BILLINGS — Billings West stands alone atop the Eastern AA.

The third-ranked Golden Bears held off No. 2 Gallatin for a 20-13 football win Thursday night at Daylis Stadium.

West took that 20-13 lead on a Matt Ludwig 5-yard touchdown pass to Colt Johnson, as the Bears lined up in the Wildcat formation for four consecutive plays before Ludwig opted to throw the ball.

Gallatin had one final drive with four minutes to play and eventually marched the ball inside the West 5-yard line with under 20 seconds to play.

As it has all year, though, West's defense stood up to the test. Jack Ryan came up with a strip-sack, then recovered the ball with just 11 seconds remaining to preserve the Bears' victory.

"There’s a lot of trust with the defensive crew. In a tight game with two minutes you want yo

See Full Page