Glacier has seen Bozeman plenty of times on the football field over the last few years.

Winners of the last three Class AA state championships, the two teams have played each other more than anyone else in the state, a total of seven times in the last four years. The Hawks beat Glacier twice last year on their way to the state championship, including a last-minute victory in the state semifinals clinched by a Bozeman interception on the shadow of its own goal line.

Bozeman has changed a lot since that last game, losing its head coach and most of its starting lineup on both sides of the ball. While much will stay the same under longtime assistant Levi Wesche, Glacier hasn’t had the opportunity to see what the new-look Hawks bring to the field this season.

The Wolfpack coaching staff has had to work off video of the Bozeman scrimmage two weeks ago because the Hawks didn’t play the opening week of the season, earning a forfeit from Missoula Hellgate. The Knights called off their season in July because of poor turnout.

“Because they’re the biggest school in the state you know they’re always going to have talent, they just have so many kids to choose from,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.

“It was tough to tell, they (played a) split squad (in their scrimmage). You could never really necessarily tell who the No. 1s were on defense because it was a mix of kids.

“You can tell the athletes. If there’s a program in the state that every year reloads with athletes, it’s Bozeman.”

The Hawks will be quarterbacked by Callahan O’Reilly, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior, and will have a host of tall receivers, though most of their positions are still in flux as the season begins.

Glacier had a lot of turnover of its own entering the season, but erased any doubt about its talent in a 35-7 drubbing of Helena High last week.

Tadan Gilman threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns and running back Drew Turner picked up 123 yards against one of the traditionally toughest defenses in the state. Glacier’s defense held Helena to 14 rushing yards and, outside of a dozen penalties, the team dominated every facet of the game.

The Wolfpack is hoping to build on that start this week as it looks to improve on its 4-8 record against the Hawks.

“There’s always little things to improve, and that’s what’s fun about it, but for a Game 1 performance, the way they performed in all three phases if we can build on that and keep getting better, oh my goodness, we could be really special,” Bennett said.

The game is the second of a grueling stretch to open the season, continuing with Helena Capital next week. Each of the first three teams on the Wolfpack schedule ended last season in the top four of the league.

After last season’s 0-2 start, another big game against Bozeman could set up Glacier for a run at a top seed in the playoffs at the end of the season.

For now, the Wolfpack will be headed to a familiar setting for another big game.

“We know Bozeman could easily bring us back to Earth and crashing down to reality,” Bennett said. “We better have a great week and know what kind of task we have ahead of us going to Bozeman.

“With our schedule, if we happen to go to Bozeman and play well, we’re setting ourselves up for good things. That’s what you want.”

The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. tonight and will be broadcast locally on 103.9 FM and streamed online at mtsport.tv.