Conrad Game: Postseason Preview

It's about to get serious for the Scotties, Montana's top-rated Class B football team in one of the rankings.

This Friday's Top 10 matchup against visiting Conrad in the regular season finale should give GHS a taste of the higher caliber competition that awaits in the MHSA Class B Football Championship Series.

The Scotties, 8-0, retained their No. 1 ranking with MaxPreps, the CBSSports.com site for high school sports, after their 41-8 win over Plentywood last Friday. Conrad, 6-1, sits at No. 8 following its first loss, 33-7, to highly regarded No. 2 Fairfield.

"This week we're excited to step up the intensity," Scotties coach Greg Liebelt told The Courier. "We have a team coming in here that we know is definitely in the playoffs. Conrad will be competitive."

Beyond that, Glasgow's postseason is taking shape. The playoffs will open for the Big Dawgs with a 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, game at Scottie Field against the second place 7B team – either Thompson Falls, Troy or Lincoln County (Eureka).

GHS activities director Brenner Flaten said Lincoln County appears to have the inside track with the advantage in tiebreakers. In any case, each of the 7B possibilities has a losing record.

The Scotties expect some timely late season reinforcements against Conrad, which sits in second place in 1B behind Fairfield.

Scotties RB/S Parker Kulczyk will return after sitting out last week due to a flagrant foul call in the Wolf Point game. Liebelt said OL/DL Andrew Fransen could return from his concussion setback and Keil Krumwiede, out since wrist surgery in the summer, could be cleared by the MHSA to at least assume kicking duties against Conrad or in the postseason opener. Liebelt also hopes that Krumwiede gets cleared to play defense with a cast.

Glasgow enters the Conrad game following a victory over Plentywood that was determined quickly, though the Scotties' dominance wasn't has sharp as it has been. Liebelt mentioned mistakes with running routes, dropped balls and offsides penalties.

The resilient 1-6 Wildcats, with just 14 players dressed to play, never gave in despite the lopsided score in their final Class B game at Glasgow before moving to 8-man Class C ball next year.

"I would say they're one of the better conditioned teams in the state," Plentywood coach Bill Nyby said of his Wildcats. "Once they get on the field, they don't get off. They showed heart and played to the finish."

And no 2B team except the Wildcats can say this: They scored on the Scotties in 2014, snapping the GHS divisional shutout streak. Tyler Michels recovered a Lane Nickels fumble on a punt return and ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 7:14 left in the second quarter. Isaiah DeTienne's 2-point conversion catch provided the rest of Plentywood's scoring.

Liebelt called it a tough game for Scottie players to stay motivated after realizing they were going to win. In addition, he said Glasgow started taking out first team players in the second half but had to keep some in to play against Plentywood's talented and physical corps players who had no choice but to stay in the game.

Glasgow sure added to its highlight 2014 video, though. Running back Benji Phillips ran 12 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns from 38 and 27 yards. Receiver/safety Chase Fossum gained 64 yards on four receptions, two for touchdowns, and had two interceptions. He returned one 35 yards for another TD.

"Benji Phillips had a tremendous game," Liebelt said of the emerging sophomore standout. "To me, this was his breakout game. We said, 'Now we know what to expect from him.' "

Glasgow's other TD came on 12-yard pass from quarterback Jason Thibault to tight end Jake Page with 1:22 left in the second quarter. It was the last score of the game. Thibault completed 9 of 17 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

Scottie Notes: Senior Night activities for the football team will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Scottie Field. Kickoff is at 7.