BOZEMAN — For Bozeman head football coach Levi Wesche, watching Gallatin High’s program evolve into a state title contender the past five seasons has been a testament to the deep roots the sport has in this town.
“It’s been exciting to watch both schools be able to play a high caliber of football really early after a school split,” said Wesche.
High caliber football is what should be on tap Friday evening at Van Winkle Stadium as the Hawks and No. 2-ranked Raptors square off for the sixth time with a combined one loss between the two teams this season.
Reigning Class AA champion Bozeman has won all five previous meetings — four regular season games and a semifinal victory in the 2022 playoffs — but this latest crosstown chapter is shaping up to be the most competitive yet.
The Raptors, which have advanced to the semifinals the past two seasons, head into this game with an unblemished 4-0 record and as the second-ranked team in the latest MTN Sports power rankings. Meanwhile the Hawks are coming off a 28-7 loss to Great Fall last week. That was Bozeman’s first defeat since falling to Helena Capital in the 2022 State AA championship.
The Hawks are eager to demonstrate that loss to the Bison was an anomaly.
“I think our preparation has really improved,” said senior Bozeman quarterback Kash Emery. “We were falling asleep a little bit. And now we’re back where we should be. And we’re ready to go prove ourselves again.”
The Raptors have championship aspirations this season after coming up a win short of the title game the past two years. Bozeman was the obstacle during the 2022 playoffs and the Hawks fended off Gallatin 24-17 during last seasons crosstown clash.
Raptors head coach Hunter Chandler, who’s been at the helm since the programs inception, recognizes what the significance would be of this young team finally breaking through and toppling Bozeman.
“There’s teams you’re going to have to beat and they’re obviously one of them,” said Chandler. “There’s some of these teams that are pretty successful year in and year out. If we want to climb the mountain, they’re gonna be in our way. Definitely a good test on Friday and something we’re excited about.”
But the Raptors are still following the same next-game-up mentality that has led them to their second straight 4-0 start.
“It’s a great game, we hope we can come out on top this Friday,” said senior quarterback Grant Vigen. “But at the end of the day it’s just another game. It’s a conference game, it’s really important for seeding. It’s gonna be a great environment, the whole city is gonna be there. But at the same time we gotta remember that we’re just playing a football game.”
Bozeman will be looking for a bounce-back win and Gallatin hunting for what would be a watershed moment for its program if they’re able to earn that first victory against their crosstown foe. Whatever the outcome, the consensus is that the atmosphere when these two teams meet is unrivaled.
“It’s been better than any playoff game we’ve been in,” said senior Gallatin running back Reese Dahlia. “I imagine the state game will be a similar kind of atmosphere. But we gotta get there, and that’s our goal for sure.”
“It’s the closest thing I’ve experienced to a state championship atmosphere that isn’t the state championship,” said Wesche. “That’s the best way I can put it.”
The Hawks and Raptors kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Van Winkle Stadium.
