As the regular season reaches its penultimate week, high school football teams across the state continue to jockey for playoff positioning.
Related: MTN Sports 2026 high school football power rankings for Oct. 12
This week, two 1-vs.-2 blockbuster games highlight the schedule. In Class A, No. 2 Sidney looks to make a huge statement at home against No. 1-ranked and perennial title contender Billings Central. And in 6-Man, No. 1 Grass Range-Winnett hopes to put a stamp on its top ranking when it travels to play No. 2 Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine.
This week's schedule features a surge in Thursday night games due to the annual Montana educators conference, which this year is in Great Falls. The bulk of these games are in Class AA, with seven contests set for Thursday night.
Here then is the latest edition of our Gridiron Guide as teams get ready for the second-to-last week of the regular season. Let's break it down:
Class AA
Overview: Only one undefeated team remains in AA, and that's top-ranked Billings West after last week's 28-7 road win over then-No. 4 Gallatin. Big plays from stars Walker Olson and Tyreke Jones helped the Golden Bears move to 7-0. ... One statistical note worth mentioning from last week came from Kalispell Glacier running back Trey Ramey, who carried 18 times for 205 yards and four TDs in a win over Helena High. Ramey's 13 rushing touchdowns rank No. 1 in the Western division. No. 2 Glacier faces crosstown foe Flathead (3-4) this week.
Game of the week: No. 3 Helena Capital (5-2) at Missoula Sentinel (4-3). Entering a game rife with implications for playoff positioning, Capital has won three in a row while Sentinel is fresh off a victory over previously undefeated (and now No. 5-ranked) Missoula Big Sky.
Class A
Overview: Last week's marquee game lived up to the hype, as Columbia Falls knocked rival Whitefish from the ranks of the unbeaten on a late touchdown pass by quarterback Banyan Johnston to win 34-31. C-Falls (5-1) vaulted back into our rankings at No. 3 while Whitefish (6-1) slipped to No. 4. ... Entering this week, No. 2 Sidney is the last unbeaten but there are seven other teams with just one loss. If the regular season has told us anything it's that the Class A playoffs could be wide open for the taking. We shall see.
Game of the week: No. 1 Billings Central (6-1) at No. 2 Sidney (7-0). Eagles coach Jace Schillinger said of Central a few weeks back: "Until we actually play them close, it's pretty hard to say we're a contender." On Friday, Sidney gets its shot.
Class B
Overview: The top-five ranked teams in Class B held court in pretty convincing fashion a week ago, which included No. 3 Fairfield securing a double-digit victory over North division rival Malta in the game of the week. .... Three Forks star QB Kanon Reichman still hasn't played since injuring his shoulder in a Week 1 win at Florence, but the Wolves, though they've dropped out of the rankings, have won three in a row since a 28-8 loss to Manhattan on Sept. 18. ... Undefeated and No. 2-ranked Huntley Project (7-0) continues to streak toward the playoffs. The Red Devils host Baker (4-2) this week.
Game of the week: No. 4 Manhattan (5-1) at No. 5 Jefferson (6-0). Manhattan's 45-0 blanking of Townsend last week seemed to speak volumes. Jefferson sneaked past the Bulldogs by three points the week before to remain undefeated. This is another big South division battle.
8-Man
Overview: Much like in Class B, the top of the 8-Man ranks went largely unchallenged by the competition a week ago. That was literally true for No. 1 Drummond-Philipsburg, which won by forfeit over Grace, Idaho. ... Each of the four divisions in 8-Man boasts an undefeated squad: top-ranked Drummond-Philipsburg (7-0) in the South, No. 2 Belt (7-0) in the North, No. 3 Superior (7-0) in the West and No. 4 Scobey (6-0) in the East.
Game of the week: No. 2 Belt (7-0) at Choteau (5-2). Belt, trying to run the table in the robust North, can sew up the division crown with a win. Choteau, though, boasts the stingiest scoring defense in the league.
6-Man
Overview: After losing for the first time two weeks ago to a formidable D-G-S-G, No. 3 Absarokee got back on track with a 58-13 romp over White Sulphur Springs. No. 2 D-G-S-G, meanwhile, has that massive matchup this week at home against No. 1 Grass Range-Winnett. ... At 6-0, West Yellowstone has crept into the rankings at No. 5. The Wolverines face Shields Valley this week but have a huge game against Absarokee looming on Oct. 24 to close the regular season.
Game of the week: No. 1 Grass Range-Winnett (6-0) at No. 2 D-G-S-G (7-0). Both teams have been dealt injuries to notable stars. GR-W's Randy Olson has been out since Week 1 with a broken collarbone while D-G-S-G's Brody Ridgeway suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago. Olson could return this week, though, according to a report from the Lewistown News-Argus.
