(Editor's note: Scores will be updated throughout Friday night.)
HELENA — The battle for Helena — and the Western AA championship — went the way of No. 1 Capital High on Friday at Vigilante Stadium.
Tom Carter and Hayden Opitz each ran for a touchdown and the Bruins bested No. 2 Helena High 13-3 to close the regular season 9-0 and win the conference crown. Helena is now 7-2.
The game was scoreless after the first quarter, but Tom Carter put the Bruins in front in the second with a tough 2-yard touchdown run. The point-after kick was missed, making the score 6-0. Capital converted a fourth-down play in the red zone earlier on that drive.
After stopping the Bruins on a subsequent fourth-down play, Helena moved into Capital territory and got a 28-yard field goal from Colter Petre to make it 6-3 with 1:14 left before halftime.
Hayden Opitz put Capital up 13-3 midway though the third quarter with a 12-yard run as he and his teammates pushed the pile over the goal line.
The Bengals stopped Capital on fourth down again in the fourth, and moved inside the Bruins’ 30, but the drive stalled. Helena then botched a punt on a snap but its defense got off the field by stopping Capital again on fourth down with less than 3:00 remaining.
But the Bruins held the Bengals on a fourth-down of their own with 1:00 left and were able to finish it off.
Other Class AA scores:
No. 4 Bozeman 21, No. 3 Billings West 13 (Highlights below)
No. 5 Missoula Sentinel 49, Butte 21
Billings Senior 40, Belgrade 13 (Thursday, highlights below)
Bozeman Gallatin 42, Billings Skyview 14
Great Falls 24, Great Falls CMR 10 (Highlights below)
Kalispell Glacier 84, Missoula Hellgate 15 (Thursday)
Missoula Big Sky 53, Kalispell Flathead 20 (Thursday)
