MISSOULA — Tom Carter ran for three touchdowns and Helena Capital improved to 7-0 with a 52-13 victory over Missoula Hellgate on Thursday evening.
Carter got the Bruins on the board on their first drive of the game with a 4-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion made it 8-0 Bruins to start.
Hellgate responded in the second quarter when Connor Dick scrambled for a 9-yard touchdown, but quickly the Bruins found an answer there as Carter broke free for a 53-yard score to make it 15-6 Capital. A pick-6 from Quinn Hanson on Hellgate's next offensive drive turned that into a 22-6 Capital advantage.
But just before half, Rylan Davis found Asher Topp on a heaved ball that was batted around but found it's way into Topp's hands and he took it to the 5-yard line. On the next play, Alden Hellem punched it in to trim Capital's advantage to 22-13 at the break.
The second half was all Bruins as Capital out-scored Hellgate 30-0 after halftime. Griz football commit Hayden Opitz scored on a 4-yard run to start the half, then Carter followed that up with a 90-yard touchdown run as the Bruins began to run away.
Joey Michelotti found Opitz for another score down the stretch and Lance Baumgart put the nail in the coffin as Capital finished off the Knights.
Capital hosts Missoula Sentinel (5-1) next weekend in a big Western AA showdown, while Hellgate (2-5) will head to Butte (3-3).
