Montana AA football coaches rank top teams in poll

You can take the boy out of Montana, but you can’t take the Class AA football out of the boy.

Anthony Nachreiner, formerly a local radio personality, put together a comprehensive coaches poll ahead of the 2021 season, which begins Friday.

All 16 AA football coaches voted, and Billings West outpointed defending state champion Missoula Sentinel for the No. 1 position.

The Golden Bears and Spartans were followed by Helena, Great Falls and Glacier. Sentinel had just two more points than the Helena Bengals.

Flathead, under new head coach Alex Cummings, is picked to finish 15th, one spot ahead of Belgrade. Gallatin, the second-year year school in Bozeman, is picked 12th.

Nachreiner, host of the “Nach on Sports” podcast, noted that West returns a AA-best seven All-State players from 2020, as well as 71 percent (303) of its offensive points.

Sentinel returns six All-State players but just four starters on offense. A lot of points, 77 percent, graduated off the 2020 juggernaut.

The Helena High Bengals return five All-State players and 44 percent of their points; Great Falls High returns four All-Staters and 55 percent of its offensive output.

Helena coach Scott Evans had the best quotes for Nachreiner.

“From Happy Valley to the Mining City to the land of seven valleys to the team that also resides in Helen, you are offered a huge challenge each week,” Evans said. “The best thing about the league is the diversity of the teams: You will see a multitude of offenses from ground and pound to risk it and biscuit every snap.”

Dane Oliver, head coach of the champion Spartans, noticed that the West — the two Helena schools, Butte, three Missoula schools, Flathead and Glacier — will be wide open.

“Both Helena schools are tough and Helena has been building to this season for years,” Oliver said. “Glacier sounds like they had a good summer. I was impressed with Big Sky’s skill players in summer 7-on-7. I really like Flathead’s new coach — he will build momentum.

“Hellgate with their athletes will be capable of putting up a ton of points.”

Flathead has four starters back on offense and five on defense. Glacier has five on offense and four on defense.

The Wolfpack, a semifinalist last season, begins its season at home Friday against Belgrade. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The Flathead Braves hit the road to Billings Skyview, with that game also at 7 p.m. at Wendy’s Field at Daylis Stadium.

Class AA Coaches Poll

Here is the Montana Class AA football coaches preseason poll, as compiled by Anthony Nachreiner of the Nach on Sports podcast. All 16 AA coaches participated (first-place votes are in parentheses):

Team Points

1) West (12) 251

2) Sentinel (2) 222

3) Helena (2) 220

4) Great Falls 200

5) Glacier 197

6) Senior 188

7) Capital 164

8) Bozeman 139

9) Butte 129

10) CMR 100

11) Skyview 83

12) Gallatin 81

13) Hellgate 73

14) Big Sky 62

15) Flathead 38

16) Belgrade 24