Montana

Frontier Conference Football Roundup: College of Idaho, Montana Western, Rocky cruise

Published

1 year ago

September 3, 2023

Frontier Conference Football Roundup: College of Idaho, Montana Western, Rocky cruise

HELENA — The first full week of Frontier Conference football saw many teams’ non-conference schedules come to a close and the league’s two highest nationally-ranked programs pick up victories.

Here’s how this week’s games unfolded around the Frontier.

All games were non-conference contests

No. 12 College of Idaho 42, Southern Oregon 16

Wide receiver Jon Schofield scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and the Yotes wrapped up non-conference play with another resounding victory.

Redshirt junior wide receiver Brock Richardson caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Andy Peters threw for 212 yards and two scores.

Southern Oregon led C of I 6-0 through a quarter and a half, but an Isaiah Griffin 30-yard pick-six snatched the momentum as the Yotes scored 28 of the game’s final 38 points.

The Raiders started Missouri State transfer Matt Struck at quarterback, but he threw for just 95 yards.

Blake Asciutto found Jackson Clemmer for a 64-yard touchdown in the fourth, the Raiders’ only trip to the endzone of the game.

C of I amassed 342 yards of offense, including 130 on the ground.

After a second consecutive 25-plus point win, the Yotes open conference play on Saturday, against Montana Western, in Caldwell.

The Raiders host Willamette in two weeks.

College of Idaho’s Andy Peters (2) carries the ball during the Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears’ game against the College of Idaho Yotes at Rocky Mountain College in Billings on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.

MIKE CLARK, Billings Gazette

No. 15 Carroll College 21, No. 16 Montana Tech 19

Running backs Duncan Kraft, Baxter Tuggle, as well as quarterback Jack Prka, all scored touchdowns for the Saints in the 130th installment of the Carroll-Tech rivalry on Thursday night in Butte.

A failed two-point conversion with under five minutes to play was the difference in a game that was only briefly a multi-score affair.

Tech quarterback Blake Thelen threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, while running back Blake Counts racked up 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was his 39-yard score on 4th and 1 that presented Tech an opportunity to tie the game late.

Wyatt Alexander caught a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter and finished the game with six receptions for 136 yards.

Carroll will now host No. 14-ranked St. Thomas (Fla.) on Saturday, while Tech completes its non-conference schedule with a road game against NCAA Division II Central Washington.

To read more about Thursday’s Carroll-Tech game, visit 406mtsports.com, or click here or here.

Tech VS Carroll College — Carroll College running back Duncan Kraft (3) looks for a route while defended by Montana Tech Orediggers defensive back Angel Sanchez III (0) during the football game between Montana Tech and Carroll College on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 at Alumni Coliseum in Butte.

JOSEPH SCHELLER The Montana Standard

RV Montana Western 38, Eastern Oregon 14

Michael Palandri started his first game as a Bulldog and tossed four touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dylan Shipley scored on an 81-yard catch and run in the third quarter and recorded the third, 100-yard game receiving game of his career.

Dillon’s own Jon Kirkley caught two touchdown passes, while fellow Beaverhead County High School graduate Eli Nourse hauled in a 16-yarder from Palandri in the third quarter.

This portion of the recap will be updated as statistics are finalized

Advertisement

Montana Western freshman Dylan Shipley accumulated 111 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bulldogs to a 35-14 win over No. 16 Dickinson State in Dillon on Sept. 10, 2022.

Gary Marshall, BMGphotos.com

Rocky Mountain College 45, MSU-Northern 0

Zaire Wilcox rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns as the Battlin’ Bears won their 16th-straight game against the Lights dating back to 2014.

Washington State transfer quarterback Luke Holcomb took over for starter Trent Nobach in the first quarter and threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Holcomb’s 14-yarder to Nakeo Thomas and 15-yarder to Joseph Dwyer were little more than five game minutes apart and established a three-score Rocky advantage by halftime.

406MTSports’ Briar Napier confirmed with Rocky officials that Nobach exited the game with an injury.

Northern was limited to just 46 total yards and two first downs in the loss.

A week after snapping a 13-game losing streak, the Lights went 0-for-10 on third down and netted negative-13 rushing yards.

All-American linebacker Dylan Wampler was credited with 10 tackles and a forced fumble.

Dwyer caught six passes for 73 yards and Thomas hauled in four balls for 43 yards in the victory.

Rocky’s Cade Lambert added a fourth-quarter rushing score to cap a 16-yard, 82-yard drive.

Sophomore John Aragon was credited with two sacks, while junior defensive back Kaysan Barnett scored on a 45-yard punt return and added a half-TFL.

Barnett returned five punts for 100 total yards on Saturday.

Rocky, behind 167 rushing yards and a 63 percent (10-for-16) efficiency on third down, picked up its second non-conference victory of the 2023 season.

Up next for the Battlin’ Bears is their league-opener against nationally-ranked Carroll College on Sept. 16.

Northern travels to ACU in two weeks.

Wyatt Brusven vs. MSU-Northern — Rocky Mountain College senior defensive back Wyatt Brusven recorded two tackles, including a sack and TFL, in Saturday’s 45-0 victory over MSU-Northern.
Advertisement

Brandon Stinson
RMC Sports Information & Media Coordinator

Email Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com or find him on Twitter @IR_DanielS.

Source link

Click to comment

Montana

Missoula Sentinel pipeline aiding Montana State's run to FCS national championship game

Published

28 minutes ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

Missoula Sentinel pipeline aiding Montana State's run to FCS national championship game

MISSOULA — Montana State’s path to Frisco, Texas, for the FCS national championship has been built by Treasure State natives.

For Rylan Ortt, Adam Jones and Zac Crews, that road started with the decision to become Bobcats — and spurn the hometown Montana Grizzlies — after playing high school football at Missoula Sentinel.

Tom Wylie / MTN Sports

Montana State captain Rylan Ortt stands during the coin toss of the Bobcats’ game against Idaho in the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.

“Rylan was the first guy to grow up a Griz fan and make that jump over to Bozeman for a lot of different reasons,” Sentinel football coach Dane Oliver told MTN Sports. “And so that kind of laid the foundation. And I know Zac and Adam both looked up to Rylan.

“You know how recruiting works, if they’re having a positive experience wherever they’re at, it helps when they hear from a kid that they trust and know.”

Ortt joined Montana State in 2019 after a stellar Sentinel career playing quarterback and throwing the javelin. As the Spartans’ QB, Ortt threw for 2,098 yards and rushed for 750 yards as a senior in 2018.

In the javelin, he won the 2019 Class AA state championship with a throw of 208 feet, 8 inches.

Once in Bozeman, Ortt transitioned to safety. He redshirted in 2019, and the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the four years since, he has emerged as one of the leaders on a defense full of Montana guys.

This season, he leads the Bobcats with 75 total tackles. He’s also caught one interception and forced and recovered a fumble.

“He sacrificed a lot for our (Sentinel) program just having to play quarterback,” said Oliver, who played for the Grizzlies and was a member of their last national title team in 2001. “And hopefully that’s helped him being a safety, and maybe the knowledge you gain from the quarterback perspective has allowed him to have success at that level.”

While Ortt has been a stalwart in MSU’s secondary, Jones has had a breakout season on offense. He burst onto the scene in the Bobcats’ season-opening come-from-behind win at FBS New Mexico when he rushed for 167 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown that sparked the fourth-quarter comeback.

Jones this season has become the most prolific freshman runner in program history, rushing for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns. Against Idaho in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs, Jones accounted for 95 yards and four touchdowns with starting running back Scottre Humphrey sidelined.

“He’s got all the traits of what it takes to be great,” Oliver said of Jones. “You know, (Jones is successful) maybe a little earlier than I expected. I think the thing that Adam had going for him (in high school) was he was a three-sport athlete. You know, he was a heck of a baseball player, did hockey and football.

“He was always physical. … He’s got the hockey nature, so he’s not afraid of contact. But he’s put on some weight. He can finish runs, always falls forward, he’s got great vision. He’s got all the qualities of a back.”

Montana State vs. South Dakota — Montana State’s Adam Jones (23) and Zack Black (50) celebrate after the Bobcats defeated South Dakota in a semifinal game of the FCS playoffs at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.

Jones, Crews and fellow Cats Dylan Rollins and J.J. Dolan each played a part in helping Sentinel win Class AA state football championships in 2020 and 2021. Prior to the 2020 title, the Spartans’ last championship came in 1972.

Crews, a sophomore, has turned into a contributor on the defensive line with 24 total tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Dolan is a redshirt freshman, and Rollins, the 2020 Gatorade Montana player of the year and a 2021 Sentinel grad, is a freshman after beginning his college career at BYU and serving an LDS mission.

Now they’re all part of an MSU program aiming to end its own drought and win its first national championship since 1984.

“It’s fun to see them go on to be successful, not just the ones that play college football,” Oliver said. “It’s made me realize why I do this. It takes a lot of time and energy to coach high school football.

“So, just to see them grow into young men and have success and be fulfilled in it, whatever career they choose, and those guys are doing it on a public stage, and so obviously super rewarding for myself and all our staff to see the success they’re having.”

Montana State (15-0) will play North Dakota State (13-2) for the FCS national championship on Jan. 6.

Source link

Montana

How North Dakota State and Montana State reached the FCS national championship game

Published

11 hours ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

How North Dakota State and Montana State reached the FCS national championship game

After a thrilling 2024 season, FCS football will crown a champion when North Dakota State and Montana State battle on a Monday night. As the Bison and Bobcats near the pinnacle of the sport, let’s take a look back at their journeys.

🏈 MORE FCS FOOTBALL 🏈

North Dakota State

Regular season

North Dakota State finished the regular season 10-2, losing its first game to Colorado out of the FBS and its final game to South Dakota out of the MVFC. The season-ending loss prevented the Bison from winning the MVFC outright, but it didn’t matter as NDSU still got the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs.

FCS playoffs

North Dakota State fought off an early scare from Abilene Christian in the second round to win by 20 points. In the quarterfinals, the Bison beat Mercer 31-7 in a game they controlled from start to finish.

Semifinal round

In the semifinals, North Dakota State defeated South Dakota State for the second time this year to advance to the championship game. Click or tap here for more on the thrilling finish.

Bison schedule

Opponent	Win/Loss	Score	Record	Ranking (AFCA)
at Colorado	L	31-26	0-1	No. 2
vs. Tennessee State	W	52-3	1-1	No. 2
at ETSU	W	38-5	2-1	No. 2
vs. Towson	W	41-24	3-1	No. 2
at No. 15 Illinois State	W	42-10	4-1	No. 2
vs. No. 6 North Dakota	W	41-17	5-1	No. 2
at Southern Illinois	W	24-3	6-1	No. 2
vs. No. 1 South Dakota State	W	13-9	7-1	No. 2
at Murray State	W	59-6	8-1	No. 1
vs. Northern Iowa	W	42-19	9-1	No. 1
vs. No. 14 Missouri State	W	59-21	10-1	No. 1
at No. 4 South Dakota	L	29-28	10-2	No. 1
vs. (15) Abilene Christian	W	51-31	11-2	No. 4
vs. (7) Mercer	W	31-7	12-2	No. 4
vs. (3) South Dakota State	W	28-21	13-2	No. 4

Key players this season

QB Cam Miller
RB CharMar Brown
RB TK Marshall
WR Bryce Lance
WR Braylon Henderson
TE Joe Stoffel
OL Mason Miller
OL Grey Zabel
DL Eli Mostaert
DL Kody Huisman
DL Loshiaka Roques
LB Logan Kopp
DB Darius Givance
K Griffin Crosa

North Dakota State has a reloaded roster under first-year head coach Tim Polasek. The Bison have the Jerry Rice Award winner CharMar Brown in the backfield along top-three Walter Payton Award finalist Cam Miller. The trenches are stout yet again with NFL prospect Grey Zabel on offense and All-American Eli Mostaert on defense.

Montana State

Regular season

Montana State finished the regular season 12-0 with the longest regular-season win streak in the FCS. Only two Bobcat games — an FBS win over New Mexico State and a Big Sky win over UC Davis — were within one possession.

FCS playoffs

Montana State’s dominance continued in the playoffs. The Bobcats didn’t play a close game in the first two rounds, averaging 50.5 points scored and a 32.5 margin of victory.

Semifinal round

In the semifinals, Montana State held off South Dakota to advance to the championship game. Tommy Mellott led the way offensively with 134 passing yards and a touchdown plus 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Click or tap here for more from the game.

Bobcat schedule

Opponent	Win/Loss	Score	Record	Ranking (AFCA)
at New Mexico	W	35-31	1-0	No. 4
at Utah Tech	W	31-7	2-0	No. 3
vs. Maine	W	41-24	3-0	No. 3
vs. Mercyhurst	W	52-13	4-0	No. 3
at Idaho State	W	37-17	5-0	No. 3
vs. Northern Colorado	W	55-17	6-0	No. 3
vs. No. 8 Idaho	W	38-7	7-0	No. 3
Portland State	W	44-14	8-0	No. 3
at Eastern Washington	W	42-28	9-0	No. 2
vs. Sacramento State	W	49-7	10-0	No. 2
at No. 4 UC Davis	W	30-28	11-0	No. 2
vs. No. 10 Montana	W	34-11	12-0	No. 2
vs. UT Martin	W	49-17	13-0	No. 1
vs. Idaho	W	52-19	14-0	No. 1
vs. South Dakota	W	31-17	15-0	No. 1

Key players this season

QB Tommy Mellott
RB Scottre Humphrey
RB Adam Jones
WR Taco Dowler
WR Ty McCullouch
TE Rohan Jones
OL Marcus Wehr
OL Conner Moore
OL Titan Fleischmann
OL Cole Sain
DL Brody Grebe
DL Paul Brott
LB McCade O’Reilly
LB Danny Uluilakepa
DB Andrew Powdrell
DB Rylan Ortt
P Brendan Hall

Montana State is an experienced group with a mix of young talent. Adam Jones was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award while senior Tommy Mellott is a top-three Walter Payton Award finalist. Brody Grebe leads the defense; he finished ninth in Buck Buchanan Award voting.

Source link

Montana

Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls

Published

20 hours ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls

Posted

and last updated

Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls

In the video above, Paul Sanchez reports on students from Central Catholic High School in Great Falls, who provided all of the fixings for Christmas meals for 50 military veterans.

Source link