle Torgerson.

Both teams are in desperation mode, with another loss marking the end of their postseason hopes.

“The main thing is both teams, neither one can afford another loss or it’s over,” Bennett said. “Hopefully we’re hungry. They’ll be the same way. They’ve got to get a win. Two teams just battling. You’ve got to keep winning.”

The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium. It will be broadcast locally on 103.9 FM The Monster and streamed on mtsport.tv.