Wolfpack pile up All-State, All-Western AA football honors

To the victors go the spoils, and the state champion Glacier Wolfpack dominated the All-State and All-Western football honors teams released Friday.

As in, quarterback Jackson Presley and outside linebacker Jack Robinson were named MVPs on offense and defense for both the Western AA and all of Class AA.  

Seven Glacier players were named first-team All-State on both offense and defense, with Wayne Cox, Will Astle, Cooper Pelc, Asher Knopik and Maverick Diede snaring the honors on both sides of the ball. 

Cox, Astle and Diede fortified both lines; Pelc was selected at both receiver and cornerback; and Knopik was first team at running back and inside linebacker. 

Robinson — who had 110 tackles, blocked a kick, forced a fumble and had one interception this season — and Presley were obviously first-team picks. Presley threw for 2,221 yards and 27 touchdowns and ran for seven scores for the 12-0 Wolfpack.  

Jesse Baines was voted first team at offensive tackle while Ethan Kastelitz was selected at safety as well. 

By comparison, Billings West, which fell to Glacier 16-3 in the title game at Nov. 21 Legends Stadium, had two first-team selections on offense and nine on defense.  

Gallatin, which fell to the Pack in the semifinals, had five selected on defense and three on offense. Missoula Big Sky, another semifinalist, saw three players make the first team on offense and three on defense. 

Kastelitz had seven interceptions for the Pack; Pelc had four picks on defense and 37 catches for 707 yards and seven TDs on offense; Knopik rushed for 1,512 yards and 22 TDs and on defense made 77 tackles, seven of them for losses. 

In addition, the Wolfpack’s Grady Robinson was second-team All-State at nickel; joining him in that distinction were teammates Weston Robinson at corner, Eli Imperato as kickoff returner and Robinson at fullback. 

Flathead had no All-State selections but did have one player make the All-Western AA first team: Quarterback Eli Coopman was selected at All-Purpose after leading the 2-6 Braves in rushing with 727 yards while throwing for 1,089. 

The Braves saw defensive end Hudson Capser, linebackers Nolan Campbell and Kohel Rilley and Ollie Rosenberg (All-Purpose) earn second-team All-Western AA honors in voting by the league’s coaches; offensive linemen Kyler Kossman and Jakob Berry, receiver Ollie Rosenberg and H-Back Zander McLaughlin also were second-team picks. 

Twenty-four Western AA players were selected first-team on offense and 28 more on defense (with two all-purpose picks to both sides of the line).  

Glacier had eight first-teamers on offense and 10 on defense. The list includes Imperato — who averaged 30.9 yards on seven kick returns — along with Jack Robinson at fullback, Weston Robinson at corner and Grady Robinson at nickel. Both Grady and Weston Robinson had two interceptions this season. 

Earning second-team all-Western AA from the Pack were kicker Kyle Smith, tight end Hunter Daniels, receiver Dylan Banzet, defensive lineman Kaleb Fuehr, Pelc at punt returner and safety Kruz Robinson. 

Diede (both ways), Presley, Cox (defense) and Knopik (linebacker and special teams) were all first-team All-State in 2024; for Presley it was his third first-team honor.

    Glacier quarterback Jackson Presley (12) throws a pass in the first quarter against Gallatin in the Class AA semifinals at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider