MISSOULA – You couldn’t script a better start to the season for Missoula Sentinel. The Spartans had everything working to near perfection in a 52-7 win over Billings Skyview, and the KPAX Athlete of the Week found himself in the right spot over and over.
Free safety Brendon Hill grabbed three interceptions versus the Falcons. He almost took the second one back for a touchdown himself, but Sentinel did score on the ensuing drive after each pick.
Hill didn’t spend as much time on football this summer as some of his teammates. Instead he was becoming a star pitcher and center fielder for the Missoula Mavericks. Hill said it felt like the ball kept coming right to him on Friday, but he also knows baseball might have played a part.
“There’s things in every sport that help you, and they correlate all together,” said Hill. “I play center field and I pitch, so doing little things like tracking balls in the outfield and everything like that kind of helps with being able to track footballs in the air in a way.”
“I love kids who compete,” said head coach Dane Oliver. “And he did that throughout the summer, and I think that shows the moment is not too big for him. So he didn’t get a ton of reps throughout the summer, but he was in competitive situations.”
The Spartans also had big games from some of their offensive stars. Quarterback Rylan Ortt went 13 for 16 passing without turning the ball over, and running back Elias DeWaters scored a trio of touchdowns.
Sentinel will play in a great atmosphere this Friday night. Sentinel meets rival Missoula Big Sky for the first crosstown clash of the season. You can watch that matchup on the KPAX Prep Game of the Week after the 10:00 News Saturday night.
