Prep football: Madison holds off Hillcrest after another strong first half

REXBURG – Another strong first half, another win for the Madison Bobcats.

Madison improved to 2-0 with a 41-24 win over Hillcrest Friday night, setting the tone early with a 28-0 lead.

Hillcrest, playing in its season opener, challenged in the second half, but the early deficit combined with turnovers proved too much to overcome.

“We’re obviously disappointed how we played in the first half,” Hillcrest coach Brennon Mossholder said. “To turn it over three times in the half is not what we’re looking for. … “The second half, we were more balanced and were able to run the ball a little bit.”

Madison took advantage of an interception by Bryce Dredge on Hillcrest’s second series and turned it into points on a 37-yard sprint down the left sideline by Barkley Beck.

Porter Cottle picked off a pass in the second quarter and ran it back 21 yards to put the Bobcats up 14-0.
They added two scores in the last three minutes of the half.

Hillcrest finally got on the board when Rylan Borgmann knocked through a 45-yard field goal with nine seconds left.

The Knights’ Tyson Sweetwood hit Markus Webster for a 24-yard touchdown to close the gap and Jace Judy’s touchdown catch with 3:18 left in the game pulled Hillcrest within 34-24, but the Knights would get no closer.

Madison’s Cache Summers scored with 41 seconds left for the final margin of victory.

“It’s important that we set the tone right from the beginning, physically,” Madison coach Chandler Rhoads said. “I thought we did that tonight. They’re a good team and they weren’t going to go away. … They gave us a run in the second half, but I loved the way we finished the game that last drive.”

Madison (2-0) host Middleton next Friday while Hillcrest (0-1) opens its new stadium against Bonneville Friday in the Civil War rivalry game.