Just four teams remain in each classification as the semifinal round of the high school football playoffs arrives with everything to play for. Trips to next week's state title games are on the line Friday and Saturday for teams familiar to this stage and those making a long-awaited championship push.
In Class AA, the same four teams return to the semis for the second straight year, with Billings West and Kalispell Glacier still seemingly on a title-game collision course. In Class A, resurgent Sidney hopes to capitalize on its well-earned home-field advantage, and East Helena travels to Hamilton to continue its remarkable campaign.
In Class B, Manhattan and Florence renew a rivalry that has defined the classification since 2019, and Three Forks gets a second crack at unbeaten Huntley Project with its star quarterback healthy and thriving. Meanwhile, 6-Man’s Power-Dutton-Brady has turned a 1-3 start into a five-game winning streak. And programs like 8-Man Choteau and 6-Man West Yellowstone are chasing their first title-game appearances since the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.
Below is this week's Gridiron Guide entering the semifinal round with championship berths at stake.
Class AA
Overview: It's not total déjà vu, but the Class AA playoff semifinals look an awful lot like they did last year and pretty similar to how they were the year before that. For the second consecutive season, Billings West, Gallatin, Kalispell Glacier and Missoula Big Sky are the last four teams standing, only this time the matchups are swapped. West will host Gallatin while defending champion Glacier will welcome Big Sky on Friday with championship-game berths up for grabs. West, Gallatin and Glacier were also semifinalists in 2024. Gallatin is actually making its fifth consecutive semifinal visit while Glacier is making its fourth. ... These semifinal matchups on Friday are rematches from the regular season. West won at Gallatin 28-7 on Oct. 9 while Glacier smacked Big Sky 56-7 in Missoula on Oct. 22. ... Top players from last week's quarterfinals included Gallatin RB Tyson Scheel (205 rushing yards, 3 TDs), West QB Seth Williamson (237 passing yards, 3 TDs), Big Sky QB Eli Kasberg (208 passing yards, 3 TDs) and Glacier RB combo Trey Ramey/Eli Imperato (227 yards, 2 TDs).
Scores and schedule
Quarterfinals
- Billings West 44, Great Falls 7
- Gallatin 24, Missoula Sentinel 13
- Kalispell Glacier 53, Bozeman 29
- Missoula Big Sky 38, Great Falls CMR 21
Semifinals
- Gallatin (9-2) at Billings West (10-0)
- Missoula Big Sky (9-2) at Kalispell Glacier (9-1)
Class A
Overview: Sidney's renaissance continues after it dethroned defending champion Frenchtown convincingly with a win in the quarterfinals last Friday at home, 33-7. The Eagles, a dominant program that won seven consecutive state titles more than a generation ago, are in the semis for the first time in nine years. ... Columbia Falls will make a 545-mile trip to Sidney for the semifinals. It's a rematch of a 2017 semifinal game won by C-Falls. The Wildcats trailed upstart Hardin early in their quarterfinal game last Friday but fought back with 21 third-quarter points. Trip Ross rushed for 101 yards and three TDs for C-Falls. ... QB Bearek Shuman and RB Leo Longcake lifted East Helena over Whitefish last week. Shuman and Longcake combined for 184 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. ... Hamilton will host East Helena on Friday. Timely plays on both offense and defense lifted the Broncs to a shutout victory over perennial contender Billings Central. Cooper Weston (a legacy name around those parts) accounted for a pair of TDs while Jude Widmer eclipsed 100 rushing yards.
Scores and schedule
Quarterfinals
- Columbia Falls 35, Hardin 22
- East Helena 41, Whitefish 20
- Hamilton 16, Billings Central 0
- Sidney 33, Frenchtown 7
Semifinals
- Columbia Falls (8-1) at Sidney (10-0)
- East Helena (8-1) at Hamilton (8-1)
Class B
Overview: The heavyweights are out in full force in Class B. Defending state champ Manhattan will take on Florence, which three-peated from 2021-23, for a title-game berth. The last time the title game didn't feature at least one of those two programs? 2018. They did meet in the regular season, with Florence winning 33-20 on Sept. 4. ... There wasn't really a close game in the quarterfinals (see below), which means these teams belong on the big stage. Huntley Project is the lone unbeaten among the group. Led by standout Blake Ramaeker, the Red Devils look to make their first title game since 2015 — and go on to win their first since going back-to-back in 2008 and '09. ... Project defeated Three Forks 31-6 in Week 2. But, that was when the Wolves were without star QB Kanon Reichman, a Montana State commit. Reichman has since returned from injury and Three Forks hopes to make it back to the championship game for the second straight season.
Scores and schedule
Quarterfinals
- Florence 39, Malta 0
- Huntley Project 55, Jefferson 8
- Manhattan 55, Red Lodge 27
- Three Forks 34, Fairfield 14
Semifinals
- Florence (9-1) at Manhattan (9-1)
- Three Forks (8-2) at Huntley Project (11-0)
8-Man
Overview: The North continues to showcase its strength in this year's playoffs, with all but one of the division's four teams advancing to the semifinal round with wins last week. ... Chinook rallied in the second half to knock off Scobey and end the Spartans' undefeated run at a state-championship repeat. The Sugarbeeters now get another crack at an unbeaten squad in the semifinals on Saturday with a trip to Drummond-Philipsburg. The Titans, ranked No. 1 all year, handled a North challenge last week by beating Fort Benton 44-26. Drummond-Philipsburg is looking for a return trip to the title game. Chinook's last title-game appearance (and last win) came in 2015. ... The other semifinal contest pits North foes Choteau and Belt, both of which cruised to victory in the quarterfinal round. This, of course, will be a rematch of a divisional battle in the regular season, when Choteau knocked Belt from the ranks of the unbeaten with a convincing 34-14 win on Oct. 16. Belt went to three consecutive title games from 2022-24, and won it all in '22. Choteau hasn't advanced to the championship since 1989.
Scores and schedule
Quarterfinals
- Belt 50, Ennis 18
- Chinook 34, Scobey 30
- Choteau 62, Twin Bridges 20
- Drummond-Philipsburg 44, Fort Benton 26
Semifinals
- Chinook (9-2) at Drummond-Philipsburg (10-0)
- Choteau (9-2) at Belt (10-1)
6-Man
Overview: In the best game of the quarterfinals — regardless of class — West Yellowstone kept its dream season alive with a 68-66 win over Big Sandy. The Wolverines were down by two scores entering the fourth quarter but rallied back, scoring the game-winning touchdown with just seconds on the clock. West Yellowstone, which last made the title game in 1999, will go on the road this Saturday to face undefeated Grass Range-Winnett, which is trying to exorcise its demons from last season when it lost to C-J-I in double overtime in the championship game. Both West Yellowstone and Grass Range-Winnett are 10-0. ... Power-Dutton-Brady began the season with a 1-3 record but is still alive battling for a berth in the title game. The Titans lost to West Yellowstone by one point in the season opener, then lost to D-G-S-G and C-J-I in Weeks 2 and 3. P-D-B, which made the title game as a co-op in 2021, has reeled off five straight wins, including back-to-back playoff blowouts. ... The Titans will host Jordan in the semifinals on Saturday. The Mustangs have been to two title games, winning it all in 2019.
Scores and schedule
Quarterfinals
- Grass Range-Winnett 63, Bainville 13
- Jordan 31, D-G-S-G 8
- Power-Dutton-Brady 59, Highwood 14
- West Yellowstone 68, Big Sandy 66
Semifinals
- Jordan (10-1) at Power-Dutton-Brady (6-3)
- West Yellowstone (10-0) at Grass Range-Winnett (10-0)
