Hamilton Broncs Steamroll into Football Playoffs

The Hamilton Broncs decisively won the Western Class A football division with a 55 to 20 thumping of the Columbia Falls Wildcats Friday at the Hamilton High Athletic Complex. Hamilton earns a "bye" in the Class A State Playoffs and will host their first post-season game in two weeks.

The first quarter was an evenly matched battle that sports fans were expecting, with both Columbia Falls and Hamilton defensive squads stopping the initial offensive drives. Then, Bronc Tim Zohner scored on a run and Tyler Jones kicked the point after for 7 points. A good runback for the Wildcats on the kickoff led to a Cody Schweikert-engineered touchdown for Columbia Falls, but the PAT was blocked. Hamilton led 7 to 6.

That got the offensive teams going with Hamilton scoring first - Tim Zohner again and a successful PAT, followed by a long pass to Matt Rosen of Columbia Falls with a good PAT. Hamilton scored again and led 21 to 13 as the second quarter began.

The second period decided the game. Hamilton scored five times, making the PAT each time, while Columbia Falls had trouble with Hamilton's defense. The Broncs sacked Schweikert four times in the quarter and kept the Wildcats from scoring any points. In that quarter for the Broncs, Andrew Fredrick scored, quarterback Tyson Rostad scored, Liam O'Connell scored, Tim Zohner scored and Eli Taylor scored. At the half, Hamilton led 48-13 and the Montana High School Association "mercy rule" came into effect, with the clock continuing to run except for injuries and time-outs.

Hamilton scored one more time in the third quarter on a run by Tyson Bauder. And, with a minute left in the game, Columbia Falls scored when Jace Duval got across the goal line and Mark Robson kicked the extra point. The final score - Hamilton 55 to Columbia Falls 20.

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Hamilton gets a week off, but will start the tough Class A Playoff series in November. KLYQ will carry the play-by-play on 1240 AM Radio, at www.klyq.com and on that free cellphone app.

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