2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

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VimSince03
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2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by VimSince03 » Wed Aug 23, 2017 2:51 pm

Class AA

1.) Kalispell Glacier
2.) Helena Capital
3.) Billings Senior
4.) Helena High
5.) Butte
6.) Bozeman
7.) Great Falls High
8.) Missoula Big Sky
9.) Missoula Sentinel
10.) Billings Skyview

Bottom four: Great Falls CMR, Billings West, Kalispell Flathead, Missoula Hellgate

With the offseason additions of Mark Estes (from Drummond) and Max Morris (Helena High), Kalispell Glacier is going to be the fastest and toughest offense to contain in AA this fall. They lose several of their offensive lineman and their star QB Tadan Gilman but they return a ton of talent. They were already dangerous with Drew Turner (RB), Jackson Pepe (WR/SlotBack), Ethan Larson (WR), and Cole Crosby (RB) along with senior QB Brady Peiffer throwing the ball. Adding a talented all-around athlete and a solid receiving tight end makes them even more dynamic. The only weakness I see with them is their offensive line being inexperienced due to graduation but Grady Bennett has reloaded every year. The Wolpack open with Billings Senior so everyone should get their popcorn ready. The team that can throw a hitch into the fast-paced offenses of Glacier and Senior is Helena Capital. They had chances last year to slow down Senior but failed to contain their offense for four quarters (no team ever did). On offense, Capital returns their starting running back, three best offensive lineman, best blocking tight end, and one of their starting wide receivers from 2016. They have moved WR/DB Matt McGinley to quarterback to operate the power-run scheme. In my opinion, they already boast the best defense in AA as they basically return their entire defensive line which includes three all-state players. If Matt can prove to be a dangerous passer to keep teams honest, Capital has a legitimate chance to win AA. The Bruins open with a home game against Great Falls High, who may surprise teams in AA this fall. The returning state champs lose their star QB and entire starting offensive line to graduation on offense. They also lose two of their three starting receivers but still return the best player in Montana (Gabe Sulser) and a quality #2 WR in Ben LaBeau. They also got transfer help at QB in Shepherd High School transfer Cade Torgerson looking to show how well he can operate Chris Murdock's scheme. On defense, they lose 7 All-State defenders but return their two starting linebackers in Nolan Askelson & Blake Allred, Susler at corner, and some solid defensive lineman. Everyone will know how well Senior has reloaded this Friday as the Broncs travel to Kalispell Glacier to take on the Wolfpack. After these first three teams, things get a little more wide open in my opinion. Helena High has been flirting with being really good over the past few seasons but have failed to get over the hump as their core weaknesses as a team were too much to overcome. The Bengals return their star QB (Kaleb Winterburn) this fall along with several receivers. At nearly every spot on offense and defense, juniors who were rotational guys last fall are now starters. They return most of their secondary and linebacker core as Emmett Buckley, Conner Nash, and Max Mader look to be the leaders on defense. RB Kyle Tabbert has some big shoes to fill as Ryan Arntson had a record breaking senior season. The Bengals don't play in Week 1 but we will know how well they match up in Week 2 when they travel to Billings Senior for their first game. I ranked Butte as the #5 team in the state because their team has finally grown up. I think their defense has a shot to be one of the best in AA with DL Greyson Mandic, LB/DL Corbin Walker, DE/OLB Nate Ferguson, and Safety Ty Peterson leading the way for the Bulldogs. Future star QB Tommy Mellott will be the #1 guy at QB his sophomore season as senior Ty Peterson officially moved to safety this offseason. On offense, they return most of their starting line along with battering-ram running back Bo Mortenson. In short, the Bulldogs are a year older and a year stronger. Bozeman will be tested to see how well they can reload for a second consecutive season. They boast a new QB in junior Kris Brown, several new offensive lineman, and a new WR corps with the exception of Logan Kleinhans. They return RB Jack Tetrault in the backfield. On defense, they have a ton of question marks. It is the most inexperienced they have been on defense in a while. However, I still believe the Bozeman Hawks program as they have proved year after year they can always compete with the best teams in AA. Like Butte, Great Falls High also may surprise some people this fall. With the exception of a bad loss to Billings Senior last year, the Bison competed in every game last fall. They are led by senior QB Kevin Boes and junior WR Blake Thelen. This connection will likely be the toughest to stop in AA (but you can argue whoever is throwing to Gabe Sulser is the toughest). But the defense will be young and inexperienced with the exception of LB Jordan Komac. If Great Falls wants to hang around with the top teams this year, they will have to put up points in bunches. That young defense will be tested immediately as the Bison travel to Helena Capital this Friday. Missoula Big Sky is another intriguing team in AA mostly because of their QB Levi Janacaro. The Tim Tebow clone is up to about 220 lbs. and when he lines up with RB Tyler Flink in the backfield, the Eagles boast the most bruising duo to stop in the AA. However, the major concern with Big Sky will likely be the guys blocking for Janacro, Flink, and RB Kadin Lahti. Both lines are a question mark for Big Sky. Regardless, Janacaro and crew will be a handful against every team they play this fall. The dual-threat QB might be one of the best running back recruits in the state and I can guarantee AA coaches aren't thrilled to face him this year. The Eagles welcome Billings West to town in Week 1. Missoula Sentinel return nearly every skill player in WR Nick Germer, RB Elias DeWaters, WR Tyler Kendall and WR/RB Caden Messer. Junior QB Rylan Ortt will look to live up to expectations set by graduated QB Mitch Roberts and things I've heard say he is legit. They have a few solid defenders returning in linebacker Brandon Morley, safety Blaise Meriwether, and corner Brian Jakubowski. But again, there are huge question marks along both lines and it doesn't take long in AA for good teams to expose poor line play. But Dane Oliver is a creative coach show Sentinel won't be an easy out. Their offense should be very competitive. Billings Skyview should take a step forward from last year. Everyone knows what Ron Lebsock will be running but I like what the Falcons have in terms of overall team speed on the line and at the skill areas. Sometimes bigger doesn't mean better for offensive lines running the triple option Wing-T and I think that hurt Skyview last year. RB/WR/DB Dalton Macy and OL/DL Bruce Spang are the two seniors leading the way for the Falcons. They welcome Missoula Sentinel to town this Friday. Great Falls CMR is #11 on my preseason rankings but they have a legitimate chance to be a Top 8 team by the end of the season. They have moved speedster Damien Nelson to RB to make their offense more dynamic. They already have an all-state wide receiver in Jake Wilkins and all-state safety in Tucker Greenwell. Greenwell is joined at safety by senior Cade Jensen as the pair make up possibly the best duo in AA. But after that their are a ton of question marks and unknowns. Billings West lost a lot to graduation in 2016 and it looks to be a rebuilding year. Kalispell Flathead has a great, young head coach in Kyle Samson and he finally has some size on the line this year in Hunter Wellcome, Michael Lee, and Daniel Long. Samson also has 24 seniors who have been in his system the past few years since he took over. He also has two solid players in the backfield in QB Taylor Morton and junior running back Blake Counts. With all this being said, the Braves won't move up the list until they prove they can do one thing: win. Samson is a program builder and this will be a huge year for the young coach. The final team is Missoula Hellgate who are ready to jump back into AA with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. They are led by program-builder Mick Morris formerly of Conrad. Morris has done everything in his power to rejuvenate a program that hasn't won a AA football game in quite some time. They open up against Bozeman in tonight to kickoff the AA season along with Butte at Flathead.

Game of the Week: Billings Senior at Kalispell Glacier (this one is a no-brainer as not only is it a rematch of last year's state title game but also a potential 2017 title preview); Great Falls High at Helena Capital (the Bison want to prove they belong in the discussion this year and the Bruins want to prove they are the best team in AA right out of the gate)

Class A

1.) Dillon
2.) Sidney
3.) Columbia Falls
4.) Hamilton
5.) Billings Central
6.) Belgrade
7.) Miles City
8.) Lewistown
9.) Polson
10.) Corvallis

I won't break down each individual team. Class A is wide open this year. I still think Dillon has the program pedigree to deserve a #1. Every team in the Top 6 lost a significant core of seniors that were absolute stars for their respective teams. Dillon (Graden Greenslade), Sidney (Alec Lovegren and Sawyer Thogerson), Columbia Falls (Logan Kolodejchuk), and Billings Central (Ben Voss) return solid backfields. Hamilton (Carson Rostad) and Lewistown (Mitchell Norslien) return their star young QBs along with several talented skill position players. Belgrade has some talented skill players returning, none more impressive than WR Easton Page. Miles City returns QB Gabe Gundlach who is expected to be one of the top performers in Class A. Polson loses two of the states best players in 2016 (Matt Rensvold and Tanner Wilson) but they return some core players on both sides of the ball in TE/DE Haden Smith, MLB Kyle Druyvestein, and RB/DB Cameron Brown.
A team that may surprise some people is Corvallis. They return some guys who took their lumps in 2016 and are a year older/wiser. The backfield trio of Ridge Albright, Hunter Pinheiro, and Ligan Liedle in addition to a solid line led by Garrett Brown makes Corvallis my sleeper team in Class A.


Game of the Week: Belgrade at Sidney (Belgrade lost a large group of seniors but is ready to defend their Central A title while Sidney believes they are the best team in Class A); Billings Central at Miles City (If Miles City wants to be in the conversation this year, they have a great opportunity to prove it against a solid Billings Central squad)

Class B

1.) Huntley Project
2.) Missoula Loyola
3.) Fairfield
4.) Colstrip
5.) Jefferson
6.) Eureka
7.) Shelby
8.) Malta
9.) Anaconda
10.) Townsend

In the hunt: Baker, Bigfork, Cut Bank, Glasgow, Manhattan, Whitehall

Huntley Project returns three All-Staters (RB Lane Sumner, OL/DL Trey Copeland, LB Wyatt Selman) and two more 1st-Team All-Conference performers (WR Keenan Reynolds & DB Jason Whlfeil). Missoula Loyola returns All-State OL/DL Joseph McElroy along with all-conference performers WR/DB David Koppang, QB Scott Twite, and OL/DL Braeden Beck. They also have junior RB Ryan Tirrell who is one of the top juniors in the state this fall. Fairfield returns the junior QB/WR duo of Ryder Meyer and Dawson Allen. Meyer played WR last year but now moves over to run his father's system. Allen was one of the best track athletes as a sophomore in Class B last year. The Eagles also return senior all-conference performers in FB/LB Griffen Lee and OL/DL Andrew Wambach. A team that ended the year on a very positive note despite a loss is Colstrip. They gave Missoula Loyola all they could handle in the quarterfinals last year and the Colts return a handful of talented players across the board. Class B wrestling champion Merlin Whitedirt anchors both lines while QB Joel McRae and RB's Chadd Naillon and Brady Hanson all return. Jefferson looks to be the team to beat in the new Southern B conference. They return All-State RB Nate Brunett and he will be joined in the backfield by all-conference RB/LB Hayden Guisti, who is one of the best outside linebackers in the state. QB/DB Josh Eckman, OL/DL Nathan Rasch, and WR/LB Britton Peterson all return for the Panthers. Eureka lost a boatload of seniors from their 2016 State B Championship squad but they return one of the best players in the state in QB Garrett Graves. The Lions will be tossing out several talented sophomores this fall and expect role players from the 2016 team to be full-time starters in 2017. Class B should know how well Eureka reloaded based off their opening game with Cut Bank this Friday. Shelby signal-caller Aaron White returns for his final season with the Coyotes and he's joined by a core group of seniors ready to make one last run before they join the 8-man ranks in 2017. RB Zach Torgerson, WR Logan Watson, and WR TJ Reynolds give the Coyotes one of the best passing attacks in Class B. Shelby also returns a solid offensive line led by OG Curtis Conant and OT Macager McAllister. Shelby welcomes Bigfork to town in Week 1 which will be a good barometer for both teams in terms of where they are at competition wise. Malta returns a talented group of seniors in RB/LB Trace Simonson, OL/DL Taylor Matthews, TE/DE Tel Jensen, and RB/DB Trey Simanton. They should be up to the task to compete with Fairfield and Shelby for the top spot in Northern B. Anaconda has the talent to compete with any team in Class B. They are one of the bigger teams in the classification led by All-State QB Braxton Hill (6'2", 210 lbs.), all-conference performers in OL/DL Kynan Kellegher (6'2", 290 lbs.) and WR/DB Bobby Swainston (6'1", 185 lbs. as well as WR Trent Mikalatos (6'6", 205 lbs.). Townsend also returns a solid group of players led by All-State WR Easton Hatfield and junior QB Tyson Racht. The six teams in contention could also very easily be considered Top 10 teams. Should be a great year in Class B in terms of competition across the board.

Game of the Week: Missoula Loyola at Huntley Project (This game is being played at Bobcat Stadium and features my top two teams in Class B); Cut Bank at Eureka (Intriguing matchup because Cut Bank and Eureka want to know how they match up a year after losing a ton of seniors on both sides of the ball; obvious x-factor for Eureka is Garrett Graves); Bigfork at Shelby (Another big game involving two teams that think they are good enough to be considered in the top five of Class B)

Class C (8-man)



Game of the Week:

Class C (6-man)



Game of the Week:
Last edited by VimSince03 on Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.


"There's two times of year for me: Football season, and waiting for football season."

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luckyirishguy25
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Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by luckyirishguy25 » Thu Aug 24, 2017 2:52 pm

VimSince03 wrote:Class AA

1.) Kalispell Glacier
2.) Helena Capital
3.) Billings Senior
4.) Helena High
5.) Butte
6.) Bozeman
7.) Great Falls High
8.) Missoula Big Sky
9.) Missoula Sentinel
10.) Billings Skyview

Bottom four: Great Falls CMR, Billings West, Kalispell Flathead, Missoula Hellgate

With the offseason additions of Mark Estes (from Drummond) and Max Morris (Helena High), Kalispell Glacier is going to be the fastest and toughest offense to contain in AA this fall. They lose several of their offensive lineman and their star QB Tadan Gilman but they return a ton of talent. They were already dangerous with Drew Turner (RB), Jackson Pepe (WR/SlotBack), Ethan Larson (WR), and Cole Crosby (RB) along with senior QB Brady Peiffer throwing the ball. Adding a talented all-around athlete and a solid receiving tight end makes them even more dynamic. The only weakness I see with them is their offensive line being inexperienced due to graduation but Grady Bennett has reloaded every year. The Wolpack open with Billings Senior so everyone should get their popcorn ready. The team that can throw a hitch into the fast-paced offenses of Glacier and Senior is Helena Capital. They had chances last year to slow down Senior but failed to contain their offense for four quarters (no team ever did). On offense, Capital returns their starting running back, three best offensive lineman, best blocking tight end, and one of their starting wide receivers from 2016. They have moved WR/DB Matt McGinley to quarterback to operate the power-run scheme. In my opinion, they already boast the best defense in AA as they basically return their entire defensive line which includes three all-state players. If Matt can prove to be a dangerous passer to keep teams honest, Capital has a legitimate chance to win AA. The Bruins open with a home game against Great Falls High, who may surprise teams in AA this fall. The returning state champs lose their star QB and entire starting offensive line to graduation on offense. They also lose two of their three starting receivers but still return the best player in Montana (Gabe Sulser) and a quality #2 WR in Ben LaBeau. They also got transfer help at QB in Shepherd High School transfer Cade Torgerson looking to show how well he can operate Chris Murdock's scheme. On defense, they lose 7 All-State defenders but return their two starting linebackers in Nolan Askelson & Blake Allred, Susler at corner, and some solid defensive lineman. Everyone will know how well Senior has reloaded this Friday as the Broncs travel to Kalispell Glacier to take on the Wolfpack. After these first three teams, things get a little more wide open in my opinion. Helena High has been flirting with being really good over the past few seasons but have failed to get over the hump as their core weaknesses as a team were too much to overcome. The Bengals return their star QB (Kaleb Winterburn) this fall along with several receivers. At nearly every spot on offense and defense, juniors who were rotational guys last fall are now starters. They return most of their secondary and linebacker core as Emmett Buckley, Conner Nash, and Max Mader look to be the leaders on defense. RB Kyle Tabbert has some big shoes to fill as Ryan Arntson had a record breaking senior season. The Bengals don't play in Week 1 but we will know how well they match up in Week 2 when they travel to Billings Senior for their first game. I ranked Butte as the #5 team in the state because their team has finally grown up. I think their defense has a shot to be one of the best in AA with DL Greyson Mandic, LB/DL Corbin Walker, DE/OLB Nate Ferguson, and Safety Ty Peterson leading the way for the Bulldogs. Future star QB Tommy Mellott will be the #1 guy at QB his sophomore season as senior Ty Peterson officially moved to safety this offseason. On offense, they return most of their starting line along with battering-ram running back Bo Mortenson. In short, the Bulldogs are a year older and a year stronger. Bozeman will be tested to see how well they can reload for a second consecutive season. They boast a new QB in junior Kris Brown, several new offensive lineman, and a new WR corps with the exception of Logan Kleinhans. They return RB Jack Tetrault in the backfield. On defense, they have a ton of question marks. It is the most inexperienced they have been on defense in a while. However, I still believe the Bozeman Hawks program as they have proved year after year they can always compete with the best teams in AA. Like Butte, Great Falls High also may surprise some people this fall. With the exception of a bad loss to Billings Senior last year, the Bison competed in every game last fall. They are led by senior QB Kevin Boes and junior WR Blake Thelen. This connection will likely be the toughest to stop in AA (but you can argue whoever is throwing to Gabe Sulser is the toughest). But the defense will be young and inexperienced with the exception of LB Jordan Komac. If Great Falls wants to hang around with the top teams this year, they will have to put up points in bunches. That young defense will be tested immediately as the Bison travel to Helena Capital this Friday. Missoula Big Sky is another intriguing team in AA mostly because of their QB Levi Janacaro. The Tim Tebow clone is up to about 220 lbs. and when he lines up with RB Tyler Flink in the backfield, the Eagles boast the most bruising duo to stop in the AA. However, the major concern with Big Sky will likely be the guys blocking for Janacro, Flink, and RB Kadin Lahti. Both lines are a question mark for Big Sky. Regardless, Janacaro and crew will be a handful against every team they play this fall. The dual-threat QB might be one of the best running back recruits in the state and I can guarantee AA coaches aren't thrilled to face him this year. The Eagles welcome Billings West to town in Week 1. Missoula Sentinel return nearly every skill player in WR Nick Germer, RB Elias DeWaters, WR Tyler Kendall and WR/RB Caden Messer. Junior QB Rylan Ortt will look to live up to expectations set by graduated QB Mitch Roberts and things I've heard say he is legit. They have a few solid defenders returning in linebacker Brandon Morley, safety Blaise Meriwether, and corner Brian Jakubowski. But again, there are huge question marks along both lines and it doesn't take long in AA for good teams to expose poor line play. But Dane Oliver is a creative coach show Sentinel won't be an easy out. Their offense should be very competitive. Billings Skyview should take a step forward from last year. Everyone knows what Ron Lebsock will be running but I like what the Falcons have in terms of overall team speed on the line and at the skill areas. Sometimes bigger doesn't mean better for offensive lines running the triple option Wing-T and I think that hurt Skyview last year. RB/WR/DB Dalton Macy and OL/DL Bruce Spang are the two seniors leading the way for the Falcons. They welcome Missoula Sentinel to town this Friday. Great Falls CMR is #11 on my preseason rankings but they have a legitimate chance to be a Top 8 team by the end of the season. They have moved speedster Damien Nelson to RB to make their offense more dynamic. They already have an all-state wide receiver in Jake Wilkins and all-state safety in Tucker Greenwell. Greenwell is joined at safety by senior Cade Jensen as the pair make up possibly the best duo in AA. But after that their are a ton of question marks and unknowns. Billings West lost a lot to graduation in 2016 and it looks to be a rebuilding year. Kalispell Flathead has a great, young head coach in Kyle Samson and he finally has some size on the line this year in Hunter Wellcome, Michael Lee, and Daniel Long. Samson also has 24 seniors who have been in his system the past few years since he took over. He also has two solid players in the backfield in QB Taylor Morton and junior running back Blake Counts. With all this being said, the Braves won't move up the list until they prove they can do one thing: win. Samson is a program builder and this will be a huge year for the young coach. The final team is Missoula Hellgate who are ready to jump back into AA with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. They are led by program-builder Mick Morris formerly of Conrad. Morris has done everything in his power to rejuvenate a program that hasn't won a AA football game in quite some time. They open up against Bozeman in tonight to kickoff the AA season along with Butte at Flathead.

Game of the Week: Billings Senior at Kalispell Glacier (this one is a no-brainer as not only is it a rematch of last year's state title game but also a potential 2017 title preview); Great Falls High at Helena Capital (the Bison want to prove they belong in the discussion this year and the Bruins want to prove they are the best team in AA right out of the gate)

Class A

1.) Dillon
2.) Sidney
3.) Columbia Falls
4.) Hamilton
5.) Billings Central
6.) Belgrade
7.) Miles City
8.) Lewistown
9.) Polson
10.) Corvallis

I won't break down each individual team. Class A is wide open this year. I still think Dillon has the program pedigree to deserve a #1. Every team in the Top 6 lost a significant core of seniors that were absolute stars for their respective teams. Dillon (Graden Greenslade), Sidney (Alec Lovegren and Sawyer Thogerson), Columbia Falls (Logan Kolodejchuk), and Billings Central (Ben Voss) return solid backfields. Hamilton (Carson Rostad) and Lewistown (Mitchell Norslien) return their star young QBs along with several talented skill position players. Belgrade has some talented skill players returning, none more impressive than WR Easton Page. Miles City returns QB Gabe Gundlach who is expected to be one of the top performers in Class A. Polson loses two of the states best players in 2016 (Matt Rensvold and Tanner Wilson) but they return some core players on both sides of the ball in TE/DE Haden Smith, MLB Kyle Druyvestein, and RB/DB Cameron Brown.
A team that may surprise some people is Corvallis. They return some guys who took their lumps in 2016 and are a year older/wiser. The backfield trio of Ridge Albright, Hunter Pinheiro, and Ligan Liedle in addition to a solid line led by Garrett Brown makes Corvallis my sleeper team in Class A.


Game of the Week: Belgrade at Sidney (Belgrade lost a large group of seniors but is ready to defend their Central A title while Sidney believes they are the best team in Class A); Billings Central at Miles City (If Miles City wants to be in the conversation this year, they have a great opportunity to prove it against a solid Billings Central squad)

Class B



Game of the Week:

Class C (8-man)



Game of the Week:

Class C (6-man)



Game of the Week:
Sawyer is a great kid, when I lived in ND he was almost my kid. He's very athletic and raw, he was more of a soccer player then. I hope he lights it up this year.



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VimSince03
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by VimSince03 » Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:39 pm

luckyirishguy25 wrote:
VimSince03 wrote:Class AA

1.) Kalispell Glacier
2.) Helena Capital
3.) Billings Senior
4.) Helena High
5.) Butte
6.) Bozeman
7.) Great Falls High
8.) Missoula Big Sky
9.) Missoula Sentinel
10.) Billings Skyview

Bottom four: Great Falls CMR, Billings West, Kalispell Flathead, Missoula Hellgate

With the offseason additions of Mark Estes (from Drummond) and Max Morris (Helena High), Kalispell Glacier is going to be the fastest and toughest offense to contain in AA this fall. They lose several of their offensive lineman and their star QB Tadan Gilman but they return a ton of talent. They were already dangerous with Drew Turner (RB), Jackson Pepe (WR/SlotBack), Ethan Larson (WR), and Cole Crosby (RB) along with senior QB Brady Peiffer throwing the ball. Adding a talented all-around athlete and a solid receiving tight end makes them even more dynamic. The only weakness I see with them is their offensive line being inexperienced due to graduation but Grady Bennett has reloaded every year. The Wolpack open with Billings Senior so everyone should get their popcorn ready. The team that can throw a hitch into the fast-paced offenses of Glacier and Senior is Helena Capital. They had chances last year to slow down Senior but failed to contain their offense for four quarters (no team ever did). On offense, Capital returns their starting running back, three best offensive lineman, best blocking tight end, and one of their starting wide receivers from 2016. They have moved WR/DB Matt McGinley to quarterback to operate the power-run scheme. In my opinion, they already boast the best defense in AA as they basically return their entire defensive line which includes three all-state players. If Matt can prove to be a dangerous passer to keep teams honest, Capital has a legitimate chance to win AA. The Bruins open with a home game against Great Falls High, who may surprise teams in AA this fall. The returning state champs lose their star QB and entire starting offensive line to graduation on offense. They also lose two of their three starting receivers but still return the best player in Montana (Gabe Sulser) and a quality #2 WR in Ben LaBeau. They also got transfer help at QB in Shepherd High School transfer Cade Torgerson looking to show how well he can operate Chris Murdock's scheme. On defense, they lose 7 All-State defenders but return their two starting linebackers in Nolan Askelson & Blake Allred, Susler at corner, and some solid defensive lineman. Everyone will know how well Senior has reloaded this Friday as the Broncs travel to Kalispell Glacier to take on the Wolfpack. After these first three teams, things get a little more wide open in my opinion. Helena High has been flirting with being really good over the past few seasons but have failed to get over the hump as their core weaknesses as a team were too much to overcome. The Bengals return their star QB (Kaleb Winterburn) this fall along with several receivers. At nearly every spot on offense and defense, juniors who were rotational guys last fall are now starters. They return most of their secondary and linebacker core as Emmett Buckley, Conner Nash, and Max Mader look to be the leaders on defense. RB Kyle Tabbert has some big shoes to fill as Ryan Arntson had a record breaking senior season. The Bengals don't play in Week 1 but we will know how well they match up in Week 2 when they travel to Billings Senior for their first game. I ranked Butte as the #5 team in the state because their team has finally grown up. I think their defense has a shot to be one of the best in AA with DL Greyson Mandic, LB/DL Corbin Walker, DE/OLB Nate Ferguson, and Safety Ty Peterson leading the way for the Bulldogs. Future star QB Tommy Mellott will be the #1 guy at QB his sophomore season as senior Ty Peterson officially moved to safety this offseason. On offense, they return most of their starting line along with battering-ram running back Bo Mortenson. In short, the Bulldogs are a year older and a year stronger. Bozeman will be tested to see how well they can reload for a second consecutive season. They boast a new QB in junior Kris Brown, several new offensive lineman, and a new WR corps with the exception of Logan Kleinhans. They return RB Jack Tetrault in the backfield. On defense, they have a ton of question marks. It is the most inexperienced they have been on defense in a while. However, I still believe the Bozeman Hawks program as they have proved year after year they can always compete with the best teams in AA. Like Butte, Great Falls High also may surprise some people this fall. With the exception of a bad loss to Billings Senior last year, the Bison competed in every game last fall. They are led by senior QB Kevin Boes and junior WR Blake Thelen. This connection will likely be the toughest to stop in AA (but you can argue whoever is throwing to Gabe Sulser is the toughest). But the defense will be young and inexperienced with the exception of LB Jordan Komac. If Great Falls wants to hang around with the top teams this year, they will have to put up points in bunches. That young defense will be tested immediately as the Bison travel to Helena Capital this Friday. Missoula Big Sky is another intriguing team in AA mostly because of their QB Levi Janacaro. The Tim Tebow clone is up to about 220 lbs. and when he lines up with RB Tyler Flink in the backfield, the Eagles boast the most bruising duo to stop in the AA. However, the major concern with Big Sky will likely be the guys blocking for Janacro, Flink, and RB Kadin Lahti. Both lines are a question mark for Big Sky. Regardless, Janacaro and crew will be a handful against every team they play this fall. The dual-threat QB might be one of the best running back recruits in the state and I can guarantee AA coaches aren't thrilled to face him this year. The Eagles welcome Billings West to town in Week 1. Missoula Sentinel return nearly every skill player in WR Nick Germer, RB Elias DeWaters, WR Tyler Kendall and WR/RB Caden Messer. Junior QB Rylan Ortt will look to live up to expectations set by graduated QB Mitch Roberts and things I've heard say he is legit. They have a few solid defenders returning in linebacker Brandon Morley, safety Blaise Meriwether, and corner Brian Jakubowski. But again, there are huge question marks along both lines and it doesn't take long in AA for good teams to expose poor line play. But Dane Oliver is a creative coach show Sentinel won't be an easy out. Their offense should be very competitive. Billings Skyview should take a step forward from last year. Everyone knows what Ron Lebsock will be running but I like what the Falcons have in terms of overall team speed on the line and at the skill areas. Sometimes bigger doesn't mean better for offensive lines running the triple option Wing-T and I think that hurt Skyview last year. RB/WR/DB Dalton Macy and OL/DL Bruce Spang are the two seniors leading the way for the Falcons. They welcome Missoula Sentinel to town this Friday. Great Falls CMR is #11 on my preseason rankings but they have a legitimate chance to be a Top 8 team by the end of the season. They have moved speedster Damien Nelson to RB to make their offense more dynamic. They already have an all-state wide receiver in Jake Wilkins and all-state safety in Tucker Greenwell. Greenwell is joined at safety by senior Cade Jensen as the pair make up possibly the best duo in AA. But after that their are a ton of question marks and unknowns. Billings West lost a lot to graduation in 2016 and it looks to be a rebuilding year. Kalispell Flathead has a great, young head coach in Kyle Samson and he finally has some size on the line this year in Hunter Wellcome, Michael Lee, and Daniel Long. Samson also has 24 seniors who have been in his system the past few years since he took over. He also has two solid players in the backfield in QB Taylor Morton and junior running back Blake Counts. With all this being said, the Braves won't move up the list until they prove they can do one thing: win. Samson is a program builder and this will be a huge year for the young coach. The final team is Missoula Hellgate who are ready to jump back into AA with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. They are led by program-builder Mick Morris formerly of Conrad. Morris has done everything in his power to rejuvenate a program that hasn't won a AA football game in quite some time. They open up against Bozeman in tonight to kickoff the AA season along with Butte at Flathead.

Game of the Week: Billings Senior at Kalispell Glacier (this one is a no-brainer as not only is it a rematch of last year's state title game but also a potential 2017 title preview); Great Falls High at Helena Capital (the Bison want to prove they belong in the discussion this year and the Bruins want to prove they are the best team in AA right out of the gate)

Class A

1.) Dillon
2.) Sidney
3.) Columbia Falls
4.) Hamilton
5.) Billings Central
6.) Belgrade
7.) Miles City
8.) Lewistown
9.) Polson
10.) Corvallis

I won't break down each individual team. Class A is wide open this year. I still think Dillon has the program pedigree to deserve a #1. Every team in the Top 6 lost a significant core of seniors that were absolute stars for their respective teams. Dillon (Graden Greenslade), Sidney (Alec Lovegren and Sawyer Thogerson), Columbia Falls (Logan Kolodejchuk), and Billings Central (Ben Voss) return solid backfields. Hamilton (Carson Rostad) and Lewistown (Mitchell Norslien) return their star young QBs along with several talented skill position players. Belgrade has some talented skill players returning, none more impressive than WR Easton Page. Miles City returns QB Gabe Gundlach who is expected to be one of the top performers in Class A. Polson loses two of the states best players in 2016 (Matt Rensvold and Tanner Wilson) but they return some core players on both sides of the ball in TE/DE Haden Smith, MLB Kyle Druyvestein, and RB/DB Cameron Brown.
A team that may surprise some people is Corvallis. They return some guys who took their lumps in 2016 and are a year older/wiser. The backfield trio of Ridge Albright, Hunter Pinheiro, and Ligan Liedle in addition to a solid line led by Garrett Brown makes Corvallis my sleeper team in Class A.


Game of the Week: Belgrade at Sidney (Belgrade lost a large group of seniors but is ready to defend their Central A title while Sidney believes they are the best team in Class A); Billings Central at Miles City (If Miles City wants to be in the conversation this year, they have a great opportunity to prove it against a solid Billings Central squad)

Class B



Game of the Week:

Class C (8-man)



Game of the Week:

Class C (6-man)



Game of the Week:
Sawyer is a great kid, when I lived in ND he was almost my kid. He's very athletic and raw, he was more of a soccer player then. I hope he lights it up this year.
I would not want to tackle him. He brings a punch every hit.


"There's two times of year for me: Football season, and waiting for football season."

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RickRund
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by RickRund » Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:22 pm

I wonder if my Park Rangers will ever be a contender by the time my days on earth end. Really sad that they are such a bad football program.


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VimSince03
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by VimSince03 » Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:54 pm

RickRund wrote:I wonder if my Park Rangers will ever be a contender by the time my days on earth end. Really sad that they are such a bad football program.
They have a few solid players this year. WR/DB Brock Peterson is legit.


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RickRund
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by RickRund » Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:08 pm

VimSince03 wrote:
RickRund wrote:I wonder if my Park Rangers will ever be a contender by the time my days on earth end. Really sad that they are such a bad football program.
They have a few solid players this year. WR/DB Brock Peterson is legit.
Thanks Vim. Some good news on their program is great to hear...


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LTown Cat
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by LTown Cat » Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:08 pm

I know Laurel is down but they always thump Fergus. Big test tomorrow to see if Fergus can truly contend. You gotta win the games you should but Laurel has really been in our heads lately.



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VimSince03
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by VimSince03 » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:10 pm

Butte lets me down in the home opener...


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RationalGriz
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by RationalGriz » Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:18 am

VimSince03 wrote:Butte lets me down in the home opener...
You mean the "home opener" played in Big Fork?



lutecat
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by lutecat » Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:15 am

Sounds like that Bozeman game wasn't much of a game last night. When I went to bed Bozeman winning easily.

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John K
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by John K » Fri Aug 25, 2017 6:58 am

It's sort of shocking to see both CMR and West in the bottom four. They have been two of the best programs in AA for many, many years.



maroon
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by maroon » Fri Aug 25, 2017 7:05 pm

Billings Senior @ Glacier is televised on SWX.



Cat Grad
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Re: 2017 MT HS Football - Week 1

Post by Cat Grad » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:04 pm

lutecat wrote:Sounds like that Bozeman game wasn't much of a game last night. When I went to bed Bozeman winning easily.

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I was really impressed with the Hellgate kids-- even more with their coaching staff. For as young as they are, they are fundamentally sound and they're demonstrating a true respect for the game. Although it didn't really surprise me, I couldn't help but think the announcer was thinking the same thing I was to have his starters in as late in the game as they were, and I appreciate his noticing that fact.

Hellgate will probably win a few games this year. Pretty amazing given what that school has endured the last few years all the way from an administrative debacle to dropping football as a high school sport.



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