The Sentinel Spartans host Great Falls High on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Missoula County Stadium. The Spartans (3-4) will try to break their two-game losing streak and get back on track for a playoff push, like crosstown rival Big Sky (4-3).
The last time two Missoula schools made the AA playoffs was in 1994, the same season Hellgate and Big Sky played for the state title. The Eagles, who won that championship game, will try to win for the third time in a row when they travel to Great Falls to take on C.M. Russell at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
(0-7) play Helena Capital on Saturday in the Queen City. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. at Vigilante Stadium.
The Spartans-Bison matchup will be broadcast on KGRZ 1450 AM radio and is also KPAX-TV's “Prep Game of the Week.” It will air Saturday after the 10 p.m. news.
Great Falls at Sentinel, 7 p.m.
The Bison have dropped three of their last four games, including the last two. Still, coach Pete Joseph said his Spartans need to be careful of AA's top defensive team.
“They had some early success, like us, and now it looks like they've run into a tougher part of their schedule,” Joseph said. “But they're physical up front, and on defense, and they're very capable on offense.”
Great Falls holds teams to a league-low 238 yards per game, and opponents are averaging just 15.4 points per game on the Bison (4-3). By comparison, their offense averages just eight points per game more than their defense gives up.
Senior quarterback Trylan Wassman directs the offense, which also features a pair of bruising running backs in Maxx Galland and Zach Wichman.
“Their two running backs run hard,” Joseph said. “We have our work cut out getting those guys to the ground.”
The Spartans are trying to rebound from a tough loss to Capital last Saturday when the Bruins dismantled Sentinel 49-14. Included in the lopsided victory was a 60-yard touchdown run on the very first play from scrimmage.
“To be honest, we didn't show up emotionally and that hurt us,” Joseph said. “That first play took the wind out of our sails. We came back, competed, and made a run at them in the third and fourth quarter I thought.”
Sentinel also lost an overtime heartbreaker at Flathead the previous week.
“It's one of those games you have to put aside and move on,” Joseph added. “We're in just as good a spot now as we were two weeks ago.”
The coaching staff is hoping for better production out of its offense, which has dipped to seventh in the league in total offense over the past few weeks. Sentinel, which finishes the season against two teams with losing records, sits eighth in the AA standings.
“If things fall right, we could end up with a fifth or sixth seed,” Joseph said. “Were not any worse now (after last week), and our kids understand that.”
Big Sky at CMR, 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles believe they found a formula that's going to lead them through the rest of the regular season and possibly into the playoffs. And this Friday's game against CMR is a stiff test.
Senior Mike LaValley quarterbacked Big Sky past crosstown rival Hellgate last week and also a led the Eagles to a 38-7 victory over Butte the previous week, when he was first inserted at the position.
“We're growing,” said Big Sky coach Gary Ekegren, “and we're getting better overall.”
LaValley rushed for one score and had 165 yards passing against the Knights. He was complemented by juniors Eddie Apostol and Glen Maricelli, also recent additions to the backfield. The Eagles, though, gave up four touchdowns to the state's worst offense and could have trouble against the Rustlers, who rank third in passing.
“They've improved offensively the last few weeks, that's what we're seeing,” Ekegren said. “They have good skill and good size. We have to have our best football game. We've been close. It's time we put it all together, and I think we're capable of that and I think we'll feel pretty good then.”
CMR (6-1) is feeling pretty good after last week's win, which gave longtime coach Jack Johnson his 300th victory at the school.
Ekegren, who has a 178-163 record at Big Sky, said he won't try to match the legendary Johnson.
“I haven't got enough years left,” Ekgren joked. “I'm only interested in the next three, but we'll try and leave (Johnson's mark) there (at 300) for awhile.”
The Rustlers and Eagles have played some close games recently, including CMR's 20-7 win in Missoula last season and Big Sky's 11-10 win in Great Falls in 2006.
“We've had some good football games with them,” Ekegren said, “and we have to have that kind of football game. This is an important part of our season. If we can pull one out, that's a real big bone for us.”
Hellgate at Capital, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The Knights get an extra day to prepare for Class AA's top-ranked team and it's top-ranked offense, but even then Hellgate coach Jeff Dohn isn't sure he can figure out the unblemished Bruins.
“Nobody's had an answer for them yet,” Dohn said. “I'm not going to change anything. I might throw in a new wrinkle to experiment for the rest of the year, but we'll get what we can take and take what we can get.
“It's a real challenge. They're very, very good. That's the way it is. But anything can happen.”
The Knights (0-7) played their best game of the season last week, as junior quarterback Sam Hall passed for 130 yards and two TDs, but came up just short against Big Sky. Now comes Capital (7-0), which averages 434 yards per game and almost seven touchdowns per outing.
“They have another level of speed,” Dohn said. “They do things so fast - everywhere - on defense, special teams; it'll be tough for us to match.”
Several Hellgate players suffered injuries last year when the Bruins won 62-2 in Missoula.
“They hit the heck out of us,” Dohn said. “We're not a top-caliber team, I know that, but you can't just show up without preparing to play us.”
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