Kalispell Glacier Rides Big Fourth Quarter Against Bozeman Gallatin into AA Championship

BOZEMAN — With a one-score lead midway through the fourth quarter, Kalispell Glacier’s offense stayed on the field for fourth down.

Needing 3 yards to convert from Gallatin’s 24-yard line, the decision to go for it was an easy one. Neither the down nor the distance nor the elements nor the situation was enough to dissuade Wolfpack head coach Grady Bennett.

“When you have Jackson Presley back there, I don’t really care what it is,” Bennett said of Glacier’s star junior quarterback. “I want the ball in Jackson’s hands. Something’s gonna happen, and most of the time it’s gonna be pretty good.”

Presley reaffirmed his coach’s faith by finding sophomore receiver Cooper Pelc in the end zone.

The play served as Glacier’s fourth conversion on fourth down in the Class AA semifinal game against the Raptors at Van Winkle Stadium. It would not be the final time the Wolfpack scored — that would come later on a 9-yard rush by senior Kobe Dorcheus — but it was the most consequential score of the snowy evening.

Gallatin had erased a two-score lead in the first half, but the Raptors’ second-half offense didn’t seem to have the same effectiveness against Glacier’s sizable defensive line. The Raptors blocked the PAT attempt after Pelc’s score, but the decisive blow had already been dealt.

Glacier’s defense held on Gallatin’s next two drives, sandwiched around the Dorcheus run, and the Wolfpack claimed a 46-27 victory.

Leading the way was Presley, who ran for three touchdowns and passed for three more to three different receivers.

“He showed who he is and what he is tonight in a big-time way,” Bennett said.

Gallatin, the Eastern AA champion, entered the game undefeated and as the top overall seed in the playoffs. The Raptors’ loss marks the first time a No. 1 seed has not reached the title game since this playoff format with first-round byes was implemented in 2020. Glacier’s 46 points are the most Gallatin (10-1) gave up all season.

“We didn’t make enough plays,” Raptors head coach Hunter Chandler said. “And a lot of that was on me, bad defensive game plan by me. We gave up too many points, and a lot of that was my fault. Didn’t do a good enough job.”

The Wolfpack defeated the Raptors 35-14 in the semifinals in Kalispell last year. Their 2023 season ended with a loss to Bozeman High at Van Winkle Stadium in the championship game.

Glacier (10-1) will get another chance at a state title next week against West No. 1 seed Helena Capital (10-1), which defeated East No. 2 seed Billings West 35-6 on Friday.

After being tied 20-20 at halftime, both Gallatin and Glacier had trouble gaining the momentum in the third quarter. Gallatin’s Bobby Gutzman intercepted Presley on an underthrown ball, but the Raptors offense later had to punt. The teams then traded punts on the next two drives.

Inside of two minutes remaining in the third, Presley passed for 30 yards to Easton Kauffman for a touchdown, making it 27-20. The Raptors answered quickly, though, with quarterback Grant Vigen finding Carter Dahlke for two long gains to get them down to the 2-yard line, where Reese Dahlke carried in from to tie the game.

Forty seconds into the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack went ahead for good on Presley’s 5-yard rushing score. Gallatin punted on its next possession, and Glacier went the length of the field again, capping the drive with Presley’s throw to Pelc.

Gallatin turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, and Dorcheus scored to put the game away. Ethan Kastelitz intercepted Vigen on the Raptors’ last-gasp drive.

“Obviously, they had a really good year, proud of them for that,” Chandler said of his team. “But came up short today, and it’s tough.”

Gallatin had overcome a near-two touchdown deficit in the first half to tie the game 20-20 at the break.

The Wolfpack struck first, getting a 17-yard rushing touchdown by Presley. The ball was mishandled on the PAT attempt, though, making the lead 6-0.

The Raptors answered in less than two minutes with a 47-yard rushing score by Reese Dahlke. With the kick, it was 7-6. Glacier converted two fourth down attempts on its next drive and capped the series with a 2-yard rushing TD by Presley for a 13-7 advantage. That was the score after one quarter.

After a Gallatin punt at the start of the second, Presley converted another fourth down on the ground inside the 10-yard line. He then threw for a 5-yard score to Bridger Smith, making the score 20-7 with 5 minutes, 21 seconds to play in the half.

The Raptors responded again, though. After a long run into the red zone by Carter Dahlke, he finished the drive with an 18-yard run. Glacier’s only three-and-out of the first half followed, and the Raptors made them pay, getting a 1-yard rush from Reese Dahlke with 40 seconds left to tie the game. Their extra point was blocked, however, keeping the score knotted.

Bennett said his team did a better job of containing the Dahlke brothers in the second half, which helped create some of the separation after such a tight first two quarters.

“They decided to just play (cover) zero and man us up across the board and pack the box, which is something we didn’t think they would do,” Bennett said. “And they had success with it enough early, but really, Jackson just started dropping some dimes, and he threw some beautiful balls. Our receivers finally started to win a couple times, got some separation, made some plays.”

Presley and Dorcheus were able to convert several times with their legs as well, making matters tougher for Gallatin.

“They were just chunking us in the run game way too much,” Chandler said.

It ended up leading to the end of Gallatin’s season in the semifinals for the third season in a row. Chandler gave credit to his seniors for taking part in such a successful run, even if they didn’t ever get to the championship game.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow right now. It’s definitely tough. It’s a hard loss,” he said. “But, man, those guys had a really good year and had a great career for us, and they’ve done a ton. We love those guys, and they’ll obviously always be welcome. We’re proud of them, and we hope to see them in the future. But they’ve definitely set us up well for success moving forward.”

Glacier, meanwhile, has one more week left. It will have a chance to avenge its only loss of the season, a 35-14 decision against the Bruins on Oct. 4.

“I’m confident they’re gonna practice hard this week,” Bennett said. “A little bit of a bad taste in their mouth from the way that first Capital game went, and I kind of like going into a situation like that where (you say), ‘OK, you got us the first time. Let’s go.’”