HELENA (AP) – Capital High School won its ninth state football title and its second in a row Friday night as the Bruins defeated Billings Senior 30-27 for the Class AA state championship.
The Bruins trailed 20-10 midway through the third quarter when defensive back Joe Andriolo intercepted a pass by Senior’s A.J. Paine at the goal line.
“Joe’s interception changed the whole game,” said Capital coach Pat Murphy, who has led his team to three straight title games. “If they had gone on to score that probably would have been the game.”
Capital outscored Senior 20-7 for the remainder of the game.
Trailing 27-23 with 4:30 remaining, Gus Hoovestal recovered an onside kick for Capital. The Bruins drove down the field, and senior quarterback Jared Hunt scored on a 3-yard sweep with 1:06 remaining.
“We feel like we own the fourth quarter,” Murphy said.
Hunt became only the second quarterback in school history to lead the Bruins to consecutive state titles.
He joins Tyler Emmert, who won championships in 1999 and 2000.
The Bruins’ nine Class AA state titles are second only behind C.M. Russell’s 12.
“The credit goes to the seniors who worked hard in the off season,” said Murphy, who has coached the Helena team for four years. “They have that Bruin never-say-die attitude.”