Great Falls High football cruises to win over Hellgate

Last week, the Great Falls High football team couldn’t seem to find an open space.

On Friday, the Bison ran free.

Running backs Ryder English and Izayah Brown combined for 231 yards rushing and four total touchdowns as Great Falls High rebounded for a 42-0 nonconference victory over Missoula Hellgate at Memorial Stadium.

Brown racked up 124 yards on 12 carries and two scores while English added 107 yards on the ground and 49 through the air, notching both rushing and receiving touchdowns.

The Bison defense was stellar as a unit in the shutout, not allowing a single Hellgate first down in the opening half.

Junior quarterback Riley Collette accounted for three touchdowns on 151 yards passing and 62 with his legs as Great Falls High rushed for 321 yards as a team after just 25 a week ago.

Head coach Coda Tchida said the team was determined to leave its 44-0 season-opening loss to Western AA power Kalispell Glacier in the past.

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“The expectation from our kids, they set the tone,” Tchida said. “We really practiced hard this week, they bought into what we asked them to do. I know we’re a good football team. We ran into a team (Glacier) that is heads and shoulders above everybody else right now. We had to prove it to ourselves.

“That’s what tonight was about, proving that we belong. I do believe we are a good football team moving forward and we’ll get better as the weeks go because we’re so young. The goal is to stay consistent, stay healthy and continue to grow as a football team.”

After stalling on its first drive, the Bison capitalized on a favorable punt, capped when Collette dodged multiple defenders for a 13-yard keeper touchdown.

On the second play of the following possession, English broke free for a score up the right side, weaving his way to paydirt from 47 yards out.

Brown, who scored on a 4-yard rush, sparked the third scoring drive of the night with a 29-yard carry as he dragged multiple Hellgate defenders down to the 16.

The Bison defense then held strong with consecutive stops, including a turnover-on-downs in the red zone.

Great Falls High concluded the half with a 9-yard dump-off from Collette to Mason Kralj for a touchdown, taking a 28-0 lead into the break.

The Bison were back in the end zone with less than a minute gone in the third frame, with English taking a screen in from 12 yards out. The score was set up by a 30-yard connection between Collette and receiver Dane Gundlach on the previous play.

Brown capped the scoring in the fourth with a 2-yard plunge in the first minute of the stanza.

Great Falls High begins Eastern AA play next week at Belgrade at 7 p.m. Friday.

For more highlights and takeaways from the Bison victory, stay tuned to greatfallstribune.com on Tuesday and Wednesday’s print edition of the Tribune.

Hellgate 0 0 0 0 – 0

GFH 21 7 7 7 – 42

First quarter

GFH - Riley Collette 13 run (Caleb Litzinger kick) (6:34)

GFH - Ryder English 47 run (Litzinger kick) (4:27)

GFH - Izayah Brown 4 run (Litzinger kick) (1:07)

Second quarter

GFH - Mason Kralj 9 pass from Collette (Litzinger kick) (2:02)

Third quarter

GFH – English 12 pass from Collette (Litzinger kick) (11:04)

Fourth quarter

GFH – Brown 2 run (Litzinger kick) (11:22)

Photo was provided courtesy of Matt Ehnes of Jared's Detours.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Great Falls High football cruises to win over Hellgate