by Thomas Spencer
Stampeding past the Miles City Cowboys, the Hamilton Broncs secured their spot this week and advanced to the semi-final round of the playoffs. The Broncs will take on the Lewistown Golden Eagles next week to decide which squad will advance to the state championship game.
The Bronc offense struck first with a 4-yard run from Tyson Rostad but failed to secure the point after. A couple minutes later, sophomore receiver Tyson Bauder found himself in the endzone after a Rostad pass. The Broncs secured their point after keeping the Cowboys scoreless in the first quarter.
Not long into the second the Cowboys found the endzone and connected with the point after, bringing the score to 13-7. This was the closest the game would be for the remainder.
Still establishing the run game, Rostad handed the ball to Tim Zohner to start the ensuing drive. Once Zohner found a seam and broke a couple of tackles, he was off to the races and found himself in the endzone for what was the first of five touchdowns for the senior running back.
After Zohner’s big run it was all Hamilton. The momentum began to shift and the offense really started to get into a groove. After a pivotal red zone interception by sophomore Taylor Searle, the Broncs offense set out to work from about the 20-yard line and then marched down for another score. A forced fumble and 33 unanswered points later took the game into halftime with a running clock.
Zohner made it to the endzone once more in the second half for the Broncs’ final score of the game. The final score was 52-13.
The significance of this victory over Miles City wasn’t lost on Rostad, “My sophomore year we went to Miles City and got pretty pounded and that was kind of in the back of my head” answered the senior quarterback after the game. Rostad was happy to get the win over Miles City who beat Hamilton in the semi-final round and went on to beat Laurel that year in the championship game. “Seeing how much hard work we all put in this has been the most enjoyable football season with everyone.”
Rostad reflected on the game, noting the team’s exceptional cohesiveness. “When someone fails we pick em’ back up, we don’t put each other down.” The senior leader continued his remarks, commenting on the positive atmosphere his head coach has created in the team. “I think coach Carver has done an amazing job this year and worked really well with all of us and we all really like being around each other and we’re just one big family.”
At the end of the interview the quarterback remarked on a crucially important point about the team. He noted how he and Coach Carver see the field similarly and trust each other when making decisions on the field. And he also mentioned how well-rounded the Broncs offense has been this year. “I mean we’ve got threats all over the field,” said Rostad. “If something’s not working we’ve got something else and it’s really hard to stop our offense.”
The Broncs will be put to the test next Saturday at 1 p.m. when they face #3 Lewistown. The game will be in Hamilton.