The Hamilton Broncs and Belgrade Panthers played a tough, evenly matched game in Class A second round action in Belgrade on Saturday. Belgrade entered the game with only one loss, to Billings Central on September 2, while Hamilton went into the game with a record of 7-3. On the line for the two teams, a trip to the semi finals.
Belgrade scored first when Trey Mounts intercepted a Carson Rostad pass and raced 84 yards for the six points. John Mears kicked the PAT. But then Hamilton came back to score twice in the first quarter and take a one-touchdown lead into the second. Many Rivera had a five-yard run and Bridger Bauder kicked the PAT. It was Rivera again with a nine yard scoring run with 1:25 left in the quarter. Bauder kicked the PAT.
Then Belgrade went to work. Jemal Williams caught a 12-yard pass from Zack Spady and Mounts made the two-point conversion to give the Panthers the lead. Mounts was on the receiving end of a 16-yard Spady pass for the second Belgrade touchdown of the quarter. Mears kicked the PAT. Belgrade held Hamilton scoreless in the third quarter also. Williams had two scoring runs for the Panthers, one of four yards and one of two yards. Mears kicked the PATs.
But Hamilton has been a fourth quarter team all year. Rostad hit Ty Chouinard from 12 yards out at 9:40 for a score. Bauder kicked the PAT. Then Rostad targeted Camron Rothie from 16 yards out for another TD and Bauder once again kicked the PAT. With 1:16 remaining in the game, Rivera got the nod and pushed through from four yards out for the touchdown. The Broncs took to the air with a pass from Rostad to Rothie for the two-point conversion and the game was tied.
It was looking like overtime until Mears, a freshman who was starting in his first game, kicked a 29-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the game. Final score, Belgrade 38, Hamilton 35.
Rivera had 153 yards on 30 carries. Rostad, a freshman, went 20 for 31 and had two interceptions and two touchdowns. He had 252 yards in the air. Chouinard had nine receptions for 170 yards. Hamilton finished their season with a 7-4 record.