West throttles East, Wilson is Shrine MVP
BUTTE — Jarett Wilson threw for 154 yards and a touchdown, Patrick Duchien threw for two more scores and the West All-Stars thumped the East 45-13 in the 76th East-West Shrine Game Saturday.
Wilson, the Polson product who has committed to play at nearby Montana Tech, completed 8 of 16 passes for 154 yards at rainy Naranche Stadium. One of those passes was a Mission Valley hookup with MIssion Bulldog Bryce Umphrey for 32 yards and a touchdown/
That put the West up 22-7 midway through the third quarter and triggered a 30-0 spurt that put the victors up 45-7.
The East scored the game’s final points on an 85-yard kickoff return by Billings Central’s Kade Boyd. It came just after Butte High product Jace Stenson — in for a banged-up Wilson — scored on a 15-yard quarterback scramble with 2:21 left in the contest.
The East made up most of an early 8-0 deficit when Belt’s Garrett Metrione intercepted a Duchien pass and returned it 30 yards to first-and-goal. That set up a 1-yard TD run by Lewistown’s Cage Norslien at 10:35 of the second quarter.
Wilson led a scoring drive late in the quarter, finding tight end Dylan Christman of Helena High for a long gainer. That set up a 5-yard touchdown by Missoula Sentinel’s Adam Jones, putting West up 15-7 at intermission.
Behind Wilson and Duchien, who had TD passes covering 7 yards to Eli Taylor and 27 to Dillon’s Eli Nourse, the West outgained the East 411-199. Duchien completed 8 of 16 passes for 98 yards, with two interceptions.
Umphrey and Canyon Sargent were the first Mission Bulldogs to play in the Shrine Game in 21 years. Whitefish’s Fynn Ridgeway, who suited up a corner, fired an incomplete pass on offense as well for the West.
East 0 7 0 6 – 13
West 5 10 16 14 – 45
First Quarter
WEST — Safety, Colten Rice tackled Cage Norslien in the end zone (Dylan Root kick), 11:18.
WEST — FG Dylan Root 22, 1:47
Second Quarter
WEST — FG Root 36, 11:38
EAST — Cage Norslien 1 run (Eli Groshelle kick), 10:35
WEST — Adam Jones 5 run (Root kick), 1:58
Third Quarter
WEST — Bryce Umphrey 32 pass from Jarrett Wilson (Root kick), 6:42
WEST — Safety, East center snap covered in own end zone
WEST — Eli Taylor 7 pass from Patrick Duchien (Root kick), 2:45
Fourth Quarter
WEST — Eli Nourse 27 pass from Duchien (Root kick), 4:37
WEST — Jace Stenson 15 run (Root kick), 2:21
EAST — Kade Boyd 85 kickoff return (Run failed), 2:03
East West
First downs 13 26
Rushes-yards 31-133 39-159
Passes 11-25-0 16-33-2
Passing yards 66 252
Return yards 44 15
Punts-avg. 7-34.9 5-34.4
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0
Penalties-yards 8-71 7-60
Individual Statistics
RUSHING — East, Cage Norslein 9-52, Cole Taylor 9-37, Kade Boyd 7-31, Rafe Longin 2-8, Jake Casagranda 4-5. West, Adam Jones 13-89, Tom Carter 13-41, Jarrett Wilson 9-13, Jace Stenson 2-11, Patrick Duchien 2-5.
PASSING — East, Norslein 5-11-0-49, C. Taylor 3-7-0-12, Casagranda 3-7-0-5. West, Wilson 8-16-0-154, Duchein 8-16-2-98, Fynn Ridgeway 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — East, Boyde 3-32, Matthew Golik 3-24, C. Taylor 1-21, Braydon Cline 1-11, Luke Smith 1-6, Longin 2-1. West, Dylan Christman 3-92, Cameron Gurnsey 3-43, Bryce Umphrey 1-32, Eli Nourse 1-27, Carter 4-24, E. Taylor 2-20, Willem Arseneau 1-14, Wilson 1-0.