Start fast and accept the challenge. 

That’s Flathead football coach Mac Roche’s message as his unbeaten Braves return to Legends Stadium on Friday to face Helena High.

Last week, Flathead fell behind Missoula Hellgate 14-0 before scoring 42 second-half points in a 49-28 victory. It was the Braves’ second comeback win of the season, following a 34-31 victory over Great Falls High in the opener. 

The seeds of the Braves’ toughness were planted in the summer, and Roche has seen that work pay off through three games. 

“We did a lot of mental toughness and leadership-type training in the offseason to prepare,” Roche said. “So far, our team has been accepting the challenge when adversity hits.” 

Flathead is 3-0 for the first time since 2001, but another slow start could prove costly against Helena High (2-1 overall, 1-0 in Western AA). The Bengals bring a disciplined team to Kalispell, led by twin brothers Reece and Gracen Silvonen.  

Reece Silvonen accounted for four touchdowns in Helena’s 35-26 win over Sentinel last week, throwing for 233 yards and rushing for 81. Gracen caught eight passes for 66 yards, including a ouchdown

Tyse Todorovich added five catches for 82 yards for the Bengals. 

Helena’s offensive line and outside linebackers also caught Roche’s attention. 

“They’re just a very clean-cut team,” Roche said. “They’re a really good ball club and it should be a fun matchup.” 

The Bengals bested the Braves 31-20 last season. Roche has returned to that film throughout the week, studying the mistakes that hurt his own team.  

Avoiding turnovers and negative plays will be a priority Friday, along with establishing the running game that helped the Braves rally against Hellgate. 

Leum Saisbury rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries against the Knights, adding 54 receiving yards and another score. Bear Barker passed for 182 yards and three touchdowns. 

Roche said the Braves simplified their approach after halftime, asking each player to focus on the assignment rather than the scoreboard. 

“We just got back to our roots in the second half,” said Roche. 

Against Helena, Roche wants that execution from the opening snap. 

“We can X and O everything to death, but at the end of the day, football comes down to blocking and tackling,” Roche said. “And if you can do those two things, you’re probably going to have a lot of success.” 

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. as both teams look to improve to 2-0 in Western AA. 

Wolfpack focused 

Glacier has outscored its last two opponents 79-0, but coach Grady Bennett hasn’t seen his players getting comfortable. 

Instead, the Wolfpack have returned to practice looking for more improvement. 

“They’re not satisfied at all,” Bennett said. “They realize how many mistakes still that we made and how much better we can still get.” 

Glacier (2-1, 1-0) heads to Vigilante Stadium to face Capital (2-1, 0-1), a team Bennett expects to challenge the strength of his group. 

Both teams have size along the line of scrimmage. Glacier’s fronts have helped produce consecutive shutouts against Bozeman and Butte. 

“That’s the secret sauce for our team,” Bennett said. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of good players in a lot of spots, but our fronts have been doing such a great job.” 

The Wolfpack held Butte to 104 total yards and recorded five sacks in last week’s 37-0 win. Offensively, Trey Ramey rushed for 119 yards and a score, while Eli Imperato added 71 yards and two touchdowns. 

Capital is coming off a 24-21 loss to unbeaten Missoula Big Sky after surrendering a 21-9 lead in the fourth quarter. Bennett said the Bruins leave their opponents with little room for mistakes. 

“They won’t beat themselves,” he said. “They’re just too well coached.” 

Glacier handled its first road trip with a 42-0 win at Bozeman, but Bennett knows winning in Helena presents another challenge. Capital beat the Wolfpack twice in 2024, including a 34-21 victory in the state championship after winning their regular-season meeting 35-14. 

“Playing in Vigilante is always a great challenge, it’s so tough to win there,” Bennett said. 

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.  

Friday Night Lights

6 p.m.: Flathead vs. Helena High, Legends Stadium (KGEZ 96.5 FM)

6 p.m.: Glacier at Helena Capital (Monster1039.com)