Carroll loses QB rest of playoffs

HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College freshman quarterback Dane Broadhead is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in the first round of the NAIA playoffs, coach Mike Van Diest said.

Broadhead will have surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee, Van Diest said.

Freshman Matt Ritter finished the first-round game, a 35-18 win over Dickinson State, and is slated to start in the semifinals. Northwestern Oklahoma State forfeited Saturday’s quarterfinal game against the Saints after discovering that it had used three ineligible players in its past three games, including its first-round playoff win.

Ritter will be the third starting quarterback for the Saints this season. Junior Gary Wagner suffered a broken ankle in the second game of the season.

With Broadhead’s injury, Van Diest has been looking at Jon Von Eschen as backup quarterback. Von Eschen was the backup to Wagner during spring drills before having shoulder surgery.