BOZEMAN — High school football officially kicks off on Friday night in Bozeman, and Gallatin High hosts Helena Capital to kick off their season.
After back-to-back semifinal appearances the past two years, the Raptors are hungry for even more. They come in ranked second in the state in the preseason poll, according to Montana Sports.
"The semifinals the last two years, that’s not good enough for us," Gallatin quarterback Grant Vigen said. "So, I think, now we just have a little taste of what it’s like to get towards the end, and we just want to get the job done this year."
The work started immediately for the Raptors this past off-season.
"Yeah, after the loss up at Glacier last year, we lifted that following Monday," Vigen described the motivation his team had to get back to work after the semifinal loss. "We’ve lifted all off-season, and we all realize to get back to that point and do better we have to put in extra work."
Their approach surrounds itself on the extra work and remaining focused on what’s directly in front of them.
"Obviously we have big goals for the season, but really it’s a week-by-week approach, a day-by-day approach," Gallatin head coach Hunter Chandler said. "You know, we’re going to have our hands full week one with Helena Capital, so all of our attention is focused on them."
"I’m just trying to do my job," Vigen said. "If I do my job, and everyone else focuses on their job, I think we’re going to be very successful this year."
The Raptors return their dual-quarterback system this season as both Vigen and fellow senior Reese Dahlke bring different skill sets to the role.
"Grant, man, has put in so much work in the off-season. He’s improved a ton, and he had a good junior season, but he’s looked really good in our spring and summer stuff, and looked great in fall camp, so we’re looking for him to lead that group," Chandler explained.
"You know Reese is just super dynamic," Chandler described Dahlke's game. "He’s kind of just Mr. Do It All. He can play running back, receiver, quarterback. He can play anything on defense. I mean, he’s just super dynamic. Quick, fast, strong, tough, smart."
Chandler also described what he enjoys most in working with their entire senior group.
"They’re a tight-knit group," he said. "They love football. They’re all hard workers, and they’re tough, so yeah, we’re kind of looking forward to sending them out the right way."
