The location was the same as last year’s state championship game, Columbia Falls; however, this year, the game was the semi final and the winner would advance to the state championship. The scene was very similar to last year as well. The two teams had played each other the second game of the season. Last year, Columbia Falls won that game. This year, Hamilton won. And when they met in the state championship game in Columbia Falls last November, Columbia Falls came out on top. That was not the case this year. Hamilton won, 41-27, and will host Billings Central for the Class A State championship on Saturday in Hamilton.
The Broncs relied upon their diversified offense to put points on the board. Michael Golden caught a 10-yard pass from Carson Rostad for the first Hamilton score. The Clay Keller kick was good and Hamilton was up, 7-0. Golden finished the day with 23 carries and146 yards rushing.
Rostad had two rushing touchdowns of his own. The first one was a two-yard push in the second quarter. The second was a 10-yard dash in the third quarter. Rostad finished the day with 17 carries and 66 yards.
The Hamilton air game was working well too. In addition to his pass to Golden, Rostad also had two passes to the state’s leading receiver, Cam Rothie. The first was a 76-yard pass to Rothie in the second quarter. The second scoring pass to Rothie was in the third quarter when he caught a 15-yard pass for the score. That touchdown was set up by a Tyler Barnes interception. Rothie is leading the state in receiving yards, and the junior quarterback, Rostad, is leading in passing.
Columbia Falls scored twice in the final minutes of the game but it was not enough.
Hamilton will now go up against the Billings Central Rams for the championship. The Rams are also undefeated with an 11-0 record. They defeated Laurel, 28-7, to advance to the championship. Last year in the semi finals, Hamilton downed Billings Central, 35-28.
Hamilton High School will be hosting the State Championship football game on Saturday, November 17th at 1 p.m.
If you want to get a pre-sale ticket before Saturday, you can purchase them at the Hamilton High School office. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $6 for students.
Prices are set by the Montana High School Association. Season passes or other tickets are not valid for playoff games.