Bucking the Broncs

Chris Cote and Vince DiGiallonardo lead Pirates to second

straight blowout

POLSON - Senior quarterback Vince DiGiallonardo sliced and diced the Hamilton Broncs for four touchdowns and fellow senior Chris Cote added two touchdown runs of his own as the Polson Pirates cruised to a 41-0 victory Friday night at Polson High School.

DiGiallonardo, who also caught one of three Hamilton interceptions, hit junior Will Davey in the end zone from 46 yards out one play after a 42-yard score was called back because of a penalty, to give the Pirates (2-0) an early 7-0 lead.

Polson struggled on their next series due to a barrage of penalties but came back strong, scoring on runs of 39 and three yards by Cote to give the Pirates a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.

"Once we quit with the penalties, I thought we really played well," head coach Scott Wilson said. "It's really hard to get any kind of rhythm going, especially offensively, when you make a great play and then you have to bring it back."

From there, DiGiallonardo took over on the ground, scampering in from 10 yards out after an interception by senior Paul McClurg and six yards out shortly before halftime, staking Polson to a 34-0 lead at the break.

DiGiallonardo finished the game with 14 carries for 127 yards while throwing for 110 yards on 5-of-6 passing.

"We took advantage of the turnovers we created, getting in for scores off those," said Wilson. "Once we got going, I really appreciated the intensity level."

A week after holding Belgrade High School to 88 total yards, the Pirate D was nearly as stingy, allowing just 147 yards over 47 plays in recording their second consecutive shutout win.

DiGiallonardo capped his night with a 33-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to complete the scoring for the night. In all, Polson rushed for 321 yards on 39 carries, with Cote accounting for 116 yards on just 16 carries.

Polson hosts Anaconda High School on Friday night at 7 p.m. before beginning conference play on Sept. 23.

Coach Wilson believes the Anaconda game is a chance for his team to iron out some wrinkles before then.

"The biggest thing is that this needs to be a game where we cut down on mistakes," Wilson said. "It's our last preseason game, then we get on to our conference schedule."

POLSON 41, HAMILTON 0

Hamilton - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

Polson - 21 - 13 - 7 - 0 - 41

SCORING SUMMARY

P - Will Davey 41 pass from Vince DiGiallonardo

(Justin Hoel kick)

P - Chris Cote 39 run (Hoel kick)

P - Cote 3 run (Hoel kick)

P - DiGiallonardo 10 run (kick failed)

P - DiGiallonardo 6 run (Brady Hislop kick)

P - DiGiallonardo 33 run (Hislop kick)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Chris Cote rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in Polson's second win of the season.

UP NEXT

Polson (2-0) at Anaconda (0-2).