High school football in Montana isn't just a weekend distraction; it’s basically the lifeblood of our Friday nights. If you’ve spent any time at all on the sidelines in Kalispell, Billings, or Frenchtown, you know that a "ranking" is often just a polite way of starting an argument at the local diner. But the numbers don't lie, and the 2025-2026 montana prep football rankings have finally settled after a postseason that felt like a fever dream.
Glacier is sitting on top. Frenchtown pulled off a miracle. Manhattan reminded everyone why Class B is the most competitive bracket in the state.
Rankings are always messy because Montana doesn't play a unified schedule. You’ve got the Class AA giants with their massive rosters and the 6-man squads where everyone plays every snap until they can't breathe. Honestly, comparing a powerhouse like Glacier to a Class A giant-slayer like Frenchtown is a fool's errand, yet we do it every year. It's just part of the fun.
The Class AA Power Shift
For the longest time, it felt like the title was headed back to Billings. But the Kalispell Glacier Wolfpack had other ideas. Finishing a perfect 12-0 season, the Wolfpack finally snapped an 11-year title drought.
They did it by dismantling Billings West 16-3 in the AA final. It wasn't pretty. It was a defensive slugfest where a 3-3 halftime tie made everyone in the stands nervous. Then Jackson Presley and Asher Knopik decided they’d had enough, punching in third-quarter touchdowns to seal the deal.
Glacier isn't just the top team in AA; they are arguably the best team in the state across all divisions. When you have a quarterback like Presley—who is already being looked at by Sacramento State and several big-name FBS programs—you’re playing a different game.
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Class AA Top Tier
- Glacier (12-0): The undisputed kings. Their defense allowed almost nothing in the red zone during the playoffs.
- Billings West (10-2): A heartbreaking end for the Golden Bears. They dominated most of the year but couldn't find the end zone when it counted in the final.
- Gallatin (9-2): The Raptors are the new consistent power in Bozeman. Reaching the semis four years in a row is no fluke.
- Bozeman (6-5): A bit of a down year by their standards, but you can never count out the Hawks.
The Shock in Class A
If you want to talk about "what most people get wrong" regarding Montana football, look no further than the Class A title game. Everyone—and I mean everyone—expected Billings Central Catholic to cruise to another trophy. They were on a 23-game winning streak.
Then came Frenchtown.
The Broncs pulled off a 31-21 upset that left the state stunned. What’s wilder is they did it with a freshman quarterback. When Dawson Rodoni went down with an injury, Cody Forthofer stepped in. The kid didn't just manage the game; he led four touchdown drives. Frenchtown was down 14-3 early. Most teams would have folded against a machine like Billings Central.
Billings Central Catholic is still a juggernaut. They finished 11-1. Layne Alexander and William Snell are elite talents, but that one loss in November changed the entire narrative of the season.
Small Town, Big Stakes: Class B and Below
Manhattan. Just say the name in any Class B locker room and watch the players tighten up. The Tigers reclaimed their throne by beating their archrivals, Three Forks, 28-7. It’s a 12-mile drive between those two schools. The tension was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw.
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Manhattan’s style is basically a clinic in ball control. They held the ball for 18 minutes in the second half of the championship. You can’t score if you don't have the rock. That’s how you finish 12-0 and secure a top-five spot in the statewide montana prep football rankings.
8-Man and 6-Man Updates
We can't ignore the "smaller" schools because the talent there is often just as explosive.
- Fort Benton: A perennial powerhouse in the 8-man ranks.
- Scobey: Finished 10-0 and looked dominant doing it.
- CJI (Chester-Joplin-Inverness): They took the 6-man title in a double-overtime thriller against Grass Range-Winnett. 46-38. That is the definition of "giving it your all."
Recruit Watch: The Talent Behind the Rankings
Rankings are built on the backs of elite players. If you aren't watching Matt Ludwig from Billings West, you're missing out. He’s a 4-star tight end headed to Michigan. He’s 6'4" and 240 pounds of "you can't tackle me."
Then there’s Brit Linder from Helena Capital. He’s a Montana State commit and basically an "athlete" in every sense of the word. He plays linebacker, he plays running back, and he’s usually the fastest guy on the field.
It's actually a really good time for Montana recruiting. We used to be lucky to have one guy go D1 every couple of years. Now, we’ve got guys like Jackson Presley (Glacier) and Wesley Ehret (Belgrade) pulling offers from across the country. It elevates the level of play across the whole state.
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Why Rankings Are Never "Final"
The MHSA (Montana High School Association) doesn't have a computer-generated BCS style ranking. We rely on writers, coaches, and "strength of schedule" metrics that are, let's be honest, kinda subjective.
A team like East Helena (9-3) had a historic run this year, reaching the semifinals for the first time in their five-year history. On paper, they might be ranked lower than a 7-3 AA team, but in terms of momentum and "it factor," they were top-five material by November.
The real challenge for any ranking system is accounting for the travel. When a team from the Hi-Line has to travel six hours to play a playoff game in the Bitterroot, that takes a toll. You can't capture that in a win-loss column.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Players
If you’re a fan trying to keep up with the montana prep football rankings or a player looking to break into the top tier, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Class C Transition: The move between 6-man and 8-man often shakes up the rankings as schools grow or shrink in enrollment.
- Track the Trenches: Skill players get the headlines, but the rankings are decided by offensive lines. Look at Glacier—their O-line was the reason Presley had time to make those throws.
- Attend the Camps: For players looking to get on the radar, the summer camps at UM (Missoula) and MSU (Bozeman) are where the rankings for next year are actually born.
- Don't ignore the East: Billings and the eastern plains schools often get overlooked by western Montana media, but teams like Glasgow and Laurel are consistently elite.
Keep an eye on the offseason transfers and coaching changes. In a state this size, one big move can turn a middle-of-the-pack team into a championship contender by next August.