The Hamilton Broncs looked strong as they took a 34-7 non-conference win from Salmon, Idaho, on Friday night. Hamilton jumped out to an early lead when Bret Huxtable hit Bridger Bauder from 30 yards out for the touchdown. Daveonte Gardner kicked the extra point and the Broncs were off and running. Hamilton scored twice in the second quarter. Alex Draper plunged through from five yards out for six points and then Bauder raced 17 yards for the score. The Gardner kick was good on that touchdown.
In the third quarter, Draper had a 10-yard run and Gardner converted. The final score was once again the Bauder/Huxtable hook up. Huxtable hit Bauder from their own 20-yard line for the score.
Hamilton returns a strong core of offensive players with Huxtable at the helm. The 6’1”, 190-pound senior started as quarterback last year and saw limited time as a sophomore. He has a strong arm and can move out of the pocket if needed. Although Bauder is only a sophomore, he plays strong and is very competitive. Draper is a workhorse on offense, powering his way past defenders on the run. He can make the catch and run the routes to make something happen. Kade Hudgins, another senior, is a wide receiver that will get a lot of looks from Huxtable this season. Jonathan Ringer, Christian Ellis and Josh Tripplet round out the seniors for the Broncs.
Jaylen Taggart, a 6’2, 225 pound lineman is strong and saw quite a bit of time last year. Another lineman who played a lot of minutes last year was Riley Presswood, a 6’2”, 220-pound junior. Brendon Brown and Jose Menjivar both weigh in at 260 pounds, the heaviest on the team. Both are linemen as well.
The Stevensville Yellowjackets put up 24 points in the first quarter and then scored an additional touchdown in each successive quarter to topple Park County, 48-22. No other details were available.
The rest of the valley’s football teams didn’t play on Friday due to the smoke. Some of the games were rescheduled for Monday night but those results were not available at press time.