Glacier football didn’t lose much from the team that finished second in the state and posted the most wins in Kalispell football history.

The Wolfpack brings back the bulk of talent at the skill positions, the conference’s defensive MVP, six all-state players and five more named all-conference.

All that talent, and the expectations aren’t going to the team’s head, coach Grady Bennett said.

“I loved the way they practiced [this week],” Bennett said.

“There’s no hints at all that they’re feeling [overconfident]. We wouldn’t let that happen anyway, but I was really proud of how they came to work this week and practiced hard. They were focused and intense. It makes you feel good about where we’re at and our guys’ mental state going into it.”

Heading the Wolfpack offensive attack for the second straight year is senior quarterback Brady McChesney, who was second in the state last year in total offense, trailing only state record-setter Dallas Cook of Butte. McChesney averaged 288 yards per game last season, throwing for 3,590 yards and 41 touchdowns, and returns a bevy of options to give the ball to, including all-state wide receiver Logan Jones and all-conference wide out Sam McCamley.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons,” Bennett said. “It will be a little different look, but we’ve got a lot of guys to get the ball to.

“With so much experience coming back, we can really start at an advanced place. They know so much of what we’re doing, we can really hit the ground running ... . It’s really fun to work with a group like this.”

Jones and McCamley will be a few of the handful of players asked to fill in for the two big holes that did leave the team last season — all-state receiver, cornerback and punt returner Evan Epperly, now at the University of Montana, and all-state running back Noah James, now at Montana State.

“A kid like (Jones) you try to get it in his hands 25 times a game,” Bennett said. “We’ve got a couple of backs. It’s going to be hard to replace Noah. I don’t know if you can, but I think they can fill his position and do it well.”

The back of the defense will need to replace a handful of starters, including most of its defensive backfield. However, it still returns loads of talent including all-state linebacker Josh Hill, the West’s defensive MVP last season. The Wolfpack also bring back all-state safety Tucker Rauthe and all-conference corner Cain Boschee.

“Will our defense have that same toughness, that same edge [as last season]? That’s something as a coaching staff we’re excited to see,” Bennett said.

“These are all guys that played last year. We just need them to bring some of the new guys along. We’re going to be rotating a lot of guys in and see who’s going to be filling those open spots.”

The Wolfpack will see exactly where it stacks up today, when it makes the trip over the divide to play Billings West in the season opener. West is looking to bounce back from a winless 2013, the first down year in nearly two decades for the traditional Class AA powerhouse.

The game kicks off at 4 p.m. at Daylis Stadium in Billings. The game will be broadcast locally on 103.9 FM and streamed online at mtsport.tv.

Glacier Wolfpack 2014 Schedule

Week 1: at Billings West, 4 p.m.

Week 2: vs. Great Falls C.M. Russell, 7 p.m.

Week 3: vs. Bozeman, 7 p.m.

Week 4: at Missoula Hellgate, 7:30 p.m.

Week 5: vs. Butte, 7 p.m.

Week 6: at Missoula Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Week 7: vs. Sentinel, 7 p.m.

Week 8: at Helena Capital, 7 p.m.

Week 9: at Great Falls, 7:30 p.m.

Week 10: vs. Flathead, 7 p.m.