It was a beautiful day for football for the Hamilton Broncs. Not only was it their first playoff game in their chase for the state championship but they also got to play on the brand new field located just south of the high school. With a near capacity crowd, about 1500 people, cheering them on, the Broncs rolled over Miles City, 53-20.
After stopping Miles City on their first drive of the game, Hamilton took over on the Cowboys’ 37-yard line. Michael Golden took the majority of the handoffs in this drive with runs of three, five and then a 10-yard run to the end zone for the score at 7:37. Clay Keller kicked the PAT.
Hamilton allowed Miles City only one down series before forcing them to punt. And then the Bronc offensive machine started moving again. First was a Carson Rostad pass to Cam Rothie, then another Golden run, this time for 11 yards. Tyler Barnes pushed through for another first down and then Rostad called his own number and pushed through from four yards out for the score. The PAT was blocked. Only three minutes had passed from the first touchdown.
“We knew they would be tough,” said Carson Rostad, who is a junior. “But we’re physical, too.”
The Miles City team matched up pretty well against the Broncs with the D-line being very physical and fast. However, Hamilton’s speed in the back field kept the Cowboys from gaining any momentum. Miles City had to punt again and give Hamilton the ball once more in the first quarter. With 55 seconds remaining in the quarter, Rostad completed a 17-yard pass Tucker Jones. As the buzzer sounded, ending the first quarter, Hamilton was up, 19-0.
Hamilton scored twice in the second quarter. Rostad hit Rothie from 59 yards out for the score. Once again, the two-point conversion failed. The Broncs’ second score of the quarter was another Golden rush, this time from two yards out. Golden finished the game with 128 yards on 21 carries.
“Miles City is a very physical team, a true eastern team,” said Hamilton coach Bryce Carver.
Even though the Broncs had a lead, Miles City never let up. Quarterback Carson Hunter completed 21 of 32 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jess Bellows had nine receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Those TDs were a three-yard pass in the third quarter and a 15-yard scoring pass with three minutes left in the game.
Miles City scored with 12 seconds remaining in the first half when Tristan Hirsch pushed through the Bronc line for the score. The two-point conversion by Aiden Barrows was good and the score was 31-8.
In the second half, Rostad connected with Rothie for a 27-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion pass from Rostad to Rothie was good as well. The second touchdown of the quarter was made on the back of Landon Duce. Duce had three carries of seven, two, and eight yards to set up a touchdown by Rostad who pushed through behind Tyler Barnes and Duce from nine yards out. The two-point conversion by Duce was good.
Rostad completed a seven-yard pass to Brock Jones for the final Bronc score of the game. Rostad completed 19 of 25 passes for 272 yards. Rothie collected nine passes for 162 yards. Hamilton took over for their final possession when Brendon Nelson intercepted a Miles City pass.
Rothie, who is listed as 5’8” and 145 pounds, said he tries to create space when he’s catching. “I have to get past the big linemen and then I can create the space.”
He went on to say, “We’ll celebrate today and tomorrow and then get back to business on Monday. It was great to get the first win on this field and in front of the biggest crowd.”
“Our kids play with such heart,” said Carver. “Golden is tough even though he’s not the biggest kid out there. They all have big hearts. And to get a win in front of a big crowd like this, it’s great.”
Hamilton will play Columbia Falls in Columbia Falls in the semi-finals. That game will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 10.