Bozeman rallies in second half to top CMR

The C.M. Russell High defense largely stymied one of the top offenses in Class AA for two full quarters Friday night.

In the third, Bozeman High broke the dam.

The Hawks (5-0 conference, 7-0 overall) ripped off three touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away for a 28-0 Eastern AA win over the Rustlers at Memorial Stadium.

Leading just 7-0 at the half following a fine CMR defensive performance in the first two frames, Bozeman took less than a minute to get back on the board as Brady Casagranda scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns from two yards out. Quaid Ash set up the score with a nifty snag for 35 yards on the previous play.

The Hawks took just six plays to score on their next possession, with Harley Bianchini plunging in from a yard out before Casagranda weaved his way up the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown run near the end of the third.

CMR head coach Dennis Morris said he was proud of the defensive effort against one of the favorites to take an AA state title this season.

“I’ll tell you what, Bozeman has a great defense, but you know who else has a great defense? CMR,” Morris said. “I think that’s as tough as anybody has played Bozeman High in the state, and that’s something we can build off of right there. Offensively speaking, they’re good and we tried about everything we could. (Quarterback Caleb Taylor’s) elbow is a little sore so it kind of limited us a little bit. Like we said before this, we’re climbing a hill and we’ve got to die trying. And that’s exactly what (CMR) did.”

Aside from a 23-yard Harrison scoring toss to Cordell Holzer in the first half, action was largely grinded to a halt for both offenses.

More: Keegan Fuller 'nothing but productive' for CMR football team

CMR turned it over twice on a fumble, a Holzer interception and a turnover on downs, but managed to chew up clock and keep the ball away from the Hawks.

The CMR defense came up with big plays in the second quarter, with Ben Hoiland laying out for an interception early in the second frame.

The Rustlers forced a Bozeman punt on a drive marred by two holding penalties, and took the clock under three minutes before also kicking it away.

Bozeman threatened down to the CMR 20 with under a minute to go in the half, but Nick Donester’s sack of Harrison turned the Hawks over on downs.

“Nick Donester had the game of his life tonight,” Morris said. “I’ll tell you, if you’re not recruiting Nick Donester, you better start now. But it was a combined effort. (Defensive end) Kaiden Clement had a great game, too. Those two defensive tackles (Donester and Clement) ate doubles all night long, and that’s what they’re supposed to do. And the linebackers filled well.”

Bozeman held the Rustlers to 131 yards of offense and only 38 on the ground, recovering one CMR fumble and intercepting two passes with the game still in hand.

“Those six that play in the box are super dominant,” Morris said of Bozeman’s front. “Then they man cover and they’ll make you beat them on the edges that way. Those six in the box come at you and come quick.”

Running back Keegan Fuller led CMR with 47 yards rushing and 44 receiving on three catches. Holzer paced the Hawks with six catches for 86 yards and the score, while Harrison completed 15-of-26 passes for 190 yards and a score to one pick.

The Rustlers (1-4, 3-4) face two more critical Eastern AA games in the regular season as they fight for a top-six spot in the conference and a playoff berth, starting at Billings Senior next Friday before a crosstown battle with Great Falls High the following week.

“So, our theme tonight is ‘You’re not going to have a diamond without a little pressure,’” Morris said. “You gotta be thankful for playing well through a loss like this because it’s not going to be as hard next week. But we’ve got to come back Monday with everything we’ve got. It’s the end of the season but I have confidence in our guys.”

Bozeman 28, CMR 0

Bozeman 7 0 21 0 - 28

CMR 0 0 0 0 - 0

First quarter

BOZEMAN - Cordell Holzer 23 pass from Kellen Harrison (Warner LeFeber kick) (8:59)

Third quarter

BOZEMAN - Brady Casagranda 2 run (LeFeber kick) (11:00)

BOZEMAN - Harley Bianchini 1 run (LeFeber kick) (6:25)

BOZEMAN - Casagranda 47 run (LeFeber kick) (0:35)

Photo provided courtesy of Matt Ehnes of Jared's Detours.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Bozeman rallies in second half to top CMR