GREAT FALLS — Third-ranked Billings West chewed up the yards in big chunks and posted a lot of points on the scoreboard in the early going Friday night, holding off Great Falls 42-28 at Memorial Stadium.
The Golden Bears (7-0 overall, 5-0 Eastern AA) have won their first seven games of the season for the first time since 2020. West reached the Class AA championship game unbeaten that season before falling to Missoula Sentinel.
West’s win sets up an unbeaten showdown next with No. 1 Bozeman Gallatin, who won big over Belgrade on Friday night.
West led 21-0 after the first quarter, thanks to a four-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard Malachi Claunch plunge and a three-play, 82-yard drive that ended with Matt Ludwig hauling in an 11-yard scoring pass from C.J. Johnson.
Those long drives sandwiched a West touchdown from a short field following a Quinn Hale interception. Johnson then found Claunch from 17 yards to put the Bears up 14-0 at that time. They built the lead to 28-0 on a short Ludwig run.
Great Falls (3-2, 4-3) returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and just before the half quarterback Riley Collette found Jace Kirkhart from 27 yards to get the Bison within 28-14 at the break.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter — Ludwig caught a 21-yard touchdown from Johnson for West, and Collette connected with Dane Gundlach from 27 yards for Great Falls — as the Bears maintained their 14-point lead.
Elsewhere in Class AA …
No. 1 Bozeman Gallatin 48, Belgrade 0
No. 2 Helena Capital 35, No. 5 Missoula Big Sky 7 (Thursday)
No. 4 Kalipsell Glacier 56, Kalispell Flathead 0 (Thursday)
Billings Senior 39, Billings Skyview 20
Bozeman 41, Great Falls CMR 7
Butte 55, Missoula Hellgate 20
Helena 20, Missoula Sentinel 17 (Thursday)
