Montana East-West Shrine Football Game

It didn't take the West All-Stars long to establish their defensive superiority Saturday in the 79th edition of the Montana East-West Shrine Game.

But it was defensive back Rudy Hess who sealed a game that was still in the balance in the fourth quarter.

Hess' 48-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:19 left was the final dagger in a 20-6 victory at historic Naranche Stadium, which gave the West its sixth win in a row in the series.

Missoula Sentinel's Hess finished the game with two interceptions and he was named the game's MVP in the aftermath.

"I saw they lined up in a two outside receiver, and we'd just been going through our plays, just mixing it the whole time," said Hess, who is set to join the program at Montana Western in Dillon in the fall. "I just saw that they were trying to do a little fake screen — a little out-and-up sort of thing. I just saw the ball in there and I had to go get it."

While Hess punctuated the West's defensive authority, it was a true team effort. The West All-Stars held the East scoreless in the first half, forced three total turnovers and held the opponent to just 163 yards of offense. The East mustered only 48 rushing yards.

A 26-yard field goal by Missoula Big Sky's Cal Marceau late in the second quarter gave the West a 3-0 lead at halftime. Early in the third quarter, Big Sky's Blake Williams recovered an East fumble at the 23, and that led to a 13-yard touchdown from Missoula Hellgate's Vince Paffhausen to Darby's McCoy Townsend to give the West a 10-0 advantage.

The East finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter when, after a West giveaway, Billings Central quarterback Howie Martin swung a pass to Billings West's Elias Bonner for an 11-yard touchdown. A two-point try failed, however.

Later Paffhausen converted a key fourth-and-short play to keep a drive alive, setting up an impressive 48-yard field goal by Marceau and a 13-6 lead.

That set the stage for Hess' game-sealing interception, which he returned to the end zone while racing down the far sideline.

"Our defense was the heart of our team," Hess said. "We've just been so eager to get on the field. We showed up (at) game time, and to do it with these guys is special."

While Hess was the overall game MVP, Big Sky's Williams was named the West's defensive MVP. The offensive award for the West went to Kalispell Glacier's Asher Knopik, who rushed 22 times for 99 yards.

The East's offensive MVP nod went to Martin, who threw for 115 yards and rushed for 33 more. The defensive honor for the East went to Billings Central's Layne Alexander, who laid a handful of big hits, one that forced a fumble that he recovered in the third quarter.

The East still leads the all-time Shrine series 41-38 but hasn't won since 2019. The West has now matched the series' longest winning streak — the East won six straight from 1973-78.