HELENA, Mont. — Carroll football is crossing a lot off its to-do list. 

Beat another ranked team: Check. 

Win rivalry game: Check. 

Send seniors out in style on Senior Day: Check. 

That checklist, of course, has a few more to-dos, but the Fighting Saints on Saturday handled the most immediate matter, downing No. 17-ranked Montana Tech 30-19 in front of 3,062 fans in Nelson Stadium. 

It's the Saints' third win over a Top 25 team this season

"Everybody responded," Saints coach Troy Purcell said. "Everybody played off each other. Offense with defense. Defense with offense. Special teams made plays. Those kids are excited and they deserve it. I'm proud of them and their accomplishments."

It was a game that required the Saints' rush defense to take away Tech's top threat, Blake Counts, while also scrambling to find a way to limit explosive wide receiver Trevor Hoffman. 

All the while, the Saints showed that Tech's top-ranked defense had not yet seen the likes of the Saints' explosive offense — at least not this season anyway. 

The Orediggers need few reminders of how explosive Carroll can be. 

Shane Sipes, the Tech Torturer from a season ago when he tied the Carroll College single-game receiving touchdowns record, gave the Orediggers a taste on the very first play from scrimmage, hauling in a 63-yard catch that signaled a big day to come.

"It's always big to hit a big shot the first play to get some momentum going for us," Sipes said. "That's why we do it." 

The Orediggers did stiffen afterward, forcing the Saints into a field-goal attempt that, after a bobbled snap, led to zero points on the opening possession. 

It mattered little, though. 

The two sides would buckle their defensive chin straps through the first quarter, until it was the Saints who powered downfield and lined up in a heavy formation. After quarterback Devan Bridgewater sold a handoff, senior tight end Sam Stratton ran off the line unimposed and caught his first career touchdown, a two-yard catch to give the Saints a 7-0 lead. 



"Strat Cat is a big ol' target," Purcell said. "It's pretty special on Senior Day. To see the smiles and the families and everybody. That's the fun part. I bet the kids are more excited Strat got a touchdown than Strat, you know?" 

Hoffman made a 49-yard catch to give the Orediggers some life on their next drive, but when it stalled out, the Orediggers missed a field goal. 

A few possessions later, the Orediggers again used a big play by Hoffman to get into the Saints' side of the field. This time, however, Jet Campbell kept the ball and scored from nine yards out. 

Just as it looked like the Orediggers would tie the game up, Garrett Kocab came rumbling through to disrupt the PAT attempt. 

"Kocab is the man, man," Purcell said. "Great block by Kocab. Game changer. That's huge. He does a great job. He always has that smile on his face unless he's mad at somebody. I'm very, very proud of him and the scheme. That's just a want-to there. He just wanted it there and he went and got it." 

Kocab got a mitt on the ball and senior cornerback Isazah King scooped the blocked PAT and went about 90 yards to score a defensive two-points, pushing the Saints up 9-6. 

"You have to go full speed," Kocab said. "I have to give it to Cole Greff for pulling those guys out of there. Without him, I don't know if I could block those." 


The momentum didn't stop there. Four plays later, Bridgewater hooked up with Sipes, who scored a 44-yard touchdown to give the Saints complete control, for the time being, 16-6. 

"It means a lot to me," Sipes said. "It means a lot to Carroll. You come here and you know about the rivalry as soon as you step on campus. To beat Tech two years in a row is big. To go out on a win with these seniors is even bigger. I love all these guys and I'm happy we got the W." 

Carroll took that lead into halftime. 

Tech started the second half showing a little more desperation. After the Saints held Tyler Folkes to zero yards on a third-and-one, MTT rolled the dice and went for it on fourth down. Kocab and Cole Greff — the two who terrorized Tech's PAT -- swallowed up Counts to force the turnover on downs. 

A quick three-and-out, though, left the Saints to rely once again on its defense, but this time Tech found a way. 

The Orediggers used a 17-play drive, capped off by a fourth-and-one rush from the one-yard line by Counts to get the Orediggers back within three, 16-13. 

With the offense looking to get back in rhythm, the Orediggers played spoilers. Teddy Croft picked off Bridgwater and put MTT back in business. 

Campbell found Hoffman for a touchdown pass and gave the Orediggers a 19-16 lead after a missed PAT. 

The Saints responded with a Matt Burgess one-yard touchdown run to reclaim the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, 23-19. 

With the lead in hand, Greff and Kocab flexed their muscles on defense again. Kocab bottled up Counts, tackling him for a two-yard loss on first down. Then, Greff sacked Campbell on third down to force the Orediggers into a three-and-out. 

The huge defensive stand didn't last long, though, as the Saints fumbled the ensuing punt. 

So, the defense went back to work. 

The Saints forced the Orediggers into another fourth-and-one, and this time Brian FauntLeRoy and Chase Bowen held all 225 pounds of Counts to a zero-yard gain. 

The defense stood tall once again. 

This time, the offense rewarded the D, and put the game out of hand. After a short drive, Bridgewater hit Burgess for a seven-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 30-19 lead. 

The Saints forced two more fourth-down turnovers of Montana Tech to ice the game. Tech went 1-for-5 on fourth down attempts and 3-for-14 on third down. 


The Saints held the Orediggers to 102 yards rushing, far below its 209-yard average.

"Their running back is a big guy," Kocab said. "He's a little tough to bring down but we did it." 

When Tech found its yards, they came in clumps. The Saints only allowed the Orediggers to have the ball 27:42 minutes, signaling the Saints defense got off the field when it needed to. 

"Coach Pat Haynes and the staff and (coach Randy) Bandelow and the boys did a great job game-planning," Purcell said. 

It was the Saints' fourth consecutive win and guaranteed Carroll its first winning season since 2014.

Next week, the Saints polish off the regular season in La Grande, Oregon, against Eastern Oregon (3-7).