MT High School Football Rankings - Week 3

[VimSince03]

Class AA

1. Billings Senior (2-0)
2. Kalispell Glacier (2-0)
3. Bozeman (1-1)
4. Billings West (2-0)
5. Helena High (1-1)
6. Helena Capital (1-1)
7. CMR (1-1)
8. Missoula Sentinel (1-1)
9. Butte (1-1)
10. Great Falls High (1-1)

Teams in the conversation: Kalispell Flathead

Billings Senior kept rolling Friday night with a 62-20 win over Missoula Big Sky, leading 42-6 at halftime. It wasn't just Gabe Sulser and Nate Dick this week. Keaton Anderson and Jake Orvis also got in on the action on both sides of the ball with both adding offensive and defensive touchdowns. Senior will take on cross-town rival Billings West this Friday. I do not know who will be able to keep up with Senior...other than the next two teams I will talk about. Bozeman and Glacier put on what will surely be one of the best games of the season with Glacier winning 49-45 in the final seconds. Tadan Gilman threw a touchdown to Scout Wilcutt with :12 seconds left to lead Glacier, who was behind 39-21 heading into the 4th quarter. The final game heroics of Gilman and running back Drew Turner overshadowed one of the best debuts by a QB in Bozeman (and possibly Montana) history. Callahan O'Reilly threw SEVEN touchdowns (four going to WR Lance McCutcheon) in his debut going 34-44 for 522 yards passing with 53 yards rushing. Glacier will welcome Helena Capital Friday night. Bozeman will travel to Butte. Bryson Deming threw 2 TD's for Billings West as they defeated CMR 31-28 to start the year 2-0. CMR's Lane Jensen threw two costly interceptions that went for touchdowns which proved to be the big difference in the game. West will take on Billings Senior this Friday in a battle of unbeatens. Helena High got back on track with a 47-14 win over Kalispell Flathead. Bengal running back Ryan Arnston had six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving). Helena High will welcome CMR in a Friday night clash. Helena Capital was off as they got the forfeit win from Missoula Hellgate. Missoula Sentinel bounced back with a 35-14 win over Butte. Sentinel stud RB Connor Crawford had 132 yards rushing with three touchdowns on the night. Butte struggled to move the ball offensively as Sentinel controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides most of the game. Missoula Sentinel will play rival Missoula Big Sky this Friday. Flathead will travel to Great Falls to take on Great Falls High. Great Falls High got a win on the schedule with a 17-0 win over Billings Skyview (who has one touchdown in eight quarters). Kevin Boes added a rushing touchdown (one in which he flipped over a defender at the goal-line) to put the Bison up 17-0 at half. The Bison will take on Kalispell Flathead this Friday. Skyview gets the forfeit win over Hellgate on Friday night.

AA Player of the Week in Week 2: Bozeman QB Callahan O'Reilly (522 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, and 7 tds)

Game(s) of the Week: Billings Senior at Billings West (we will know how good Billings West is in a hurry...because Senior wastes no time scoring); Helena Capital at Kalispell Glacier (see Senior vs. West assessment)

Class A

1. Dillon (1-0)
2. Laurel (1-0)
3. Billings Central (1-0)
4. Polson (1-0)
5. Columbia Falls (2-0)
6. Sidney (2-0)
7. Havre (2-0)
8. Belgrade (1-1)
9. Miles City (1-1)
10. Hamilton (1-1)

Not much change in the rankings. Belgrade moved down to 8th and Sidney and Havre each moved up a spot. Dillon ran over Whitefish 47-0. They were up 34-0 at halftime and ran the ball extremely well. Safe to say that Whitefish is not the same team as last year. Dillon will take on Billings Central in a big-time Week 3 showdown this Friday in Billings. Laurel got a forfeit victory from Livingston. They will take on a competitive Belgrade team for their first official game this Friday. Billings Central rolled to a 38-14 win over Belgrade for their first win of the season and inaugural game played at Rocky Mountain's new field. Central QB Jet Campbell threw three touchdown passes and running back Ben Voss rushed for 138 yards and two scores. Belgrade only had 155 total yards in the game. The Rams will take on Dillon in Week 3 in another home game. Belgrade will welcome Laurel. Polson got their first win of the season against a tough Hamilton team, winning 24-10. It was evident right away that Tanner Wilson and Matt Rensvold are two of the state's best as they led their team to victory. Wilson threw four touchdowns (two to Rensvold). Hamilton hung tough but couldn't move the ball well enough against a stingy Pirate defense. Polson will welcome Corvallis on Friday while Hamilton will try to slow down a high-powered Columbia Falls offense. Spreaking of Colubmia Falls, I think they are still scoring. The offensive duo of Trevor Hoerner and Braxton Reiten have been unstoppable in their first two games. In fact, Reiten has 8 total touchdowns in his first two games with five coming against Stevensville. QB Dakota Bridwell has 14 passing touchdowns in his first two games. Columbia Falls will have a much stiffer test this Friday, travelling to Hamilton. Sidney swept it's North Dakota tour, beating Williston 23-6. Griz recruit Michael McGinnis scored on an 81 yard run and a 69 yard pass reception. Sidney travels to Lewistown this Friday. Havre took down Hardin 31-0 to improve to 2-0 behind three more rushing touchdowns from Jase Stokes. Havre will welcome a competitive Miles City squad this Friday, who beat Lewistown 21-0 for their first win of the year. QB Gabe Gundlach paced Miles City with three passing touchdowns.

A Player of the Week in Week 2: Columbia Falls RB/WR Braxton Reiten (5 catches, 109 yards receiving, 5 total touchdowns (4 receiving and one kickoff return))

Game(s) of the Week: Dillon at Billings Central (some other good ones in Week 3 but this one will be a test for both teams)

Class B

1. Fairfield (1-0)
2. Missoula Loyola (2-0)
3. Big Fork (2-0)
4. Huntley Project (2-0)
5. Baker (1-0)
6. Jefferson (2-0)
7. Whitehall (2-0)
8. Manhattan (2-0)
9. Eureka (2-0)
10. Shepherd (2-0)

Teams in the conversation: Malta, Cut Bank, Conrad, Anaconda, Colstrip, Townsend

Fairfield started its title defense off right with a 56-7 romping of Libby. Fairfield got contributions from everyone en route to a 56-0 halftime lead. However, Fairfield will get a tough early season test as they welcome 2-0 Jefferson for a Week 3 matchup. Missoula Loyola put up another 50+ point performance, beating visiting Townsend 52-6. Loyola QB Kellen Round had another good game and the Rams had 301 yards in the first half alone. Loyola is off in Week 3. Big Fork had a stiffer test with visiting Ronan giving them all they could handle in a 44-30 Vikings win. Big Fork RB Matt Farrier contributed three touchdowns to pace the Vikes. Big Fork will get an early season test from visiting Conrad this Friday. Huntley Project traveled to Malta and came away with a hard fought 21-14 victory. Malta is always tough at home and they were fired up for their opener but QB Tylan Croy hooked up with WR Keenan Reynolds for two 4th quarter touchdowns to put Huntley up for good. Huntley will host Columbus this Friday while Malta will travel to Shepherd for another good 2b vs. 3b matchup. Baker had a historic night naming the football field after the Schillinger family. But there was an even bigger story on the night as Luke Gonsioroski played in his first game since his life-threatening cancer surgery. Luke wasted no time, running for two touchdowns and passing for another in the first half. Baker also saw two of its transfers (FB Angus Lund from Wibaux and WR Cleet Wrzensinski from Ennis) get in on the action quickly with Lund scoring the first touchdown of the game and Wrzensinski scoring two touchdowns (1 run/1 catch) in the first half. Baker will travel to Glasgow for a Week 3 matchup. Manhattan blanked Choteau 32-0 in 5b vs. 1b action. Manhattan will welcome Big Timber to town this Friday. Jefferson took it to a big Anaconda team 36-0. I was much higher on Anaconda heading into this season but Nate Brunett and the Jefferson Panthers have rolled to a 2-0 start. Barnett has been spectacular. He had a great performance in Week 1 with 273 yards rushing but in Week 2 he got into the endzone five teams and ran for another 100 yards. Anaconda was their own worst enemy in this game with a ton of bad penalties, field position miscues, and turnovers. Jefferson will travel to Fairfield for a big early season showdown while Anaconda will welcome a tough Whitehall squad. Speaking of Whitehall, they have yet to let a team score this year while scoring a combined 97 points in its first two games, blanking Columbus 47-0 in Week 2. The senior duo of Braden Larsen and Andrew Simon have been spectacular. Larsen through another four touchdowns in this one while also returning an interception 61 yards for a touchdown. Simon had two receiving touchdowns while returning a fumble 35 yards for a score. If they want to make an even bigger statement, they get a mentally beat-up Anaconda team this week. For what its worth, Braden Larsen has been the best player in Class B so far this year, in my opinion. Eureka kept proving their offseason hype to be correct by beating a tough Cut Bank team 33-14. QB Austyn Sherwood ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Lions sealed this one in the 4th quarter. Eureka travels to Shelby in Week 3 for another 1b matchup against a really good passing game. Shepherd moves into my top 10 with a 34-0 win over Red Lodge. Mustang RB Chase Darnell had two rushing touchdowns for Shepherd, who welcome a tough Malta team to town in Week 3. As for the other teams in the conversation, I think Malta and Conrad could do themselves a ton of good this weekend with wins against Shepherd and Bigfork, respectively. Will be an fun weekend of football in Class B.

B Player of the Week in Week 2: Jefferson RB Nate Brunett (100 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns)

Game of the Week: Jefferson at Fairfield (Jefferson's last two weeks have made this THE game of the week in Class B)

Class C (8-man)

1. Ennis (2-0)
2. Wibaux (2-0)
3. Fairview (2-0)
4. DGS (2-0)
5. Victor (2-0)
6. Arlee (2-0)
7. Belt (2-0)
8. Charlo (1-1)
9. Flint Creek (1-1)
10. Scobey (2-0)

Teams in the conversation: Twin Bridges, Simms, Flint Creek, Chinook, Centerville, Park City, Shields Valley, Darby, Harlowton

Ennis put up 84 points in an 84-12 throttling of Broadview-Lavina. 40 of those points came in the first quarter with the trio of RB Jake Knack, WR Gavin McKitrick, and QB Tanner Wood providing the firepower. They barely played after the first quarter. Ennis will welcome Hobson/Moore/Judith Gap in Week 3. Wibaux beat Broadus 52-14 in a game I expected to be closer. Wibaux just has too many horses in the stable. Wibaux welcomes Scobey in Week 3 and Broadus welcomes Culbertson. Fairview beat down Culbertson 62-0 to improve to 2-0. The Warriors had 40 first half points and, like Ennis, their studs shut it down in the 2nd quarter. Fairview travels to Circle in Week 3. DGS continued its winnings ways in its inaugural season in 8-man with a 36-6 win over Lone Peak. DGS will welcome Shields Valley in Week 3. Victor got a big win over Twin Bridges, 28-13. Victor QB Jesse Pearson threw a touchdown and ran for another as the Pirates start 2-0. Twin Bridges falls to 0-2 and they need their star RB/LB Wesley Harshbarger back from injury sooner than later. They are a different team with him on the field. Victor will welcome Arlee for my Week 3 game of the week. Speaking of Arlee, they stayed undefeated with a 42-28 win over Flint Creek. Flint Creek had a promising season ahead of them but stud QB Mark Estes injured his leg in their first game and his season is likely done. He made their offense special but they aren't the same team without him. But kudos to them as they came out of the gates firing against Arlee with 22 first quarter points but Arlee QB Tyler Tanner took over from there. The Warriors have not lost a beat after graduating a great senior class and its primarily due to the footwork of Tyler Tanner, who carried the ball 18 times for 125 yards and five touchdowns in this one. Flint Creek RB Colby Manley had 149 yards on 28 totes and a score for the Titans. Flint Creek will take on Charlo next week in a good Week 3 matchup of 1-1 teams. Charlo put up 54 points against Plains in a 54-12 win over the weekend. Charlo's sophomore QB Landers Smith had four rushing touchdowns in the matchup to pace the Vikings. Scobey jumps into my top 10 with a 62-38 drubbing of Plentywood. Scobey has a senior laden team but will have one of their biggest tests of the season against Wibaux in Week 3.

C 8-man Player of the Week in Week 2: Arlee QB Tyler Tanner (18 carries, 125 yards, 5 touchdowns)

Game(s) of the Week: Arlee at Victor (both teams have started the year 2-0 and both are trying to be mentioned as top teams in 8-man)

Class C (6-man)

1. Hot Springs (2-0)
2. Bridger (2-0)
3. Bainville (2-0)
4. Richey-Lambert (2-0)
5. Geraldine-Highwood (2-0)
6. White Sulphur Springs (2-0)
7. Jordan (1-1)
8. Westby-Grenora (1-1)
9. Savage (1-1)
10. St. Regis (1-0)

Teams in the conversation: Grass Range-Winnett, Terry, Reed Point-Rapelje, Roy-Winifred

Hot Springs throttled Valier 51-0 to continue their claim as the top team in 6-man. They will get a forfeit in Week 3 over Lincoln. Bridger put together another impressive win with a 52-6 victory over Billings Christian. They travel to Fromberg this Saturday. Bainville has started off its 6-man campaign with two big victories, this last week's coming over Jordan with a score of 84-59. The Bulldogs have put up a 155 points in their first two victories. However, they take on a tough Richey-Lambert team in Week 3, as they beat Ekalaka 52-0 in Week 2. Richey-Lambert has allowed 8 points in its first two games while scoring 103. Geraldine-Highwood stayed undefeated with a forfeit win over Lincoln. Geraldine-Highwood welcomes Heart Butte in Week 3 action. White Sulphur Springs put up another 50+ point effort, this time defeating Grass Range-Winnett 58-32. They will take on a high scoring St. Regis team in Week 3 action. St. Regis is coming off a 70-18 victory over Mullan, ID. Westby-Grenora won a 49-46 shootout over Sunburst. Thunder athlete Brian Field had a part in five touchdowns. Westby-Grenora welcomes Ekalaka in a Week 3 matchup. Savage got back to their winning ways with a 61-6 drubbing of Alexander, ND. Savage will take on Terry this weekend.

C 6-man Player of the Week in Week 2: Heart Butte ATH Chasen Kipp (533 offensive yards, 8 touchdowns)

Game of the Week: Richey-Lambert at Bainville (two early season unbeatens square off)

[Bemiller49]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

[Joe Bobcat]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

I think you made a mistake on who is still best in class B. How can the east still be best when they aren't the defending champions and what has the east done in this young season to earn the best ranking?

[catamaran]

when did WSS switch to 6 man?

[VimSince03]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

I think you made a mistake on who is still best in class B. How can the east still be best when they aren't the defending champions and what has the east done in this young season to earn the best ranking?

Fairfield is considered the East...or the North. East of the Mountains how about that? Regardless, I think he was meaning Fairfield.

[Joe Bobcat]

Thanks for getting all this info together Vim it is very much appreciated. One small correction in class B.. The Eureka vs. Shelby game is scheduled to be played at Washington Grizzly stadium Friday night at 7;00.

[Joe Bobcat]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

I think you made a mistake on who is still best in class B. How can the east still be best when they aren't the defending champions and what has the east done in this young season to earn the best ranking?

Fairfield is considered the East...or the North. East of the Mountains how about that? Regardless, I think he was meaning Fairfield.

Ok I guess I took it more literal than intended as Fairfield is in the northern B. That Jefferson Fairfield game should be real interesting.

[VimSince03]

Thanks for getting all this info together Vim it is very much appreciated. One small correction in class B.. The Eureka vs. Shelby game is scheduled to be played at Washington Grizzly stadium Friday night at 7;00.

Why would they play at that stitt hole?

[luckyirishguy25]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

I think you made a mistake on who is still best in class B. How can the east still be best when they aren't the defending champions and what has the east done in this young season to earn the best ranking?

Fairfield is considered the East...or the North. East of the Mountains how about that? Regardless, I think he was meaning Fairfield.

Boulder has been pretty darn impressive in B, this weekends game should be a barn burner... and it is Boulder so that could actually happen.

[RickRund]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

[Bemiller49]

Senior is just crazy good this year. Class B, the east is still the best. And Dillon just keeps being dominate. Winning becomes a habit.

I think you made a mistake on who is still best in class B. How can the east still be best when they aren't the defending champions and what has the east done in this young season to earn the best ranking?

Fairfield is considered the East...or the North. East of the Mountains how about that? Regardless, I think he was meaning Fairfield.

Ok I guess I took it more literal than intended as Fairfield is in the northern B. That Jefferson Fairfield game should be real interesting.

Yes, I was meaning East of the Divide.

[catamaran]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

They forfeited the first two weeks due to player suspensions

[RickRund]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

They forfeited the first two weeks due to player suspensions

Thanks catamaran. Sad news...

[catpound]

Dillon vs Billings Central will be interesting, since it's in Billings, but I think Dillon wins handily in what could be a state championship game preview. Barring injuries I just don't see anyone staying in the game with Dillon this year.

[Joe Bobcat]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

They forfeited the first two weeks due to player suspensions

Thanks catamaran. Sad news...

Does anyone know if any of the suspensions originated from or are related to their coach getting the boot just a few weeks before the season started?

[catamaran]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

They forfeited the first two weeks due to player suspensions

Thanks catamaran. Sad news...

Does anyone know if any of the suspensions originated from or are related to their coach getting the boot just a few weeks before the season started?

related in a way

[Joe Bobcat]

Park (Livingston) really must have gone in the dumpster after their coach got the axe after the first practice... WOW.

They forfeited the first two weeks due to player suspensions

Thanks catamaran. Sad news...

Does anyone know if any of the suspensions originated from or are related to their coach getting the boot just a few weeks before the season started?

related in a way

I was afraid that there was some connection at least. I've heard a few things about that school district that sound a bit dysfunctional. Sorry if that offends anyone on here from there and I hope that things get straightened out and working better.

[grizpack]

Thanks for getting all this info together Vim it is very much appreciated. One small correction in class B.. The Eureka vs. Shelby game is scheduled to be played at Washington Grizzly stadium Friday night at 7;00.

Why would they play at that stitt hole?

It is cool that other schools are getting to play in Wa-Griz. Does MSU allow high school teams to play there? (Not smack, just curious). It would be great if both stadiums hosted high school games on Friday nights.

[VimSince03]

Thanks for getting all this info together Vim it is very much appreciated. One small correction in class B.. The Eureka vs. Shelby game is scheduled to be played at Washington Grizzly stadium Friday night at 7;00.

Why would they play at that stitt hole?

It is cool that other schools are getting to play in Wa-Griz. Does MSU allow high school teams to play there? (Not smack, just curious). It would be great if both stadiums hosted high school games on Friday nights.

Obviously I'm joking. Would be great if MSU started and its awesome the kids get to play in Wa-Griz.

[lutecat]

Belgrade won. Listened to the end of the game on the radio. Sounds like Van Winkle had himself a game.

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