Prep Football Game Preview 10/10

This weeks Prep Football Game Preview takes a look at a game that has playoff implications for one team and a statement for a postseason resume for the other as the 6-1 West Golden Bears come to the Garden City to take on the 4-3 Sentinel Spartans Friday night under the lights at Missoula County Stadium.

West comes to Missoula sitting in the second* spot of Class AA football with a 6-1 record in a Class AA Eastern Conference that has both the defending state champions Senior Broncs and the notorious Bozeman Hawks. The Golden Bears only loss this season was a 37-33 at the hands of the top ranked Bozeman Hawks, and West has had two quality wins this season, week two over the Great Falls Bison and last week against the Capital Bruins who held the Golden Bears to the fewest points this season at 14. West will grind you out with a ground game that is punishing while hitting you with a the strongest front seven in Class AA football on the defensive side of the ball.

Sentinel is riding a two game win streak after dropping three in a row, two of which were in overtime, and all three were for a total of seven points. The Spartans have one of the more electrifying offenses in Class AA football with a shifty running back to pound the ball and a stable full of receivers for their gunslinger to throw to. While the offense is firing on all cylinders its the defense that is struggling for the Spartans as they have allowed their opponents to score an average of 24 points per game in the first seven games. An advantage that Sentinel has over the field is the Spartans have an ace in their place kicker who is on a roll in the 2018 season.

The Skinny

This game is going to come down to whether or not the Spartan front seven can hold their own against a stout West front line that is dominating their opponents from the point of attack. It will be a tall task for Sentinel to take on the veteran offensive line who are as athletic as they are strong. If Sentinel can gain the lead it will force the Golden Bears to shift away from their ground and pound attack, forcing West to go up against a talented Spartan secondary. From an offensive perspective Sentinel will need to control the ball on the legs of their run game while keeping West honest with a dink and dunk attack for high percentage passes.

*All rankings according to Montana AA Prep Football