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Undefeated and Unsatisfied

Glacier Wolfpack roll into Class AA playoffs as the top-ranked team

By Dillon Tabish

In the football program’s relatively short history, the Glacier Wolfpack have already achieved a growing list of milestones.

First victory: 2008.

First playoff appearance: 2009.

First state championship game appearance: 2013.

Now the group has reached a new landmark that teams rarely accomplish in Class AA: first undefeated regular season.

With last Friday’s win over crosstown rival Flathead, Glacier improved to 10-0. It’s the best mark ever by a Kalispell football team after 10 games, surpassing last year’s 9-1 team and the Flathead Braves of 1959 (9-0-1), 1970 (9-0-1) and 1951 (8-0-2).

“It just doesn’t happen very often. It’s an incredible accomplishment,” said head coach Grady Bennett, who led the group to an undefeated record in his eighth year at Glacier and for the first time in his 24 years of coaching.

For as extraordinary as the accomplishment is, it was never the ultimate goal of this Pack. It was simply the product of their much loftier target — earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and chase the first football state championship for a Kalispell team in several decades. The 1970 Braves were crowned champions after the conclusion of the regular season and the 1959 Braves defeated Butte 39-0 in the championship game and claimed their second straight title.

The first part of Glacier’s goal is secured. Entering this week’s playoffs, Glacier is the No. 1 seed out of eight teams left vying for the Class AA title.

The Wolfpack host Billings West (4-6) at 7 p.m., Friday night inside Legends Stadium. The Golden Bears are 10th in the league on offense, averaging 22.7 points per game, while the defense is ranked ninth, holding opponents to 26.7 ppg.

Bennett’s boys, on the other hand, are the top offense in Montana, averaging 53.6 ppg. They scored 66 touchdowns this season, twice as many as Billings West and 20 more than the second best offense in Helena. The defense is ranked second behind Helena, limiting opponents to 16.2 ppg.

“They’ve bought in. We’re never going to stop striving to get better every single day,” Bennett said. “The kids understand our expectations and standards; how and why we do things. They have never relaxed. They have never taken anything for granted. They never assumed anything would just happen.”

Indeed, this Glacier squad is dominating opponents with machine-like precision. The boys beat Billings West 31-7 in the first game of the season. The closest game all season came against Great Falls C.M. Russell in the second week — the Wolfpack won by 18, 49-31. Since then, Glacier has outscored opponents 409-91.

It helps to have a well-rounded team like this one.

Senior quarterback Brady McChesney, the latest great signal-caller to emerge at Glacier, has thrown for 2,084 yards and 30 touchdowns, the second most yards in the state and most touchdowns. Only five interceptions have blemished his senior campaign, and he’s completed 63 percent of his passes.

Senior Logan Jones has achieved another successful season as Glacier’s versatile offensive weapon. He has caught 43 passes for 644 yards and 11 TDs and rushed for 508 yards and another three scores. He has the second most all-purpose yards in the state. He’s also a constant threat as a return specialist. Sam McCamley is the team’s No. 2 receiver with 585 yards and six touchdowns, followed by Devin Cochran, 322 yards and five TDs.

Thomas Trefney has developed into a surprise star at running back. The 6-foot, 183-pound junior has rushed for 815 yards and 20 touchdowns, the most in Montana.

On defense, Josh Hill is the Wolfpack’s leading tackler with 77, and also has four sacks and two interceptions. Andrew Harris has 70.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Jaxen Hashley has recorded 7.5 sacks. Cain Boschee has snatched five interceptions and Caleb Jones and Tucker Rauthe each have four.

Bennett said this team appears to be peaking at the right time. That’s what happened last year when Glacier rolled into the playoffs and made it all the way to the title game against undefeated Bozeman. The Hawks held on to win 24-14.

“Everybody is now 0-0. It’s all about the team that’s playing the best football,” Bennett said. “We want to be that team and to keep improving.”

In other Class AA playoff action, Billings Skyview (7-3) hosts Missoula Big Sky (7-3), Great Falls CMR (8-2) hosts Billings Senior (6-4) and Helena (9-1) hosts Bozeman (5-5).