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Notebook: Plenty of stars on all sides putting up big numbers through the Frontier's first half ■ From Page 11 Others in the defensive discussion include Southern Oregon linebacker Keegan Lawrence, Eastern Oregon linebacker Michael Arenas, College of Idaho defensive end Josh Price and UM-Western defensive back Zach Janis. As for the Coach of the Year, it’s early, but, there’s no denying what SOU firstyear head man Charlie Hall is doing with the Raiders. Hall was hired after longtime SOU great Craig Howard passed away, and, despite the emotions of losing their beloved head coach, Hall hasn’t let the Raiders slip. IN fact, after SOU suffered a subpar season last season, Hall has brought them right back to national prominence. Of course, Tech head coach Chuck Morrell is doing another bang-up job with the Orediggers this season, but, another head coach who has to be considered for the award, at least halfway through the season, is UM-Western’s Ryan Nourse. Nourse got the Bulldogs through a brutal opening
stretch to their season, and now, they appear to be legitimate Frontier contenders. Dawgs Shake It Up Speaking of the Bulldogs, they certainly threw a wrench into the Frontier’s title race. Playing their biggest rival at home, Western ended Montana Tech’s chance at perfection last Saturday with a 42-35 win over the Orediggers in Dillon. Western’s victory was huge not only for the program, but also for SOU’s chances of winning an outright Frontier title. Because the Raiders and Diggers play just once this season, if SOU wins out, Tech can’t catch the Raiders for the conference championship. The win was also an indictment on how well Western has been playing lately. After squeaking by C of I in their season-opener, the Dawgs lost three straight games – albeit one of those to FCS powerhouse Weber State. Still, Western’s season was already slipping
away and September wasn’t even over yet. But, a 61-7 thrashing of MSU-Northern, followed by a bye week, and then a monumental win over Tech, has thrust the Dawgs back into the NAIA Top 25, and right back into the hunt for, at the very least, an NAIA playoff berth.
Round Two Speaking of the playoffs, the Rocky Mountain College Batllin’ Bears aren’t out of the playoff hunt yet either. Like Western, Rocky responded to an early-season loss with some thrilling wins, and a near-miss against Montana Tech late last month. One of those thrilling wins came all the way back on Sept. 2 when the Bears stormed back to beat Northern in the final minutes of a great game in Billings. Now, Rocky sits at 3-2 in Frontier play, and will have to navigate a second win over the Lights in order to keep their playoff push alive. But, the Lights will certainly be out for
revenge Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Northern put up huge offensive numbers last month in Billings, and twice led the Bears in the fourth quarter. So, despite Rocky’s fine play in recent weeks, the Lights know full well they have what it takes to take the Bears down this Saturday. The Northern/Rocky game is also one of three rematches on the slate this weekend in league play. Montana Tech will try to shake off its stunning loss to Western when it travels to Carroll College. The Orediggers beat the Saints 45-28 on Aug. 30 in Butte, and Carroll has won just once since. Southern Oregon also comes out of its bye week with a dangerous trip to Eastern Oregon. Under the lights of Community Stadium, the Raiders will try and avoid an upset at the hands of their biggest rival. SOU beat EOU 31-21 last month in Ashland, Oregon, and SOU will have to be on high alert as EOU will be riding high after busting a three-game losing streak last week when they beat Northern 41-12.
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior linebacker Garet Fowler is having a big season for the Lights' defense. Fowler is second in the Frontier Conference in tackles, and he's also intercepted two passes. Northern is home this Saturday to host Rocky Mountain College at 1 p.m. in Blue Pony Stadium.
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No Quitting on his Dream Donovan Garner's journey to play college football was a long one, but, his hard work paid off, and now, the Florida native is living out his dreams in Havre, and he's loving it Chris Peterson Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com The college football journey of Donovan Garner has been long, but it's also been rewarding and soon, he will play his final down for Montana State University-Northern. But even though his career on the gridiron is ending, he still has time to end it in style.
“I just want to finish my career strong,” Garner said. “I want to continue to play hard and work hard for myself and my teammates. And I just want to finish as strong as I can.” When it comes to telling the story of how a kid from Miami, Florida came to be a wide receiver for a small college in Havre, Montana, there are some twists and turns, but the theme is the same. Garner, even when not recruited heavily out of high school, never gave up on himself or on his football career. Following a solid high school career as a running back, Garner had some offers from NAIA college football teams in Florida. The only problem, was at the time, college was not affordable for Garner, who put his dream on the back burner and went to work, literally, with the goal of saving money for school. “I had some NAIA offers coming out of high school,” Garner said. “But even with that, I couldn’t really afford to go to college.
Halfway home in the Frontier Conference. As the second week of October dawns, many teams will begin to play each other for a second time, as the schedule turns for the home stretch. And while the Frontier title is very much up for grabs, it’s time to take a look at who the top individuals have been in the first half of the season, and who the candidates are for the Frontier postseason awards. As for the coveted Offensive Player of the Year Award, that race is probably down to three players right now, and two of them reside at Montana Tech. Senior quarterback Quinn McQueary has been sensational thus far, twice winning NAIA Offensive Player of the Week honors. McQueary has thrown for 1,685 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 337 yards per game, and those numbers would be even better had he not sat out a few fourth-quarter blowouts. McQueary is
See Garner Page 6
MSU-Northern Lights vs Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears Montana State University-Northern Location: Havre, Mont. Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2017 record: 0-5, 1-5
2016 record: 1-9, 1-9 Head coach: Aaron Christensen Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium Streak: Northern is still in search of its first home win of 2017. The Lights have fallen to Tech and Western at home.
Saturday, October 14, 2017 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain College Location: Billings, Mont. Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Donovan Garner runs through the Montana Tech defense during a recent Frontier Conference game in Havre. Garner's road to playing four-year college football was a long one, and often times, was a difficult one. But, he never stopped trying to make his dream come true, and now, he's living out the final season of that dream, and making the most of it.
Nickname: Battlin' Bears Colors: Green and Gold 2017 record: 3-2, 3-3
2016 record: 4-6, 4-7 Head coach: Jason Petrino Stadium: Herb Klindt Field Streak: The Bears have beaten Northern on five straight times including a thriller back in September in Billings.
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Frontier reaches critical halfway mark George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
So I stayed home and worked and help my mom out.” However, even though Garner wasn’t playing college football, he didn’t want his skills to go to waste, so he joined a semi-pro football team to help keep them sharp. “It was pretty cool,” Garner said. “It was just a team in our county. A lot of people, because of my size and because of how young I was, didn’t think it was a good idea. But it was a great learning experience for me. I was able to learn a lot of things from some of the older guys I played with. They had a lot knowledge and they passed it on to me.” Following his year away from football, Garner went to junior college in California, attending College of the Siskiyous and playing for two seasons, before transferring to Northern for his final two years of eligibility. But even then, getting onto the field for the College of Siskiyous wasn’t easy.
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fifth in the NAIA in total offense, and has rushed for five more scores this season. McQueary’s teammate, running back Jed Fike is also in the discussion. Fike transferred to Tech from Dickinson State, and has completely fortified Tech’s ground game. Fans may have been worried when two-time Frontier MVP Nolan Saraceni graduated, but, in just five games, Fike has rushed for 765 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s averaging a whopping 153 yards per game, and 6.7 yards per carry, on just 114 carries so far. He leads the Frontier in rushing by a crazy 70 yards per game over College of Idaho’s Darius-James Peterson. Not to be outdone, Southern Oregon’s
Tanner Trosin is having a monster season of his own. After missing last fall with an injury, Trosin returned to the Raiders and hasn’t skipped a beat. He’s thrown for 1,737 yards and 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He’s sixth in the NAIA passing and fourth in the nation in total offense, and, he has the Raiders undefeated and in first place in the Frontier standings. Other offensive players making their mark so far this season include UM-Western QB Bennett Gibson and running back Hunter Thomsen, MSUNorthern quarterback Tommy Wilson and running back Trey Blanchard, Montana Tech WR Dion Williams, Rocky Mountain running backs Mason Melby, Sam Sparks
Today in the Frontier Conference
See Notebook Page 12
2017 Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Montana Tech; 2. Eastern Oregon; T3. Southern Oregon; T3. Carroll College; 5. UM-Western; T6. Rocky Mountain College; T6. College of Idaho; 8. MSU-Northern
1. Southern Oregon 2. Montana Tech 3. UM-Western 4. Rocky Mountain 5. College of Idaho 6. Eastern Oregon 7. Carroll College 8. MSU-Northern
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (0-5, 1-5)
UM-Western (3-2, 3-3) at College of Idaho (2-3, 2-4) in Caldwell, Idaho
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Havre Daily News Frontier Conference Power Rankings
Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (3-2, 3-3)
#11 Montana Tech (4-1, 4-1) at Carroll College (1-4, 1-4) in Helena, Mont.
and Jade Olson and Eastern Oregon quarterback Kai Quinn. The Defensive Player of the Year award is much more muddled than the offensive side at the halfway point. Montana Tech’s Connor Wines is off to a great start with 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, but, as expected, College of Idaho defensive back Nate Moore is again racking up the tackles. Moore has 64 stops this season, after leading the Frontier in tackles each of the last two years. He, and Northern linebacker Garet Fowler, are the only defenders in the Frontier averaging more than 10 tackles per game. Moore also has an interception to his credit, along with six pass breakups, while Fowler, who should also be in the running, has two picks this season. Rocky Mountain College has safety Keenan Fagan with four picks at the halfway point, while teammates Ryder Rice and Chase Bertelsen are also impact players.
#7 Southern Oregon (5-0, 5-0) at Eastern Oregon (2-3, 2-3) in LaGrande, Ore.
Full Coverage on Twitter @HavreDaily
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MSU-Northern Rewind
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Lights shine brighter than a comet in mayville George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In the last three seasons, their backs have been against the wall on numerous occasions. And like most young teams struggling for victories, on many of those occasions, things have not gone well for the Montana State University-Northern Lights. On Saturday in Mayville, North Dakota, though, all of a sudden, they did. After jumping out to an early lead, the Lights found themselves trailing the Mayville State Comets 22-19 late in the third quarter of Saturday’s first-ever meeting between the two border rivals. But in a dramatic showing of power and resiliency, the Lights wouldn’t stay down for long. Northern ripped off 24 unanswered points to overtake the Comets and beat Mayville with a 43-29 win — MSU-N’s first of the season, and just its second in the Aaron Christensen era. “It’s kind of part of that growing up and maturing process,” Christensen said. “In that third quarter, the ball wasn’t bouncing our way. But our kids just kept fighting, kept on playing. I was really proud of the way they stepped up to those challenges.” Tommy Langley started the rally with a field goal just before the third quarter ended, which tied the game at 22-22. Then, MSU-N’s running game completely took over. Trey Blanchard, who had a breakout day, ripped off a long run, and set up backup quarterback Dylan Cook’s second rushing touchdown of the day, putting the Lights back in front. Just minutes later, Blanchard would score again, and when B.J. Peters raced to the endzone untouched with 6:27 left in the contest, the Lights went from trailing 22-19 to leading 43-22. MSU would add a late passing touchdown from quarterback Creighton Pfau, but, the damage had been done. And the damage was done by Northern’s rushing attack, and its run defense. Blanchard finished with a career-best 179 yards on 28 carries, while also catching three passes. Peters added 85 yards on just six totes and starting QB Tommy Wilson rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries. The Lights, who rushed for a seasonhigh 376 yards, and racked up over 500 yards of offense, also got two big chunks from Marvin Williams on end-a rounds. Williams also caught four passes, while Caymus Thomas
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Frontier Conference Standings
Conf. WL
Overall WL
Southern Oregon Montana Tecch UM-Western Rocky Mountain Eastern Oregon College of Idaho Carroll College MSU-Northern
5-0 4-1 3-2 3-2 2-3 2-3 1-4 0-5
5-0 4-1 3-3 3-3 2-3 2-4 1-4 1-5
Last Week Eastern Oregon 41, MSU-Northern 12 UM-Western 42, Montana Tech 35 College of Idaho 21, Carroll College 6 Saturday, Oct. 14 MSU-Northern vs Rocky Mountain Montana Tech at Carroll College UM-Western at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Eastern Oregon
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern red-shirt freshman Dylan Cook scored two rushing touchdowns in the Lights' Sept. 3o win at Mayville State.
hauled in five grabs from Wilson. Cook added 11 yards on the ground, but scored on two goal-line package touchdowns. “What we do on offense is take what the defense is giving us,” Christensen said. “We had some success running the football early on, and they (Comets) kind of kept backing off us. So we continued to run the ball and had a lot of success doing it. I think we set the school record for rushing yards in a game, so we had a very good day running the ball for sure.” Meanwhile, the Northern defense may have surrendered a big day to Pfau, who came in as the leading passer in the North Star Athletic Association, and threw for 349 yards and four scores, but, the Lights were stingy where it mattered most. The Comets managed just -2 yards rushing, while Garet Fowler had an interception, and Steven Fernandez, Pete Hamilton and Josh Wright all sacked Pfau on key third downs. Jake Norby had 10 tackles and Fowler added nine stops to his crucial interception. “Defensively, we held them (Comets) to minus two yards rushing, and that was also a school record,” Christensen said. “That was big. I thought our defense really stepped up.” Northern’s victory, a much-needed one after last week’s humbling homecoming loss to UM-Western, was also the result of a great start by the Lights. Langley connected on an early 22yard field goal, and the Lights made it 5-0 when they sacked Pfau in the endzone for a safety. Wilson padded the early lead when he scored on a run midway through the second period, and the Lights finished off 19
unanswered points with Cook’s firstcareer touchdown, a run from eight yards out. By the time the half expired the Lights led 19-7. "Finishing those drives early was big for us,” Christensen said. “Putting points on the board, getting off to a good start is always critical. We’ve moved the ball well all year long, but finishing drives is really important, and we did that early in the game. And honestly, if we had been able to do that in a couple of the other games earlier in the year, those games might have been a lot different. So it was good to see us get off to that kind of start.” But as well as Northern played in the first half, the adversity they have faced for much of this season would rear its head in the third quarter, as Pfau led the Comets on three straight scoring drives, while the Lights failed to answer until Langley’s field goal knotted things up at 22-22 as the third quarter came to an end. And that’s when the Lights showed a ton of heart and character, as they didn’t let the opportunity for a coveted win slip away. “It’s a good win for our football team and out program,” Christensen said. “The kids just fought hard and kept playing. They did a great job of just staying with it.” Northern is now 1-4 on the season, but remains 0-4 in the Frontier. The Lights return to conference play this Saturday night when they battle the Eastern Oregon Mounties in LaGrande, Oregon. MSU-N then returns hoem to host Rocky Mountain College Oct. 13.
NAIA Coaches Poll Rec. 1. Saint Francis (Ind.) (15)6-0 2. Baker (Kan.) 6-0 3. Reinhardt (Ga.) 5-0 4. Morningside (Iowa) 6-0 5. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5-0 6. Grand View (Iowa) 5-1 7. Southern Oregon 5-0 8. Langston (Okla.) 5-0 9. Georgetown (Ky.) 5-0 10. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4-1 11. Montana Tech 4-1 12. Benedictine (Kan.) 5-1
Pts. 340 327 312 303 286 271 266 236 235 223 213 195
Prv. 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 5 14
13. Marian (Ind.) 3-2 14. Southeastern (Fla.) 4-1 15. Sterling (Kan.) 5-1 16. Arizona Christian 5-1 17. Northwestern (Iowa) 5-1 18. Dickinson State 5-1 19. Doane (Neb.) 4-2 19. Hastings (Neb.) 5-1 21. Concordia (Mich.) 5-1 22. SAGU (Texas) 4-1 23. Tabor (Kan.) 3-2 24. Cumberland (Tenn.) 5-2 25. Kansas Wesleyan 4-2
191 171 157 139 135 121 77 77 75 70 68 22 19
13 15 17 18 19 21 12 24 20 23 16 NR 25
Others receiving votes: : Montana Western 15; Campbellsville (Ky.) 12; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 7; Peru State (Neb.) 6; Dakota State (S.D.) 3; Dordt (Iowa) 3.
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders Week Seven
Passing: Tanner Trosin, SOU, 347 ypg Receiving: Dion Williams, MT, 90 ypg Receptions: Dion Williams, MT, 7 cpg Rushing: Jed Fike, MT, 153 ypg Tackles: Nate Moore, C of I, 64 Sacks: Connor Wines, MT, 6 sacks INT's: Keenan Fagan, RMC, 4 ints
Lights Coaching Staff
Jim Potter The 2017 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff. From left to right: Dan Vanderpan (defensive line), Darold DeBolt (defensive line), Jake Eldridge (defensive coordinator, strength and conditioning), Rick Wells (defensive backs), Aaron Christensen (head coach, offensive coordinator), Anvil Sinsibaugh (offensive line, recruiting coordinator), Jorge Magana (linebacker, defensive line), Kevin Murphy (linebackers), Lance Marshall (wide receivers, tight ends).
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Rocky Mountain Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2017 Offensive Numbers
RMC 2017 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 20 ppg, 6th in Frontier Total offense: 387 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Seth Roemelle #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Kendell Jefferson #9, 6-1, 175 Cornerback
Passing: 226 ypg, 4th in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
RMC 2017 Offensive Numbers
MSU-N 2017 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25 ppg, 2nd in Frontier
Scoring: 45 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 392 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 501 ypg, last in Frontier
Pass defense: 259 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Pass defense: 261 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Scoring: 30 ppg, 3rd in Frontier
Aaron Christensen enters his third season as the Head Football Coach of Montana State UniversityNorthern. He brings with him a decade of coaching experience at the NAIA level. From 2012 to 2014, Coach Christensen served as the Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator for Missouri Valley College (MVC).
Dylan Schmidt #74, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Tommy Wilson #22, 6-1, 205 Quarterback
Dale Cummings #65, 6-2, 300 Center
Tom Roman #56, 5-11, 225 Defensive line
Denton Wetherell #90, 6-1, 270 Defensive line
Ryan Handley #73, 6-3, 265 Offensive line
Kameron Welker #99, 6-2, 260 Defensive line
Tommy Langley #27, 5-11, 190 Kicker
Sam Mix #9, 6-1, 190 Receiver
Passing: 189 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Dallas Mack #5, 6-0, 215 Linebacker Dequincy Bergen #21, 5-11, 200 Safety
Elijah Dennison #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle GaretFowler #12, 5-10, 220 Linebacker
Chase Bertelsen #44, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Billy Williams #36, 5-11, 215 Linebacker
Josh Wright #92, 6-2, 240 Defensive end
Dylan Kelley #25, 5-10, 175 Safety
Jope Fehr #58, 6-3, 225 Defensive line
Ryder Rice #17, 6-4, 210 Linebacker
Jason Petrino RMC Head Coach
Jacob Roumanos #68, 6-0, 280 Offensive line
Troy Bacon #51, 6-0, 280 Offensive line
Jacob Bakken #7, 6-4, 190 Quarterback
Jade Olson #30, 5-8, 190 Running back
Dylan Swandal #52, 6-3, 285 Offensive line
Alec Wagner
#52, 5-11, 225 Linebacker
John Boogard #77, 6-4, 290 Offensive line
Elijah Cox #51, 6-5, 280 Offensive line
Taylor Schwartz
#89, 6-0, 180 Receiver
Jake Norby #31, 6-2, 200 Bandit
Brandon Mosley #85, 6-3, 230 Receiver
Kagen Khameneh #15, 6-3, 240 Tight end Sam Tapia #89, 6-0, 180 Punter
Steven Fernandez #23, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Paris Wilcox #4, 5-10, 190 Safety Kitrell Willingham #85, 6-2, 225 Fullback
Total offense: 409 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Zane Guse #58, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Keenan Fagan #8, 5-11, 190 Safety
Trey Blanchard #4, 5-10, 200 Running Back
Prince Sonola Jr. #1, 5-9, 170 Receiver
Jarrod Lucas #6, 5-9, 175 Cornerback
Clint Willis #75, 6-7, 300 Offensive line
Aaron Christensen MSU-N Head Coach
Rocky Mountain Offensive Starters
Devariej Criss #34, 5-9, 175 Corner Terrance Williams #7, 5-11, 175 Cornerback
Max Gray #3, 5-11, 185 Receiver
Griss Amies
#18, 5-10, 160 Kicker
Petrino is in his 2nd season at RMC. He comes to Rocky after spending the past four years as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach under legendary coach Joe Glenn at the University of South Dakota. The 39-year-old replaced Brian Armstrong, who spent the last seven years leading the Battlin’ Bears. Petrino’s coaching career began in 2000 at his alma mater, Carroll College (Mont.), where he coached the defensive backs on the 2002 NAIA National Championship team.
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1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 44 45 46 49 50 51 52 54 56 58 60 64 68 73 74 76 77 81 82 83 84 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93
Isaiah Schlegel Josh Kraft Kirk Durtsche Max Gray Devin Pope Drew Korf Paris Wilcox Lucas Overton Dallas Mack Sam Sparks Markale Moses Jacob Bakken Terrance Williams Tyler Eberhardt Keenan Fagan Darneail Jenkins Kendell Jefferson Max Melfi Jared Gallatin Derrick Olsen Fili Church Cordell Shelton Troy Wallace Brady Pickering Ryder Rice Griff Amies Gage Seekins DJ Scheffer Koby Ruff Jessie Sanders Corey Hickman Allen Williamson Jerry Gomez Jade Olson Dillon Johnson Christian Prevost Matt Kolb Joe Gallatin Chase Truscott Billy Williams Brad Drake Shane Larson Joel Kaplan Mason Melby Chase Bertelsen Dayton Cogdill Matt Larson Luke Miller Justin Farsnworth Troy Bacon Dylan Swandal Kyle Frazier Tom Roman Zane Guse Cory Roemeling Brandon Connolly Jake Roumanos Tanner Bloom Jaryd McCray Garett Schild John Boogaard Austin Weakley Brandon Mosley Brandy Holmes Taylor Bienvenue Gus Schaff Deion Ortega Josh Triplett Taylor Schwartz Denton Wetherell Mitch Goodwin Stephen Lockard Joshua Wade
Pos.
DB WR DB WR LB QB DB WR LB RB DB QB DB RB DB TE DB LB DB WR DE DB DE QB DE K QB DB DB RB DB RB WR RB P/K WR DB LB FB LB FB LB FB RB LB LB RB LS OL OL OL LB DE OL OL DT OL OL OL OL OL WR TE WR WR WR WR DE WR DT DE DE DT
Ht.
5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-4 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-5 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-10 5-9 6-0 5-11 5-8 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-3 6-1 6-3 5-10 5-9 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-0
Wt. 170 180 200 185 210 185 190 195 215 180 170 190 175 170 190 250 175 200 185 170 225 175 220 210 210 160 200 185 170 180 175 180 210 190 165 185 185 200 205 215 220 205 205 190 235 210 200 190 300 300 285 220 225 275 275 300 285 265 275 285 290 210 230 180 195 185 180 200 180 270 220 195 230
Yr.
Fr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. So. R-Fr. Jr. So. So. R-Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. So. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. So R-Fr. Jr. So. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr.
Hometown
Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Casper, Wyo. / Chadron State Arlington, Wash. / Chadron State Moorpark, Calif. / Moorpark JC Boise, Idaho / Capital HS Miami. Fla. / Tennessee State Emmett, Idaho /Emmett HS Ballantine, Mont. / Huntley Project HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Senior HS Tulsa, Okla. / South Dakota Wibaux, Mont. / Wibaux HS Baltimore, Md. / Fullerton JC Lewiston, Idaho /Lewiston HS Lake Tapps, Wash. / Lake Tapps HS Bay Point, Calif. / Laney JC Pasadena, Calif. / Pasadena JC Huntington Beach, Calif. / Marina HS Polson, Mont. / Polson HS Helena, Mont. / Helena HS Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS Vallejo, Calif. / American Canyon HS Florence, Mont. / Florence-Carlton HS Savage, Mont. / Savage HS Newport Beach, Calif. / Orange Coast JC Brush Prairie, Wash. / Hockinson HS Boise, Idaho / Capital HS Belgrade, Mont. / Belgrade HS Afton, Wyo. / Star Valley HS Denver, Colo. / Malta, Mont. / Malta HS Oxnard, Calif. / Moorpark JC Malta, Mont. / Malta HS Orting, Wash. / Orting HS Lambert, Mont. / Richey Lambert HS Hysham, Mont. / Hysham HS Polson, Mont. / Polson HS St. Maries, Idaho / St. Maries HS Gillette, Wyo. / Campbell County HS Priest River, Idaho / Priest River HS Conrad, Mont. / Conrad HS Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS40 Baker, Mont. / Baker HS Wibaux, Mont. / Wibaux HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Central HS Las Vegas, Nev. / Mountain View HS Vancouver, Wash. / Mountain View HS Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS Oak Hills, Calif. / Portland State Great Falls, Mont. / Great Falls HS Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Skyview HS Kennewick, Wash. / Southridge HS Laurel, Mont. / Laurel HS Spring Creek, Nev. / Spring Creek HS Casper, Wyo. / Kelly Walsh HS Chandler, Ariz. / Hamilton HS Missoula, Mont. / Sentinel HS Monument, Colo. / Western State Clovis, Calif. / Reedley JC Fontana, Calif. / Chaffey JC Columbia, S.C. / San Bernardino JC Molt, Mont. / Broadview HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Skyview HS .Jerome, Idaho / Jerome HS Hamilton, Mont. / Hamilton HS Glendive, Mont. / Dawson County HS Meridiean, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Bountiful, Utah / Viewmont HS Berthoud, Colo. / Berthoud HS Brush Prairie, Wash. / Hockinson HS
# Name
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
Hometown
94 Jake Tuiavivue
DT
6-4
285
Jr.
Tacoma, Wash. ge
95 Jace Billy
DT
5-11
255
So.
Havre, Mont. / Montana State
98 Tucker Burns
DT
5-11
255
Jr.
Kingston, Wash. / Kingston HS
99 Kameron Welker
DT
6-2
260
R-Fr.
Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS
5
MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Rocky Mountain Numerical Roster # Name
October 13, 2017
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 65 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 78 79 80 81 83 84 85
Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
Donovan Garner Jett Robertson Corey Lee Trey Blanchard Bryce Missey Jarrod Lucas BJ Peters Morgan McCrary Sam Mix Dylan Cook Jess Krahn Garet Fowler Caymus Thomas Bryce Bumgardner Kagen Khameneh Andrew Morgan Jase McCammond Marvin Williams Christian Williams Dequincy Bergen Tommy Wilson Steven Fernandez Basie Destefanis Dylan Kelley Wylie Novak Tommy Langley Connor Crawford Sam Tapia Bob Schenk Jake Norby Sam Edwards Brooks Dunn Devariej Criss Dakota Schelling Jace Koester Cody Lucke Colt Pederson Adrian Leos Kenneth Pruttis Peter Hamilton Kingston Sua Wyatt McKinlay Jake French Jaren Maki Ian Sparrow Elijah Cox Alec Wagner Brandon Moes Aaron Dolfay Mitchell Harmon Trenton Woodward Gerlad Brascome Joe Fehr Tyler Pallas Dale Cummings Robert Johnson Roger Guillory James Sullivan Ryan Handley Dylan Schmidt Clint Willis Skylor Africa Barnes Jaxon Simonson Duntreal Moss Jake Horner Darius Hatcher Beau Wilhelm Fotios Jordanoglou Kitrell Willingham
Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So.
WR RB DB RB QB DB RB DB WR QB TE LB WR WR TE LB DB WR DB DB QB LB DB DB DB K RB P LB LB LB LB DB LB RB LB LB LB TE LB TE TE LB LB DL OL LB OL LB DL OL OL DL LB OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE
5-8 6-0 5-10 5-10 6-0 5-9 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-6 6-4 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-10 5-10 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-10 5-9 6-0 5-7 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-5 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-1 6-3 6-5 5-9 5-9 6-0 5-10 6-1
Wt. Hometown
180 200 190 200 200 175 195 190 190 290 230 225 165 185 240 235 170 170 190 200 205 210 195 175 175 190 190 180 225 200 210 190 175 185 180 205 200 195 210 225 210 205 215 220 230 280 225 240 240 245 275 280 205 210 300 250 270 290 265 275 300 300 280 305 160 165 200 180 225
Miami, Florida Glendale, Arizona Moorpark, California Bloomington, Minn. Spanaway, Washi. Hayward, California Rio Vista, California Las Vegas, Nevada Sammamish, Wash. Butte, Montana Hockinson, Wash. Belgrade, Montana Spokane, Washington Saint Helens, Oregon Missoula, Montana Waianae, Hawaii Spokane Valley, Wash. Puyallup, Washington Spokane Valley, Wa. Houston, Texas Fresno, California Apopka, Florida Fresno, California Mesa, Arizona Cut Bank, Montana Tracy, California Missoula, Montana Carlsbad, California Missoula, Montana Chinook, Montana Duarte, California Chandler, Arizona Tacoma, Washington Fallon, Nevada Queen Creek, Arizona Browning, Montana Shelby, Montana Casa Grande, Arizona Chinook, Montana Cut Bank, Montana Federal Way, Wash. Geraldine, Montana Choteau, Montana Belt, Montana Mesa, Arizona Glendale, Arizona Laurel, Montana Great Falls, Montana Portland, Oregon Rancho, California Three Forks, Montana Eureka, Montana Eureka, Montana Chehalis, Washington Cremona, Alberta Stevensville, Montana Kalispell, Montana Burlington, Washington Missoula, Montana Nine Mile Falls, MT. Gardiner, Montana Banks, Oregon Rudyard, Montana Kalispell, Montana Great Falls, Montana Parkland, Washington White Lake, Michigan Ripon, California Parkland, Washington
No. 88 89 90 91 92 95 98
Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
Seth Roemmelle Jordan Pugh Connor Coyne Connor Koker Josh Wright Elijah Dennison Ronnie Chavez
Redshirts Xavier Alefaio Chase Alexander Colten Bonny Kody Bowman Chase Garcia Chase Gilbert RJ Henry Joehnis Joyce Justin King Chasen Kipp Koby McCallum Colton Michaels Lucas Olson Justin Pfeifer Chase Storey Ostin Welch
Jr. So. Fr. Fr. So. So. Fr.
Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.
Wt. Hometown
WR TE DL LB DL DL DL
6-0 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-2
190 230 255 215 240 255 245
Claresholm, Alberta Tacoma, Washington Virginia City, Nevada Spokane, Washington Sammamish, Wash. Enumclaw, Washington Missoula, Montana
WR DL DL OL RB LB WR WR OL WR DB OL DL DL LB DB
6-2 6-2 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-6 5-10 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-2
200 265 265 250 185 200 180 190 290 180 180 220 220 275 190 175
Parkland, Wash. Seattle, Wash. Columbia Falls, MT Chandler, Arizona Valencia, Calif. Green Acres, Wash. Fairbanks, Alaska Tacoma, Wash. Fromberg, MT. Heart Butte, MT. Salem, Oregon Prosser, Wash. Eatonville, Wash. Cut Bank, MT. Roy, Utah Malta, MT.
2017 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Aaron Christensen, head coach and offensive coordinator; Jake Eldridge, defensive coordinator, strength & conditioning; Anvil Sinisibaugh offensive line, recruiting coordinator; Jorge Magana, linebackers; Kevin Murphy, linebackers; Dane Vanderpan, defensive line; Lance Marshall, wide receivers; Darold DeBolt, defensive line; Rick Wells, defensive backs. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Kristie Pulin.
6
October 13, 2017
www.havredailynews.com
October 13, 2017
Garner: From Miami to cold Havre, MSU-N WR makes it
Garner: MSU-N standout looking to finish his dream, strong
■ From Page 2
■ From Page 6
“They didn’t really give out scholarships,” Garner said. “But the coach would recruit people and if you did not get recruited, you probably weren’t going to see the field. When I first met with the coach, he told me he didn’t know much about me and that I was going to have to prove myself, so that’s what I decided to do. I just wanted to do whatever I could to get on the field.” And eventually, Garner got himself on the field. But first, he needed a new position, which prompted his switch from running back to receiver. “They had a couple of highly recruited running backs,” Garner said. “So I knew it was going to be hard to get on the field there. So I decided to change to wide receiver and that’s where I have been ever since.” Then following his two seasons in California, Garner caught the attention of the MSU-N coaching staff, and finally wound up in Havre. “I think that it’s pretty cool here,” Garner said. “I remember that Northern really wanted me and they kept calling me. So I decided why not come and try to turn this around. It’s a nice place, because you can focus on
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior Donovan Garner makes a snow angel after a practice last week in Havre. Before coming to Northern, Garner played football in the sunshine state's of Florida and California. But, over the last two years, he's made a home in Havre, and, while the cold weather might not have been his thing, he will leave MSU-N this spring as the first member of his family to graduate college.
www.havredailynews.com
football and school and not have so many distractions.” While Garner is right, Havre has far less distractions than most other college towns, this past season, Garner had to deal with a different distraction: Hurricane Irma. Being from Miami and still having family there, made for some stressful times for Garner, as he awaited news of his family members back home. “It was a very stressful time for me,” Garner said. “I think it ended up being like two weeks before I finally heard from them. There was no way for them to communicate with me. They were without power for a long time and so it was tough, being up here and watching the news and not knowing what was going on with them.” Ultimately, all of Garner’s family escaped unharmed, despite some damages to their property, which has allowed the senior to put his focus back on football. After hauling in nine passes for 139 yards and a touchdown a season ago, Garner has six catches for 54 yards, as well
n
as 78 yards on kickoff returns. He and the Lights, who are 1-5 on the season are still looking for their first Frontier Conference win and they are hoping it comes Saturday, at home against Rocky Mountain College. Earlier in the season, Northern had a lead late against the Battlin’ Bears, before a kickoff return for a touchdown, handed the Lights a 32-25 defeat. Since then, Northern has been unable to get a win in Frontier Conference play, something they hope to change this weekend at Blue Pony Stadium. “For us, it’s really just about finishing what we started,” Garner said. “They (Bears) are a good team, but we are a good team too and we just want to show that and finish what we started in that first game.” Whether Garner and the Lights win on Saturday or again this season, in the grand scheme of things, it won’t
7
be life changing. But when Garner earns his degree this spring, becoming the first in his family to do so, it will be, which in the end, will be the most valuable product of his long and winding football career. “Being the first person in my family to go to college or to get a college degree, kept me going,” Garner said. “And football really helped me get there. Basically, the experience of going from Miami to California for the first time and experiencing that all alone with no family, to moving to Montana all alone, that introduced me to a lot of new people and new experiences. I learned a lot of things and got some great advice and all of that just made me a better person and helped me grow.” Garner and the Lights will take on Rocky Mountain College, in search of their second win of the season Saturday at 1 p.m.
See Garner Page 7
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Donovan Garner catches a pass on the snowcovered MSU-N practice field last week. Garner's journey to Northern was a long one, including having to sit out a year of football in order to afford to continue his dream. But it was a dream Garner never gave up on, and now, not only his he one of the Lights' top receivers, but he's also a veteran leader. For more photos of Garner, go to www.havredailynews.com.
6
October 13, 2017
www.havredailynews.com
October 13, 2017
Garner: From Miami to cold Havre, MSU-N WR makes it
Garner: MSU-N standout looking to finish his dream, strong
■ From Page 2
■ From Page 6
“They didn’t really give out scholarships,” Garner said. “But the coach would recruit people and if you did not get recruited, you probably weren’t going to see the field. When I first met with the coach, he told me he didn’t know much about me and that I was going to have to prove myself, so that’s what I decided to do. I just wanted to do whatever I could to get on the field.” And eventually, Garner got himself on the field. But first, he needed a new position, which prompted his switch from running back to receiver. “They had a couple of highly recruited running backs,” Garner said. “So I knew it was going to be hard to get on the field there. So I decided to change to wide receiver and that’s where I have been ever since.” Then following his two seasons in California, Garner caught the attention of the MSU-N coaching staff, and finally wound up in Havre. “I think that it’s pretty cool here,” Garner said. “I remember that Northern really wanted me and they kept calling me. So I decided why not come and try to turn this around. It’s a nice place, because you can focus on
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior Donovan Garner makes a snow angel after a practice last week in Havre. Before coming to Northern, Garner played football in the sunshine state's of Florida and California. But, over the last two years, he's made a home in Havre, and, while the cold weather might not have been his thing, he will leave MSU-N this spring as the first member of his family to graduate college.
www.havredailynews.com
football and school and not have so many distractions.” While Garner is right, Havre has far less distractions than most other college towns, this past season, Garner had to deal with a different distraction: Hurricane Irma. Being from Miami and still having family there, made for some stressful times for Garner, as he awaited news of his family members back home. “It was a very stressful time for me,” Garner said. “I think it ended up being like two weeks before I finally heard from them. There was no way for them to communicate with me. They were without power for a long time and so it was tough, being up here and watching the news and not knowing what was going on with them.” Ultimately, all of Garner’s family escaped unharmed, despite some damages to their property, which has allowed the senior to put his focus back on football. After hauling in nine passes for 139 yards and a touchdown a season ago, Garner has six catches for 54 yards, as well
n
as 78 yards on kickoff returns. He and the Lights, who are 1-5 on the season are still looking for their first Frontier Conference win and they are hoping it comes Saturday, at home against Rocky Mountain College. Earlier in the season, Northern had a lead late against the Battlin’ Bears, before a kickoff return for a touchdown, handed the Lights a 32-25 defeat. Since then, Northern has been unable to get a win in Frontier Conference play, something they hope to change this weekend at Blue Pony Stadium. “For us, it’s really just about finishing what we started,” Garner said. “They (Bears) are a good team, but we are a good team too and we just want to show that and finish what we started in that first game.” Whether Garner and the Lights win on Saturday or again this season, in the grand scheme of things, it won’t
7
be life changing. But when Garner earns his degree this spring, becoming the first in his family to do so, it will be, which in the end, will be the most valuable product of his long and winding football career. “Being the first person in my family to go to college or to get a college degree, kept me going,” Garner said. “And football really helped me get there. Basically, the experience of going from Miami to California for the first time and experiencing that all alone with no family, to moving to Montana all alone, that introduced me to a lot of new people and new experiences. I learned a lot of things and got some great advice and all of that just made me a better person and helped me grow.” Garner and the Lights will take on Rocky Mountain College, in search of their second win of the season Saturday at 1 p.m.
See Garner Page 7
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Donovan Garner catches a pass on the snowcovered MSU-N practice field last week. Garner's journey to Northern was a long one, including having to sit out a year of football in order to afford to continue his dream. But it was a dream Garner never gave up on, and now, not only his he one of the Lights' top receivers, but he's also a veteran leader. For more photos of Garner, go to www.havredailynews.com.
8
October 13, 2017
www.havredailynews.com
www.havredailynews.com
1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 44 45 46 49 50 51 52 54 56 58 60 64 68 73 74 76 77 81 82 83 84 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93
Isaiah Schlegel Josh Kraft Kirk Durtsche Max Gray Devin Pope Drew Korf Paris Wilcox Lucas Overton Dallas Mack Sam Sparks Markale Moses Jacob Bakken Terrance Williams Tyler Eberhardt Keenan Fagan Darneail Jenkins Kendell Jefferson Max Melfi Jared Gallatin Derrick Olsen Fili Church Cordell Shelton Troy Wallace Brady Pickering Ryder Rice Griff Amies Gage Seekins DJ Scheffer Koby Ruff Jessie Sanders Corey Hickman Allen Williamson Jerry Gomez Jade Olson Dillon Johnson Christian Prevost Matt Kolb Joe Gallatin Chase Truscott Billy Williams Brad Drake Shane Larson Joel Kaplan Mason Melby Chase Bertelsen Dayton Cogdill Matt Larson Luke Miller Justin Farsnworth Troy Bacon Dylan Swandal Kyle Frazier Tom Roman Zane Guse Cory Roemeling Brandon Connolly Jake Roumanos Tanner Bloom Jaryd McCray Garett Schild John Boogaard Austin Weakley Brandon Mosley Brandy Holmes Taylor Bienvenue Gus Schaff Deion Ortega Josh Triplett Taylor Schwartz Denton Wetherell Mitch Goodwin Stephen Lockard Joshua Wade
Pos.
DB WR DB WR LB QB DB WR LB RB DB QB DB RB DB TE DB LB DB WR DE DB DE QB DE K QB DB DB RB DB RB WR RB P/K WR DB LB FB LB FB LB FB RB LB LB RB LS OL OL OL LB DE OL OL DT OL OL OL OL OL WR TE WR WR WR WR DE WR DT DE DE DT
Ht.
5-11 5-11 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-4 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-5 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-10 5-9 6-0 5-11 5-8 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-3 6-1 6-3 5-10 5-9 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-0
Wt. 170 180 200 185 210 185 190 195 215 180 170 190 175 170 190 250 175 200 185 170 225 175 220 210 210 160 200 185 170 180 175 180 210 190 165 185 185 200 205 215 220 205 205 190 235 210 200 190 300 300 285 220 225 275 275 300 285 265 275 285 290 210 230 180 195 185 180 200 180 270 220 195 230
Yr.
Fr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. So. R-Fr. Jr. So. So. R-Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. So. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. So R-Fr. Jr. So. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr.
Hometown
Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Casper, Wyo. / Chadron State Arlington, Wash. / Chadron State Moorpark, Calif. / Moorpark JC Boise, Idaho / Capital HS Miami. Fla. / Tennessee State Emmett, Idaho /Emmett HS Ballantine, Mont. / Huntley Project HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Senior HS Tulsa, Okla. / South Dakota Wibaux, Mont. / Wibaux HS Baltimore, Md. / Fullerton JC Lewiston, Idaho /Lewiston HS Lake Tapps, Wash. / Lake Tapps HS Bay Point, Calif. / Laney JC Pasadena, Calif. / Pasadena JC Huntington Beach, Calif. / Marina HS Polson, Mont. / Polson HS Helena, Mont. / Helena HS Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS Vallejo, Calif. / American Canyon HS Florence, Mont. / Florence-Carlton HS Savage, Mont. / Savage HS Newport Beach, Calif. / Orange Coast JC Brush Prairie, Wash. / Hockinson HS Boise, Idaho / Capital HS Belgrade, Mont. / Belgrade HS Afton, Wyo. / Star Valley HS Denver, Colo. / Malta, Mont. / Malta HS Oxnard, Calif. / Moorpark JC Malta, Mont. / Malta HS Orting, Wash. / Orting HS Lambert, Mont. / Richey Lambert HS Hysham, Mont. / Hysham HS Polson, Mont. / Polson HS St. Maries, Idaho / St. Maries HS Gillette, Wyo. / Campbell County HS Priest River, Idaho / Priest River HS Conrad, Mont. / Conrad HS Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS40 Baker, Mont. / Baker HS Wibaux, Mont. / Wibaux HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Central HS Las Vegas, Nev. / Mountain View HS Vancouver, Wash. / Mountain View HS Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS Oak Hills, Calif. / Portland State Great Falls, Mont. / Great Falls HS Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Skyview HS Kennewick, Wash. / Southridge HS Laurel, Mont. / Laurel HS Spring Creek, Nev. / Spring Creek HS Casper, Wyo. / Kelly Walsh HS Chandler, Ariz. / Hamilton HS Missoula, Mont. / Sentinel HS Monument, Colo. / Western State Clovis, Calif. / Reedley JC Fontana, Calif. / Chaffey JC Columbia, S.C. / San Bernardino JC Molt, Mont. / Broadview HS Billings, Mont. / Billings Skyview HS .Jerome, Idaho / Jerome HS Hamilton, Mont. / Hamilton HS Glendive, Mont. / Dawson County HS Meridiean, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS Bountiful, Utah / Viewmont HS Berthoud, Colo. / Berthoud HS Brush Prairie, Wash. / Hockinson HS
# Name
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
Hometown
94 Jake Tuiavivue
DT
6-4
285
Jr.
Tacoma, Wash. ge
95 Jace Billy
DT
5-11
255
So.
Havre, Mont. / Montana State
98 Tucker Burns
DT
5-11
255
Jr.
Kingston, Wash. / Kingston HS
99 Kameron Welker
DT
6-2
260
R-Fr.
Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS
5
MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Rocky Mountain Numerical Roster # Name
October 13, 2017
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 65 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 78 79 80 81 83 84 85
Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
Donovan Garner Jett Robertson Corey Lee Trey Blanchard Bryce Missey Jarrod Lucas BJ Peters Morgan McCrary Sam Mix Dylan Cook Jess Krahn Garet Fowler Caymus Thomas Bryce Bumgardner Kagen Khameneh Andrew Morgan Jase McCammond Marvin Williams Christian Williams Dequincy Bergen Tommy Wilson Steven Fernandez Basie Destefanis Dylan Kelley Wylie Novak Tommy Langley Connor Crawford Sam Tapia Bob Schenk Jake Norby Sam Edwards Brooks Dunn Devariej Criss Dakota Schelling Jace Koester Cody Lucke Colt Pederson Adrian Leos Kenneth Pruttis Peter Hamilton Kingston Sua Wyatt McKinlay Jake French Jaren Maki Ian Sparrow Elijah Cox Alec Wagner Brandon Moes Aaron Dolfay Mitchell Harmon Trenton Woodward Gerlad Brascome Joe Fehr Tyler Pallas Dale Cummings Robert Johnson Roger Guillory James Sullivan Ryan Handley Dylan Schmidt Clint Willis Skylor Africa Barnes Jaxon Simonson Duntreal Moss Jake Horner Darius Hatcher Beau Wilhelm Fotios Jordanoglou Kitrell Willingham
Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So.
WR RB DB RB QB DB RB DB WR QB TE LB WR WR TE LB DB WR DB DB QB LB DB DB DB K RB P LB LB LB LB DB LB RB LB LB LB TE LB TE TE LB LB DL OL LB OL LB DL OL OL DL LB OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE
5-8 6-0 5-10 5-10 6-0 5-9 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-6 6-4 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-10 5-10 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-10 5-9 6-0 5-7 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-5 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-1 6-3 6-5 5-9 5-9 6-0 5-10 6-1
Wt. Hometown
180 200 190 200 200 175 195 190 190 290 230 225 165 185 240 235 170 170 190 200 205 210 195 175 175 190 190 180 225 200 210 190 175 185 180 205 200 195 210 225 210 205 215 220 230 280 225 240 240 245 275 280 205 210 300 250 270 290 265 275 300 300 280 305 160 165 200 180 225
Miami, Florida Glendale, Arizona Moorpark, California Bloomington, Minn. Spanaway, Washi. Hayward, California Rio Vista, California Las Vegas, Nevada Sammamish, Wash. Butte, Montana Hockinson, Wash. Belgrade, Montana Spokane, Washington Saint Helens, Oregon Missoula, Montana Waianae, Hawaii Spokane Valley, Wash. Puyallup, Washington Spokane Valley, Wa. Houston, Texas Fresno, California Apopka, Florida Fresno, California Mesa, Arizona Cut Bank, Montana Tracy, California Missoula, Montana Carlsbad, California Missoula, Montana Chinook, Montana Duarte, California Chandler, Arizona Tacoma, Washington Fallon, Nevada Queen Creek, Arizona Browning, Montana Shelby, Montana Casa Grande, Arizona Chinook, Montana Cut Bank, Montana Federal Way, Wash. Geraldine, Montana Choteau, Montana Belt, Montana Mesa, Arizona Glendale, Arizona Laurel, Montana Great Falls, Montana Portland, Oregon Rancho, California Three Forks, Montana Eureka, Montana Eureka, Montana Chehalis, Washington Cremona, Alberta Stevensville, Montana Kalispell, Montana Burlington, Washington Missoula, Montana Nine Mile Falls, MT. Gardiner, Montana Banks, Oregon Rudyard, Montana Kalispell, Montana Great Falls, Montana Parkland, Washington White Lake, Michigan Ripon, California Parkland, Washington
No. 88 89 90 91 92 95 98
Name
Yr. Pos. Ht.
Seth Roemmelle Jordan Pugh Connor Coyne Connor Koker Josh Wright Elijah Dennison Ronnie Chavez
Redshirts Xavier Alefaio Chase Alexander Colten Bonny Kody Bowman Chase Garcia Chase Gilbert RJ Henry Joehnis Joyce Justin King Chasen Kipp Koby McCallum Colton Michaels Lucas Olson Justin Pfeifer Chase Storey Ostin Welch
Jr. So. Fr. Fr. So. So. Fr.
Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.
Wt. Hometown
WR TE DL LB DL DL DL
6-0 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-2
190 230 255 215 240 255 245
Claresholm, Alberta Tacoma, Washington Virginia City, Nevada Spokane, Washington Sammamish, Wash. Enumclaw, Washington Missoula, Montana
WR DL DL OL RB LB WR WR OL WR DB OL DL DL LB DB
6-2 6-2 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-6 5-10 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-2
200 265 265 250 185 200 180 190 290 180 180 220 220 275 190 175
Parkland, Wash. Seattle, Wash. Columbia Falls, MT Chandler, Arizona Valencia, Calif. Green Acres, Wash. Fairbanks, Alaska Tacoma, Wash. Fromberg, MT. Heart Butte, MT. Salem, Oregon Prosser, Wash. Eatonville, Wash. Cut Bank, MT. Roy, Utah Malta, MT.
2017 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Aaron Christensen, head coach and offensive coordinator; Jake Eldridge, defensive coordinator, strength & conditioning; Anvil Sinisibaugh offensive line, recruiting coordinator; Jorge Magana, linebackers; Kevin Murphy, linebackers; Dane Vanderpan, defensive line; Lance Marshall, wide receivers; Darold DeBolt, defensive line; Rick Wells, defensive backs. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Kristie Pulin.
4
October 13, 2017
www.havredailynews.com
MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Rocky Mountain Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2017 Offensive Numbers
RMC 2017 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 20 ppg, 6th in Frontier Total offense: 387 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Seth Roemelle #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Kendell Jefferson #9, 6-1, 175 Cornerback
Passing: 226 ypg, 4th in Frontier
www.havredailynews.com
October 13, 2017
MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
RMC 2017 Offensive Numbers
MSU-N 2017 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25 ppg, 2nd in Frontier
Scoring: 45 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 392 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 501 ypg, last in Frontier
Pass defense: 259 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Pass defense: 261 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Scoring: 30 ppg, 3rd in Frontier
Aaron Christensen enters his third season as the Head Football Coach of Montana State UniversityNorthern. He brings with him a decade of coaching experience at the NAIA level. From 2012 to 2014, Coach Christensen served as the Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator for Missouri Valley College (MVC).
Dylan Schmidt #74, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Tommy Wilson #22, 6-1, 205 Quarterback
Dale Cummings #65, 6-2, 300 Center
Tom Roman #56, 5-11, 225 Defensive line
Denton Wetherell #90, 6-1, 270 Defensive line
Ryan Handley #73, 6-3, 265 Offensive line
Kameron Welker #99, 6-2, 260 Defensive line
Tommy Langley #27, 5-11, 190 Kicker
Sam Mix #9, 6-1, 190 Receiver
Passing: 189 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Dallas Mack #5, 6-0, 215 Linebacker Dequincy Bergen #21, 5-11, 200 Safety
Elijah Dennison #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle GaretFowler #12, 5-10, 220 Linebacker
Chase Bertelsen #44, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Billy Williams #36, 5-11, 215 Linebacker
Josh Wright #92, 6-2, 240 Defensive end
Dylan Kelley #25, 5-10, 175 Safety
Jope Fehr #58, 6-3, 225 Defensive line
Ryder Rice #17, 6-4, 210 Linebacker
Jason Petrino RMC Head Coach
Jacob Roumanos #68, 6-0, 280 Offensive line
Troy Bacon #51, 6-0, 280 Offensive line
Jacob Bakken #7, 6-4, 190 Quarterback
Jade Olson #30, 5-8, 190 Running back
Dylan Swandal #52, 6-3, 285 Offensive line
Alec Wagner
#52, 5-11, 225 Linebacker
John Boogard #77, 6-4, 290 Offensive line
Elijah Cox #51, 6-5, 280 Offensive line
Taylor Schwartz
#89, 6-0, 180 Receiver
Jake Norby #31, 6-2, 200 Bandit
Brandon Mosley #85, 6-3, 230 Receiver
Kagen Khameneh #15, 6-3, 240 Tight end Sam Tapia #89, 6-0, 180 Punter
Steven Fernandez #23, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Paris Wilcox #4, 5-10, 190 Safety Kitrell Willingham #85, 6-2, 225 Fullback
Total offense: 409 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Zane Guse #58, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Keenan Fagan #8, 5-11, 190 Safety
Trey Blanchard #4, 5-10, 200 Running Back
Prince Sonola Jr. #1, 5-9, 170 Receiver
Jarrod Lucas #6, 5-9, 175 Cornerback
Clint Willis #75, 6-7, 300 Offensive line
Aaron Christensen MSU-N Head Coach
Rocky Mountain Offensive Starters
Devariej Criss #34, 5-9, 175 Corner Terrance Williams #7, 5-11, 175 Cornerback
Max Gray #3, 5-11, 185 Receiver
Griss Amies
#18, 5-10, 160 Kicker
Petrino is in his 2nd season at RMC. He comes to Rocky after spending the past four years as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach under legendary coach Joe Glenn at the University of South Dakota. The 39-year-old replaced Brian Armstrong, who spent the last seven years leading the Battlin’ Bears. Petrino’s coaching career began in 2000 at his alma mater, Carroll College (Mont.), where he coached the defensive backs on the 2002 NAIA National Championship team.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
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Lights shine brighter than a comet in mayville George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In the last three seasons, their backs have been against the wall on numerous occasions. And like most young teams struggling for victories, on many of those occasions, things have not gone well for the Montana State University-Northern Lights. On Saturday in Mayville, North Dakota, though, all of a sudden, they did. After jumping out to an early lead, the Lights found themselves trailing the Mayville State Comets 22-19 late in the third quarter of Saturday’s first-ever meeting between the two border rivals. But in a dramatic showing of power and resiliency, the Lights wouldn’t stay down for long. Northern ripped off 24 unanswered points to overtake the Comets and beat Mayville with a 43-29 win — MSU-N’s first of the season, and just its second in the Aaron Christensen era. “It’s kind of part of that growing up and maturing process,” Christensen said. “In that third quarter, the ball wasn’t bouncing our way. But our kids just kept fighting, kept on playing. I was really proud of the way they stepped up to those challenges.” Tommy Langley started the rally with a field goal just before the third quarter ended, which tied the game at 22-22. Then, MSU-N’s running game completely took over. Trey Blanchard, who had a breakout day, ripped off a long run, and set up backup quarterback Dylan Cook’s second rushing touchdown of the day, putting the Lights back in front. Just minutes later, Blanchard would score again, and when B.J. Peters raced to the endzone untouched with 6:27 left in the contest, the Lights went from trailing 22-19 to leading 43-22. MSU would add a late passing touchdown from quarterback Creighton Pfau, but, the damage had been done. And the damage was done by Northern’s rushing attack, and its run defense. Blanchard finished with a career-best 179 yards on 28 carries, while also catching three passes. Peters added 85 yards on just six totes and starting QB Tommy Wilson rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries. The Lights, who rushed for a seasonhigh 376 yards, and racked up over 500 yards of offense, also got two big chunks from Marvin Williams on end-a rounds. Williams also caught four passes, while Caymus Thomas
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October 13, 2017
Frontier Conference Standings
Conf. WL
Overall WL
Southern Oregon Montana Tecch UM-Western Rocky Mountain Eastern Oregon College of Idaho Carroll College MSU-Northern
5-0 4-1 3-2 3-2 2-3 2-3 1-4 0-5
5-0 4-1 3-3 3-3 2-3 2-4 1-4 1-5
Last Week Eastern Oregon 41, MSU-Northern 12 UM-Western 42, Montana Tech 35 College of Idaho 21, Carroll College 6 Saturday, Oct. 14 MSU-Northern vs Rocky Mountain Montana Tech at Carroll College UM-Western at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Eastern Oregon
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern red-shirt freshman Dylan Cook scored two rushing touchdowns in the Lights' Sept. 3o win at Mayville State.
hauled in five grabs from Wilson. Cook added 11 yards on the ground, but scored on two goal-line package touchdowns. “What we do on offense is take what the defense is giving us,” Christensen said. “We had some success running the football early on, and they (Comets) kind of kept backing off us. So we continued to run the ball and had a lot of success doing it. I think we set the school record for rushing yards in a game, so we had a very good day running the ball for sure.” Meanwhile, the Northern defense may have surrendered a big day to Pfau, who came in as the leading passer in the North Star Athletic Association, and threw for 349 yards and four scores, but, the Lights were stingy where it mattered most. The Comets managed just -2 yards rushing, while Garet Fowler had an interception, and Steven Fernandez, Pete Hamilton and Josh Wright all sacked Pfau on key third downs. Jake Norby had 10 tackles and Fowler added nine stops to his crucial interception. “Defensively, we held them (Comets) to minus two yards rushing, and that was also a school record,” Christensen said. “That was big. I thought our defense really stepped up.” Northern’s victory, a much-needed one after last week’s humbling homecoming loss to UM-Western, was also the result of a great start by the Lights. Langley connected on an early 22yard field goal, and the Lights made it 5-0 when they sacked Pfau in the endzone for a safety. Wilson padded the early lead when he scored on a run midway through the second period, and the Lights finished off 19
unanswered points with Cook’s firstcareer touchdown, a run from eight yards out. By the time the half expired the Lights led 19-7. "Finishing those drives early was big for us,” Christensen said. “Putting points on the board, getting off to a good start is always critical. We’ve moved the ball well all year long, but finishing drives is really important, and we did that early in the game. And honestly, if we had been able to do that in a couple of the other games earlier in the year, those games might have been a lot different. So it was good to see us get off to that kind of start.” But as well as Northern played in the first half, the adversity they have faced for much of this season would rear its head in the third quarter, as Pfau led the Comets on three straight scoring drives, while the Lights failed to answer until Langley’s field goal knotted things up at 22-22 as the third quarter came to an end. And that’s when the Lights showed a ton of heart and character, as they didn’t let the opportunity for a coveted win slip away. “It’s a good win for our football team and out program,” Christensen said. “The kids just fought hard and kept playing. They did a great job of just staying with it.” Northern is now 1-4 on the season, but remains 0-4 in the Frontier. The Lights return to conference play this Saturday night when they battle the Eastern Oregon Mounties in LaGrande, Oregon. MSU-N then returns hoem to host Rocky Mountain College Oct. 13.
NAIA Coaches Poll Rec. 1. Saint Francis (Ind.) (15)6-0 2. Baker (Kan.) 6-0 3. Reinhardt (Ga.) 5-0 4. Morningside (Iowa) 6-0 5. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5-0 6. Grand View (Iowa) 5-1 7. Southern Oregon 5-0 8. Langston (Okla.) 5-0 9. Georgetown (Ky.) 5-0 10. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4-1 11. Montana Tech 4-1 12. Benedictine (Kan.) 5-1
Pts. 340 327 312 303 286 271 266 236 235 223 213 195
Prv. 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 5 14
13. Marian (Ind.) 3-2 14. Southeastern (Fla.) 4-1 15. Sterling (Kan.) 5-1 16. Arizona Christian 5-1 17. Northwestern (Iowa) 5-1 18. Dickinson State 5-1 19. Doane (Neb.) 4-2 19. Hastings (Neb.) 5-1 21. Concordia (Mich.) 5-1 22. SAGU (Texas) 4-1 23. Tabor (Kan.) 3-2 24. Cumberland (Tenn.) 5-2 25. Kansas Wesleyan 4-2
191 171 157 139 135 121 77 77 75 70 68 22 19
13 15 17 18 19 21 12 24 20 23 16 NR 25
Others receiving votes: : Montana Western 15; Campbellsville (Ky.) 12; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 7; Peru State (Neb.) 6; Dakota State (S.D.) 3; Dordt (Iowa) 3.
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders Week Seven
Passing: Tanner Trosin, SOU, 347 ypg Receiving: Dion Williams, MT, 90 ypg Receptions: Dion Williams, MT, 7 cpg Rushing: Jed Fike, MT, 153 ypg Tackles: Nate Moore, C of I, 64 Sacks: Connor Wines, MT, 6 sacks INT's: Keenan Fagan, RMC, 4 ints
Lights Coaching Staff
Jim Potter The 2017 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff. From left to right: Dan Vanderpan (defensive line), Darold DeBolt (defensive line), Jake Eldridge (defensive coordinator, strength and conditioning), Rick Wells (defensive backs), Aaron Christensen (head coach, offensive coordinator), Anvil Sinsibaugh (offensive line, recruiting coordinator), Jorge Magana (linebacker, defensive line), Kevin Murphy (linebackers), Lance Marshall (wide receivers, tight ends).
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No Quitting on his Dream Donovan Garner's journey to play college football was a long one, but, his hard work paid off, and now, the Florida native is living out his dreams in Havre, and he's loving it Chris Peterson Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com The college football journey of Donovan Garner has been long, but it's also been rewarding and soon, he will play his final down for Montana State University-Northern. But even though his career on the gridiron is ending, he still has time to end it in style.
“I just want to finish my career strong,” Garner said. “I want to continue to play hard and work hard for myself and my teammates. And I just want to finish as strong as I can.” When it comes to telling the story of how a kid from Miami, Florida came to be a wide receiver for a small college in Havre, Montana, there are some twists and turns, but the theme is the same. Garner, even when not recruited heavily out of high school, never gave up on himself or on his football career. Following a solid high school career as a running back, Garner had some offers from NAIA college football teams in Florida. The only problem, was at the time, college was not affordable for Garner, who put his dream on the back burner and went to work, literally, with the goal of saving money for school. “I had some NAIA offers coming out of high school,” Garner said. “But even with that, I couldn’t really afford to go to college.
Halfway home in the Frontier Conference. As the second week of October dawns, many teams will begin to play each other for a second time, as the schedule turns for the home stretch. And while the Frontier title is very much up for grabs, it’s time to take a look at who the top individuals have been in the first half of the season, and who the candidates are for the Frontier postseason awards. As for the coveted Offensive Player of the Year Award, that race is probably down to three players right now, and two of them reside at Montana Tech. Senior quarterback Quinn McQueary has been sensational thus far, twice winning NAIA Offensive Player of the Week honors. McQueary has thrown for 1,685 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 337 yards per game, and those numbers would be even better had he not sat out a few fourth-quarter blowouts. McQueary is
See Garner Page 6
MSU-Northern Lights vs Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears Montana State University-Northern Location: Havre, Mont. Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2017 record: 0-5, 1-5
2016 record: 1-9, 1-9 Head coach: Aaron Christensen Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium Streak: Northern is still in search of its first home win of 2017. The Lights have fallen to Tech and Western at home.
Saturday, October 14, 2017 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain College Location: Billings, Mont. Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Donovan Garner runs through the Montana Tech defense during a recent Frontier Conference game in Havre. Garner's road to playing four-year college football was a long one, and often times, was a difficult one. But, he never stopped trying to make his dream come true, and now, he's living out the final season of that dream, and making the most of it.
Nickname: Battlin' Bears Colors: Green and Gold 2017 record: 3-2, 3-3
2016 record: 4-6, 4-7 Head coach: Jason Petrino Stadium: Herb Klindt Field Streak: The Bears have beaten Northern on five straight times including a thriller back in September in Billings.
October 13, 2017
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Frontier reaches critical halfway mark George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
So I stayed home and worked and help my mom out.” However, even though Garner wasn’t playing college football, he didn’t want his skills to go to waste, so he joined a semi-pro football team to help keep them sharp. “It was pretty cool,” Garner said. “It was just a team in our county. A lot of people, because of my size and because of how young I was, didn’t think it was a good idea. But it was a great learning experience for me. I was able to learn a lot of things from some of the older guys I played with. They had a lot knowledge and they passed it on to me.” Following his year away from football, Garner went to junior college in California, attending College of the Siskiyous and playing for two seasons, before transferring to Northern for his final two years of eligibility. But even then, getting onto the field for the College of Siskiyous wasn’t easy.
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fifth in the NAIA in total offense, and has rushed for five more scores this season. McQueary’s teammate, running back Jed Fike is also in the discussion. Fike transferred to Tech from Dickinson State, and has completely fortified Tech’s ground game. Fans may have been worried when two-time Frontier MVP Nolan Saraceni graduated, but, in just five games, Fike has rushed for 765 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s averaging a whopping 153 yards per game, and 6.7 yards per carry, on just 114 carries so far. He leads the Frontier in rushing by a crazy 70 yards per game over College of Idaho’s Darius-James Peterson. Not to be outdone, Southern Oregon’s
Tanner Trosin is having a monster season of his own. After missing last fall with an injury, Trosin returned to the Raiders and hasn’t skipped a beat. He’s thrown for 1,737 yards and 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He’s sixth in the NAIA passing and fourth in the nation in total offense, and, he has the Raiders undefeated and in first place in the Frontier standings. Other offensive players making their mark so far this season include UM-Western QB Bennett Gibson and running back Hunter Thomsen, MSUNorthern quarterback Tommy Wilson and running back Trey Blanchard, Montana Tech WR Dion Williams, Rocky Mountain running backs Mason Melby, Sam Sparks
Today in the Frontier Conference
See Notebook Page 12
2017 Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Montana Tech; 2. Eastern Oregon; T3. Southern Oregon; T3. Carroll College; 5. UM-Western; T6. Rocky Mountain College; T6. College of Idaho; 8. MSU-Northern
1. Southern Oregon 2. Montana Tech 3. UM-Western 4. Rocky Mountain 5. College of Idaho 6. Eastern Oregon 7. Carroll College 8. MSU-Northern
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (0-5, 1-5)
UM-Western (3-2, 3-3) at College of Idaho (2-3, 2-4) in Caldwell, Idaho
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Havre Daily News Frontier Conference Power Rankings
Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (3-2, 3-3)
#11 Montana Tech (4-1, 4-1) at Carroll College (1-4, 1-4) in Helena, Mont.
and Jade Olson and Eastern Oregon quarterback Kai Quinn. The Defensive Player of the Year award is much more muddled than the offensive side at the halfway point. Montana Tech’s Connor Wines is off to a great start with 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, but, as expected, College of Idaho defensive back Nate Moore is again racking up the tackles. Moore has 64 stops this season, after leading the Frontier in tackles each of the last two years. He, and Northern linebacker Garet Fowler, are the only defenders in the Frontier averaging more than 10 tackles per game. Moore also has an interception to his credit, along with six pass breakups, while Fowler, who should also be in the running, has two picks this season. Rocky Mountain College has safety Keenan Fagan with four picks at the halfway point, while teammates Ryder Rice and Chase Bertelsen are also impact players.
#7 Southern Oregon (5-0, 5-0) at Eastern Oregon (2-3, 2-3) in LaGrande, Ore.
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Notebook: Plenty of stars on all sides putting up big numbers through the Frontier's first half ■ From Page 11 Others in the defensive discussion include Southern Oregon linebacker Keegan Lawrence, Eastern Oregon linebacker Michael Arenas, College of Idaho defensive end Josh Price and UM-Western defensive back Zach Janis. As for the Coach of the Year, it’s early, but, there’s no denying what SOU firstyear head man Charlie Hall is doing with the Raiders. Hall was hired after longtime SOU great Craig Howard passed away, and, despite the emotions of losing their beloved head coach, Hall hasn’t let the Raiders slip. IN fact, after SOU suffered a subpar season last season, Hall has brought them right back to national prominence. Of course, Tech head coach Chuck Morrell is doing another bang-up job with the Orediggers this season, but, another head coach who has to be considered for the award, at least halfway through the season, is UM-Western’s Ryan Nourse. Nourse got the Bulldogs through a brutal opening
stretch to their season, and now, they appear to be legitimate Frontier contenders. Dawgs Shake It Up Speaking of the Bulldogs, they certainly threw a wrench into the Frontier’s title race. Playing their biggest rival at home, Western ended Montana Tech’s chance at perfection last Saturday with a 42-35 win over the Orediggers in Dillon. Western’s victory was huge not only for the program, but also for SOU’s chances of winning an outright Frontier title. Because the Raiders and Diggers play just once this season, if SOU wins out, Tech can’t catch the Raiders for the conference championship. The win was also an indictment on how well Western has been playing lately. After squeaking by C of I in their season-opener, the Dawgs lost three straight games – albeit one of those to FCS powerhouse Weber State. Still, Western’s season was already slipping
away and September wasn’t even over yet. But, a 61-7 thrashing of MSU-Northern, followed by a bye week, and then a monumental win over Tech, has thrust the Dawgs back into the NAIA Top 25, and right back into the hunt for, at the very least, an NAIA playoff berth.
Round Two Speaking of the playoffs, the Rocky Mountain College Batllin’ Bears aren’t out of the playoff hunt yet either. Like Western, Rocky responded to an early-season loss with some thrilling wins, and a near-miss against Montana Tech late last month. One of those thrilling wins came all the way back on Sept. 2 when the Bears stormed back to beat Northern in the final minutes of a great game in Billings. Now, Rocky sits at 3-2 in Frontier play, and will have to navigate a second win over the Lights in order to keep their playoff push alive. But, the Lights will certainly be out for
revenge Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Northern put up huge offensive numbers last month in Billings, and twice led the Bears in the fourth quarter. So, despite Rocky’s fine play in recent weeks, the Lights know full well they have what it takes to take the Bears down this Saturday. The Northern/Rocky game is also one of three rematches on the slate this weekend in league play. Montana Tech will try to shake off its stunning loss to Western when it travels to Carroll College. The Orediggers beat the Saints 45-28 on Aug. 30 in Butte, and Carroll has won just once since. Southern Oregon also comes out of its bye week with a dangerous trip to Eastern Oregon. Under the lights of Community Stadium, the Raiders will try and avoid an upset at the hands of their biggest rival. SOU beat EOU 31-21 last month in Ashland, Oregon, and SOU will have to be on high alert as EOU will be riding high after busting a three-game losing streak last week when they beat Northern 41-12.
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior linebacker Garet Fowler is having a big season for the Lights' defense. Fowler is second in the Frontier Conference in tackles, and he's also intercepted two passes. Northern is home this Saturday to host Rocky Mountain College at 1 p.m. in Blue Pony Stadium.