Two dominant signal callers in Howie Martin and Bearek Shuman are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Billings Central Catholic Rams will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Helena Vigilantes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (Billings Central Catholic 10.5, East Helena 14.4) so any points scored will be well earned.
Billings Central Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Hamilton with a sharp 27-7 victory. Fans of the Rams have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
William Snell continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 82 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Billings Central Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 323 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in 15 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, East Helena faced Columbia Falls in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Vigilantes walked away with a 27-20 win over the Wildcats. The victory was familiar territory for the Vigilantes, who have now won five contests in a row.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Shuman and Banyan Johnston. Shuman had a great game and threw for 176 yards and a pair of TDs. Meanwhile, Johnston was balling out in the loss, throwing for 247 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 62 yards and one score.
East Helena's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Billings Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Billings Central Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 257.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like East Helena struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 192.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Billings Central Catholic against East Helena in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, as the team secured a 41-14 win. In that contest, the Rams amassed a halftime lead of 28-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
