The MontanaSports.com high school football power rankings have stayed relatively consistent since the start of the season, but each week proves to be an opportunity to shake things up.
Class AA saw Great Falls CMR (4-1) added to the mix after a statement win over previously-ranked Billings Senior (3-2). The uptempo Rustlers are off to their best start in years and find themselves at No. 5. The rest of the field remains largely the same, with Butte (4-1) moving up to No. 4, replacing Senior.
The top teams in Class A continue to win, but a major match-up between No. 3 Laurel (4-0) and No. 2 Billings Central (4-0) is on tap for Week 6. It's a rematch of the 2020 State A championship, which Laurel won 34-0, but this season's tilt will be a good marker of where each team is at. The same can be said for the Polson (5-0) vs. Columbia Falls (3-0) game in Polson on Friday.
Class B also continues to have a large number of unbeaten teams, but an intriguing game in Week 6 could put that in jeopardy. No.1 Florence (4-0) will face Eureka (4-1) on Friday. Eureka has spent time in the rankings this season, and the only loss for the Lions came at No. 2 Fairfield (4-0) early in the season.
Joliet (4-0) stays atop 8-Man, while the 8-Man West's Drummond-Philipsburg (4-0) and Thompson Falls (5-0) follow. It's been an especially dominant season for Thompson Falls, who took down previously unbeaten Seeley-Swan (3-1) 62-6 last week.
The 6-Man rankings saw a major change when previously No. 3 Hot Springs (3-1) fell to Valley Christian (3-2). The Savage Heat drop from the rankings, allowing Bridger (5-0) into the No. 3 spot and Geraldine-Highwood (4-0) into the rankings at No. 4. With just one loss to No. 1 Froid-Medicine Lake, Shields Valley rounds things at No. 5.
The full rankings after five weeks can be found below.
Class AA
1. Missoula Sentinel (4-0)
2. Billings West (4-1)
3. Kalispell Glacier (4-1)
4. Butte (4-1)
5. Great Falls CMR (4-1)
Receiving votes: Helena Capital, Billings Senior
Class A
1. Hamilton (5-0)
2. Billings Central (4-0)
3. Laurel (4-0)
4. Polson (5-0)
5. Whitefish (5-0)
Receiving votes: Columbia Falls
Class B
1. Florence (4-0)
2. Fairfield (4-0)
3. Townsend (3-1)
4. Malta (4-0)
T5. Columbus (4-0)
T5. Bigfork (4-0)
Receiving votes: Eureka
8-Man
1. Joliet (4-0)
2. Drummond-Philipsburg (4-0)
3. Thompson Falls (5-0)
4. Fort Benton (4-0)
5. Culbertson (4-0)
Receiving votes: Chinook
6-Man
1. Froid-Medicine Lake (5-0)
2. White Sulphur Springs (3-0)
3. Bridger (5-0)
4. Geraldine-Highwood (4-0)
5. Shields Valley (3-1)
