Braves host Senior after opening win, Wolfpack travel to Bozeman

The Flathead Braves got 24 hours to celebrate their win over Great Falls last week, but now it's back to work. 

"We are very excited and very proud of what we put out in week one," coach Mac Roche said. 

Flathead survived a back-and-forth battle with Great Falls to take a 34-31 victory, and now Billings Senior makes the long journey to Legends Stadium to battle the Braves. 

The Broncs bring in a new look for 2026: the wing-T offense. Roche knows that his squad needs to stay disciplined on defense. 

"It's about being gap sound and understanding your assignment and if you do your job then you can handle that," Roche said. 

To stop the Broncs, Flathead will need to limit quarterback Kenyon Hamlet-Chance. The senior leads both sides of the Broncs squad, running the option and manning the secondary on defense. 

Hamlet-Chance was stymied by Missoula Big Sky last week in a 69-0 loss for Senior, but Roche added that he and the team aren't letting that score lull them into a false sense of confidence. 

"We aren't looking at the score, we look at the plays individually, and what we need to do," Roche said. "They are a well-coached team and our kids are certainly not going to take this week lightly." 

Offensively, fans will get a chance to see Bear Barker take the field at QB for the Braves. The senior transfer from Whitefish threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns last week. 

On the ground, junior Leum Saisbury ran for 107 yards and a touchdown. 

The Braves and Broncs are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff. 

Wolfpack in uncharted waters

No one on the Glacier Wolfpack roster has been in this position before. 

The Wolfpack lost their first home game since 2022 in week one, a 6-3 decision in overtime, but head coach Grady Bennett isn't worried. 

"Anytime you suffer a loss, all you can do is learn from it and get better and I think these guys will do that," Bennett said. "Playing a team like Billings West in Week One really did show us what we need to fix." 

Another tough test awaits Glacier in Bozeman. The Hawks took a 56-14 victory over Missoula Hellgate last week and are led by senior quarterback Van Shockley. 

"He is one of the best athletes in AA," Bennett said of Shockley, who threw for 151 yards on 10 of 11 passing. 

Hawks running back Beau Wheeler also proves to be a threat after running for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. 

For Glacier, Cash Keim looks to settle in for his second start in the Blue and Green. 

"I think Cash did some really good things to build on and you can tell he is going to build a lot in this next game," Bennett said. 

Keim was 10 for 24 with two interceptions against Billings West. The Wolfpack were missing wide out Dylan Banzet for the opener and fellow senior receiver Cooper Pelc was limited at times with cramps. Both should provide more options for Keim as the season progresses. 

Glacier will see Jareth Wilson act as head coach as Bennett serves the second game of his suspension Friday. Kickoff in Bozeman is slated for 6 p.m. 

Glacier’s games won’t air over the radio waves this year, but rather on the web: Fans can listen to the action via monster1039.com, kofiradio.com or 943thelake.com; there is also a phone app called BIG3 you can download.