After four weeks, the contenders in Montana high school football are beginning to separate in the MontanaSports.com power rankings. But there's plenty of season left for those not ranked to make some noise.
Class AA remains exactly the same as last week. No. 1 Missoula Sentinel (3-0) outlasted No. 3 Kalispell Glacier (4-0) in a tight game on Friday. Because the marquee game lived up to the hype, the Wolfpack didn't budge despite their first loss of the season. Class AA saw no other major upsets, but an intriguing match-up looms this week when Sentinel travels to Helena High (3-1). The Bengals spent some time in the Top 5 earlier in the season, and Kaden Huot totaled seven touchdowns last week against Missoula Hellgate.
The same teams remain in Class A, although Laurel's win over Lewistown (who received votes last week) moved the Locomotives into the No. 3 spot all by themselves. Polson remains at No. 4 after another blowout win, and Whitefish rounds it out at No. 5. Columbia Falls continues to receive votes.
Class B had perhaps one of the best match-ups of the week when No. 1 Florence and No. 3 Townsend met up in Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday. Florence (3-0) prevailed 20-14, although Townsend (2-1) had opportunities late in the game. The Bulldogs stay in a tie at No. 3 with Malta (3-0), who has three dominant wins to begin the year.
A new team arrives in the 8-Man rankings, as Culbertson (4-0) took down previous No. 3 Scobey 26-22 on Friday. The Spartans drop from the rankings while the Cowboys come in at No. 5. Joliet (3-0) and Drummond-Philipsburg (3-0) continue to hold at the top, while Thompson Falls (3-0) moves into the No. 3 spot, while Fort Benton (3-0) holds at No. 4.
Froid-Medicine Lake (4-0) reigns supreme in 6-Man after soundly defeating Shields Valley (2-1) last week, but the Rebels stay put at No. 5. Look ahead to this Friday, No. 4 Bridger (4-0) takes on undefeated Broadview-Lavina (4-0) in what should be a good indicator of where each team stands.
The full rankings after four weeks can be found below.
Class AA
1. Missoula Sentinel (3-0)
2. Billings West (3-1)
3. Kalispell Glacier (3-1)
4. Billings Senior (3-1)
5. Butte (3-1)
Receiving votes: Helena High
Class A
1. Hamilton (4-0)
2. Billings Central (3-0)
3. Laurel (3-0)
4. Polson (4-0)
5. Whitefish (4-0)
Receiving votes: Columbia Falls
Class B
1. Florence (3-0)
2. Fairfield (3-0)
T3. Townsend (2-1)
T3. Malta (3-0)
T5. Columbus (3-0)
Receiving votes: Bigfork
8-Man
1. Joliet (3-0)
2. Drummond-Philipsburg (3-0)
3. Thompson Falls (3-0)
4. Fort Benton (3-0)
5. Culbertson (4-0)
Receiving votes: Chinook
6-Man
1. Froid-Medicine Lake (4-0)
2. White Sulphur Springs (2-0)
3. Hot Springs (3-0)
4. Bridger (4-0)
5. Shields Valley (2-1)
Receiving votes: Geraldine-Highwood
