BILLINGS — Billings West stands alone atop the Eastern AA.
The third-ranked Golden Bears held off No. 2 Gallatin for a 20-13 football win Thursday night at Daylis Stadium.
West took that 20-13 lead on a Matt Ludwig 5-yard touchdown pass to Colt Johnson, as the Bears lined up in the Wildcat formation for four consecutive plays before Ludwig opted to throw the ball.
Gallatin had one final drive with four minutes to play and eventually marched the ball inside the West 5-yard line with under 20 seconds to play.
As it has all year, though, West's defense stood up to the test. Jack Ryan came up with a strip-sack, then recovered the ball with just 11 seconds remaining to preserve the Bears' victory.
"There’s a lot of trust with the defensive crew. In a tight game with two minutes you want your offense to run the clock out, but I feel real comfortable with our defense and how fast they’re playing,” West head coach Rob Stanton told MTN Sports. "(Ryan) is not a kid that looks big when he gets off the bus, but when he gets on the field he’s a very big player for us. He has pretty good football genes and he’s smart, talented and tough. He plays fast and does all the things you want from a kid."
That was Ryan's second turnover forced in the game, as he also intercepted Gallatin quarterback Samuel Litzen on the game's opening possession that turned into a 13-yard touchdown run by Payton Cicero.
West took a 13-3 lead in the third quarter after Johnson connected with Westdon Kelley for a 48-yard score, but a field goal by Edward Balanco and a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyson Scheel brought Gallatin back even.
West improves to 6-1 with the win and remains unbeaten in Eastern AA play, while Gallatin drops to 6-1 overall. The Bears are in action next Thursday at Bozeman, while Gallatin visits Belgrade next Friday.
"The challenge is you’ve got to get ready for next week and clean up a lot of things on film, but it’s good to be in the driver’s seat," Stanton said.
