KANSAS CITY, Mo.– The Nationwide Affiliation of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has launched the newest version of the 2022-23 NAIA Girls’s Basketball Coaches’ High 25 Ballot and three groups are within the high 25.
Montana Western moved up six spots to No. 12 within the ballot following wins over Windfall and Carroll Faculty final week. Carroll stays within the top-20, checking in at No. 18 on the listing, whereas Rocky Mountain Faculty has moved into the highest 25 at No. 20 after beating Northern final Thursday and Carroll on Saturday.
No. 12 Western will host Twentieth-ranked Rocky on Thursday night time.
The Saints (12-5, 3-1) slid seven spots again within the newest version of the Coaches’ Ballot. Because the earlier rankings, Carroll has gone 6-1, with their lone loss coming this previous weekend at now-ranked Rocky Mountain Faculty.
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Individuals are additionally studying…
Within the NAIA Males’s High 25 ballot, solely Montana Tech stays within the high 25. Montana Tech moved as much as twelfth following a win over Carroll in a top-25 matchup final Thursday. The Saints have dropped out of the ballot and are now not receiving votes. No different Frontier group is receiving votes both.
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.
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“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.
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“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.”
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Slim Kimmel / MTN Sports
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.
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“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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls
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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.
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