MALTA — Under the Friday-night lights, Malta senior wide receiver Dawson Hammond has been a leader for the Mustangs — and is a recent commit to play college football for the Montana Grizzlies.
But just beyond the end zone, his younger step brother can often be found running his own plays.
Nine-year-old Chet Prestwich spends most game nights on the sideline with his friends, tossing the football and mimicking every move his big brother makes.
“I want to be just like him,” Chet said. “I bet I’m going to rock No. 2. I’d be just like him.”
WATCH: Dawson Hammond and stepbrother Chet Prestwich share bond
For Chet, football isn’t just a game — it’s part of a bond that helped shape his family. When he was 2 years old, Chet lost his father Dusty Prestwich to suicide.
Prestwich was an army veteran who served his country overseas but returned home with struggles he couldn’t overcome.
Some time later, Chet’s mother, Carly Prestwich, met Nate Hammond, Dawson’s father. Carly is the track and cross country coach at Whitewater High School and Nate coaches girls basketball at Malta.
The two families, which included Dawson’s younger sister Hadley, came together and built a new home filled with love and support. Carly and Nate welcomed daughter Nora to the blended family in 2021.
But Dawson and Chet became buddies in short order.
“They just have a really good relationship,” Carly said. “Dawson is such a good influence on him. He’s such a great role model. Ever since he met him.”
Dawson said that connection was immediate.
“From pretty early on, he was just a brother to me,” he said. “He’s had some hard things happen that a lot of grown people couldn’t handle, but he’s a great kid. I hope I had something to do with that.”
Their relationship was captured in one unforgettable moment — a playoff touchdown in 2024 against Florence when Dawson pointed toward the end zone, right at Chet.
“I caught that touchdown pass, and I’m running right towards all those kids, and he’s just standing there watching,” Dawson said. “And that’s when I kind of realized, like, he knows what’s going on. And this is special for him. And he pointed at me. And so I pointed at him.”
Chet remembers it vividly.
“He scores. He points at me and that … I just remember looking at him,” he said. "It was cool."
For their mother, it was a moment captured on video that summed up everything their family has become.
“When that happened, I just started bawling,” Carly said. “I’m so thankful for that kid every day.”
Chet says the feeling is mutual.
“When I was 3, I came into his life,” he said. “And ever since then, it’s just been good. He’s a great brother.”
As Dawson prepares to join the Grizzlies next fall, he said he already plans to come back home to watch Chet play someday.
“He’s in fourth grade now, about to start middle school sports,” Dawson said. “I’ll be coming home to watch him play football games. I’m thankful for him — I love him to death.”
For the brothers, it’s clear that family isn’t defined by last names — but by an undeniable bond that means the world to both of them.
“He’s a big chunk of my life,” Chet said. “He’s really good brother.”
Big brother, little brother. Different paths, same family.
