Prep Football Game Preview 9/5

With the third week of the 2018 prep football season upon us the Missoula high schools have a packed schedule this week with a special game on Thursday night. The game that we are previewing this week is between the Sentinel Spartans and the Great Falls Bison in Great Falls.

On Friday the Spartans will make the bus trip to Great Falls to take on the Bison in one of the most legendary high school football stadiums in Montana, Memorial Stadium. Both teams go into the game with a perfect 2-0 record and in the first two weeks of play the Spartans and Bison have scored a combined 186 points while only allowing 44 points.

Sentinel is coming off a 56-34 win over their crosstown nemesis Big Sky Eagles. The Spartans return an experienced offensive line and the majority of their weapons including play caller Rylan Ortt who earned good postseason experience in 2017. The majority of Ortt’s weapons come back with him in the 2018 season including the shifty feet of senior running back Elias Dewaters, and a stable full of receivers led by senior wide outs Jack Colyer and Brendon Hill. On the defensive side the Spartans have a strong core with senior lock down corner Beau King leading the back end of the defense, and a heavy rotation of bigs controlling the front end.

The Bison return an experienced group as well with the intelligent Blake Thelen calling plays for the offense, and senior wide receiver Keegan Bistodeau catching the ball for Thelen. Setting up the pass for Great Falls is a ground game that has a rotation that will wear down opposing defenses, and a line that has the ability to control the line of scrimmage. Great Falls will come at their opponents with a quick defense that is stout across the front end and aggressive through the linebacker core. The Bison special teams is the key to their success through the opening weeks, allowing Great Falls to lean on three components of the game.

The Skinny

With a pair of 2-0 teams facing off under the lights of the most legendary stadiums in Montana their is sure to be drama on Friday night as two of the top teams in Class AA football battle. The game will come down to which defense has the ability to slow down their opponents offense, with the Spartan offensive leaning heavy on their line to allow Ortt to pass, and giving room for Dewaters to dance through the to the Bison secondary. If defense does not rule in this game it could be a shoot out between two high octane offenses.