East Helena lost to Lockwood back in October of 2023, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Friday. The East Helena Vigilantes took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 54-18 win over the Lockwood LIONS. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-6.
A big part of East Helena's victory came down to the chemistry between Jack Taylor and his top target Hagen Paddock. Taylor threw for 208 yards and four touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes while Paddock picked up 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Paddock a new career-high in rushing yards. Hayden Wright was another key player, rushing for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the defeat, Lockwood saw an underclassman step up: Landon Merry rushed for 74 yards.
East Helena now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Lockwood, their loss was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-5.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Helena will square off against Laurel at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That match will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Krew Hunter and Taylor. As for Lockwood, they will take on Billings Central Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Billings Central Catholic will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something Lockwood surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
