Wolfpack pounds out win over Butte
Glacier defensive back Kash Goicoechea (6) returns an interception 21 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier linebacker Cameron Shaw (18) sacks Butte quarterback Jace Stenson (2) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier defenders Kole Johnson (4), Jaden Dannic (40) and Kaleb Shine (16) bring down Butte running back Trey Hansen (30) in the first half at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Kole Johnson (4) is brought down by Butte defensive back Ethan Cunningham (7) after a reception in the first half at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Kaid Buls (14) is brought down after a 35-yard reception in the first quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier defensive lineman Isaac Keim (9) holds the ball up after recovering a fumble in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Kole Johnson (4) tries to extend the ball across the goal line after a reception in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier defensive back Kole Johnson (4) tackles Butte wide receiver Will Stepan (12) after a reception in the first half at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier kick returner Kash Goicoechea (6) returns a kickoff 70 yards into Butte territory in the first half at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter (7) throws a touchdown pass to tight end Van Scholten in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier running back Kobe Dorcheus (33) looks for running room against the Butte defense in the third quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter (7) and wide receiver Bridger Smith (12) celebrate after Sliter's touchdown pass to Smith in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier defensive back Kash Goicoechea (6) returns an interception 21 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Cohen Kastelitz (1) catches a 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Cohen Kastelitz (1) catches a 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Butte had a measure of momentum Friday night at Legends Stadium, owning both a 27-14 lead over the Glacier Wolfpack and the ball with two minutes left in the first half.
But before you could say “clock drive,” a pass by Bulldogs quarterback Jace Stenson was tipped and fell to Glacier safety Kash Goicoechea, who took it 21 yards for a pick-6.
A lot of things happened after that — the final was Glacier 55, Butte 41 — but that might have been the play of the game. It seemed to set the tone for a third quarter that was all Glacier, which regained some swagger after an uneven first half.
“Just overall, they were putting so much stress on themselves,” said coach Grady Bennett, whose club came in with three straight losses, and then committed three first-half turnovers. “Just putting everything on the next play, and just so stressed out.
“I told them, ‘Just breathe deep, let that stress out and go play relaxed in the second half.’ And they responded well.”
The Wolfpack came out and put up 28 points in the span of nine minutes. Quarterback Gage Sliter fired TD passes to Bridger Smith, Cohen Kastelitz and Van Scholten. The Scholten touchdown put Glacier up 48-27 with 1:28 left in the quarter.
“About time,” said Sliter, who finished 19 for 30 for 274 yards, with two interceptions. He had four touchdown passes, two going to Smith. The one to Kastelitz covered 56 yards.
“We’ve been working on that play (to Kastelitz; a similar sideline route to Kaid Buls went for 35 yards on their first drive) all week. Just something we saw on film. We repped it a bunch and it worked.”
Meanwhile Glacier ran for over 200 yards after halftime. Playing without Jackson Hensley (elbow), the Pack gave the ball to Kobe Dorcheus 25 times and he piled up 137 yards and two touchdowns.
After Butte scored two late touchdowns to draw to 48-41, Goicoechea carried eight times on a run-heavy, game-clinching drive. He gained 54 of the 79 yards, and capped it with an 11-yard run off a direct snap with 2:28 left.
Like Dorcheus, he found plenty of room on inside runs that Bennett said were demanded by the interior linemen.
“Henry Sellards, Rylan Heil, Ben Winters, they did a great job,” Goicoechea said.
“The big boys up front really battled tonight,” added Sliter, who ran for 49 yards and wasn’t sacked. “Shout out to those boys. They really competed and played a great game.”
Glacier improved to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in league games. Butte fell to 3-4 and 2-3 despite Stenson throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns, and adding 47 yards and two TDs on the ground. His 18-yard strike to Hudson Luedtke cut Glacier’s lead to 48-41 with 7:17 left.
Each team lost a fumble — Isaac Keim recovered one for Glacier, setting up the go-ahead touchdown pass to Smith — and two interceptions.
The return game helped Glacier: Aside from his pick-6, Goicoechea had a 70-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter, after which Dorcheus got his first TD.
Still battling a hamstring injury, Goicoecheau had a big impact.
“It’s really nice when you get a kickoff return and you start off inside the 40,” Sliter said. “Kash has been battling all year, competing. Kobe is a great back, worked his tail off. You know, it’s next man up.”
Glacier’s next game is the annual Crosstown battle with Flathead, on Friday. A strong second half has the Wolfpack feeling better.
“That’s what makes it so rewarding,” Bennett said. “Shoot, 28 points in the third quarter, that was so fun to watch them play.
“Hopefully they learned that lesson, how good they can be when they just play.”
Butte 7 20 0 14 - 41
Glacier 7 13 28 7 - 55
G — Bridger Smith 8 pass from Gage Sliter (Rhett Measure kick), 9:14-1Q
B — Sean Ossello 15 pass from Jace Stenson (Tyler Duffy kick), 6:46-1Q
B — Stenson 1 run (Duffy kick), 11:54-2Q
G — Kobe Dorcheus 5 run (Measure kick), 11:27-2Q
B — Trey Hansen 1 run (Duffy kick), 8:14-2Q
B — Cayde Stajcar 16 pass from Stenson (kick blocked), 4:08-2Q
G — Kash Goicoechea 21 interception return (kick failed), 2:00-=2Q
G — Dorcheus 1 run (Measure kick), 9:05-3Q
G — Smith 14 pass from Sliter (kick failed), 6:54-3Q
G — Cohen Kastelitz 56 pass from Sliter (Measure kick), 5:23-3Q
G — Van Scholten 10 pass from Sliter (Goicoechea run), 1:28-3Q
B — Stenson 5 run (Duffy kick), 10:24-4Q
B — Hudsen Leudtke 28 pass from Stenson (Duffy kick), 7:17-4Q
B — Goicoechea 11 run (Measure kick), 2:28-4Q
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Butte (32-99) — Stenson 13-47, Hansen 15-46, Luke Garrison 3-6, Isaac Kohler 1-0. Glacier (47-253) — Dorcheus 25-137, Goicoechea 12-59, Sliter 7-49, Isaac Ritter 2-8, Team 2-0.
PASSING: Butte — Stenson 24-37-2 for 349 yards. Glacier — Sliter 19-30-2 for 274 yards, Measure 0-1-0 for 0 yards.
RECEIVING: Butte — Luedtke 8-155, Cameron Gurnsey 5-66, Stajcar 4-70, Ossello 3-33, Hansen 2-15, Reuso Batterman 2-10. Glacier — Kastelitz 5-111, Kole Johnson 3-45, Smith 3-34, Kaid Buls 2-46, Scholten 2-20, Measure 2-11, Dorcheaus 1-9, Goicoechea 1-minus 2.
