Hellgate hasn't had much luck against Bozeman recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Knights will head out to challenge the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hellgate will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Helena, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Knights came out on top against the Bengals by a score of 17-9 on Thursday.
Hellgate had a senior duo take command as Parker Link gained 98 total yards and a touchdown and Vince Paffhausen rushed for 103 yards and one TD on only 13 carries. Link also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing two fumbles and making eight total tackles.
Hellgate's run defense was locked in: Helena could only muster 3.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Milo Sherman for the heroic effort on defense: he. Hellgate's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 2.57 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.23 on average over their last five games.
Vince Paffhausen
| 09/13/25 @ Flathead | 136 |
| 10/09/25 vs Capital | 131 |
| 10/23/25 @ Helena | 103 |
| 10/16/25 vs Butte | 80 |
| 09/19/25 vs Sentinel | 24 |
| + 4 more games |
Hellgate didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Sherman, Sam Cohea, Will Vogt, and Paffhausen picked up one apiece. Paffhausen also rushed for 103 rushing yards, which is notable because Hellgate is 3-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 0-5 otherwise.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Bozeman challenged Skyview on Friday. The Hawks enjoyed a cozy 35-17 victory over the Falcons.
Hellgate better keep an eye on Van Shockley. He was instrumental in Bozeman's win, rushing for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry, and also throwing for 127 yards and one TD. Those 142 rushing yards gave Shockley a new career-high.
Bozeman's defense made their presence known, laying out Jaxon Zagata three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Connor Baller, Oscar Glick, and Thomas Moran, who each picked up one sack apiece. Bozeman got some further help from Baller: he picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Bozeman now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Hellgate, their record now sits at 3-6.
Hellgate might still be hurting after the 46-20 defeat they got from Bozeman in their previous matchup back in August. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Shockley, who 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. Now that the Knights know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
