The Blitz: Montana high school football highlights (Aug. 30)

• Bozeman Gallatin 35, Helena Capital 28: Montana State commit Grant Vigen threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third. Reese Dahlke ran for a 57-yard score and Carter Dahlke provided a 7-yard TD reception as the Raptors scored all 35 points in the middle two quarters in edging the Bruins.Merek Mihelish threw for two scores and ran for another for Capital. Bobby Gutzman scored the decisive TD on a 25-yard reception from Vigen on the final play of the third quarter.

• Bozeman 30, Helena 17: Kash Embry threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third as the defending state champion Hawks rallied past the Bengals. Embry had a 15-yard toss to Evan Hughen and a 13-yarder to Logan Humphrey. His 3-yard scamper capped the TD scoring. A 33-yard strike from Jaxan Lieberg to Mac Lundstrom gave Helena a 17-13 lead with 5:13 to play in the third quarter. The Bengals’ other TD came on a 3-yard run by Trygve Braun.

• Billings West 28, Butte 27: The Bulldogs broke a 14-14 tie in the third quarter when Colton Shea unloaded a 66-yard bomb to speedster Tocher Lee, but the Golden Bears erupted for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Both teams scored in the final minute, but it was Billings West’s goal-line stand to prevent Butte’s two-point conversion with seven seconds remaining that sealed the victory. Lee got things going for the Bulldogs in the first quarter when he fielded a punt, cut back against coverage and raced 50 yards for the touchdown. The Bears scored on a touchdown run from Matt Ludwig, and took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when CJ Johnson connected with Elias Bonner on a 25-yard strike. Butte tied the game before halftime on a TD pass from Shea to Hudson Luedtke.

• Missoula Big Sky 40, Belgrade 7: Avery Omlid tossed a pair of touchdown passes, hitting Eli Kasberg (6 yards) and Brady Williams (33 yards), and the Eagles dismantled the Panthers, going up 13-0 in the first quarter and 33-0 at halftime. Tanner Davis ran for two scores, including a 16-yard dash, Keller Hiedrick rushed for a score, and Williams added a three-yard scoring run.  

• Missoula Sentinel 27, Billings Skyview 21: Jace Kashotka rushed for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Jaxson Allery as the Spartans got past the Falcons for a season-opening win. Camble Bjornstad hauled in a 25-yard scoring pass from Paxton Fitch for the Falcons, and had a second score on an eight-yard run. Zakai Owens caught a 14-yard touchdown from Fitch, and Ryan Haidle hit paydirt for Missoula on a seven-yard run. Sentinel rolled up 235 yards rushing and 172 yards through the air.

• Great Falls CMR 28, Kalispell Flathead 14: Caleb Taylor fired three touchdown passes – two to Drew Etcheberry – and Keegan Fuller added a first-quarter running score from 15 yards out as the Rustlers fended off the Braves to give first-year coach AJ Wilson his inaugural win. Taylor connected with Etcheberry from 77 and 26 yards out for a 21-6 lead early in the fourth quarter, then found Kade Somerfeld for an 80-yard launch to clinch it. Taylor was 12-for-20 passing for 308 yards. Brett Pesola scored on a 14-yard quarterback keeper and Nolan Campbell added a 9-yard scoring jaunt for Flathead.

• Kalispell Glacier 28, Great Falls 3: Kobe Dorcheus ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson Presley ran for a third and passed for another as the defending state runner-up Wolfpack jumped to a fast start and held off Great Falls. Presley romped into the end zone from 15 yards out with 10:05 showing in the first quarter and hit Carson Baker from 38 yards out for a 14-0 lead eight minutes later. Great Falls got on the board with a 29-yard field goal by Caleb Litzinger with 0:00.2 showing on the clock before halftime.

• Billings Senior 21, Missoula Hellgate 12: Ryder Murdock ran for one score and threw for another — a 66-yarder to Davyn Lehfeldt — for the Broncs, who rang up 257 yards rushing and handed the Knights their 13th consecutive defeat. Rylan Jennings also scored for Senior, which led by two points until Murdock’s 15-yard run with 6:43 to play. Vince Paffhausen threw for a score to Finn Kelly and ran for another for Hellgate, which had allowed at least 41 points in all of its games in 2023.

• Frenchtown 42, Columbia Falls 12: Brody Hardy threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two, and Billy Corette added a pair of scores on his own as the Broncs romped past the Wildcats. Hardy opened the scoring with a 24-yard run and also had a 1-yard plunge, added a 25-yard scoring toss to Corette – who had a 35-yard fumble return for a score – and also found Bailey Corette for a 3-yarder. Banyon Johnston scored both of Columbia Falls’ TDs on 1-yard runs in the first half.

• Jefferson 21, Florence-Carlton 14: Tyler Zody’s keeper with 9.9 seconds remaining broke a 14-14 tie and lifted the Panthers to a huge season-opening road win over the defending B champs. Jefferson went up 7-0 in the first quarter on a touchdown run by Luke Oxarart. The Falcons tied it up when Mason Arlington hit paydirt. Oxarart put Jefferson back on top with a 31-yard scoring run, and the Falcons answered again when Arlington found Isaac Bates for a nine-yard scoring strike.

• Red Lodge 46, Whitehall 8: Chase Cook ran for nearly 200 yards – including a 47-yard run on the game’s first play and a 97-yarder late – as the defending state semifinalist Rams clobbered the Trojans.

• Glasgow 51, Shepherd 8: In a battle of two playoff teams from a year ago, the Scotties started fast with 26 points in the first quarter and 19 in the second en route to a 51-8 victory over Shepherd, under the direction of new first-year coach Josh Casares.Warren Gamas threw for three touchdowns and Wyatt Suggs ran for two for the Scotties, who blitzed to a 45-0 halftime lead on the way to crushing the Mustangs. Alec Boland had a punt return for a score, Rex Monson added a pick-6 and Minot State commit Wyatt Babb caught one of Gamas’ TD passes for Glasgow.

• Fairview 63, Poplar 26: Tyler Loan threw three touchdown passes, ran for a fourth and caught a fifth for the defending state champion Warriors, who rolled to a 54-0 halftime lead on the way to drubbing the Indians. Wyatt McPherson ran for two scores and tossed a scoring strike to Loan. Ryan Lustig also scored three TDs for Fairview: On a 20-yard interception return, a 70-yard catch from Loan and a kick return to start the third quarter and cap his team’s scoring. Poplar scored two TDs and had a safety.

Editor’s Note: To have games included here, submit scores and scoring details to 406mtsports.myteamscoop.com.