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Class AA roundup: No. 3 Bozeman pulls away for key road win at No. 4 Butte

Bozeman football versus Butte
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BUTTE — No. 3-ranked Bozeman High pulled away Friday night to win a rivalry that had been dormant for four years.

The Hawks reeled off 24 unanswered points to defeat No. 4 Butte 39-15 at Naranche Stadium in a rekindling of a matchup that was last played in the 2019 Class AA state championship game. But it was a back-and-forth game early on.

Butte capitalized on a Bozeman fumble in the first quarter when quarterback Bo Demarais hit Karson McEwan for a 78-yard catch and touchdown. A two-point conversion put the Bulldogs up 8-0, which is how things stood at the end of the first.

Bozeman made up for the early miscue and tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Austin Baller followed by a two-point conversion of its own, knotting the game at 8-8 with 7:52 left before halftime.

Later in the second, Butte’s Hudson Luedtke caught a short touchdown pass not long after making a circus catch to keep the drive alive on fourth and 8. That TD gave the Bulldogs a 15-8 advantage.

But that lead did not last, as Bozeman’s Cordell Holzer followed with a 21-yard TD catch just before halftime and the Hawks tied it again, 15-15.

Bozeman took its first lead in the third on a 31-yard field goal by Rocky Lencione, then ran off 21 more points unanswered to close the game.

Elsewhere in Class AA …

No. 1 Kalispell Glacier 49, Billings Senior 7

Kalispell Glacier shows off multiple weapons in 49-7 rout of Billings Senior

No. 2 Bozeman Gallatin 28, No. 5 Missoula Sentinel 13

No. 2 Bozeman Gallatin tops No. 5 Missoula Sentinel in home opener

Great Falls 42, Missoula Hellgate 0

Great Falls High shuts out Missoula Hellgate, picks up first win

Great Falls CMR 36, Missoula Big Sky 21

Great Falls CMR outlasts Missoula Big Sky on the road

Helena 21, Billings West 14

Helena hangs on in fourth to beat Billings West 21-14 at home

Helena Capital 35, Billings Skyview 10 (Thursday)

Helena Capital pulls away from Billings Skyview for first win of 2023

Kalispell Flathead 17, Belgrade 14

Flathead hangs on to defeat Belgrade 17-14