by Scott Sacry
Hamilton 23 Columbia Falls 7
Hamilton, 406mtsports.com’s No.1 Class A team, traveled north and defeated No. 5 Columbia Falls 23-7 on a cold and rainy night on Friday, October 21st. The win came despite the loss of starting QB Tyson Bauder, who left the game with an injury early in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return. “He just got dinged up a bit, but he will be ready to go for the playoffs,” said Hamilton’s head coach Bryce Carver. Hamilton adjusted by moving TE Lucas Lant to QB and WR Liam O’Connell to RB, and predominantly running an inverted wishbone/option style running attack. In fact, a big 32-yard pass from Lant to WR Taylor Searle was Hamilton’s only pass completion of the game. O’Connell rushed for 105 yards and one TD and Lant rushed for 67 yards and two TDs. “We had this formation already in place for certain situations and we decided to go with it. The kids did a great job executing it,” said Carver. Hamilton’s offensive and defensive lines controlled the game and deserve immense credit for the win. In the end, Hamilton’s defense was the difference as they held Columbia Falls to 129 yards of total offense and only 7 points. “We have a lot of experience on defense,” said Carver. “Because of this we can do some complex schemes. This experience gives the guys the confidence to play free. It’s quite special to watch.”
With the win, Hamilton secured a #1 seed in the Class A playoffs. Hamilton (9-0) will get a first round bye, then they will host the highest remaining seed the following weekend.
Florence 35 Loyola 12
The No. 3 406mtsports.com ranked Falcons took care of business on Friday, October 21st in Missoula against Missoula Loyola, winning 35-12 and securing their spot in the upcoming Class B playoffs. Offensively, Florence’s WR William Wagner caught two TD passes and QB Patrick Duchien threw for three TDs and rushed for 91 yards and one TD. On defense, Colten Rice had 10 tackles and Ethan Alexander had six tackles and two sacks. The 16-team Class B playoffs start on Saturday, October 29th. The Falcons (7-2) are the #2 seed out of the West and will play Whitehall, the #3 seed out of the south, in Florence at 1 p.m.
Corvallis 42 Libby 52
Corvallis’s playoff hopes were dashed on Friday, October 21st in Libby with a 42-52 loss. After losing their first three games, Corvallis won four straight. A win at Libby would have sent them to the playoffs, but they came up short. Corvallis QB Ayden Mayn had a monster game, throwing for 409 yards and six TDs, which are both school records. Receivers Trey Joseph and Gideon Boswell each had two TDs, while Solomon Morgan and Tyler Weis each had one. Linebacker Levi Reynoso had a whopping 22 total tackles in the game. Corvallis’s Head Coach Josh McCrossin said, “I’m super proud of our players this season, I’m grateful for our seniors that helped establish some consistency, and I look forward to what’s ahead for Corvallis Football!”
Stevensville 34 Butte Central 21
Stevensville’s senior RB/LB Kellan Beller ended his high school football career with a bang on Friday, October 21st in Stevensville’s 34-21 victory over Butte Central. Beller rushed for 209 yards on 33 carries and scored four TDs on offense and led the team with 11 tackles and two sacks on defense. Stevensville trailed 6-21 in the second quarter and rallied with 28 straight points to get their second victory on the season and end the year on a high note.
Darby 82 Plains 34
Darby ended their season with a bang on Wednesday, October 19th, scoring 82 points against Plains. Darby ended the season 3-5.
Victor 48 Valley Christian 22
The Victor Pirates ended the season in impressive fashion, beating Valley Christian 48-22 in Missoula on Saturday, October 21st. Victor finished their season with three straight wins and finished 3-5.