Weather sponsored by:
In what could be the theme of the 2025 Monticello Junior Billie season, even when the game starts to get hard, the Junior Billies refused to quit.
Playing in their final game of the 2025 season, the Junior Billies entered Thursday night’s game having already captured the 2025 8-4A Junior Conference Championship with a 28-20 victory the prior week over the Stuttgart Junior Ricebirds on the road.
It would mark the first time in 10 seasons that the Junior Billies would finish the football season as Conference Champions with the last conference title coming back in 2015.
Hosting the West Helena Junior Cougars for the final game of the season, the Junior Billies were looking to finish the season by going undefeated in conference play.
Helena would receive the opening kickoff and would be forced to punt on their opening drive with the Junior Billies taking over at the Helena 49.
Monticello would reach the Helena 28, turning the ball over on downs.
Monticello would get the first score of the contest on Helena’s possession after Jonathan Barefield intercepted the ball for a 35-yard touchdown return and a two point conversion to take the 8-0 lead.
Helena would answer the score and the two-point play on their next possession to tie the contest, 8-8.
The game would remain tied until the first Montocello drive to begin the second half.
Barefield would have the big carry of the contest on the drive, gaining 37 yards to the Helena 12.
After a run for no gain, Preston would gain six yards on the next carry, and would put the ball into the endzone on the next carry. Barefield added the two-point play to give the Junior Billies the 16-8 lead and would hold on for the win to finish the season 8-1 and 7-0 in conference.
