KALISPELL — After falling just short of the Class AA state football championship last year, Kalispell Glacier is hungry as ever to climb that mountain and win state.
The team will have a new look this year with many new players filling in key positions.
Head coach Grady Bennett said looking ahead to the season's first game, he is trying to get the new players comfortable in their roles.
“We want to build confidence so that when we get there — you know, last year because of the experience, we were so confident in that game one kickoff, those guys were ready to roll they've been doing it so long,” Bennett said. “These guys, they're not going to feel that. It's going to be a lot different, a lot of more anxiety, a little bit more nervousness, but if we can build that confidence, so that game one they believe, hey, we're fine, we're ready to go, let's go.”
Among a sea of new faces, Glacier still has one of its most important players returning: quarterback Jackson Presley, who joined the team after moving from California last year.
Presley said the team’s chemistry since he came to the team has been a big reason for the Wolfpack's success.
“Being able to move states, going to a new program where you're kind of new and all that kind of stuff, but this team is really taking me under their wing and really showed me what true brotherhood is all about and that's all that a teammate can ask for,” Presley said. “I'm super, incredibly blessed to be up here with this team, and I couldn't ask for anything better.”
For some returning players, the memory of coming up short in the state championship is still in the back of their minds.
However, for senior safety Carson Baker, that memory is motivation.
“It kind of takes away a little pressure, though, because we got as close as you can get and failed, which is the worst in my opinion because if you're not first, you're last, and if you're second, you're the first loser, that's how I think of it,” Baker said. “So, you kind of have less pressure this year because we've experienced the worst, so now we can just have fun and get after it.”
Coach Bennett knows the team has set big expectations, and to achieve those goals the team needs to focus on one important key.
“This is my 34th year now and I just believe the teams that really come together, I mean truly bond as a brotherhood — everybody talks about that, we really try to do something about it — the teams that come together and play for each other have each other's backs,” Bennett said. “Those are the teams that ultimately go to the top.”
Glacier kicks off its season Thursday at Great Falls High.
