Helena Capital is the No. 1 team in Class AA football yet again and C.M. Russell is close behind in second. This much we know. As for the rest of the Class AA playoff picture, it couldn’t be any less clear. Seven teams are tied for third place with 4-2 records. The drop-off after that is considerable – the remaining five teams have 1-5 or 0-6 records.
Right in the middle of the crowded playoff race is Glacier High School. Coming off a 24-17 win over Missoula Sentinel on Oct. 2, the Wolfpack face off against 0-6 Great Falls High this weekend at home. To earn a playoff spot, Glacier must finish in the top eight out of 14 teams in Class AA. Undefeated Helena Capital, the three-time defending state champion, and 5-1 C.M. Russell control their own destinies, but that still leaves seven teams to duke it out for six spots.
After Great Falls, Glacier finishes its season off against Helena Capital (6-0) on the road, Missoula Big Sky (4-2) on the road and Missoula Hellgate (1-5) at home. While the Wolfpack proved they can clamp down on defense with their 24-17 victory over Sentinel, one statistic can’t be ignored: they are 3-0 when they’ve scored 41 points and are 1-2 in all other games. They beat Billings Senior 41-21, Bozeman 41-35 in overtime, and Flathead 41-7. Their losses were 35-24 to CMR and 21-13 to Helena High.
Class AA Football Standings Through Six Games:
Helena Capital – 6-0
C.M. Russell – 5-1
Bozeman – 4-2
Missoula Sentinel – 4-2
Glacier – 4-2
Billings Skyview – 4-2
Billings West – 4-2
Helena High – 4-2
Missoula Big Sky – 4-2
Billings Senior – 1-5
Missoula Hellgate – 1-5
Flathead – 1-5
Butte – 0-6
Great Falls – 0-6