Montana

The Blitz: Montana high school football highlights (Sept. 13)

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2024

Press Room

The Blitz: Montana high school football highlights (Sept. 13)

Editor’s note: The Blitz is updated as we receive game results.

Class AA

• No. 2 Kalispell Glacier 49, Butte 14: Kobe Dorcheus rushed for three touchdowns, Jackson Presley hit Ethan Anderson on a 49-yard touchdown pass and ran for another score, and the Wolfpack scored on six of their seven first-half possessions to dominate the winless Bulldogs. The Pack went up 28-0 in the first quarter and led 42-0 at halftime. Colton Shea threw touchdown passes to Tocher Lee and Hudson Luedtke for Butte.

• No. 5 Helena Capital 41, Missoula Sentinel 6: Merek Mihelish put on a show, throwing five touchdown passes and going 10-for-16 for 268 yards — his two longest TD strikes went for 78 and 55 yards to Daniel Larson, and Drew Almquist had a 40-yard catch and run. Cole Graham got the party started in the first quarter with a one-yard TD plunge. The Spartans’ lone score came on a Jace Kashotka touchdown pass.

• No. 1 Bozeman 42, Billings Skyview 13: Hawks (3-0) quarterback Kash Embry had a busy game against the Falcons (0-3), taking in two touchdowns himself and throwing for one each to Evan Hughen and Luke Zundel. Brady Casagranda also subbed in and tossed a 2-yard TD to Logan Humphrey, while Ben Wheeler found paydirt from the goal line. Skyview’s Paxton Fitch threw both of his touchdowns in the first half, first from a 4-yard dot to Camble Bjornstad then via an 80-yard house call to Zakai Owens.

• Great Falls 38, Belgrade 7: Riley Collette threw touchdown strikes to Steele Harris and Dane Gundlach and ran for another score, and Braedon Rankin and Mason Kralj hit paydirt as the Bison improved to 2-1.

• Helena 45, Missoula Hellgate 6: The Bengals (1-2) got their first win of the year off of the back of a three-TD night from Trygve Braun on the ground; he also kicked a 29-yard field goal as a bonus. Mac Lundstrom also had a 14-yard strike to Jaxan Lieberg, and Kyle Davis took a fumble back for a score. Hellgate dropped to 0-3, getting on the board in the third quarter when Vince Paffhausen threw a 3-yard score to Evan Pyron.

• No. 4 Billings West 38, Great Falls CMR 7: CJ Johnson threw for two scores and ran for another as the Golden Bears (3-0) rolled. Matt Ludwig and Elias Bonner were the recipients of those touchdown throws, while recent Montana State commit Malachi Claunch and Payton Cicero added rushing touchdowns. Kaelan Fleury also booted through a 25-yard field goal. CMR (1-2) got a late 1-yard TD from Keegan Fuller to prevent the shutout.

• Missoula Big Sky 29, Kalispell Flathead 0: The Eagles improved to 3-0, with junior quarterback Avery Omlid passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The Braves (0-3) committed eight turnovers — four fumbles and four interceptions. Big Sky jumped to a 20-0 halftime lead and added nine points in the third frame. Two of Omlid’s TD passes went to Cormack Batt and one to Mason Fulford.

Class A

• Whitefish 21, Corvallis 20: Carson Gulock put the Bulldogs on his back, passing for 159 yards and a TD, and rushing for 137 yards and a pair of scores, as Whitefish (2-1) rallied from a 20-7 halftime deficit with a pair of second-half touchdowns. CJ Thew snagged four catches for 70 yards and a score, and Calvin Eisenbarth had three receptions for 51 yards.

• Frenchtown 14, Lakeland, ID 7: Brody Hardy was involved in both touchdowns for the third-ranked Broncs (3-0) in a low-scoring classic, neither of which were more important than his 1-yard keeper with nine seconds remaining to slay the state-ranked team from Idaho. A 36-yard passing score from Hardy to Jordan Warner in the first quarter was Frenchtown’s other time finding the endzone.

• Browning 40, Stevensville 0: The Indians picked up their first win of the season behind a pair of big plays from Tahj Wells, who opened the scoring by taking a punt to the house, and had a 41-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter. Ashton Granados rushed for a five-yard TD, and the Indians scored on a pick-six.

• No. 1 Dillon 21, Columbia Falls 7: In a rematch of last year’s dramatic Class A state championship game, the Beavers (2-0) got the same result as they didn’t allow the Wildcats (1-2) to find the endzone until the fourth quarter. Hank Hagenbarth had the only score of the first half from a 3-yard rush in the first frame, though he found paydirt again early in the fourth from two yards out. Jrney Mataafa then had a 20-yard scamper and score for Dillon to make it 21-0 before CFalls’ Banyan Johnston threw a 10-yard dot to Easton Brooks to get the Wildcats on the board late.

8-Man

• St. Regis-Mullan (ID) 30, Arlee 28: A scoreless first quarter eventually led to a barn-burner, as the Tigers (2-1) came back from a four-point deficit to start the fourth to win it. Barrett Bessette had a pivotal fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth for St. Regis-Mullan, while Conner Lulis and Ayden Rael also scored. Arlee (1-2) had a 57-yard rushing touchdown from Eli O’Neill and a 4-yard score from Bridger Smith in the second quarter.

• Deer Lodge 56, Lodge Grass 22: The Wardens (1-2) finally broke a losing streak dating back to 2019, finishing off the win in style as they led 34-8 after three and scored 22 more points in the final frame. Lodge Grass (0-3) was within reach after two quarters, being down 22-8 at the break, but Deer Lodge outscored the visitors 34-14 the rest of the way.

• Fairview 47, Culbertson 18: Tyler Loan had a monster night for the top-ranked Warriors (3-0), scoring six touchdowns as Fairview held off a stiff challenge from the Cowboys (2-1), who were only down 27-18 at half. Loan ran it in himself three times and threw for three more, connecting twice with Deacon Gackle and once with Wyatt McPherson. Reese Moon scored twice for Culbertson through a pick-six and 17-yard run, while Bridger Salvevold had the Cowboys’ other TD with a short-range score.

6-Man

• Westby-Grenora 57, Brockton 13: Dilan Wade and Cade Else both had big nights for the Thunder (2-1), who rolled to a 49-0 lead at the half and romped past the Warriors (0-3). Wade finished with five TDs, two of which were thrown to Else and the other three coming from a run, pick-six and fumble recovery. Else had an interception return TD of his own, as well, as did teammate Draygen Buechler. Thomas Arnson had an 11-yard TD run for Brockton.

• Highwood 48, Hobson-Moore 22: The Mountaineers (2-1) made it two straight wins with Chase Tinklenberg and Ryder Zanto being the main men with a combined five touchdowns. Hobson-Moore (0-3) scored first as Kade Lee got a long touchdown pass from Isaac Muaws, but Highwood then ripped the game open with 40 unanswered points. Braxton Crowder took a kickoff 79 yards to the house during that surge while Zanto and Tinklenberg each had two scores before half, with the latter throwing for one of them to Wyatt Mortensen. Mortensen caught another later from Treyton Tinsen while the Titans got late scores from Hunter Wichman and Mason Thom in the fourth.

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

Scoreboard: High school football boxscores (Sept. 12-14)

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Montana

Clark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say

Published

7 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Clark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.

The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.

“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”

Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.

“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”

Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.

Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.

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Montana

Forstag secures democratic nomination for Western Montana Congressional District

Published

17 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Forstag secures democratic nomination for Western Montana Congressional District

MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.

Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.

Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District

Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.

He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.

“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”

Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.

“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.

The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.

By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.

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Montana

In eastern Montana, Brian Miller wins Democratic primary for U.S. House • Daily Montanan

Published

1 day ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

In eastern Montana, Brian Miller wins Democratic primary for U.S. House • Daily Montanan

Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.

The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.

In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.

Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.

In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.

In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”

Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.

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