Wolfpack girls three-peat at state
BOZEMAN — After a grueling two-day schedule, the Glacier Wolfpack girls flag football team found a way to get the game-winning stop on fourth down to win their third consecutive state championship over the Huntley Project Red Devils Friday, 18-13.
Down 13-12 heading into the fourth quarter, quarterback Karley Allen drove the Wolfpack down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard rush to take an 18-13 lead with three minutes remaining.
“Allen was making good decisions, and their defense was taking away our vertical game, so we had to do a lot more running than your typical flag football game,” Wolfpack coach Mark Kessler said.
Quarterback Paige Lofing — a Gonzaga basketball commit — led the Red Devils to the state final after winning the Southeast Divisional title in their first year fielding a team.
She drove the Red Devils to first and goal on their final drive from the 1-yard line, but a pair of costly penalties put them into a difficult fourth-and-goal. The Wolfpack forced a turnover on downs with 30 seconds left.
“Huntley Project’s quarterback is an amazing athlete,” Kessler said. “If we put pressure on her, she would make throws on the run and would dink-and-dime us.”
“If we gave her time, she took off running. She showed tremendous poise and forced our defense to be challenged in ways they haven’t been challenged all year.”
Khirsten Terrell accounted for the other Wolfpack scores, as she caught and rushed for a touchdown.
“Terrell’s effort on her runs, really set us up on our drives. A couple of the drives we didn’t finish, but when we needed it, we got the job done.”
Unlike the previous year, 17 teams were invited to compete in the state tournament. There were five teams last year.
Glacier won their first game Thursday over Hardin 44-0, setting up a triple-header on Friday. The Pack defeated Three Forks 18-0 at 4 p.m. and Lockwood 27-12 at 6 before playing Huntley Project in the final at 7:30.
“This was more physically challenging than years before, having to play four games, especially the game with Three Forks right in the dead of the heat,” Kessler said.
“There were about 250 girls playing flag football in that two-day period, so it had its challenges.”
Nevertheless, Glacier prevailed in a sport they have ruled since its inaugural season in 2022, as the only team to hoist a state trophy.
After an increase of 12 new teams this year, Kessler hopes this is a sign of a sport that continues to grow in the state.
“I hope some of the bigger schools field teams going forward,” he said. “This was quite an accomplishment by our girls in a very competitive and challenging tournament.”
Flathead, which battled Glacier in the first two championship games, lost its first game to Lockwood Thursday 19-0.
“We moved the ball well but could not finish,” Bravettes head coach Lisa Koehler said. “They capitalized on our mistakes, managed the clock and played a great game.”
The loss to Lockwood put the Bravettes in the consolation bracket against Butte, who they wbeat 26-0 in their final game of the tournament.
“We were able to end on a positive note, playing some younger hard-working girls,” Koehler said.