Hellgate and Big Sky renew their rivalry Friday at Missoula County Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles have won the previous five meetings en route to their run of five straight city championships. Big Sky (3-3) needs a victory to keep pace with the league's top eight teams. Only its top eight advance to the playoffs.
“We're close. Every week we're a little bit closer,” said Hellgate coach Jeff Dohn, whose team just finished a brutal stretch against Class AA's second-, third- and fourth-ranked teams. “We've played some really good defensive teams.”
The city title is not on the line Friday night, but with a victory the Knights could set up the deciding game with Sentinel three weeks from now.
The Spartans (3-3) host Helena Capital on Saturday at 6 p.m. at MCS. Sentinel topped the Eagles in the first intracity battle three weeks back.
Hellgate at Big Sky, 7:30 p.m.
The coaching staffs at both schools are quite familiar with the guys across the field and it shows in their respect for one another, and their players' respect too.
“We just enjoy playing in crosstown games,” Dohn said. “Our players know the other players and talk about this kid or that kid. As coaches we're just looking at schemes, but they're saying, ‘Hey, we know that guy.' ”
“It'll be a tough one for us,” Big Sky coach Gary Ekegren said. “They're pretty good, I know they haven't won, but I am impressed with them.”
The Knights, who've lost 13 straight and haven't beaten Big Sky since 2002, nearly earned a win over Helena High this past week but couldn't capitalize on seven turnovers.
“Helena's a very physical team,” Ekegren said. “I know they're frustrated and were so close to capitalizing on it, but that was a super opponent they were going against. That was a dogfight in that one. It could have gone either way.”
With the loss, Hellgate knows where it stands the rest of the season.
“We get to play the role of spoiler,” Dohn said. “We know what other teams have to play for and we can put a hiccup in their path. We have designs on winning the few games that we have left.”
Those plans probably include senior running back Chris Lavoie, who's ranked in the top 10 in rushing in AA at 80 yards per game.
“That Lavoie kid is the best in the state in my opinion, and I've seen a lot of 'em this year, not all of them, but a lot,” said Ekegren. “Their line is getting better each week.”
The Knights should have receiver Brenden Gragg back. He sat out last Friday's game with a bum shoulder. Lance Altmaier filled in quite well, Dohn said.
As did defensive tackles Jesse Ginn and Jesse Colwell, who “was everywhere,” Dohn said. “I have not seen a game like that since Jory Barefield played. (Colwell) had a major impact on the game.”
The junior had eight solo tackles, two assists, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Keeping up that kind of play is necessary for Hellgate's ‘D' to be successful.
“Every week brings another task, another chore. This one is probably more emotional than others,” Dohn said, “and at this point in the season Big Sky is a blessing for us to play, to get the kids up for it, knowing that things haven't gone the way we wanted. But we'll have them ready to play.”
Big Sky got ready for crosstown week by beating Butte 38-7 last week. That snapped a two-game skid.
“We needed to go get a win,” Ekegren said. “Butte's struggled all year, but the one thing I was pleased with, Butte has been scoring a lot and our defense really got after them. That was encouraging.”
That's good news for the Eagles, who returned a few of the starters they were missing because of injuries.
Senior running back/linebacker Brooks Nuanez played some last week after suffering a dislocated collarbone in the season opener.
Guard/linebacker Kody Reed and running back Jordan Tripp also appear to be back from their injuries.
“We just have to keep plugging away and take care of the opponent in front of us,” Ekegren said, “and we might surprise some people.”
Also, the Eagles switched senior receiver Mike LaValley from quarterback last Friday, and could do so again this week.
Capital at Sentinel, Saturday 6 p.m.
It's homecoming for the Spartans and who better to invite than the top-ranked team in Class AA.
“That's right,” Sentinel coach Pete Joseph said. “The Capital Bruins are coming to town.”
“It should be a neat environment, with the success we've had and the publicity our program has gotten. I hope we draw a big crowd and have a great competitive game.”
The Spartans have their work cut out against the top scoring offense in the league. Capital (6-0) averages 36.6 points per game. Sentinel averages 23.4 - best of Missoula's teams.
The Spartans, though, haven't beaten the Bruins since 1984 and a breakthrough this week is hard to script.
“No coach is in the prediction business, but our kids feel confident competing with them,” said Joseph, whose team is having its best season in eight years. “Hopefully they'll make some mistakes and we capitalize on it. We have to play mistake free.”
Mistake-free football has been an up-and-down thing for the Spartans. They lead AA in turnover margin, but still have 10 turnovers this fall.
The Bruins have plenty of weapons in senior running back Michael King and junior wide receiver Matt Miller, but QB Mathew Reyant has been a surprise.
“The presumption was that Miller would move to quarterback, but they've shown confidence in (Reyant). They don't need Miller having the ball in his hands every play,” Joseph said. “He's gotten the ball down field and accurately. He's starting to get the ball to Miller and their other receivers which makes them even more balanced and more dangerous.”
The Spartans need to play a fundamental game with good tackles and blocks, Joseph said, because both areas fell apart a week ago in a narrow overtime loss at Flathead.
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