HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Football team picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, beating Rocky Mountain College 16-13 on a picture-perfect afternoon at Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.

At the end of the day, the Fighting Saints (1-1, 1-0) know that the only thing that matters is the score when the clock hits 0:00. It doesn't always have to be pretty, but wins are wins and Carroll picked up their first of the season over the Battlin' Bears this afternoon, 16-13.

The first half of Saturday's tilt in Helena played out much like last season's matchup in Billings, with the benefactors swapped.

Rocky won the toss, electing to defer until the second half and Carroll would take the ball to kick things off.

On the first play from scrimmage, Xzavier Ford (Glendora, Calif. / JR), fresh off a 151 yard performance a week ago, went down with an injury. Ford would not re-enter the game.

The next man up mentality fits the Saints well, and a trio of backs made their marks in Ford's absence.

Carroll's first drive would eventually fizzle-out, and Spencer Berger (Billings, Mont. / JR) would pin Rocky deep inside their own territory to start their first drive.

Rocky went backwards on two of their three first plays, with Hunter Peck (Windsor, Colo. / SR) and Cameron Pruitt (Boise, Idaho / R-SR) each grabbing sacks to force a quick Bears punt.

A 12-play, 56 yard drive would sputter inside the 10 yard line, and Berger would put Carroll on top with a 25-yard field goal from the right hash to give Carroll a 3-0 lead.

Again, the Saints defense would flex their muscle on the ensuing possession. After forcing a three-and-out, Henry Gross (Helena, Mont. / R-FR) blew up the Rocky punt attempt, setting up the offense in plus-territory with a short field ahead.

Jack Prka (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / SR) picked up 20 yards on the ground to start the drive, and Max Lehman (Meridian, Idaho / R-JR) punched in his second touchdown run of the season from three yards out to put the Saints in front 10-0 heading into the second quarter.

Berger would knock down a 44-yard field goal on the next Carroll drive to extend the Saints' lead to 13-0, but his third attempt of the game on the following Carroll possession would slide left, and Carroll would head into the break with a 13-0 advantage.

The first half stats were staggeringly in favor of the Saints. Carroll had 213 yards of offense in the opening two quarters, while the defense smothered the Bears, who totaled just nine yards in the first 30 minutes.

Rocky found their first sustained drive of the game midway into the third quarter, and with it, their first points of the game. The Bears capped a 12-play, 43 yard drive with an Austin Drake field goal to make things 13-3 in favor of Carroll.

After forcing a punt, the Rocky offense would put together the longest drive of the game on their next possession. The Bears strung together a 16-play, 81-yard drive, spanning nearly seven minutes of game time, but the Carroll defense would stand tall in the red zone. Rocky was forced to trot out Drake for another field goal attempt, and he connected from 20 yards to bring the Bears within one score, 13-6.

Rocky forced a quick three-and-out, and then went on the attack again. Graedyn Buell connected with Joseph Dwyer in the back corner of the end zone from 23 yards out on a third-and-two to tie the game with just 3:30 left at 13-13.

Lincoln Holmes (St. George, Utah / R-FR) made perhaps the catch of the season on Carroll's response drive. The redshirt freshman laid-out, grabbing a pass near the visitor sideline to move the Saints into the red zone, setting up a in instant scoring opportunity. With 1:35 left in the game, Berger made his third field goal of the game, this time from 21 yards out, to give the Saints a 16-13 lead.

Rocky would have one last chance to drive the field, but Gunner Giulio (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / R-SO) came away with a game-sealing interception, shutting down the Bears' last gasp and securing the first win of the year.

Carson Ochoa (Yorba Linda, Calif. / R-JR) didn't appear in the scoring column, but he was as big a factor as any player on the field. The All-Frontier tight end finished his day with seven catches for 98 yards, shades of his 132 yard performance in last season's comeback win in Billings.

Prka was as steady as ever, leading the Saints in both passing and rushing on the day. The senior went 16-24 for 191 yards, while also using his legs to pick up 77 yards on the ground. 

Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / FR) finished with 52 yards on 13 carries, while also seeing a would-be 45-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty in the first half.

Defensively, Hunter Peck was a menace. The senior captain led the team with six tackles, including four TFL and one sack.

Rocky's Graedyn Buell finished his afternoon 13-28 for 121 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Bears quarterback was also the leading rusher for his team, finishing with 56 yards on the ground.

The win was the first on the new Valley Bank Field artificial turf, and was of significance for Head Coach Troy Purcell as it marked win No. 200 in his career, spanning both the high school and collegiate ranks.

The Saints will now shift focus towards a 2 p.m. homecoming game against Simpson (Calif.) next Saturday in Helena. Simpson, the future Frontier member in its first year sponsoring football, is 0-2 on the year and without a score.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.

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