AA Football: Glacier earns title shot, 35-14

Glacier defenders Justin Timlick (53) and Isaac Keim (9) bring down Gallatin's Reese Dahlke (0) in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter of the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier running back Kash Goicoechea (6) breaks free for a big run in the second quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Cohen Kastelitz (1) and Jackson Presley (12) celebrate after a first-quarter touchdown run by Presley against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier quarterback Jackson Presley (12) scores a touchdown on a 4-yard run in the first quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier defensive lineman Isaac Keim (9) celebrates after a safety in the first quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier defenders Isaac Keim (9) and Carson Baker (38) stop a run by Gallatin quarterback Reese Dahlke (0) in the second quarter of the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier's Kaleb Shine (16) leads the Wolfpack out onto the field before their Class AA semifinal game against Gallatin at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier running back Kobe Dorcheus (33) looks for running room on a carry in the first quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier defenders Evan Barnes (8), Henry Sellards (66) and Jaden Dannic (40) celebrate after a safety in the first quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier quarterback Jackson Presley (12) drops back to pass in the third quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier defensive lineman Isaac Keim (9) celebrates after stopping a fourth down run by Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier defensive back Easton Kauffman (19) intercepts a pass in the second quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Glacier wide receiver Cohen Kastelitz (1) picks up yardage after a reception in the second quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by FRITZ NEIGHBOR
Daily Inter Lake | November 10, 2023 11:36 PM

Glacier’s 35-14 win over Gallatin, in the State AA football semifinals Friday at Legends Stadium, didn’t have your usual number of explosive Wolfpack plays.

Big plays? Plenty of those.

A safety near the first quarter gave the Wolfpack the lead for good, 8-7. Two second-quarter interceptions — Glacier had four total — led to 10 points and a 21-7 halftime advantage.

Easton Kauffman’s second pick of the game led to the clinching touchdown, a 7-yard run by Kash Goicoechea, at 4:53 of the fourth quarter.

That and more helped the Pack (10-1) beat a stingy Gallatin defense and get the program’s first title shot since 2016. Glacier won its lone state championship in 2014. The Wolfpack will play at 11-0 Bozeman High, next Friday at 7 p.m.

“It’s awesome,” said Justin Timlick, who was in on the safety. “I’m so excited. I’m just grateful. All my teammates and I worked so hard to get here, it’s awesome.”

Jackson Presley didn’t throw a touchdown pass Friday, but scored the first of four rushing touchdowns by the home team. It came after Glacier pooched the opening kickoff and Carson Baker recovered for the Pack.

Gallatin (9-2) answered, getting a 1-yard touchdown run from Carter Dahlke to cap a 68-yard drive and take a 7-6 lead.

Two things happened to flip the momentum. First, Trevor Cockerill got off a 46-yard punt that was downed at the Gallatin 1-yard line; then Timlick and Isaac Keim swallowed up Reese Dahlke in the end zone on first down.

“I think it was a power read,” Timlick, a senior, said. “(Keim) got to his feet, and then he started tipping over, trying to get out of the end zone. I came up and knocked him back into it.”

Given another short field after the ensuing free kick, Keim hauled in a flea-flicker pass of 34 yards to set up first-and-goal. That led to the first of Rhett Measure’s two field goals.
Alex Hausmann’s interception of a Grant Vigen pass led to a 71-yad Glacier drive, keyed by a 43-yard burst from Goicoechea and capped by Kobe Dorcheus’ 2-yard touchdown scamper. That made it 18-7.

Kauffman’s first pickoff set up Measure’s second field goal late in the first half.

For all those highlights, Glacier coach Grady Bennett was thinking about something else afterward.

“As many huge moments as there were in that game,” Bennett began. “To me, when we take the second half kickoff and go on a long, punishing, six-minute drive and put it in the end zone — man.”

The 11-play, 80-yard drive featured a 17-yard run by Dorcheus and passes to Cohen Kastelitz covering 13 yards (on third-and-8) and 19 to Hausmann. A 6-yard pass to Goicoechea — he took on Quinn Clark in one of the game’s many loud collisions — preceded Keim’s 1-yard TD off a direct snap.

The Raptors closed to 28-14 when Reese Dahlke, who runs harder than his 145-pound frame would suggest, tore off a highlight-reel, 38-yard touchdown. Glacier’s ensuing drive ended at the Gallatin 30 on downs, but before you could say, “Butte, America,” Kauffman had his second pick.

“That was incredible,” Presley, who threw for 155 yards, said. “Easton Kaufman had his second pick and that just set the tone for us to go out there and do what we do best.”

Soon, Goicoechea put the game away.

Josh Woodberry had 11 tackles for the physical Raptors. Reece Dahlke had 168 rushing yards.

“That's a good football team,” Bennett said of the Raptors. “So many explosive athletes that can just pop it. Every time they handed it off to one of the Dahlkes, you were holding your breath.

“Our defense was brilliant tonight. I thought our front for the most part really controlled the line of scrimmage and was dominant. Our secondary coming up with four interceptions was huge. Just big play after big play by our defense.”

Kole Johnson made Glacier’s fourth interception in the end zone with 46 seconds left in the game. Dorcheus ran 18 times for 88 yards; Goicoechea picked up 86 on eighth carries.

Cohen Kastelitz, sporting dyed blonde hair that seems to be team-wide — “Kind of a brotherhood thing,” he said — had six catches for 67 yards.

“All of the guys continue to play great and now we’re going to state,” Presley added. “Let’s go get it.”

Bozeman beat Helena Capital 43-19 in Friday’s other semifinal. The Hawks topped Glacier 31-23 in last year’s quarterfinals.

Gallatin 7 0 7 0 - 14

Glacier 8 13 7 7 - 35

Glacier — Jackson Presley 4 run (kick blocked), 9:37-1Q

GALLATIN — Carter Dahlke 1 run (Quinn Clark kick), 3:17-1Q

Glacier — Safety, Gallatin’s Reese Dahlke tackled in end zone, 1:37-1Q

Glacier — Rhett Measure 21 FG, 10:13-2Q

Glacier — Kobe Dorcheus 2 run (Measure kick), 6:49-2Q

Glacier — Measure 33 FG, 1:19-2Q

Glacier — Isaac Keim 1 run (Measure kick), 7:11-3Q

GALLATIN — Reese Dahlke 38 run (Clark kick), :16-3Q

Glacier — Kash Goicoechea 7 run (Measure kick), 4:53-4Q

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Gallatin (29-196) — Reese Dahlke 16-163, Carter Dahlke 7-31, Wes Donaghey 5-2, Grant Vigen 1-0. Glacier (31-185) — Dorcheus 18-88, Goicoechea 8-86, Evan Barnes 1-6, Presley 1-4, Isaac Keim 1-1, Team 2-0.

PASSING: Gallatin — R. Dahlke 6-9-1 for 82 yards; C. Dahlke 1-1-0 for 17 yards; Vigen 0-3-3 for 3 yards; Clark 0-1-0 for 0 yards. Glacier — Presley 15-22-0 for 155 yards.

RECEIVING: Gallatin — Clark 3-34, Josh Woodberry 2-46, C. Dahlke 1-10, Donaghey 1-9. Glacier — Cohen Kastelitz 6-67, Dorcheus 3-0, Keim 1-34, Alex Hausmann 1-19, Barnes 1-12, Bridger Smith 1-9, Kole Johnson 1-8, Goicoechea 1-6.