Football Recap: Bozeman Starts Season with Win at Home + How To Watch

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Previous 5 Games

08/29/25 - Home	46-20 W
08/24/18 - Home	49-6 W
08/24/17 - Away	40-7 W
08/26/16 - Neutral	14-0 W
08/28/15 - Neutral	56-7 W

Bozeman gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 46-20 margin over the Hellgate Knights. The win continues a trend for the Hawks in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won five in a row.

Van Shockley was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 246 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 68 yards and one score on only nine carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Bozeman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 253 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 167 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Another reason for the win was Bozeman's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Lucas Garson. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last three games he's played dating back to last season.

Hellgate lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Vince Paffhausen, who threw for 226 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 73.1% of his passes, and also punched in one rushing score. Evan Pyron also helped out with an impressive 85 receiving yards.

Coming up, Bozeman is taking a road trip to challenge Glacier at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Hellgate, they will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on Billings West at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.