Shrine Game: East tops West 19-14

GREAT FALLS — The East squad overwhelmed the West for most of the first half on its way to a 19-14 victory in the Montana East-West Shrine all-star football game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The East got on the board early when Billings Senior safety intercepted Glacier quarterback Brady McChesney on a slant pass to the left and romped 43 yards for a touchdown.

The East would build their lead to 19-0 by halftime.

The West got back in the game with the help of its Butte contingent, as Butte High receiver Dalton Daum, the state sprints champion, returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown.

A short touchdown run from Missoula Big Sky’s Cory Diaz and a conversion from Butte Central’s Danny Peoples cut the West deficit to five points with 8:41 to play.

However, Peoples couldn’t connect on four tries at the end zone in the final minute, once getting called for intentional grounding as the West’s opportunity at a comeback victory fizzled out.

Final stats weren’t made available by press time.