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PLAYOFF POSITIONING
CLASS AA
STANDINGS W L
BOZEMAN 8 1 BILLINGS SENIOR 8 1 GLACIER 7 2 HELENA CAPITAL 7 2 HELENA 7 2 BILLINGS WEST 6 3 FLATHEAD 5 4 MISSOULA SENTINEL 5 4 GREAT FALLS CMR 4 5 GREAT FALLS 2 7 MISSOULA BIG SKY 2 7 BILLINGS SKYVIEW 1 8 BUTTE 1 8 MISSOULA HELLGATE 0 9
SCHEDULE - REGULAR SEASON FINALES, OCT. 30
GLACIER AT MISSOULA BIG SKY MISSOULA SENTINEL AT FLATHEAD BILLINGS SKYVIEW AT BOZEMAN MISSOULA HELLGATE AT BILLINGS SENIOR HELENA AT BILLINGS WEST
GREAT FALLS AT GREAT FALLS CMR BUTTE AT HELENA CAPITAL
NORTHWESTERN A
STANDINGS
WHITEFISH COLUMBIA FALLS POLSON FRENCHTOWN
OVR CONF
8-1 3-0 4-3 2-1 3-5 1-2 3-6 0-3
SCHEDULE - FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFFS, OCT. 30-31 BUTTE CENTRAL VS. HAMILTON
COLUMBIA FALLS VS. POLSON BILLINGS CENTRAL VS. LAUREL BELGRADE VS. SIDNEY
WESTERN 7B
STANDINGS
THOMPSON FALLS BIGFORK
TROY
EUREKA
LIBBY
OVR CONF
5-4 3-1 5-3 3-1 2-6 2-2 3-5 2-2 0-7 0-4
SCHEDULE - FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFFS, OCT. 30-31
ROUNDUP VS. BIGFORK
MISSOULA LOYOLA VS. CUT BANK JEFFERSON VS. HUNTLEY PROJECT MALTA VS. DEER LODGE COLUMBUS VS. MANHATTAN BAKER VS. GLASGOW
FAIRFIELD VS. ANACONDA THOMPSON FALLS VS. COLSTRIP
SPORTS
Nathan Hammer (51) brings down Josh McCracken (32). GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
TCONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE
HE FLATHEAD VALLEY’S RUN- ning tradition is well documented. Even wrestling is a sport that
traces a long, local connection.
Football, the oldest sanctioned sport
in Montana, has followed an up-and- down trajectory in this corner of the state, peaking in the 1950s with the great Flathead Braves teams that won four championships in nine years.
After years of relative dormancy across the valley, the sport is reverber- ating once again, more than ever. For the first time, the Flathead Valley will have five teams playing in the postseason.
In Class AA, the Glacier Wolfpack, which claimed Kalispell’s first state championship since 1970 a year ago, are tied for third in the standings and are advancing to the playoffs for the seventh season in a row. The Flathead Braves, a talented squad determined to regain their old-school dominance, are guaran- teed a playoff berth for the first time since 2011.
In Class A, Whitefish is a powerhouse. The Bulldogs won the Northwestern A conference for the second year in a row and earned a first-round bye in the play- offs. Columbia Falls also qualified for the postseason and squares off against Pol- son this weekend in the first round.
In Class B, reloaded Bigfork is rolling into the playoffs after a monster 49-7 win over Troy last week. The Vikings hit the road to Roundup for first-round action this week.
Here’s a breakdown of the playoff land- scape and each team’s positioning:
CLASS AA
It was easy to doubt Glacier’s pros- pects this fall. After all, several key play- ers graduated from last year’s perfect championship squad, which was one of the most dominant teams in state his- tory. And after the team started the sea- son 0-2, it appeared that indeed Glacier was experiencing a rebuilding year.
But not this Wolfpack.
In Week Three, Glacier eked out a 7-3 win over Helena Capital and the team hasn’t slowed down since.
The team’s talent was on full display last Friday against Flathead. The Wolf- pack trailed 13-7 at halftime before ral- lying back to win 41-26. Thomas Tref- ney powered in four touchdowns to lead Glacier to its seventh win in a row and seventh consecutive crosstown victory. Trefney finished with 32 carries for 112 yards. He now has a state-leading 1,184 rushing yards. He increased his scoring total to 17 touchdowns.
“If you’re going to go deep in the play- offs and defend your title, like we’re try- ing to do, this is the kind of game you need,” Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said. “You don’t want that first half but you need to be able to handle that adver- sity and react to it and rise above it and take care of business.”
Glacier, which has the No. 2 ranked offense in the state, plays Missoula Big Sky this Friday night in the regular-sea- son finale. Glacier is tied with Helena and Helena Capital at 7-2. If Helena, Capital and Glacier all win, the Wolfpack would earn the No. 5 playoff seed. If Helena loses and Capital and Glacier both win, Glacier would earn the No. 3 seed. The top four seeds will host a playoff game.
Flathead, which has the third-ranked offense in the state, is guaranteed its first playoff berth since 2011. The Braves are tied for seventh with this Friday’s oppo- nent, Missoula Sentinel. Kickoff is 7 p.m. in Legends Stadium. Billings West is in sixth place at 6-3 and play Helena. If West loses and Flathead wins, the Braves could earn the No. 6 seed. A loss to Senti- nel would put Flathead in the No. 8 seed.
CLASS A
Winners of seven straight, the White- fish Bulldogs are rolling into the Class A playoffs as a top contender.
Whitefish (8-1 overall, 3-0 in confer- ence) earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of Belgrade and Sidney, who play this weekend. Whitefish’s lone loss this season came against the reign- ing state champs, Dillon. The Beavers escaped with a late touchdown to beat Whitefish, 22-21, on Sept. 4.
Columbia Falls (4-3, 2-1) hosts confer- ence foe Polson (3-5, 1-2) this Saturday at 1 p.m. in first-round action. The winner plays Havre the following week.
CLASS B
The Bigfork Vikings won three must- win games in a row to secure their sev- enth consecutive playoff berth.
Bigfork (5-3, 3-1) plays at Roundup (8-1, 4-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the Class B playoffs.
Thompson Falls (5-4, 3-1), which won the Western 7B conference, hosts Col- strip on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
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OCTOBER 28, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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