CHICAGO — Carson Rostad is quickly adding his name to the Montana record books.
Hamilton’s 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback was named Montana’s Gatorade football player of the year on Thursday, capping off a tremendous junior season with the Broncs. Rostad passed for 2,794 yards and 43 touchdowns this past season, helping Hamilton to its second consecutive appearance in the Class A state championship game. The Broncs lost to Billings Central 28-21 in the final to finish their season with a 12-1 record.
Rostad completed 223 of 358 passes with just six interceptions this season. He added 694 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 100 carries. He’s a two-time first-team all-state selection and has thrice earned all-conference honors. Rostad already owns the Class A record for career touchdowns passes with 104, according to Class A stat historian Brian A. Reed, breaking the mark previously held by Dane Warp of Havre.
“Rostad is an incredible player,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said in a Gatorade release. “He’s both a passing threat and a running threat, and he demonstrated himself to be a great leader, too. He was by far the most influential player in our part of the state.”
Rostad, who maintains a 4.0 grade-point average, has volunteered locally on behalf of special needs students, according to the release.
Rostad is the first player from Hamilton to ever win the Gatorade award and the first Class A winner since Billings Central’s Casey McMillan won in 2007. He’s also the first junior to win the award since Great Falls CMR’s Andrew Grinde in 2014.
Class AA athletes had won the previous 10 Gatorade awards, with Billings Senior’s Gabe Sulser claiming the 2017 honor.
