Belmont is no Northern light

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Coach Rob Levy, in his 21st season at Belmont, said he can’t recall another year when the Northern League race, on the surface, could be more wide open than the state of Montana.

‘All six teams could win it,’ Levy said. ‘There are no weak links.’

That includes his team. The Sentinels, now 4-0 after defeating South Gate, 47-21, on Friday, are off to their best start since 1993, when they went undefeated in the regular season.

Levy is quick to point out that Belmont has benefited from a soft schedule. The Sentinels’ four opponents -- Contreras, Bell, Grant and South Gate -- are a combined 1-16, with Grant claiming the only win.

And should they get past winless Hollywood this week, they would open league play the following week against another 5-0 team, Eagle Rock.

‘We have to play them one at a time. We’re not good enough to look past anybody,’ Levy said. ‘But our defense has been a pleasant surprise. We didn’t have any returning starters but it is improving every week. And we have some excellent skill guys. Six different players have scored touchdowns for us.’

Among those standout skill players is quarterback Emilio Franco. The 5-9, 156-pound junior completed 12 of 19 passes for 164 yards on Friday. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score against South Gate.

‘As a team, this group is playing as well as it can, and in some ways is exceeding its potential,’ Levy said.

Still, the Sentinels should have a better idea where they stand in two weeks.

- Mike Terry