Thursday provided a robust slate of high school football games across Montana, especially in Class AA where 14 of the classification's 16 teams were in action.
Among the highlights was Billings West's 42-14 road victory at Bozeman. The win clinched the Eastern conference's top playoff seed for the No. 2-ranked Bears.
Elsewhere, unranked Helena handed No. 3 Missoula Big Sky its first defeat of the season with a 28-16 win on the road at MCPS Stadium.
Meanwhile, Missoula Hellgate was on the verge of securing just its second postseason berth since 1994, but the Knights were denied in a 36-10 loss to Butte High at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Following is a breakdown of scores and highlights from Thursday night's action:
Class AA
No. 1 Kalispell Glacier 56, Kalispell Flathead 0
Jackson Presley hit Cooper Pelc with a 41-yard touchdown pass on the game's second offensive play and Glacier was off to the races in a crosstown matchup at Legends Stadium. Presley finished with four TD throws and the Wolfpack moved to 8-0.
No. 2 Billings West 42, Bozeman 14
Michigan commit Matt Ludwig caught a touchdown and rushed for another as the Golden Bears locked up the Eastern conference's top seed for the postseason. Colt Johnson threw for a pair of scores for West, and Elias Bonner returned an interception for a touchdown. Evan Hughen finished with 109 receiving yards to lead the Hawks.
Helena 28, No. 3 Missoula Big Sky 16
The first 7-0 start in Big Sky history hit a speed bump Thursday night in a loss to Helena High. The Eagles close the regular season next week against No. 1-ranked Kalispell Glacier still with a chance to earn a share of the Western conference perch.
No. 5 Missoula Sentinel 35, Helena Capital 0
Kaden Thennis accounted for three touchdowns and Rudy Hess ran in two others as fifth-ranked Sentinel bounced back from last week's two-point loss to crosstown foe Big Sky with a 35-0 shutout of Helena Capital.
Billings Senior 31, Great Falls 19
Severan Cellan completed 25 of 33 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns for the Billings Senior, which got its second win of the year with a 31-19 victory over Great Falls.
Great Falls CMR 32, Billings Skyview 8
Hunter Lee's three rushing touchdowns helped lead Great Falls CMR over Billings Skyview 32-8. Rustlers' quarterback Caleb Taylor also became the program's all-time leader in pass completions in the victory.
Butte 36, Missoula Hellgate 10
Hellgate had a chance to clinch a playoff berth Thursday night — just its second since playing for the state championship in 1994 — but stumbled against the Bulldogs. Butte's Grey Raeder had a hand in three touchdowns while Gunner Bushman rushed for two others.
Other scores from around the state:
Class A
No. 3 Laurel 50, Browning 0
Class B
No. 5 Red Lodge 56, Roundup 0
8-Man
No. 1 Scobey 46, Fairview 8
No. 5 Circle 35, Plentywood 12
6-Man
Big Sandy 62, Sunburst 14
Highwood 56, St. Patrick's 8
