The Bobcat Nation

High School football playoffs starting in full force this weekend. Anyone have insights on any of the games to watch this weekend? I'll be at the Helena High/Great Falls Bison game. I think Helena High will sneak by Great Falls, but they'll have to lock down Steele Harris who is a dual threat receiver/rusher.

CMR (5-4) should beat Butte (3-6), but the Bulldogs have won two straight and are averaging 26 points over the last 4 games after switching to junior QB Raeder Gray.

Bozeman (5-4) should run past Hellgate (3-6) behind QB Van Schockley. He leads the AA with 2,066 passing yards and has rushed for 566. However, Hellgate did upset Helena High at home last week.

Sentinel (6-2) hosts Billing Senior (2-7). Sentinel lost to Glacier by 34 and lost by 2 to #4 Missoula Big Sky. But Sentinel should roll over the Broncs.

Class A - The only team I'm familiar with is East Helena (7-2), who earned their first home playoff game and will host Glendive. The Vigilantes have been rolling behind the arm of junior QB Bearek Shuman and legs of Leo Longcake, who is averaging 116 yds rushing/game.

Stat of the day - Helena High has not won a state championship since 1932. My 87-year old mother, a 1955 graduate of Helena High has never seen them win a championship. My bold prediction is that East Helena, currently in it's 5th varsity year will win a championship next year with a team that would've been Helena High athletes if East Helena hadn't built a high school.

EDIT: Defending champion Capital High missed the playoffs for the first time in 8 or 9 years? The Bruins have won 13 state championships, the most in AA history. Capital High first opened it's doors in 1973, so they have won 25% of the championships since their inception. Crazy.

MHSA really needs to reconsider the AA playoff format. Is there a valid reason for 2-win teams to make the playoffs? I'd like to see it as a 6-team playoff, with the top seed from the East and West getting a first-round bye. Just my preference though.

I actually like the current format. You had multiple teams playing for the last playoff spots in last regular season games. If you only take 3 teams from each conference, the last couple of weeks could have meaningless games.

Also, it seems that the gap between the best teams and the worst teams seems to be wide every year. There is almost always 2 or 3 top teams in each conference, and then everyone else is a big gap away. Those top 2 or 3 teams though do change each season. If you have a couple of D1 athletes on a team, it is usually enough to be successful in Montana football.

AA Quarterfinal games are set:

Bozeman High at Kalispell Glacier
Missoula Sentinel at Gallatin High
Great Falls High at Billings West
Great Falls CMR at Missoula Big Sky

Not many upsets in any class.

Class C 8-man quarterfinal predictions:

Fort Benton over Ennis
Scobey over St Regis
Belt over Flint Creek
Circle over Seeley-Swan

Wrangler wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 05, 2025 1:26 pm

Class C 8-man quarterfinal predictions:

Fort Benton over Ennis
Scobey over St Regis
Belt over Flint Creek
Circle over Seeley-Swan

An All North VS East semifinal! Those semifinal matchups are going to be great games.

West at Glacier for AA

Pack has lost the last two title games on the road. We knew all season that getting home field was the goals, and they have it.

Go Pack!

I see Brock Berryhill is the head coach at Scobey. He was an assistant at MSU under Mike Kramer in the mid 2000's, as well as a number of other college programs over the years, including some FBS schools. It says he graduated from Boise State, but I could swear I remember him playing QB for some Big Sky team. I wanna say it might have been Cal State Northridge, when they were in the BSC. I couldn't find any info about his playing career though. It just seems a bit odd to me, that a guy who's coached at the highest level of college football would end up as the head coach at someplace like Scobey MT.

PapaG wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 21, 2025 5:07 pm

West at Glacier for AA

Pack has lost the last two title games on the road. We knew all season that getting home field was the goals, and they have it.

Go Pack!

Aren't you a West High alum? I'm surprised that you were cheering for Glacier. I was pulling for West in a big way, just because Glacier is coached by former gris Grady Bennett. I couldn't stand that homer when he was one of the announcers/commentators for gris football games. I figured Glacier would probably win though. I was shocked that Billings Central lost to Frenchtown.

John K wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 22, 2025 9:14 am

PapaG wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 21, 2025 5:07 pm

West at Glacier for AA

Pack has lost the last two title games on the road. We knew all season that getting home field was the goals, and they have it.

Go Pack!

Aren't you a West High alum? I'm surprised that you were cheering for Glacier. I was pulling for West in a big way, just because Glacier is coached by former gris Grady Bennett. I couldn't stand that homer when he was one of the announcers/commentators for gris football games. I figured Glacier would probably win though. I was shocked that Billings Central lost to Frenchtown.

Family members have played for Glacier the last three years and now two of them will be playing for Tech next Fall.

Grady is actually a really good guy and is very welcoming to Bobcat coaches even though he played for the Gris. The oldest of “our” Glacier family boys had a late MSU offer for 2024 but stuck with Tech and is getting snaps for them this year as a sophomore. The senior on this year’s team had 4 INTs combined in the semifinals and last night. Balled out when it matter most and had a huge TFL on 3rd and goal in the 4th last night.

Class C 6 man…….Chester-Joplin-Inverness beats Winnet-Grass Range 46-38 in double OT.

I’ll whine again….I just wished the state high school football title games changed to not compete with Cat-Gris. I love going to high school games and would have tried to make a couple.

BobcatDel wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 22, 2025 5:54 pm

Class C 6 man…….Chester-Joplin-Inverness beats Winnet-Grass Range 46-38 in double OT.

I’ll whine again….I just wished the state high school football title games changed to not compete with Cat-Gris. I love going to high school games and would have tried to make a couple.

Yes! This! The MHSA has had a glaring blind spot for the potential attendance at these games if they were scheduled differently. It's baffling.

John K wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 22, 2025 9:07 am

I see Brock Berryhill is the head coach at Scobey. He was an assistant at MSU under Mike Kramer in the mid 2000's, as well as a number of other college programs over the years, including some FBS schools. It says he graduated from Boise State, but I could swear I remember him playing QB for some Big Sky team. I wanna say it might have been Cal State Northridge, when they were in the BSC. I couldn't find any info about his playing career though. It just seems a bit odd to me, that a guy who's coached at the highest level of college football would end up as the head coach at someplace like Scobey MT.

I can fill in a few blanks here as Brock currently lives across the street from me, and his youngest comes over to play with my daughter a lot. He did graduate from Boise, and I think played for the Broncs a little (likely practice squad and special teams, that I am not complete sure of). He is also a veteran, and I'm not exactly sure where that fits into his timeline. While at MSU, he met his wife Jenny, who was a classmate of mine at Scobey. After she finished her physical therapy degree in Boise, they moved back here to be close to her folks. Brock teaches history and coaches football.

cat-o-nine wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 23, 2025 6:25 pm

BobcatDel wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 22, 2025 5:54 pm

Class C 6 man…….Chester-Joplin-Inverness beats Winnet-Grass Range 46-38 in double OT.

I’ll whine again….I just wished the state high school football title games changed to not compete with Cat-Gris. I love going to high school games and would have tried to make a couple.

Yes! This! The MHSA has had a glaring blind spot for the potential attendance at these games if they were scheduled differently. It's baffling.

I know there is some push in some Class C, both 6 and 8-man, to start the high school season a week earlier to avoid having Championship weekend on Cat-Griz week. No idea if it has any traction to happen.

MTCowpoke22 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 24, 2025 10:37 am

John K wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 22, 2025 9:07 am

I see Brock Berryhill is the head coach at Scobey. He was an assistant at MSU under Mike Kramer in the mid 2000's, as well as a number of other college programs over the years, including some FBS schools. It says he graduated from Boise State, but I could swear I remember him playing QB for some Big Sky team. I wanna say it might have been Cal State Northridge, when they were in the BSC. I couldn't find any info about his playing career though. It just seems a bit odd to me, that a guy who's coached at the highest level of college football would end up as the head coach at someplace like Scobey MT.

I can fill in a few blanks here as Brock currently lives across the street from me, and his youngest comes over to play with my daughter a lot. He did graduate from Boise, and I think played for the Broncs a little (likely practice squad and special teams, that I am not complete sure of). He is also a veteran, and I'm not exactly sure where that fits into his timeline. While at MSU, he met his wife Jenny, who was a classmate of mine at Scobey. After she finished her physical therapy degree in Boise, they moved back here to be close to her folks. Brock teaches history and coaches football.

Thanks for the info. I could swear that I remember him also having played for some team in the BSC. Do you have any idea if that's true, or am I imagining that?

I honestly didn't know. He doesn't talk about his past much, but I did find a press release about one of his coaching hires that states he played at Boise State.

MTCowpoke22 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:35 pm

I honestly didn't know. He doesn't talk about his past much, but I did find a press release about one of his coaching hires that states he played at Boise State.

Congrats on your state championship!

MTCowpoke22 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:35 pm

I honestly didn't know. He doesn't talk about his past much, but I did find a press release about one of his coaching hires that states he played at Boise State.

Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference at one time. I don’t know the vintage on the gentleman you are talking about though….to know if they were still in the conference at the time he played there.

The Broncos won the conference 5 times from 1970 to 1980 and again in 1994. I can’t remember the 1994 team but I did watch them play Bobcats back in 70s. I remember one game in Bozeman we were driving inside the 10 yard line and had a chance to win but failed to score as time ran out on clock…TD would have won it.

BobcatDel wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 26, 2025 8:47 pm

MTCowpoke22 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:35 pm

I honestly didn't know. He doesn't talk about his past much, but I did find a press release about one of his coaching hires that states he played at Boise State.

Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference at one time. I don’t know the vintage on the gentleman you are talking about though….to know if they were still in the conference at the time he played there.

The Broncos won the conference 5 times from 1970 to 1980 and again in 1994. I can’t remember the 1994 team but I did watch them play Bobcats back in 70s. I remember one game in Bozeman we were driving inside the 10 yard line and had a chance to win but failed to score as time ran out on clock…TD would have won it.

Boise's last year in the Big Sky was 1995-96, and I'm pretty sure Berryhill would have played after that. CS-Northridge, Sac State and Portland State joined the league the following year, 1996-97. CS-Northridge was only in the BSC for five years, with their last year being 2000-2001. For some reason, I have it in my brain that he played for them, although I know he graduated from BSU. On a side note, I was at the game the one and only time MSU beat BSU in Boise, in 1993. In fact we spanked them 42-21. Boise was in the league for 26 years, from 1970-1996, so we must have played them 13 times in Boise, and that was our only win, although we had a pretty big edge in the games played in Bozeman. Back in the 70's and 80's, they were our biggest rival other than the gris.

John K wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 27, 2025 10:03 am

BobcatDel wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 26, 2025 8:47 pm

MTCowpoke22 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:35 pm

I honestly didn't know. He doesn't talk about his past much, but I did find a press release about one of his coaching hires that states he played at Boise State.

Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference at one time. I don’t know the vintage on the gentleman you are talking about though….to know if they were still in the conference at the time he played there.

The Broncos won the conference 5 times from 1970 to 1980 and again in 1994. I can’t remember the 1994 team but I did watch them play Bobcats back in 70s. I remember one game in Bozeman we were driving inside the 10 yard line and had a chance to win but failed to score as time ran out on clock…TD would have won it.

Boise's last year in the Big Sky was 1995-96, and I'm pretty sure Berryhill would have played after that. CS-Northridge, Sac State and Portland State joined the league the following year, 1996-97. CS-Northridge was only in the BSC for five years, with their last year being 2000-2001. For some reason, I have it in my brain that he played for them, although I know he graduated from BSU. On a side note, I was at the game the one and only time MSU beat BSU in Boise, in 1993. In fact we spanked them 42-21. Boise was in the league for 26 years, from 1970-1996, so we must have played them 13 times in Boise, and that was our only win, although we had a pretty big edge in the games played in Bozeman. Back in the 70's and 80's, they were our biggest rival other than the gris.

Well he was a grad assistant at Boise in 1996 so he didn’t play later than that! Timing would coincide playing at Boise in the last few years they were in the conference. And yes they were a key rival..it was a big game when we played them….

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/s ... f148c.html