HELENA — No. 14 Carroll College is on to the NAIA Football Championship Series second round — against a familiar foe — after picking up its first playoff win since 2014 on Saturday at Nelson Stadium.
The Fighting Saints fended off a late comeback attempt from visiting No. 17 St. Thomas (Fla.), recovering an onside kick in the game's final seconds to secure a 42-35 victory.
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Carroll jumped out to a 7-0 first quarter lead on a 12-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Kaden Huot to tight end Carson Ochoa. The drive was set up by a Caden Hansen interception at the Bobcats' 30-yard line.
Midway through the second quarter, a seven-play, 52-yard Carroll drive gave the Saints a 14-3 lead. The drive culminated in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Huot to wideout Lincoln Holmes.
The touchdown pass was Huot's 30th of the season, officially making him the second quarterback in Carroll history to pass the single-season mark.
But the St. Thomas offense would come alive in the final three minutes of the first half.
First, Bobcats quarterback Keely Watson connected with Jaden Fox-Harrington for a 51-yard touchdown along his own sideline. Then with 11 seconds remaining in the half, Watson ran in the QB keeper from 10 yards out to put the Bobcats up 17-14.
But Carroll would seize back the momentum before half. Carroll's Connor Sullivan returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the opposing 35-yard line. With one second remaining, Huot took a snap, threw up a jump ball into the end zone — and the ball deflected into the hands of wideout Chris Akulschin.
So the Saints led 21-17 at the break and would never trail again. Carroll led by as many as 17 in the second half.
Next up for the Saints is a road date with Frontier Conference rival and No. 3 ranked Montana Tech next Saturday. Tech defeated Carroll 30-19 when the two teams met in Helena during Week 2 of the regular season.
