2017 Class B Playoffs (First Round)

[VimSince03]

Playoff Bracket: http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/docu ... cket-B.pdf

Top-side of Bracket

4-5 Cut Bank (#4 North) at 7-0 Eureka (#1 West)

Cut Bank Key Players – QB/LB J.R. Seewald (Jr.), OL/DL Tyler Sneed (Sr.), DE Tristen Bird (Sr.), RB/LB Jaxon Ray (Sr.), WR/LB Ty Fugle (Sr.)

Eureka Key Players – QB/S Garrett Graves (Sr.), RB/LB Jake Kindel (So.), TE/LB Hank Dunn (So.), RB/DB Chet McCully (So.), WR/S Brenton Pluid (Sr.)

Cut Bank has some solid football players but Eureka is hard to play for four quarters. They are in attack mode for the entire game on offense and defense. Eureka doesn't have the size they had last year but they definitely have the same, if not better, team speed as last year's title team. QB Garrett Graves is one of the best football players in the state and, in my opinion, is the MVP of Class B. He lost basically his entire starting lineup and led a bunch of sophomores to an undefeated regular season. Fantastic player and Eureka's group of sophomores will be tough to handle for the next two years. Prediction: Eureka wins 54-10

5-4 Roundup (#3 East) at 6-2 Manhattan (#2 South)

Roundup Key Players – QB/LB Brody Grebe (Jr.), OL/LB Curtis Harper (Sr.), OL/DL Mike Browning (Sr.), TE/DE Kelson Eiselein (Sr.), OL/DL Chris Bradley (Jr.)

Manhattan Key Players – WR/DB Cal Holgate (Sr.), QB/DE Jake Dyk (Sr.), OL/LB Nic Stubbs (Sr.), TE/LB Michael Nehring (Jr.), OL/DL Tyler Smith (Sr.)

Roundup is not going to try to fool anyone with their style of play on offense. They are going to run the ball, control the clock, and attempt to limit offensive possessions for their opponent. However, they are running into a very explosive offense in Manhattan who can get up on opponents quickly. QB Jake Dyk, WR Cal Holgate, and RB/TE Michael Nehring are a tough trio to stop once they get going. But Roundup won't be a push over. QB Brody Grebe is a tough son of a gun at QB behind a big, bruising offensive line that can win games in the 4th quarter. I still see Manhattan winning by jumping on Roundup early. Prediction: Manhattan wins 42-14

4-4 Florence (#4 West) at 9-0 Fairfield (#1 North)

Florence Key Players – QB/DB Colby Kohlman (So.), OL/DL Seth Harris (Sr.), OL/LB Dax Miller (Sr.), OL/LB Spencer Jones (Sr.), WR/LB Zach Cather (Sr.)

Fairfield Key Players - QB/S Ryder Meyer (Jr.), WR/DB Dawson Allen (Jr.), RB/LB Griffen Lee (Sr.), OL/DL Walker Heckman (Jr.), WR/DE Ethan Schenk (Sr.)

Florence/Carlton is definitely a competitive football team for a #4 seed. They are led by spark-plug sophomore QB Colby Kohlman on offense. Florence's main issue is they struggle to put four quarters together. That won't work against a team like Fairfield. Like Eureka, the Eagles are in attack mode from start to finish. QB/S Ryder Meyer leads a group of two-way athletes that make life hard on opposing offenses and defenses. His favorite target is WR/DB Dawson Allen and WR/DE Ethan Schenk. I see no reason why Fairfield doesn't win this one big. Prediction: Fairfield wins 41-7

6-3 Big Timber (#3 South) at 7-2 Huntley Project (#2 East)

Big Timber Key Players – QB/DB Blake Finn (Sr.), RB/DB Casey Gunlikson (Jr.), TE/DE Hayden Mosness (Sr.), OL/LB Riley Lannen (Sr.), WR/S Kell Schwers (Jr.)

Huntley Project Key Players – RB/LB Lane Sumner (Sr.), OL/DL Trey Copeland (Sr.), WR/DB Keenan Reynolds (Sr.), RB/LB Wyatt Selman (Sr.), QB/DE Tylan Croy (Sr.)

Big Timber was not a team expected to be in the playoffs this year. But despite a 1-3 start, the Herders were no joke as they took top teams like Colstrip, Manhattan, and Whitehall to the brink in closes losses. They finished the regular season with five straight wins and locked up the #3 seed in the South B conference along the way. In my opinion, Big Timber is one of two #3 seeds in this playoff that are sleepers and won't be easy outs. QB Blake Finn and RB Casey Gunlikson have been phenomenal down the stretch. Huntley Project started their season with a convincing win over Missoula Loyola in Bobcat Stadium and it looked like the Red Devils would be the team to beat in Class B. The very next week, Huntley traveled to Manhattan and got dismantled by the Tigers in a 24-13 loss. Three weeks later, HP lost a heartbreaker to Colstrip, 15-14, which essentially lost them the East B title. But the Red Devils rebounded with four straight convincing wins to finish the season and now enter the playoffs with a renewed sense of confidence. I think this will be the closest game of the top-side of the bracket in the first round but I see Huntley winning. Prediction: Huntley Project wins 28-22


Bottom-side of Bracket

4-4 Shepherd (#4 East) at 9-0 Whitehall (#1 South)

Shepherd Key Players – QB/LB Jake Trotter (Sr.), OL/DL Tanner Harrell (Sr.), OL/DL Dalton Lemburg (Sr.), RB/LB Kohl Michels (Sr.), TE/LB Karter Michels (So.)

Whitehall Key Players – WR/DB Wyatt Alexander (Sr.), OL/DL Dawson Hoerauf (Sr.), RB/LB Braden Smith (Sr.), QB/S Max Feight (Jr.), WR/DB Lane Buus (Sr.)

The Shepherd Mustangs almost surprised everyone by having a shot at clinching the #1 seed out of the East just two weeks ago against Huntley. But a loss dropped them to the #4 seed. The Mustangs are led by QB Jake Trotter and OL/DL Tanner Harrell. They run a Wing-T and are not afraid to run the ball for four quarters. Meanwhile, Whitehall enters as one of three undefeated teams in Class B. The South champs followed up a 2016 State Semifinal performance with an undefeated regular season and a passing attack that never lost steam despite graduating players like Braden Larsen and Andrew Simon. Max Feight took over QB duties and operated the Trojan offense almost as effectively as Larsen did. The stars for Whitehall are WR Wyatt Alexander and OL/DL Dawson Hoerauf who are both being heavily recruited by the NAIA programs across the state along with interest from the Cats/Griz. I believe Whitehall has the better overall team by a long shot but Shepherd is a team much like Roundup where they can beat teams in the 4th quarter with their run game if the contest is close. These two teams played in the opening weekend with Whitehall winning 28-12. Both teams have improved since then but I still see Whitehall winning convincingly. Prediction: Whitehall wins 36-12

6-1 Bigfork (#3 West) at 5-3 Shelby (#2 North)

Bigfork Key Players – TE/LB Logan Taylor (Sr.), QB Augie Emslie (Sr.), RB/LB Randy Stultz (Jr.), WR/DB Anders Epperly (Jr.), RB/LB Austin Varner (Sr.)

Shelby Key Players – QB/S Aaron White (Sr.), OL/DL TJ Reynolds (Sr.), RB/DB Zach Torgerson (Sr.), OL/DL Curtis Conant (Sr.), WR/LB Barrett Hansen (Sr.)

Bigfork and Shelby were considered to be two of the top teams in Class B in the preseason. The two teams met in Week 1 with Bigfork winning a 23-19 decision but the main story coming out of the game wasn't Bigfork's victory but actually Shelby QB Aaron White's injury. The best quarterback in Montana in 2017 (my opinion) went down with a knee injury in the 1st quarter that was initially rumored to be season-ending. The next week, Shelby hung with Missoula Loyola for four quarters but couldn't produce any offense, losing 9-0 in Missoula. White returned just two week's post-injury to throw for over 400 yards and account for 5 touchdowns against conference foe Malta in a 37-22 win. Shelby dominated the rest of their schedule and set up a North B title game in Shelby against heated rival Fairfield. In a sloppy game (weather and play), Fairfield won 13-10 moving Shelby to the #2 seed. White is especially dangerous when he gets in rhythm with his talented group of wide receivers and his senior laden offensive line gives him time good protection. That protection will have to be good once against a unit like Bigfork who blitzes, blitzes, and blitzes some more on defense. It will lead to big plays for the opposing offense but also gets the Vikings turnovers. Bigfork is a smashmouth running team that will throw multiple looks and running backs at a defense for four quarters. Bigfork wins this one if Shelby doesn't stop the run but Shelby could easily win this one if Bigfork fails to get to White. It could go either way but I see a last second field goal for a game winner in this one. Prediction: Shelby wins 38-35

6-3 Townsend (#4 South) at 8-1 Colstrip (#1 East)

Townsend Key Players – WR/LB Easton Hatfield (Sr.), QB/LB Tyson Racht (Jr.), WR/DB Kameron Rauser (Jr.), OL/LB Jace Reddick (Jr.), OL/DL Devin Pennington (Sr.)

Colstrip Key Players – RB/WR/LB Chadd Naillon (Sr.), QB Joel McRae (Sr.), WR/S Nakoda Siegel (Jr.), OL/DL Merlin Whitedirt (Sr.), OL/DL Beau Petersen (Jr.)

Colstrip defeated Huntley 15-14 in the 5th week of the season and it looked like an undefeated regular season and a #1 seed was imminent. But Shepherd shocked the Colts the next week in a 14-6 loss. Since they had already beaten Roundup and Huntley, they needed Shepherd to lose one more conference game to clinch the #1 seed. Huntley took care of Shepherd in the Mustangs final regular season game, dropping the Mustangs to the #4 seed and clinching the Colts the #1 seed, pending a victory against Baker (who was down this season). Colstrip is a physical football team with one of the better offensive lines in Class B. They do nothing flashy on offense or defense but Stacy Yates' team is built for November football. Their best player is Chadd Naillon who is more of an athlete than simply a receiver or runner. Wrestling champion Merlin Whitedirt leads the lines on offense and defense. Townsend is a team that needed a win over rival Jefferson two weeks ago to secure a playoff spot. They did just that with a 14-7 victory to an injury-riddled Jefferson team that was out of options at QB. Regardless, Townsend has talent in Cat/Griz recruit Easton Hatfield who stars at WR and LB. QB Tyson Racht and WR Kameron Rauser make up the core trio on offense and defense for the Bulldogs. The only problem with Townsend is their lack of quality beyond those three players. They have a decent line but Colstrip's is better. Overall, if a team slows down Hatfield, that team should beat Townsend. Colstrip wins but its close in the first half. Prediction: Colstrip wins 30-15

6-2 Malta (#3 North) at 5-3 Missoula Loyola (#2 West)

Malta Key Players – QB/LB Trace Simonson (Sr.), OL/DL Tel Jensen (Sr.), OL/DL Taylor Matthews (Sr.), RB/LB Trey Simanton (Sr.), RB/LB Andres Lopez (Jr.)

Missoula Loyola Key Players – OL/DL Joe McElroy (Sr.), WR/DB David Koppang (Sr.), QB/LB Scott Twite (Sr.), WR/DB Cooper Waters (Jr.), OL/DL Curtis Williams (Sr.)

Two storied football programs make up the bottom game of the Class B bracket. Malta's regular season came down to two conference games against Shelby and Fairfield. Both games were on the road and both were losses for Malta. Each game was similar as both were close at half but double-digit losses by the end for the Mustangs due to turnovers and missed opportunities. But Malta finished their year strong after losing to Fairfield, winning their final three games by a combined score of 49-9 over Cut Bank, Harlem, and rival Glasgow. The Mustangs are led by a running trio of QB/LB Trace Simonson, RB/LB Trey Simanton, and FB/LB Andres Lopez who are not afraid to get downhill on opposing defenses. On the other side of the mountains, Loyola started the year off with high expectations but a meat-grinder of a schedule to open the season. Their first three games were against Huntley, Shelby, and Fairfield. The Rams only won one of those games, a 9-0 decision over Shelby who played without star QB Aaron White and RB Zach Torgerson. Huntley and Fairfield beat the Rams 32-21 and 34-10, respectively. Loyola rebounded with two conference wins to setup a showdown with conference favorite Eureka. The Rams were 100% in the game until the second half when Graves & Co. took over and gassed the Ram's defense for 51 points. Once again, Loyola had to rebound and they did just that beating Anaconda, Bigfork, and Florence to end the regular season with the #2 seed in the West. They are led by Griz commit David Koppang (WR/DB) and Bobcat commit Joe McElroy (OL/DL) on both sides of the ball. This game will come down to who can get stops on defense because both teams can score in a hurry. If Malta gets the run game going with their up-tempo offense, I see this game looking a lot like the Eureka/Loyola game in favor of Malta. If Loyola can stop Malta's running game and make them one dimensional, the Mustangs are not afraid to turn the ball over. The x-factor in this game may be QB Scott Twite, who has been a fantastic runner this year when plays breakdown or on designed QB draws. I see this as the closest game of the bottom-side of the bracket. Prediction: Malta wins 42-40

[kennethnoisewater]

Wow, nice call on Shelby/Bigfork! Your score was high, but it was won by a field goal by Shelby. Bigfork got turnovers and ran the ball well, but White was just a little too much and the kicker got a bomb to win it. Heck of a football game, and Shelby looks pretty good, but I'm not sold on them making it to the championship game. I think they can play with anybody though, so all these remaining Class B games should be great.

[VimSince03]

Wow, nice call on Shelby/Bigfork! Your score was high, but it was won by a field goal by Shelby. Bigfork got turnovers and ran the ball well, but White was just a little too much and the kicker got a bomb to win it. Heck of a football game, and Shelby looks pretty good, but I'm not sold on them making it to the championship game. I think they can play with anybody though, so all these remaining Class B games should be great.

Shelby's defense has steadily improved from Game 1 to now and they are big part of their success down the stretch this season. White isn't afraid to take shots with his strong arm and it almost cost Shelby the game against Bigfork. But that arm can also make some ridiculous throws. Shelby is on the opposite side of Eureka and Fairfield. I think they have a good chance against Whitehall because Shelby has a very good secondary and they tackle well. Then that leaves Loyola or Colstrip and I think Loyola is on a mission after completely dismantling Malta with their passing game. Shelby vs. Loyola would be a great semifinal.

[kennethnoisewater]

Wow, nice call on Shelby/Bigfork! Your score was high, but it was won by a field goal by Shelby. Bigfork got turnovers and ran the ball well, but White was just a little too much and the kicker got a bomb to win it. Heck of a football game, and Shelby looks pretty good, but I'm not sold on them making it to the championship game. I think they can play with anybody though, so all these remaining Class B games should be great.

Shelby's defense has steadily improved from Game 1 to now and they are big part of their success down the stretch this season. White isn't afraid to take shots with his strong arm and it almost cost Shelby the game against Bigfork. But that arm can also make some ridiculous throws. Shelby is on the opposite side of Eureka and Fairfield. I think they have a good chance against Whitehall because Shelby has a very good secondary and they tackle well. Then that leaves Loyola or Colstrip and I think Loyola is on a mission after completely dismantling Malta with their passing game. Shelby vs. Loyola would be a great semifinal.

Yes it would. And Fairfield vs. Eureka should be a great one too. I'd like to see both games.