It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Gallatin Raptors had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by Helena on the road to the tune of 40-6. Considering Gallatin has won seven contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Gallatin's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Reese Dahlke, who rushed for 241 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. Dahlke was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 57 yards. Another player making a difference was Quinn Clark, who picked up 108 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Gallatin's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Kyler Ellerton was especially locked on to Helena's QB and sacked him twice.
The victory was the fifth in a row for Gallatin, bringing their record for this year to 9-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Belgrade and 2-8 Skyview (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 38.2% over those games). As for Helena, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
Gallatin is on the road again on Friday and play against Glacier at 7:00 p.m. on November 10th. Glacier will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak. Helena does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
