Third-ranked Bigfork (8-0) and Eureka (6-3) open Class B football playoff action at home today with No. 9 Townsend (6-1) and Choteau (6-3), respectively.

Both games begin at 1 p.m.

Bigfork, which won it all in 2010, is in the postseason for the fourth straight year and has enjoyed great success in the process.

The Vikings have played in nine postseason games during their current run, winning seven times.

Last year they fell in the semifinals 23-13 at Malta.

This marks the fourth-straight year they host a playoff game in the first round.

Like Bigfork, Eureka is no stranger to postseason action. Success for the Lions, however, has been tough to attain. In 18 playoff appearances, Eureka has won just three times.

Last year the Lions fell at top-ranked Manhattan Christian 44-16 in the opening round.

Coach Trevor Utter and his Lions would like to turn that around, starting today.

“We’re hoping we can change that and do something in the playoffs and win some games,” he said.

“Choteau has a really good team, so it won’t happen just because we want it to. We’re hoping that making the playhoffs is not our goal, but winning in the playoffs is.”

Bigfork vs. Townsend

This matchup also occurred in the quarterfinal round in 2010 in Bigfork. The Vikings trailed 6-0 at the half and 12-0 late in the third quarter.

Bigfork’s Travis Knoll scored on a 75-yard run and Connor Coleman hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Christian Ker with 3:45 to play to give the Vikings a thrilling 15-12 victory.

Townsend was 8-2 and ranked No. 7 before that battle. Bigfork was ranked No. 10 and 7-2.

“One of the toughest games we played all year,” Bigfork coach Todd Emslie said.

“Townsend this year is a lot like that team — aggressive, quick, fast and always around the ball.”

Bigfork has enjoyed several blowouts to date, which concerns Emslie.

“We’ve been in some games this year where we took the foot off the accelerator,” he said to keep the score down.

“So No. 1, we will have to play our best for four quarters. We have to be mentally tough.

“The year we won state, we lost two games. That made us tougher, gave us some resolve, made us better. You can learn a lot from getting your butt kicked.”

Bigfork’s offense has scored 35 points or more in five games.

The Vikings are averaging 261.4 yards rushing per contest and 129.8 yards passing.

Defensively, they are allowing 154 yards per game rushing, 71.5 yards passing and 13.6 points.

Boyd Rieke, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior running back, has rushed for 1,123 yards (140.4 per game) on 170 attempts and 21 touchdowns. He is averaging 6.6 yards per touch.

He also has 14 receptions for 492 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior running back Vinny Quirk, 6-1, 195, has 576 yards rushing on 93 carries and four touchdowns. He is averaging 6.2 yards per tote.

Junior quarterback Josh Sandry has completed 53 of 91 passes for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has thrown just one interception.

Senior tight end Cameron Nissen, 6-5, 195, leads the receiving corps with 22 receptions for 492 yards and seven touchdowns.

“Last year we lost a lot of great seniors,” Emslie said.

“We’ve had some guys step up into some big time roles, produce and play well.”

Emslie said Rieke, a backup to Cody Dopps (now playing at Montana State) “learned the ropes pretty well. He has had a great season so far.”

Same goes for Nissen and Sandry.

Sandry was a starter in the defensive backfield a year ago before switching fulltime to his quarterbacking duties. He missed the last game with a concussion, but will play today.

Quirk, a middle linebacker, and junior end and nose guard Logan Mejak, 6-1, 200, are the standouts on the defensive side.

“He’s a sound tackler, always around the ball,” Emslie said of Quirk.

“(Mejak) is a tough-nosed, big-play kid. He’s pretty quick, pretty big and strong. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the line of scrimmage.”

The Bigfork/Townsend winner moves on to the quarterfinals next weekend against the Columbus/Baker/Plevna winner.

Eureka vs. Choteau

Both teams are unranked, hold the same overall record and finished second in their respective districts.

Bigfork defeated Choteau 26-20 in Choteau on Sept. 6. and Eureka 20-6 two weeks ago in Bigfork.

Eureka and Choteau both played at Conrad. Eureka lost 28-14 while Choteau won 52-40.

Choteau is averaging 33.6 points per game and allowing 17.4. The numbers for Eureka are 23.5 points per game on offense while allowing 21.2.

“It will be a well-matched game,” Utter said. “A very difficult game for sure.”

Eureka rolls into the playoffs with a 72-38 victory over Plains.

“Hopefully we can carry that momentum into this game,” Utter said.

Eureka senior running back Trent Vaughn, 5-9, 175, had four touchdown runs to spur the offense in that victory. Vaughn has rushed for 523 yards on 70 carries and scored six touchdowns on the season.

Senior Cole Jankovsky, 5-11, 185, has 573 yards rushing on 95 carries. He has scored 10 times.

Senior quarterback Austin Perez, 6-2, 190, has enjoyed a stellar year thus far, passing for 1,174 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s added 415 yards rushing on 88 carries and scored six times.

His two favorite senior receivers have nearly identical numbers. Myles Griffin, 6-3, 175, has 19 receptions for 354 yards and Dalton Smith, 6-4, 165, has 21 catches for 344 yards. Both have caught five touchdown passes.

“We’re clicking pretty good offensively,” Utter said.

“Our skill position guys are definitely starting to come into their own and light it up.”

Defensively, the Lions are led by a talented and sure-tackling linebacking crew.

Vaughn, an all-state player last year at that position, leads the team with 128 tackles.

Jankovsky is next with 81, followed by senior Jace Mrgich, 5-10, 160, with 75.

Freshman linebacker James Dunn, 5-11, 155, is fourth on the team in tackles.

“Choteau is very similar to us offensively,” Utter said.

“They have two good running backs, a good quarterback and two good receivers. They do a good job of mixing it up.”

Defensively, Choteau likes to pack 11 players within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage.

“They have eight guys in the box daring you to throw,” Utter said.

“It will be a grind ’em out deal. We have to run ... establish a run game.”

Utter also hopes his receivers can take advantage of man-to-man coverage and maybe open up the ground game a little bit.

“We’re hoping to get some big plays in the passing game,” Utter said.

“I believe this game will come down to who gets the big plays, and who doesn’t.”

The winner of this game advances to the quarterfinal round to face the Boulder/Plentywood winner next weekend.