By Andy Viano

The Daily Inter Lake

Ask Ryan Billiet about soccer in the Flathead Valley and he can’t help but get a little fired up.

A longtime assistant to O’Brien Byrd at Whitefish and the vice president of the Flathead Rapids soccer club, Billiet is in his second year as the Glacier head coach. Tonight’s match against the Wolfpack’s crosstown rival, Flathead, brings out a special kind of enthusiasm from the sentimental head man.

“The beauty of (this match) is not only celebrating the competition of two schools but celebrating and embracing the game of soccer and how much it’s come along in the Valley,” Billiet said.

“Who’s going to be the guy who does something so special that everybody’s talking about it tomorrow? Hopefully that’s the message that challenges these boys – what can I do to set myself apart as an individual and as a team? What can we do to show the community how great the game is?”

If tonight’s match doesn’t do the trick, Billiet’s talented Glacier team alone might give the Valley plenty to talk about this fall.

Expectations are higher than ever for a Wolfpack team that finished in fourth place at the state tournament a year ago. Glacier already avenged its last loss of 2014 with a 4-3 win over Sentinel on Tuesday and returns a bevy of starters all over the pitch. Billiet, however, is careful to keep pressure off his team.

“The most important thing I want for these guys this year, and any year, is to make as many amazing or special memories as they possibly can,” Billiet said when asked about expectations for the season. “I want these guys to be able to look back and say (2015) was a fun season.”

Glacier’s senior bookends both came up big in their season-opening win, with Colton Becker scoring three times and keeper Ryker McIntyre making a game-saving stop in the waning minutes. Becker found the back of the net 15 times last year, third most in the state, en route to all-state accolades. McIntyre was an all-conference pick.

Becker is a weapon with the ball at his feet, but his mere presence on the pitch means teams must divert attention his way.

“He’s a guy that if you give him space he’s going to take it,” Billiet said. “And he’s a guy that can generate a lot of awareness from the opponent and give other guys the opportunity to step in.”

“(Becker)’s a second-year captain and we feel we’ve got more guys to support around him and allow him to do the things he does. We like what we’ve got with Colton and what we’ve got around Colton.”

Across town at Flathead, a new era begins this season under first-year head coach Nate Evans. The Braves were just 3-13 last season but did qualify for the state tournament.

Senior Kaleb Frame scored nine goals as a junior and was named to the all-conference team.

With Evans hoping to reverse the Braves recent fortunes and Glacier continuing to improve, Billiet believes the arrow is pointed up for local soccer.

“Both schools are so much improved from the last couple of years and (tonight’s match) is going to be a good showcase of some good talent and some younger kids coming up,” Billiet said. “Being in that atmosphere, there’s nothing else like it.”