Glacier tops Flathead in crosstown football, 49-14
Glacier wide receiver Kole Johnson (4) heads to the end zone on a 57-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter (7) drops back to pass in the first quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier wide receiver Cohen Kastelitz (1) heads to the end zone on a 36-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier running back Jackson Hensley (2) looks for running room in the first quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Brody Thornsberry (88) returns a kickoff in the first quarter with Glacier's Cohen Kastelitz (1) and Evan Barnes (8) in pursuit at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead quarterback Jackson Walker (2) rolls out to pass in the first quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier running back Jackson Hensley (2) scores a touchdown on a 4-yard run in the first quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier running back Kash Goicoechea (6) looks for running room in the first quarter against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receiver Jaden Williams (1) picks up yardage after a reception in the first quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier defensive lineman Isaac Keim (9) sacks Flathead quarterback Jackson Walker (2) in the second quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead running back Joe Jones (9) is brought down by Glacier defenders Kaleb Shine (16) and Kash Goicoechea (6) on a run in the first quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter (7) takes off running against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receiver Gabe Sims (84) picks up yardage after a reception in the first quarter against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Crosstown football game went Glacier’s way again Friday, mainly because Gage Sliter packed an entire game into one half.
The senior quarterback threw five touchdown passes in the first two quarters at Legends Stadium, leading the Wolfpack to a 42-0 lead over Flathead that held up for a 49-14 win.
Jackson Hensley added 119 rushing yards and the first touchdown of the day, a 4-yard scamper after Kash Goicoechea chewed up big chunks on Glacier’s opening drive.
Then Sliter took over: The senior added a sixth TD in the second half, giving him the distinction of the two best single-game touchdown totals in Glacier history.
“He just gets in his rhythm,” said Hensley. “I know he was a little nervous coming in, too, but Gage is an incredible quarterback. He’s always there; I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side.”
Kole Johnson, Cohen Kastelitz and Van Scholten each caught two scoring passes as Glacier picked up where it left off in its 55-41 win over Butte. Which is what Wolfpack coach Grady Bennett ordered.
“Keeping it rolling,” Bennett said after his team improved to 5-3, and 3-3 in the Western AA. “Why would we want to stop that? So they did, they came out and really played brilliantly in the first half. They were pretty sharp.
“I don’t know what Gage’s stats were, but he was pretty impressive.”
Sliter, who threw seven TD passes in Glacier’s opening win at Belgrade, was 17 of 21 passing for 315 yards by intermission; he finished 22 of 29 for 357.
All of this happened after Flathead had an impressive opening drive end with a missed field goal from 27 yards out.
The Braves, 1-7, had a couple big plays from quarterback Jackson Walker later on. He hit Gabe Sims with a 45-yard touchdown pass late in the first half and then tore off a 67-yard option keeper in the second — one snap after Johnson’s second TD, from 23 yards out, made it 49-7..
“He’s tough,” Bennett said. “We’re trying to keep him hemmed in but they did a good job of getting him outside with their option game. He’s a tough performer.”
It was some consolation for first-year Flathead coach Caleb Aland, who saw his QB lose a first-quarter fumble — forced by the Wolfpack’s Cameron Shaw and recovered by Isaac Keim — that set up Sliter’s 16-yard scoring strike to Kastelitz, making it 21-0..
“I can’t say enough things about Jackson,” Aland said. “I lit into him on the sideline. … It was good seeing him respond, coming out and having that long touchdown run. He’s shifty and really good.”
Still, the game ended under the running clock that kicks in after halftime when the point spread reads 35. Glacier leads the series 12-4.
“You probably know what I’m going to say; we have got to get out of our own way,” Aland said. “It’s hard, having such high expectations and knowing what they’re capable of and not seeing it all the time. You see flashes of it, and I think if it was an all-the-time thing, we’d be a dangerous football team.”
Walker piled up 143 yards passing and 87 rushing before banging up his shoulder early in the fourth quarter. Nate Skonard finished up.
The Wolfpack scored on seven of its first eight possessions — Flathead’s Cale Olbert forced a Sliter fumble in the third quarter, and the Braves Brandon Lewis recovered — and had more big plays.
Johnson had a 57-yard catch and run; Kastelitz’ first TD came from 46 yards out.
Glacier didn’t dress Kobe Dorcheus (ankle) and still piled up 199 rushing yards.
“How blessed are we to have three running backs like that?” Bennett asked. “Unfortunately they’ve had some injuries, but when one goes down, we throw the next guy in there.”
“Kash and I split carries, but I ended up getting the brunt of it because he was on D,” Hensley said. “I was pretty nervous. It’s my senior year. There was a lot on the line and I knew there was going to be a ton of people showing up. I thought I’d go enjoy it — it goes by so quick. It feels like our season is flying by.”
Both teams play Thursday next week: Flathead is home against Missoula Big Sky and Glacier plays Hellgate in Missoula.
Glacier 21 21 7 0 - 49
Flathead 0 7 7 0 - 14
G — Jackson Hensley 4 run (kick failed), 7:13-1Q
G — Kole Johnson 57 pass from Gage Sliter (Hensley run), 4:17-1q
G — Cohen Kastelitz 16 pass from Sliter (Rhett Measure kick), 2:23-1Q
G — Kastelitz 46 pass from Sliter (Measure kick), 9:57-2Q
G — Van Scholten 4 pass from Sliter (Measure kick), 6:15-2Q
G — Scholten 10 pass from Sliter (Measure kick), 1:53-2Q
F — Gabe Sims 45 pass from Jackson Walker (Connor Skalsky kick), :22-2Q.
G — Johnson 23 pass from Sliter (Measure kick), 4:00-3Q
F — Walker 67 run (Skalsky kick), 3:39-3Q
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Glacier (33-199) — Hensley 18-119; Kash Goicoechea 4-52, Xander Stout 3-26, Sliter 5-13, Isaac Ritter 2-4, Jack Robinson 1-minus 5, Team 1-minus 10. Flathead (33-187) — Walker 19-143, Joe Jones 7-28, Jaden Williams 3-20, Brody Thornsberry 2-minus 1, Nate Skonard 2-minus 3.
PASSING: Glacier — Sliter 22-29-0 for 357 yards. Flathead — Walker 7-15-0 for 87 yards, Nate Skonard 0-2-0 for 0 yards.
RECEIVING: Glacier — Kastelitz 9-175; Johnson 4-108, Isaac Keim 4-45, Scholten 3-19, Hensley 1-6, Kaid Buls 1-4. Flathead — Sims 5-77, Williams 1-9, Jones 1-1.
