Pack brings Rendina to face speedy Billings Senio
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 6 months AGO
SPORTS EDITOR Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast. IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together. | November 6, 2020 8:37 PM
The Glacier Wolfpack’s next opponent is an amalgam of Missoula Big Sky and Missoula Sentinel: Billings Senior has a really good dual-threat quarterback and speed to match on the outside.
The State AA quarterfinal game, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Daylis Stadium, features the run-first Wolfpack that features Jake Rendina, and the Junior Bergen-led Broncs.
Bergen, converted from wide receiver, is in the mold of Big Sky’s Colter Janacaro – and quite possibly better. He’s thrown for 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions for example.
“A different type of Janacaro, but definitely a do-it-all type,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “He’s going to get his carries, and he’ll make his throws.
“Similarly to what we tried to do with Janacaro, we want to try to take away a few of his favorite things, and make him do his second-favorite thing.”
For Bergen, who averages 8.6 yards a carry, his favorite thing is running. Anyone who saw his long, tackle-breaking touchdown in Senior’s mid-season loss to Billings West knows this. His 15 rushing TDs rank fifth in Class AA.
He’s also completed 70 of 112 passes for 853 yards; a majority of those totals went to Jacksen Burckely, who has 38 catches for 552 yards and 10 TDs.
There’s also tailback Jacob Miller, who has 1,004 yards on the ground.
“Kind of a little scat-back,” Bennett said of Miller. “Their perimeter is so athletic, and that’s the difference. They have great athletes on offense and defense, on the perimeter.”
The 6-1 Broncs may not have the horses in the defensive front seven to match unbeaten Sentinel, but they’re plenty stout.
Rendina continues to pile up yards (1,251) and touchdowns (27) on the ground. Both marks lead AA. In last week’s 63-0 rout of Big Sky, Glacier quarterback JT Allen had a career game with 400 yards passing. He now has 1,279 yards through the air.
Jake Turner has become the main target with 25 catches for 351 yards, a 14.0 average. But Connor Sullivan and Luke Bilau each have 16 receptions.
No doubt the Broncs will be keying mainly on Rendina, just as the Pack will on Bergen.
“We’ll just try to contain him,” Bennett said. “He’s a good player.”
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