by Scott Sacry, Sports Editor
Falcons rough up Rams
The Florence Falcons football team, #6 in the latest 406mtsports.com rankings, hosted rival Missoula Loyola on Friday, October 24 and routed the Rams 42-6. The win was Florence’s fifth in a row, and the Falcons are the #1 seed from the West heading into the Class B state playoffs (see playoff preview).
October 24th was senior night for the Falcons, and the seniors shined.
Florence senior Brody Duchein continues to impress, as the wide receiver turned quarterback had his best game of the season, completing 18 of 24 passes for a whopping 383 yards and four touchdowns.
Florence senior wide receiver Levi Winters had a monster game with five receptions for 185 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown reception and a 55-yard touchdown reception.
Also for Florence, senior Chase Wagner had seven catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and seniors Chase Mattix and Bridger Alexander each had rushing touchdowns. Alexander also led the defense with 15 total tackles.
Florence’s defense continues to stymie opponents – they held Loyola to only one touchdown and 266 yards of total offense.
Florence hosts Conrad in the first round of the Class B state playoffs on Friday, October 31 at 7 p.m.
Broncs beat Blue Devils
Two Bitterroot Valley football foes clashed in Hamilton on Friday, October 24, as the Broncs of Hamilton, ranked #5 in the latest 406mtsports.com poll, hosted the Blue Devils of Corvallis.
The game was spirited and hard hitting, and Hamilton held a slight 6-3 lead after the first quarter, but from then on it was all Broncs, as Hamilton scored 47 unanswered points to win 53-3.
Hamilton QB Cooper Weston completed 13 of 20 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Hamilton wide receiver Jackson Lubke had four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Hamilton running back Jude Widmer had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Hamilton’s Brandon Saltzman and Everett Stumpf each had rushing touchdowns, and Hamilton’s Kaeden Gum and Luke McCarthy each had receiving touchdowns.
Hamilton’s defense continued to impress, as the Broncs held Corvallis to only three points and 57 yards of total offense.
Ayden Spencer led Corvallis with 35 yards rushing and 18 yards receiving. Of defense for Corvallis, Marshall Jessop led with 9 total tackles.
Corvallis ends the 2025 season with a 1-7 record. The Blue Devils have a solid core of young players and look poised to come back stronger next season.
Hamilton is 7-1 on the season and rolls into the Class A state playoffs as the #2 seed from the Southwest (see playoff preview). The Broncs host Bigfork on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
Darby dominates St. Ignatius
The Darby Tiger football team, #9 in the latest 406mtsports.com poll, hosted St. Ignatius on Friday, October 24. Darby came into the game tied with St. Regis and Superior for the #2 spot in the West conference, so the Tigers needed to win to ensure a playoff berth.
Darby left little doubt that they were one of the top teams in the state as they dominated a tough St. Ignatius team and won 64-14. The win propels Darby into the 8-Player State playoffs, where they face Ennis on Saturday, November 1 in the opening round (see playoff preview).
Darby finished the regular season with a 7-2 record
“All the guys are feeling super confident,” said Darby head coach John Steiner. “We just keep getting better each week and as coaches we are really finding what works and what we do well on offense and defense.”
Darby’s all-everything senior quarterback McCoy Townsend led the way with 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Townsend also threw a touchdown pass. Darby’s Jordan Browning caught three passes for 60 yards with a touchdown, and Browning also ran for 36 yards and a touchdown. Also for Darby, Abe Atkins had a touchdown pass, Eli Jones had a rushing touchdown, and Gavin Anderson had a receiving touchdown.
Stevensville falls to Frenchtown
The Stevensville football team hosted #3 Frenchtown on Friday, October 24 in their final game of the season. The ‘Jackets fought hard but didn’t have the depth to compete with the high-powered Broncs and lost 8-49.
Stevensville finished the season with a 1-8 record, and, although the overall record didn’t reflect it, the team showed overall improvement this season and there are signs of optimism moving forward for the football program under new head coach Jack Zilla.
Victor loses to Superior
The Victor football team hosted Superior on Friday, October 24 in their last game of the 2025 season. The Pirates worked hard but fell behind 0-29 after the first quarter and 0-42 at halftime and weren’t able to rally against the visiting Bobcats and lost 0-42.
Victor finished the season with a 2-7 record and hopes to rebuild in the offseason to come back stronger next year.