BOZEMAN — Quarterback Jackson Presley came to play Friday night, and Kalispell Glacier is back in the Class AA state championship game for the second straight year.
Presley, a Boise State commit, accounted for six touchdowns — three through the air and three on the ground — to help the Wolfpack to a 46-27 road victory over Bozeman Gallatin in the state semifinals at a snowy Van Winkle stadium.
The win sends Glacier (10-1) on to the title game, where it faces a rematch against Helena Capital (10-1). The Bruins, who beat Billings West 35-6 in Saturday’s other semifinal, defeated Glacier 35-14 in Helena on Oct. 4.
Capital will host the championship game next Friday night. Glacier lost last year’s title game to Bozeman High.
Presley got things started for the Wolfpack, capping a 90-plus-yard scoring drive with a 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put his team ahead 6-0. The point-after kick was no good.
That lead didn’t last, though. Reese Dahlke broke loose from 47 yards out to get Gallatin on the board to take a 7-6 advantage for the Raptors.
Presley answered for Glacier, running in his second touchdown of the game, this time from 2 yards, as the Wolfpack went back ahead 13-7.
Later in the second quarter, Presley connected with Bridger Smith for a 5-yard touchdown pass as Glacier made it 20-7. Presley moved the chains on a fourth-down run earlier in that drive.
But Gallatin cut into its deficit on its next possession, as Carter Dahlke hit paydirt on an 18-yard run with less than 3:00 before halftime.
After forcing a punt, the Raptors tied the game 20-20 on Reese Dahlke’s second TD run of the night (the point-after kick was blocked). That’s how things stood at halftime.
The teams traded punts in the third quarter until Presley hooked up with Easton Kauffman for a 30-yard touchdown pass, and the Wolfpack jumped ahead 27-20.
But as they’d done earlier in the game, the Raptors fought back to tie it, this time on Reese Dahlke’s third touchdown on a 2-yard run. A 45-yard run by Carter Dahlke helped set it up.
Not to be denied, the Wolfpack marched to another touchdown early in the fourth to retake the lead at 34-27 as Presley ran it in from 5 yards — his fifth total touchdown of the night.
Glacier then forced a punt and Presley did his thing again, finding Cooper Pelc with a 24-yard touchdown pass to make the score 40-27 with less than 6:00 to play.
Then, after the Wolfpack stopped Gallatin on fourth down, Kobe Dorcheus scored a 9-yard rushing touchdown to make it 46-27 and put the game on ice with just over 2:00 remaining.
Gallatin was denied its first-ever trip to the championship game and finished the season with a 10-1 record.
