Glacier knocks off Sentinel in battle of unbeatens

JON ALLEN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 1 week AGO

Glacier wide receiver Dylan Banzet (40) catches a 38-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier running back Asher Knopik (11) runs for a 51-yard touchdown in the first quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)'
Casey Kreider

Glacier defensive lineman Wayne Cox (52) sacks Missoula Sentinel quarterback Tucker Laslovich (13) in the first quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier defensive back Weston Robinson (4) celebrates with Eli Imperato (23) after an interception in the fourth quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier wide receiver Dylan Banzet (40 catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier students dance and cheer on the Wolfpack as they take on Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier defenders Jack Robinson (7) and Asher Knopik (11) celebrate after a stop in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier defensive linemen Kaleb Fuehr (68) and Will Astle (56) stop a run by Sentinel running back Kaden Thennis (6) in the third quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier wide receiver Cooper Pelc (1) picks up yardage after a reception in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier wide receiver Austin Gragg (5) scoops up a fumble by running back Trey Ramey and scores a touchdown in the third quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Another test passed for the Wolfpack with flying colors.

Dylan Banzet hauled in three touchdown catches and Glacier upended Missoula Sentinel 48-14 in a battle of undefeated Western AA football powers.

Banzet’s first touchdown came on a moon ball thrown by Jackson Presley to the corner of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 16-yard line late in the second quarter. His second went for 38 yards and the final capped off the night from 33 yards out. In all, Banzet caught five passes for 135 yards.

“I have been predicting that Dylan Banzet is going to break out,” Wolfpack coach Grady Bennett said. “I told the coaches this week that we have to just let this guy go, let him play and don’t take him off the field and sure enough, tonight was exactly what I believed that Dylan Banzet could become.”

“We had a great week of practice, we knew what they were going to come out in and we just attacked it,” Banzet said. “We saw a lot of gaps in their cover two.”

Presley finished the night with more touchdowns than incompletions, going 13-for-16 for 216 yards with four scores. He added a touchdown on the ground along with 29 yards.

It wasn’t all easy for Glacier (6-0 overall, 4-0 in Western AA games) as the Spartans (5-1, 3-1) threw the first punch with Rudy Hess finding the end zone on a quarterback keeper from 1 yard out to make it 7-0.

It was Glacier’s first home deficit all season. The Spartan defense then forced a punt on the Wolfpack’s first possession.

“(Dane Oliver) is the best at scheming, finding your weakness and that first drive was awesome,” Bennett said. “He had a plan ready, he had some schemes, had us in some things we weren’t ready for and found some weaknesses and some matchups.”

Glacier’s offense would get rolling on their next drive though as Asher Knopik broke off a 51-yard score. Knopik finished the day with 138 yards, Glacier ran for 262 yards in total.

Presley found the end zone next from 4 yards out to cap off a three-play, 35-yard drive. Next possession he found Banzet for their first touchdown connection.

“(The players) felt like there were some times in the past where we faced some adversity and we didn’t step up and handle it like we needed to,” Bennett said. “What a great test tonight to have that situation and our guys, you could see it on the sideline, like ‘OK, it’s time to compete,’ and we just went on a roll.”

Just before halftime Presley hit Hunter Daniels for an 11-yard score as the Wolfpack took a 28-7 lead.

On the first drive of the second half, Presley scrambled before finding a wide-open Banzet on a post route for a 38-yard score to extend the lead to 35-7.

Glacier extended their lead further on a wild play. Trey Ramey ran the ball and was wrapped up and fumbled. The ball came out of the pile and Gragg was there to pick up the ball for a Wolfpack touchdown.

Tucker Laslovich cut the deficit to 41-14 for the Spartans on a quarterback keeper with 10 minutes left in the game.

Presley and Banzet put any doubts to rest with a 33-yard touchdown pass just moments later to restore the 34-point lead.

Sentinel 7 0 0 7 - 14

Glacier 14 14 13 7 - 48

S — Rudy Hess 1 run (Blaise Olsen kick), 9:37 1Q

G — Asher Knopik 51 run (Kyle Smith kick), 4:46 1Q

G — Jackson Presley 4 run (Smith kick), 1:58 1Q

G — Dylan Banzet 16 pass from Presley (Smith kick), 3:44 2Q

G — Hunter Daniels 11 pass from Presley (Smith kick), :33 2Q

G — Banzet 38 pass from Presley (kick failed), 9:18 3Q

G — Gragg 0 fumble recovery (Smith kick), 4:46 3Q

S — Tucker Laslovich 4 run (Olson kick), 9:56 4Q

G — Banzet 33 pass from Presley (Smith kick), 8:29 4Q

Individual stats

RUSHING: Missoula Sentinel (41-154) — Kaden Thennis 16-68, Tucker Laslovich 9-30, Rudy Hess 9-29, Kyler Haslam 5-24, Jaeger Lisle 2-3. Glacier (34-273) — Asher Knopik 14-138, Trey Ramey 6-57, Jackson Presley 5-29, Eli Imperato 5-28, Brock Maloney 2-6, Austin Gragg 0-4, Team 2-0.

PASSING: Missoula Sentinel — Hess 9-11-1 for 99 yards, Laslovich 3-4-0 for 20 yards, Stellan Ridley 1-5-0 for 12 yards, Thennis 0-1-0 for 0 yards. Glacier — Presley 13-16-0 for 216 yards.

RECEIVING: Missoula Sentinel — Kyler Haslam 5-34, Kade Robinson 4-24, Stellan Ridley 1-24, Sam Sirmon 1-20, Thennis 1-17, Jayce Eby 1-12. Glacier — Dylan Banzet 5-135, Knopik 2-19, Hunter Daniels 2-16, Cooper Pelc 1-22, Austin Gragg 1-14, Eli Imperato 1-11, Jack Robinson 1- minus 1.

Glacier wide receiver Dylan Banzet (40 catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier students dance and cheer on the Wolfpack as they take on Missoula Sentinel at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider