East Helena kicked off their season on the road on Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They fell just short of the Custer County Cowboys by a score of 50-47. The Vigilantes were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cowboys apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2024.
When it comes to explaining why East Helena lost, don't look at Bearek Shuman. Despite the final result, he threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80.8% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 1.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Hagen Paddock for the heroic effort on defense: he. East Helena didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.2.
East Helena's defensive line didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Custer County's QB won't forget Bradlee Hahn anytime soon given he sacked him twice.
Custer County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jake Phalen, who picked up 263 receiving yards and four TDs. Those four receiving touchdowns gave Phalen a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Warren Venable, who threw for 196 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 passes.
East Helena and Custer County could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Montana Rankings. The Vigilantes will face off against Beaverhead County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (43 vs. 6). Meanwhile, Custer County (ranked 31st) will meet Fergus (ranked third) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
