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6 takeaways from the West’s fifth straight win in the 78th Montana Shrine Game

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6 takeaways from the West’s fifth straight win in the 78th Montana Shrine Game


GREAT FALLS — Typically, all-star games are high-scoring affairs, but that wasn’t the case in the 78th Montana East-West Shrine Game.

This all-star game was about defense. The West team did build a 14-0 lead, then nearly allowed the East to rally but hung on, thanks to a Mason Arlington interception, and a Brady Armstrong sack that sealed a 14-7 win, the fifth straight for the West team. 

There was one touchdown in the first half, thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Helena Capital quarterback Merek Mihelish to fellow Bruins standout Dylan Almquist, giving the West a 7-0 lead at intermission.

In the third quarter, Arlington made his presence felt on offense, completing a reverse pass to Frenchtown quarterback Brody Hardy, the game’s MVP, setting up a first-and-goal for the West. A few plays later, Jefferson’s Luke Oxarart cashed in with a five-yard touchdown run, making it 14-0.

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Montana City’s Luke Oxarart celebrates a touchdown run as the West took down East 14-7 for the fifth straight win at Saturday’s 78th annual East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls.

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However, the East got a spark after a fourth-down stop. The West attempted a fourth-and-one at its own 39 late in the third quarter. After that backfired, Malta’s Stockton Oxarart eventually connected with Luke Kelley of Centerville on a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-7 with 12:42 left in the fourth quarter. 

After a three-and-out, the East team created another first-and-goal opportunity, but on third down, Arlington made a diving interception.

The East got the ball back again with just over two minutes left, but Armstrong, the West Defensive MVP, clinched the win with his second sack of the fourth quarter on the East’s final fourth down attempt, preserving the 14-7 win.

Here are six takeaways. 

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West took down East 14-7 for the fifth straight win at Saturday’s 78th annual East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls.



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Defense was “lights out” 

Everyone knows the saying that defense wins championships, but it wins all-star games, too, or at least, it’s the reason the West won on Saturday night.

“This was a great group,” West head coach Kyle Mihelish said. “They are a one-time group, meaning you tell them something one time and they get it.”

After pitching a first-half shutout, limiting the East team to just a few first downs, Mihelish decided to gamble on a fourth down, in part because he trusted his defense.







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Stockton Oxarart of Malta is chased by defenders as the West took down East 14-7 for the fifth straight win at Saturday’s 78th annual East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls.




“In a different circumstance I probably wouldn’t have gone for it,” Mihleish said. “I thought our defense was playing lights out and I thought we could get a yard. But I probably got too greedy. I told the guys those seven points were on me, but it worked out because the defense kept playing well.”

Two stops while nursing a 14-7 lead salted away the win for the West. Yet, the East team was dominant on defense too, especially in the fourth quarter, pitching a shutout, forcing a turnover on downs, as well as two three-and-outs when they were desperately needed.

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“Offensively we struggled a bit,” Mihelish said. “They (East) were moving around and slanting a bit. They brought some pressure and had a great game plan. Both defenses played well.”

Bruin-to-Bruin 

Over the past two seasons, Almquist, the future Montana Tech wide receiver, caught 87 passes for 1,342 and 16 touchdowns from Merek Mihelish.

On Saturday night, the Capital quarterback and receiver connected one more time, breaking through with a score in the second quarter for the West team.

Almquist had three receptions total in the game, including two that went for at least 20 yards. The tandem hooked up three times for touchdowns in the Class AA state championship game, so it was fitting that Mihelish and Almquist paired up for one final high school touchdown.

“That was pretty cool,” Mihelish said. “Having one last touchdown to Dylan…that was special.”

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Mihelish and Alqmuist were just two of 16 Montana Tech signees to play in the game for the East or West, so there’s a good chance we haven’t seen the final touchdown connection between the two Capital greats.

Jefferson Panthers shine 

Two players for the Jefferson Panthers made their presence felt in the Shrine Game on Saturday night, starting with Luke Oxarart, the West Offensive MVP.

On the drive that produced the game-winning touchdown, not only did the Montana City native catch a pass for a key first down, but the future Montana State Bobcat also hit pay dirt from five yards out. That rushing touchdown put the West in front 14-0 but also proved to be the winning margin.

Oxarart’s clutch contributions were matched by his teammate, Armstrong, a Providence wrestling signee. Playing in his last football game, Armstrong registered a sack on each of the last two drives, including one on the final defensive play of the game for the West. 

“It’s an unreal feeling,” Armstrong said. “I was thinking, ‘End it on top, end it on top.’”

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Armstrong certainly did that, calling game for the West squad. 

Pulling out the tricks 

Both teams went into their bag of tricks during the second half of the Shrine Game. First, it was the West team completing a reverse pass, which led to its second score of the game.







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Frenchtown’s Brody Hardy hauls in a pass on a trick play from Mason Arlington of Florence, setting up a touchdown as the West took down East 14-7 for the fifth straight win at Saturday’s 78th annual East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls.

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Arlington’s pass to Hardy was the longest play of the game, covering close to 40 yards. However, the East team used a shovel pass from Malta’s Stockton Oxarart to his Mustang teammate Blaine Downing to convert a key-fourth down, generating an explosive play that set up the East with a first-and-goal opportunity to tie the game or take the lead, which it wasn’t able to convert. 

The defenses flat-out dominated, which is why both teams had to get creative to advance the ball down the field. 

A thrilling finish 

Plenty of all-star games are decided before the final minutes and in each of the past few seasons, the Shrine Game score has been lopsided by the fourth quarter. 

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West took down East 14-7 for the fifth straight win at Saturday’s 78th annual East-West Shrine Game in Great Falls.



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That wasn’t the case this year, which was the first game decided by single digits since 2019. The East team, sparked by its fourth-down stop in the third quarter, turned a two-score game into a thriller.

Grant Vigen got hot down the stretch, completing a couple of passes that reminded everyone why he’s a Division-1 quarterback. Stockton Oxarart also provided a spark when he found his teammate on a fourth-down conversion on a shovel pass no one saw coming.

Kelley, the Centerville wideout, also made some a few key plays in the fourth quarter, on top of a touchdown that required beating two defenders to the goal line.

Momentum shifted at that point. Ultimately, the East fell short, but thanks to some stellar play over the final 20 minutes, the 78th Shrine Game was one of the most exciting in recent memory. 

Mason Arlington was the X-factor 

Close games generally come down to a play here or there. Saturday’s East-West Shrine Game was no different. 

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Fortunately, for the West, Arlington, the Florence standout, was on their side.

“It’s truly a blessing,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it (the team). I got the call on Christmas Day and I knew that was one thing I wasn’t going to miss.”

Arlington took advantage of his opportunity. Not only did he complete the longest pass of the game, he also made the game-clinching interception. 

“We repped that in practice,” Arlington said of the reverse pass. “Coach said, ‘You get one shot.’ So I was like, ‘Alright, I got it.’”

And he did. The ball was on the money. Still, with just over two minutes left, the outcome was in doubt, until the diving interception clinched a West victory.

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“Going into the game, I was thinking about an interception,” Arlington said. “And when I saw that ball, I was like, ‘Heck yeah. Got my opportunity. Don’t miss.”

He didn’t and not long after, the West team was celebrating a 14-7 win. 



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Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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March 2, 2026

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Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV





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Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

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22 hours ago

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March 1, 2026

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Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026


HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

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Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

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“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

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“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.





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Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

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1 day ago

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March 1, 2026

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Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round


BUTTE — MSU-Northern and Montana Western pulled a pair of upsets Saturday at the Butte Civic Center to wrap up the quarterfinal round of the Frontier Conference women’s basketball postseason tournament.

The fifth-seeded Skylights started the day with a red-hot shooting performance to down No. 4 Rocky Mountain College 82-74. Western, the sixth seed, used a third-quarter surge to defeat No. 3 Carroll College 65-56.

MSU-Northern (17-11) and Western (14-13) now advance to Sunday’s semifinal round, where the Skylights will play No. 1 seed Dakota State at noon and the Bulldogs will face No. 2 Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m.

MSU-Northern 82, Rocky Mountain College 74

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MSU-Northern sizzled in the first quarter, making seven 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead, and put together a crucial third-quarter run to get past Rocky and advance to the semifinal round.

Becky Melcher splashed four 3s in the first 10 minutes, and Taya Trottier, Canzas HisBadHorse and Shania Moananu added one apiece as the Skylights built a 29-13 lead. Melcher scored 14 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 30 on 10-of-19 shooting (7 of 15 from 3-point range). She added 11 rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals to her stat line.

Rocky battled back to tie the game at 36-36 in the second quarter on a Brenna Linse basket, but MSUN responded with consecutive triples from Trottier and Melcher and took a 44-38 lead into halftime. The Bears eventually stole the lead back in the third quarter following a 9-0 run capped be an Isabelle Heggem bucket.

But the Skylights again answered — this time with a 13-2 run to take a 60-51 lead. MSUN led 66-59 going to the fourth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. The Skylights trailed for less than two total minutes of the game.

As a team, MSUN made 14 of 26 3s in the game. Ciera Agasiva was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, and Trottier was 2 for 3. Trottier had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Agasiva had 13 points.

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Paige Wasson led Rocky (20-9) with 29 points but was 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts. Heggem had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Montana Western 65, Carroll 56

After neither team led by more than five points in the first half, Western broke open a 25-25 tie game by outscoring Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter.

Bailee Sayler scored 10 points in the quarter, including making two 3-pointers, to help the Bulldogs take control. They led 45-34 going to the fourth, and Carroll wouldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Fighting Saints were just 18-of-65 shooting (27.7%) for the game.

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Sayler scored an efficient 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2 for 3 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the free throw line. The Missoula native also had nine rebounds.

Isabella Lund added 16 points for the Bulldogs, and Keke Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Carroll (19-10) was led by Kenzie Allen with 12 points. Willa Albrecht and Meagan Karstetter scored 11 points apiece for the Saints.





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