HELENA — There is just one state champion from last season that remains undefeated as two others — Bozeman and Dillon — fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Friday night. The Hawks and Beavers were also ranked No. 1 in their respective classes and had win steaks of 15 and 14 games snapped at the hands of Great Falls High and Frenchtown.
Great Falls High Bison has been mentioned as a contender in Class AA football for a long time, but after their upset of No. 1 Bozeman last week, it might be time to have that conversation. Great Falls quarterback Riley Collette carries the ball into the end zone for a touchdown against Bozeman on Friday at Van Winkle Stadium.
The Bison are 3-1 and their only loss this season was a 28-3 defeat to new Class AA No. 1 Kalispell Glacier. They also went to Bozeman and ended the defending Class AA state champions winning streak in surprising fashion.
The win wasn't that shocking, but the way Great Falls High achieved it was. Behind 172 rushing yards from quarterback Riley Collette, Great Falls High churned out 320 yards on the ground compared to 124 for the Hawks. The Bison dominated the trenches on defense too with 15 tackles for loss and a sack compared to three tackles for loss and zero sacks for Bozeman.
It was an impressive performance that shook up the Eastern AA conference and it has the Bison in the 406 MT Sports high school football rankings for the first time this season. Friday's win wasn't the first impressive performance of the s.