The opening round of the Montana high school football playoffs separated the contenders from the pretenders. This week's games raise the stakes even more with berths in the semifinals hanging in the balance.
Related: MTN Sports' final 2026 regular-season high school football power rankings
Class AA heavyweights Billings West and Kalispell Glacier, in particular, are set to begin the playoff process on the heels of first-round byes. In Class A, Hardin is riding the wave of its first postseason victory in 14 years, while Whitefish and East Helena brace for a marquee clash where one one-loss season must come to an end.
Meanwhile, in Class B, Three Forks senior quarterback Kanon Reichman has returned from injury to orchestrate an offensive revival just in time for a showdown with Fairfield. The 8-Man ranks saw a Northern surge in the opening round, while the second round in 6-Man is highlighted by a pair of key rematches from the regular season.
Here then is our Gridiron Guide for this week's quarterfinal round of the high school playoffs. Let's dig in:
Class AA
Overview: If there was a "surprising" result in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs, it was Great Falls' 28-21 road victory at Helena Capital. A healthy Steele Harris and Rivers Herring combined to score four touchdowns for the Bison. Now Great Falls, the only sub-.500 team still alive, faces an even bigger challenge when it visits the only unbeaten, Billings West, in this week's quarterfinals. The Golden Bears won the regular-season matchup 48-0. ... After a first-round bye, Kalispell Glacier is set to begin defense of last year's state title. The Wolfpack host Bozeman in a rematch of a Sept. 4 game won by Glacier 42-0. That began a string of four consecutive shutouts by the Wolfpack. ... Luke Vigen's return from injury has given Gallatin a lift. The sophomore QB threw for a combined 417 yards and four TDs in the past two weeks, which included last week's 35-14 first-round rout of Helena. The Raptors travel to Missoula Sentinel for the quarterfinals.
Scores and schedule
First round
- Bozeman 42, Butte 24
- Gallatin 35, Helena 14
- Great Falls 28, Helena Capital 21
- Missoula Big Sky 35, Billings Skyview 14
Quarterfinals
- Bozeman (6-4) at Kalispell Glacier (8-1)
- Gallatin (8-2) at Missoula Sentinel (6-3)
- Great Falls (4-6) at Billings West (9-0)
- Missoula Big Sky (8-2) at Great Falls CMR (7-2)
Class A
Overview: It's wild — and maybe even a little unfortunate — that the season will end for either Whitefish or East Helena in Friday's quarterfinals. Their game Friday night is the marquee game this week. Each team has just one loss, with those coming against a common opponent — Columbia Falls — by three points. East Helena fell to the Wildcats 38-35 on Sept. 11 when a big lead slipped away, and Whitefish lost 34-31 on Oct. 9. ... The quarterfinal round is truly a statewide affair. Billings Central is traveling 370 miles to play Hamilton, and Hardin is trekking 490 miles to C-Falls. Defending champion Frenchtown's trip to face unbeaten Sidney takes the cake, though, at some 630 miles. ... Hardin's 22-14 opening-round victory at Lewistown last week was a milestone win for the Bulldogs; it was their first postseason triumph since beating then-Class A Belgrade 29-14 in the first round in 2012.
Scores and schedule
First round
- Billings Central 13, Laurel 7
- Frenchtown 56, Polson 19
- Hardin 22, Lewistown 14
- Whitefish 36, Dillon 12
Quarterfinals
- Billings Central (8-2) at Hamilton (7-1)
- Hardin (8-2) at Columbia Falls (7-1)
- Frenchtown (7-2) at Sidney (9-0)
- Whitefish (9-1) at East Helena (7-1)
Class B
Overview: The return of Kanon Reichman continues to provide a big boost to Three Forks. The senior QB, who is committed to play at Montana State, was injured in a Week 1 win at Florence and missed the next six games. But in the past two weeks since his return, Reichman has accumulated 587 passing yards and six TDs. He completed 28 of 35 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-14 first-round win over Anaconda. The Wolves travel to one-loss Fairfield this week for a major quarterfinal showdown. ... Last week's opening round wasn't all that competitive. The average margin of victory in eight games was 33 points. Jefferson's 34-21 win over Thompson Falls was the closest difference. ... Malta is traveling 385 miles to face Florence this week. The Mustangs average 35 points per outing; the Falcons haven't given up more than seven in a game since hanging on to beat Fairfield 34-33 on Sept. 11.
Scores and schedule
First round
- Fairfield 31, Shepherd 8
- Florence 45, Columbus 7
- Huntley Project 50, Cut Bank 0
- Jefferson 34, Thompson Falls 21
- Malta 47, Baker 6
- Manhattan 55, Eureka 16
- Red Lodge 55, Glasgow 33
- Three Forks 48, Anaconda 14
Quarterfinals
- Jefferson (7-2) at Huntley Project (10-0)
- Malta (7-2) at Florence (8-1)
- Red Lodge (6-3) at Manhattan (8-1)
- Three Forks (7-2) at Fairfield (9-1)
8-Man
Overview: There's no discounting the dominance of the 8-Man North in last week's opening round. Belt, Chinook, Choteau and Fort Benton all beat their opponents from the West by double digits to advance to the quarterfinals. The stakes are higher now, especially with Chinook's trip to play undefeated defending champion Scobey from the East and Fort Benton's visit to unblemished Drummond-Philipsburg, the No. 1-ranked team all year from the South. ... Choteau's 64-42 road victory over Superior in the opening round a week ago turned some heads. It was a back-and-forth game in the first half, but the Bulldogs scored 32 second-half points, including 21 unanswered to finish it in the fourth quarter. Choteau now travels to take on Twin Bridges in the quarterfinals.
Scores and schedule
First round
- Belt 56, Seeley-Swan 16
- Chinook 38, Darby 28
- Choteau 64, Superior 42
- Drummond-Philipsburg 68, Forsyth 8
- Ennis 56, Circle 50
- Fort Benton 59, St. Regis 14
- Scobey 54, Sheridan 0
- Twin Bridges 49, Culbertson 27
Quarterfinals
- Chinook (8-2) at Scobey (9-0)
- Choteau (8-2) at Twin Bridges (8-1)
- Ennis (7-2) at Belt (9-1)
- Fort Benton (9-1) at Drummond-Philipsburg (9-0)
6-Man
Overview: Among the four quarterfinal games in 6-Man on Saturday, two are rematches from the regular season — Big Sandy at West Yellowstone and Highwood at Power-Dutton-Brady. West Yellowstone, as part of its ongoing unbeaten campaign, outlasted Big Sandy 67-58 on Oct. 3 while Power-Dutton-Brady ran past Highwood 45-14 on Sept. 25 (Highwood's only loss so far). ... In a first-round rematch of last year's title game — and Week 1 this year — Grass Range-Winnett again got the best of C-J-I. The Rangers will welcome Bainville this week for a quarterfinal matchup. ... The D-G-S-G-at-Jordan game appears to be a marquee game this week, with each team sitting on one loss. Neither team had trouble in the opening round last Saturday.
Scores and schedule
First round
- Bainville 57, Valier 0
- Big Sandy 50, Richey-Lambert 13
- D-G-S-G 48, at Absarokee 6
- Grass Range-Winnett 50, C-J-I 30
- Highwood 38, Wibaux 13
- Jordan 82, Heart Butte 13
- Power-Dutton-Brady 68, White Sulphur Springs 7
- West Yellowstone 52, Noxon 6
Quarterfinals
- Bainville (7-3) at Grass Range-Winnett (9-0)
- Big Sandy (5-4) at West Yellowstone (9-0)
- D-G-S-G (9-1) at Jordan (9-1)
- Highwood (9-1) at Power-Dutton-Brady (5-3)
