by Scott Sacry
The Hamilton Broncs defeated Whitefish 34-20 in the second round of the Class A Playoffs on November 5th in Hamilton on a cold and blustery Saturday. Hamilton’s dominating running attack and stingy defense proved too much for a solid Whitefish squad.
Hamilton’s offensive line had an excellent performance, as the Bronc offense rushed for 358 yards in the game. Hamilton’s offensive line includes Luke Gannon, Aiden Alexander, Jacob Westberry, Derrick Saltzman, and Tyler Burrows. Hamilton’s RB Andrew Federick rushed for 154 yards and 2 TDs, while QB Tyson Bauder rushed for 137 yards and 3 TDs.
“We always want to be able to run the ball,” said Hamilton’s head coach Bryce Carver. “We’d like to have thrown it a little more, but because of the wind, we had to lean on our run game. Got to give a ton of credit to the guys up front.”
Hamilton built a 20-6 halftime lead, but Whitefish wouldn’t go away. Whitefish took the opening drive of the 3rd quarter the length of the field and scored, shrinking Hamilton’s lead to 20-13. Hamilton responded, driving down the field to the 9 yard line, but the drive stalled with a fumble. Then two plays later, Hamilton’s defense forced a Whitefish fumble and Hamilton got the ball back. Bauder then scored with 10 seconds left in the 3rd quarter on a 3-yard run to give Hamilton a 26-13 lead.
Strong winds were a factor most of the game. For the first three quarters it blew west to east, affecting both teams equally, but at the start of the 4th quarter it shifted to a south to north wind. So in the 4th quarter, Whitefish had the wind at their back on offense and Hamilton had the wind in their face on offense.
With the wind at their back, Whitefish scored on their first drive in the 4th quarter, tightening the game, 20-26. On Hamilton’s next possession, a high snap resulted in a 4th and 34 on their own 19-yard line, forcing a Hamilton punt. Bauder’s punt hung up in the wind and only made it to the 25 yard line. Whitefish got the ball with all the momentum, only down by six points, 25 yards from the endzone, and the wind at their back.
But Hamilton’s defense was up to the challenge, and on a big 4th and 10, Hamilton’s Taylor Searle made a first-down saving tackle to give Hamilton the ball back.
“That was definitely a huge play,” said Carver. “If they get that first down and go into score and make the PAT, then we’re down by one and it’s a whole different ball game.”
The offense then marched the length of the field, culminating in a 15-yard TD run by Frederick. A successful 2-point conversion increased Hamilton’s lead to 34-20, effectively icing the game.
With the win, Hamilton (10-0) advances into the Class A State Semifinal game, where they will host Billings Central (9-1) on Saturday, November 12th at either noon or 1 p.m. Billings Central defeated Dillon 24-20 in their quarterfinal game – a 7-17 loss to undefeated Lewistown is their only loss on the season. “They are a big, physical, talented team who runs the ball very well,” said Carver. “I have a lot of respect for their program and coaches. They will be ready to go, and so will we. It’ll be a good, hard fought football game.”