HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College topped No. 6 College of Idaho 28-19 on Saturday at Nelson Stadium to win the Frontier Conference, earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The Yotes (3-1) will now look ahead to Sunday night at 5 p.m. MT to see if they will be selected as one of the four at-large bids to the postseason. The selection show will air on the PlayNAIA Facebook page.
Early on, the Yotes jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a
Stan Mulderij 22-yard field goal which capped off a 13-play, 64-yard drive that spanned over six minutes to start the game.
Carroll (3-1) responded with a sustained drive on the following possession, going 75 yards on 11 plays and using a Matthew Burgess 4-yard touchdown run to go ahead 7-3.
Following a pair of three and outs by both offenses to end the first quarter, C of I put together a drive to get into the red zone at the 17-yard-line. Facing a third down situation, the Yotes went to the air and were intercepted by Micah Ans in the end zone to end the threat.
The Fighting Saints were not able to capitalize on the momentum shift, instead being forced into a three and out by the C of I defense.
A quick drive of just over three minutes ensued for the Yotes, with
Connor Richardson carrying in a two-yard run to put the visitors on top 10-7 with 6:40 remaining in the second.
Using a balanced effort with five passes and four runs, Carroll jumped right back on top on a two-yard touchdown run by Matthew Burgess on the next drive with 2:12 left before the half.
The score remained 14-10 Carroll entering the break.
C of I scored first to start the second half on Mulderij's second field goal of the day, a 36-yarder. The Fighting Saints led 14-13 with 8:59 left in the third.
Unfortunately for the Yotes, Carroll responded once again, this time rattling off 14 unanswered points. Duncan Kraft had a 60-yard touchdown run with 5:35 on the clock in the third and Logan Gilliard hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Devan Bridgewater with 6:24 remaining in the game, making it 28-13.
The Yotes tallied one final score on a
Nick Calzaretta two-yard run with 3:25 left.
Cameron Simons would miss the point after attempt though, keeping the game as a two-score contest at 28-19, which would end up being the final.
On the day, C of I outgained Carroll 381-362.
Quarterback
Ryan Hibbs went 19-for-39 via the air for 260 yards. An aggressive defense from the Fighting Saints forced three interceptions while racking up six sacks.
Calzaretta had 79 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while
Allamar Alexander had 58 yards on six rushes.
Hunter Juarez led the receivers with eight catches for 108 yards.
Defensively, three players contributed double-digit tackles, including
Dylan Martinez (14),
Hayden Ruiz-Dondero (11) and
Taeson Hardin (10).
Burgess led Carroll with 170 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.
