KALISPELL — After losing in the Class AA state championship game last year, the Glacier football team set a goal to get back to the game — and win.
With half of that goal complete after an intense win against Gallatin last week, Glacier is holding a week of competitive practices to complete the other half in this year's state championship game.
Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said the team immediately set that state-championship goal after last year's loss.
“To watch them work so hard, come together as a team, improve as a team, all the things for a solid year, to go on this journey with them and watch them get back and achieve at least the first part of it and getting back to the game is pretty special," Bennett said.
Despite securing a first-round bye in this year’s playoffs, Glacier’s journey to the championship was not easy with close games against Butte and Gallatin.
Now with another road test ahead for the Wolfpack, wide receiver Bridger Smith said the team is embracing the underdog mentality.
“Sometimes being the underdog is not necessarily a bad thing,” Smith said. “You don't have as much to lose in a way, so yeah, we're excited for it.”
Glacier’s opponent in the championship will be Helena Capital, the team that handed the Wolfpack their only loss on the season. Senior lineman Ben Winters said this game will be a shot at redemption.
“We like to take it as it doesn't matter, we're playing a faceless opponent," Winters said. “But I do know that all of us have a little bad taste in our mouths from last time.”
With a senior-heavy team, this year’s Wolfpack squad is one of the closest in program history, and running back Kobe Dorcheus said that is an important part of the team's success.
“Our bond with each other, we just have so much trust,” Dorcheus said. “If offense messes up — like, if I fumbled the week previous to that, the defense would come out and they have our back. And if the defense can't get it done, the offense will get done and that's just our mindset, is just having each other's back and just having that trust and that love to play for one another.”
Coach Bennett said he trusts his guys to play their hearts out Friday night and achieve their goal.
“Watching what this group has done from last year's state championship loss to this year, getting back there, man, what a special job by these guys,” Bennett said. “So, I just cherish every second of it and I really believe in them and can't wait to get in on Friday night.”
Glacier and Helena Capital kick off in the Class AA state championship game at 7 p.m. Friday at Vigilante Stadium in Helena.
