Week 7 of the high school football season is in the books and just two weeks remain.
Defending Class AA state champion Billings West nearly suffered an inexplicable loss, but the Golden Bears were able to pull off the win on the road to remain unbeaten. The polls would reflect West’s performance, though.
Miles City moved one step closer to the Eastern A regular-season title, while Dillon handed Libby its first loss of the season to put four teams at 6-1 in the Western A.
Eureka is in the driver’s seat for the Western B regular-season title after its win last Friday, and Malta picked up a win over its rival to set up a regular-season title game in the Northern B.
Defending 6-Man state champion Wibaux fell in a rematch of the 2018 title game highlighting a great weekend on the 6- and 8-Man fields. Alberton-Superior continues to light up scoreboards as it remained perfect this season.
That and much more highlight what caught my eye during Week 7.
Class AA
- Billings West fell from the top spot in the MontanaSports.com power rankings despite winning. The Golden Bears barely hung on for a 14-7 win at Great Falls High last Friday to avoid a shocking loss. Billings West is still one of just two unbeatens in Class AA, and that carries weight. Billings West’s matchup with Bozeman at the end of the season is setting up to be the Eastern AA regular-season title game.
- Helena High won a pivotal Western AA conference game at Kalispell Glacier, 20-6, last Friday night to stay in the top four of the conference. Helena High is looking for a home playoff game and its win over the Wolfpack put the Bengals in good position. Glacier is likely staring down a road game in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs.
Class A
- Miles City is one win away from the Eastern A regular-season title and home-field advantage throughout the Class A playoffs. The Cowboys blasted Billings Central 41-3 and moved up to No. 2 in the latest MontanaSports.com power rankings. Miles City also locked up a top-two seed in the Eastern A and will have a first-round bye in the playoffs.
- Libby suffered its first loss of the season, as the Loggers fell 28-12 to Dillon on the road last Friday. Libby had entered as the lone team in the Western A without a loss, but there’s now a four-way tie between Libby, Dillon, Frenchtown and Hamilton at 6-1. Libby will play Hamilton and Frenchtown over the next two weeks.
Class B
- Eureka locked up a top-two seed in the Western B and is in position to take the regular-season conference title after beating Missoula Loyola 32-0 last week. The No. 2-ranked Lions have allowed just 40 points in their six victories. Missoula Loyola still has a shot at the No. 2 seed in the conference if its able to beat Florence in Week 8.
- Malta kept its perfect record intact, albeit in grind-it-out fashion. The Mustangs went to rival Glasgow and beat the Scotties 16-8 to move to 6-0 and essentially clinch a top-two seed in the Northern B. Malta will have a shot at the Northern B regular-season title at Fairfield in Week 8.
8-Man
- The 8-Man West has been among the most competitive conferences in all of Montana high school football, but Alberton-Superior continues to tear through it. The No. 3 Mountain Cats beat Seeley-Swan 80-44 to run their record to 7-0. Alberton-Superior has yet to score fewer than 52 points in a single game and has topped the 65-point mark on three separate occasions. Alberton-Superior is on the cusp of the 8-Man West regular-season title.
- Fairview continued to dominate the 8-Man East, as the Warriors defeated Circle 68-0 to earn a berth in the conference championship game. The Warriors are looking at home-field advantage throughout the 8-Man playoffs until the title game. No matter the outcome next week, Fairview will have beaten every single team on its schedule. Circle will be fighting for its playoff life next weekend. Fort Benton also remained unbeaten with a 36-7 win over Shelby and will meet Great Falls Central for the North's No. 1 seed.
- Park City clinched a top-two seed out of the 8-Man South with its win over Joliet last week. Park City pulled out the nail-biter 26-24 to avoid falling into a group of two-loss teams. The Panthers narrowly missed the playoffs after faltering down the stretch in 2018, but this experienced group looks set for a bit of redemption.
6-Man
- Jordan avenged its 2018 title-game loss to Wibaux with a thrilling 47-41 win over the Longhorns in Wibaux on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Jordan leap-frogged Wibaux in the MontanaSports.com power polls and is No. 2 behind Big Sandy, which Jordan lost to in its season opener. Jordan looks set to lock up the 6-Man East’s No. 1 seed and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Wibaux will be in a fight for the conference’s No. 2 seed at Westby-Grenora in Week 8.
- Shields Valley secured a berth in the 6-Man South regular-season title game with a 38-13 win at Roy-Winifred. The Rebels have made the playoffs each of the past two seasons as the conference’s No. 4 seed, but with the win they will host a playoff game in the first round. Shields Valley will play at Bridger in two weeks for the regular-season title. Roy-Winifred will have to win next week to extend its season and earn a berth in the playoffs.
- Power-Dutton-Brady remained unbeaten with a 61-26 win over Geraldine-Highwood over the weekend and locked up a home playoff game in the first round. No. 5 PDB will now get a week off before facing top-ranked Big Sandy for the 6-Man North regular-season title. Geraldine-Highwood can still secure a playoff spot with a win this week at North Star.
