Electricity has been the theme for Kalispell football teams so far in 2025.

Week one featured electric skies that shut down Flathead’s game against Great Falls at halftime. Week two had an electric comeback for the Braves against Billings Senior that sealed their first win since 2023, while Glacier’s offense electrified Legends Stadium for 62 points. 

Now the Braves host Missoula Hellgate while Glacier heads to Butte hoping for charged-up performances on the field from the opening kick to the final whistle. 

“We have to start fast and the last two weeks we have started three and out,” Braves’ coach Mac Roche said. “We need to go out there and have our goal be to get a first down, then to get another first down. … start small and finish with points.” 

The ground game is where Flathead shined against the Broncs with 42 carries for 229 yards. Quarterback Eli Coopman rushed 27 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns, while Nolan Campbell went 92 yards. 

Roche said the intensity stays the same no matter the opponent, but noted that the start of conference creates opportunities the first two weeks didn’t. 

“We are going have our guys ready to play against whoever, but it has been a point of emphasis that if we get a win Friday it sets us up nicely for the trajectory of the season,” Roche said. 

The 0-2 Knights see the same opportunity Friday after falling to Billings West last week. Hellgate led 14-0 over the Golden Bears before giving up the final 56 points in the loss. 

Guiding the Knights offense is quarterback Vince Paffhausen, a dual-threat player whose play reminds Roche of former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel. 

“He loves to sling it around, but he is very elusive,” Roche said. 

Paffhausen’s rushing game has largely been quieted by opponents so far in 2025, though he has carried the ball 21 times. Through the air he has 307 yards — 226 coming against Bozeman in week one — and three scores. 

His top target is University of Montana commit Parker Link. Link has seven catches for 89 yards this season. He caught a touchdown in the Knights’ opener against Bozeman. 

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium. 

Wolfpack head to Naranche 

Naranche Stadium in Butte — home of the Bulldogs — is what Glacier head coach Grady Bennett calls the most fun but most difficult stadium in Montana high school football. 

“It is fun, go enjoy it and have fun competing in that stadium, but be ready to handle adversity,” Bennett said. “You are going to face it from the crowd, from them (the team), be ready to handle it appropriately. 

“I trust that they are going to handle whatever comes our way very well.” 

The Wolfpack are looking to stay unbeaten as they move into conference play. Glacier moved to 2-0 after a 62-21 rout of Bozeman at Legends Stadium, a game where they scored on all eight offensive possessions — and added a pick-6 from Cooper Pelc — and amassed nearly 500 yards of offense. They had 286 on the ground and 206 passing from quarterback Jackson Presley. 

Bennett said that despite playing at such a high level early on, improvement never stops. 

“How can we get better in week three, and this group is good at identifying what little things do we need to improve on this week,” Bennett said. 

One of the main focuses is limiting Bulldogs receiver/linebacker Hudson Luedtke.  

“He is good, he has been playing since he was a freshman,” Bennett said. “It doesn’t matter if we double him, triple him, even quadruple-team him. He finds a way to get open.” 

The senior hauled in 15 catches for 177 yards as Butte downed Billings Skyview a week ago. He has 218 yards receiving already in 2025 after going for 810 yards last fall. 

Luedtke is also part of a daunting linebacker corps for the Bulldogs and Bennett also noted the play of safety Mitch Verlanic, who gets downhill and into the box often. 

“They are going to bring pressure, and we have to be ready to handle it well,” he said. “They want to bring chaos.” 

The chaos is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Friday in Butte. 

Hellgate at Flathead: 7 p.m., Legends Stadium (KGEZ 96.5FM)

Glacier at Butte: 6 p.m., Naranche Stadium (KZMN 103.9FM)