Fourth-ranked Missoula Big Sky won a tussle with crosstown and similarly ranked foe Missoula Sentinel Friday night, capping a Week 7 that saw two top-five games stay close.
The Eagles edged Sentinel 12-10 in a defensive standoff: Sentinel had 222 total yards, while Big Sky was held to 138. On Thursday, No. 3 Billings West knocked off No. 2 Gallatin, 20-13.
Also on Friday night, top-ranked Kalispell Glacier's defense kept up its strong-arm ways by shutting out Helena.
Key Week 7 matchup: No. 4 Missoula Big Sky 12, No. 5 Missoula Sentinel 10
Cal Marceau's 43-yard field goal with 3:04 left in the game capped the Eagles' comeback and helped them improve to 7-0. Sentinel took a 10-0 lead halftime lead on a short touchdown run from Rudy Hess and a 29-yard field goal by Blaise Olsen. But Big Sky persisted, getting an Eli Kasberg 4-yard score and a safety to set up Marceau's go-ahead kick.
Other Class AA highlights:
No. 1 Kalispell Glacier 35, Helena 0
Jackson Presley threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and ran for a fourth score to help the Wolfpack stay unbeaten at 7-0. Austin Gragg, Gavin Baker and Hunter Daniels were on the receiving end of Presley's strikes. Running back Asher Knopik started the rout with a 3-yard TD run, then the Glacier defense went on to record its third shutout of the season. Helena (4-2) saw a three-game winning streak snapped.
No. 3 Billings West 20, No. 2 Gallatin 13 (Thursday)
Billings Senior 28, Billings Skyview 7
Broncs quarterback Severan Cellan completed 16 of 18 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns to lift Senior (1-6) into the win column for the first time. Rylan Jennings caught two of the scoring passes and had 117 receiving yards. Skyview is also 1-6.
Great Falls 27, Belgrade 6 (Thursday)
Great Falls CMR 27, Bozeman 21
Hunter Lee scored three consecutive touchdowns on runs of 57, 3 and 3 yards as the Rustlers turned a 14-7 deficit into a 27-14 lead and hung on from there. Both teams are 4-3.
Kalispell Flathead 23, Butte 22
Quarterback Eli Coopman scored his second rushing touchdown with 1:12 left in the game, and Brett Chivers nailed the extra point as the Braves (2-4) outlasted Butte in a back-and-forth tussle. Butte (1-6) trailed 16-0 before taking a 22-16 lead, and the Bulldogs' final drive ended at about the Kalispell 35-yard line.
Other scores:
Missoula Hellgate 35, Helena Capital 14 (Thursday)
