HELENA -- Kaden Huot is getting hot as the temperatures cool down.
Helena High's junior quarterback threw four touchdown passes, increasing his season total to 17 passing scores, as the Bengals breezed past Kalispell Glacier 34-14 in a battle of Western AA football unbeatens on Friday night at Vigilante Stadium.
Huot tossed touchdown passes to Raef Miller (50 yards), Chase McGurran (15 yards), Dexter Tedesco (9 yards) and McGurran again (7 yards) in the impressive victory.
Helena's defense gave the home team a boost minutes into the contest, as Marcus Evans stripped Jake Rendina to force a fumble that the Bengals recovered near midfield. Huot and the offense couldn't capitalize, but flipped field position in their favor, and, following an ensuing three-and-out, Evans plunged in from the 1-yard line to give Helena a 7-0 lead.
Glacier was unsuccessful on a fake punt in the second quarter, setting the Bengals up at midfield where Huot showed soft touch in landing the ball perfectly over Miller's left shoulder on the far sideline, and one juke and two missed tackles later, the senior receiver was across the goal line for a 13-0 lead that held into halftime.
Rendina opened the scoring in the second half, taking a direct snap 3 yards into the east end zone to put the Wolfpack on the board at 13-7. But Huot and the Bengals moved swiftly downfield, with McGurran snagging a nice diving catch to keep the drive alive, then hauling in the 15-yard touchdown reception moments later to push the lead to 20-7.
Huot and Tedesco connected to extend the lead to 27-7 minutes into the fourth quarter, and after a Ben Swanson interception gave them the ball right back, Huot found McGurran for the second time to put the game out of reach at 34-7.
Rendina added a late score to end the night.
Huot finished 21-of-35 passing for 291 yards and the four scores. He did throw an interception off a tipped ball, only his third pick of the season.
Class AA football scores
(Scroll through the videos above for game highlights)
Billings Senior 31, Billings Skyview 6
Billings West 56, Great Falls High 27
Butte 42, Kalispell Flathead 13
Great Falls CMR 42, Bozeman Gallatin 21
Helena Capital 28, Missoula Big Sky 12
Helena High 34, Kalispell Glacier 14
Missoula Sentinel 64, Missoula Hellgate 0
