There’s no place like home.

After a tumultuous two game road trip that saw the Flathead Braves score two points over two games, the team returns home for a homecoming matchup with Missoula Sentinel Friday. 

Inside the friendly confines of Legends Stadium, the Braves look to take care of the ball after turning it over eight times against Missoula Big Sky a week ago. 

“There’s a positive buzz around the building, we are excited to hit the field,” Braves coach Caleb Aland said. “It’s good that we are moving the ball, we had 307 yards of offense (against Big Sky), it’s just finishing in the red zone and taking care of the football.” 

While Aland and the Braves host the Spartans, Glacier looks to remain unbeaten on the road against Helena. 

Sentinel at Flathead

Sentinel’s Jace Koshatka threw for 92 yards with one touchdown and one interception last week against Helena Capital, but Aland is more worried about his legs than his arm. 

“We need to contain their quarterback, he likes to scramble,” Aland said. “We need to keep him in the pocket and force some throws down the field early.” 

The Bruins held Koshatka to just 13 yards on the ground to send Sentinel to 1-2, but in the Spartans opener against Billings Skyview he carried the ball 27 times for 148 yards and two scores. 

Aland also noted the Sentinel tight end core — led by Easton Reimers and Sam Sirmon — as threats with their blocking ability. 

“They do a good job with their tight end sets and have more of a run game that we are going to have stop,” Aland said. 

Offensively, the Braves hope to establish the run game against Sentinel’s four-man front, but Aland's emphasis all week at practice is to take care of the football, but he knows it won't be easy. 

“Any Sentinel team is a good Sentinel team, they are a good program,” Aland said. 

Glacier at Helena

The Wolfpack defeated Helena 35-7 last season at Legends Stadium, but before that Glacier last won against the Bengals in the 2018 season opener. You have to look even further back to when the Wolfpack won at Vigilante Stadium — a 35-7 scoreline from 2016. 

To end that streak, Glacier will need to slow down a Bengals team that can do it through the air and on the ground. 

“Year in and year out at Helena has as much athletic talent as anyone in the state,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “They have the ability to be explosive and make a lot of big plays.” 

Through the air, Helena features Jaxan Lieberg and Carter Petre out wide and Dylan Mosness at tight end — all are main targets for quarterback Mac Lundstrom. 

On the ground Glacier will face a test with Trygve Braun, who averages over 120 yards per game on the ground so far in 2024. 

“Braun runs so hard, he runs competitively,” Bennett said. “He’s a beast, a lot like Kobe (Dorcheus) for us.” 

Glacier has been in rhythm so far; the Wolfpack are 3-0 and have scored 49 points in each of their last two games against Billings Senior and Butte. Dorcheus found the endzone six times over those two games, while quarterback Jackson Presley is coming off a 13-for-15 performance against the Bulldogs a week ago. 

“We are off to a great start and proud of the guys with everything so far, intensity, focus,” Bennet said. “These are the games you have to win if you want to be there at the end. You have to go on the road in AA and win those hard games.”