DILLON, Mont. — Montana Western celebrated Senior Day with a dominant 66-14 win over Arizona Christian on Nov. 8, closing the regular season at 7-3.
Quarterback Michael Palandri threw eight touchdown passes and finished with 423 yards through the air, breaking his own single-game touchdown record of seven set last season against the Firestorm. Western built a 42-7 halftime advantage and never looked back.
Seth Shook (117 yards, 2 TDs) and Eli Nourse (154 yards, 1 TD) led the receiving corps, while Aidan Lammers, Jakob Humphrey, Jonathan Kirkley and Mason Rasmussen also reached the end zone.
Montana Western's defense controlled the game from the opening snap, piling up 75 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and three sacks, while forcing three fumbles and recovering one. Keegen Muffich led the unit with 12 tackles and a sack, and Reece Stanish added seven tackles and a sack with six stops behind the line as Western held Arizona Christian to 295 yards and 35% on third down. The Firestorm did not score again until the final 14 seconds.
"This was a great way to finish the season off," head coach Ryan Nourse said. "This team has practiced and prepared well all season, one of the best I've ever had in that regard. They deserved to get a resounding victory in their last home regular season game."
