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Notebook: Jett Robertson shines in season debut ■ From Page 11 interesting to see if the EOU defense can be as stingy against the Raider passing attack, as it was against the C of I running game. Montana Tech and UM-Western also make their season debuts this weekend. The Orediggers travel to C of I, where they ended the season a year ago with a horrific loss to the Yotes. UM-Western goes to Helena to face a reeling Carroll squad that will try and rebound from its dismal offensive performance at Rocky last Thursday night. Both Tech and Western are also breaking in new starting quarterbacks, and doing that on the road in the Frontier is never easy. Frontier Honors Jett Robertson's huge season debut earned him Northern's first Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor in several years. Robertson is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior running back from Glendale, Ariz. In North-
ern’s opening season non-conference win over Mayville State (N.D.). Robertson rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He also caught five passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. Also nominated, and listed in alphabetical order, are Victor Dias of Eastern Oregon and Lucas Overton of Rocky Mountain College. Rocky's Ryder Rice was named Defensive Player of the Week. Rice had four sacks in RMC's win over Carroll College last Thursday. MSU-N's Joe Fehr was also nominated. EOU's Nathan Harden was named Special Team's Player of the Week. In the Mounties' 24-21 win over C of I last Saturday, Harden made a field goal, was perfect on PATs and had five punts for 291 yards. Northern's Diego Morales was also nominated. Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Jett Robertson was named Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 167 yards and scoring four touchdowns in Northern's win over Mayville State last Saturday.
Rewind: Northern rolls in Andrew Rolin's debut ■ From Page 10 to truly make a game of it. Northern answered the Mayville score with no time left on the clock in the third when Wilson hit a streaking Jordanoglou, and he did the rest, taking it to the house from 41 yards away. That score put the Lights up 42-20, and Northern tacked on an insurance score in the fourth, with newcomer Andrez Trahan-Proctor bulldozing his way into the endzone on a 13-yard run with 5:58 left. Proctor’s first touchdown as a Light was
also indicative of not just how well the Lights played offensively, but just how tough MSUN’s running game looks to be. Northern rushed for 220 yards, with Robertson gaining 167 on 28 carries. His huge day also included five catches for 82 yards to go with his four touchdowns. MSU-N’s passing game was just as good, with the Lights throwing for 431 yards, and Wilson accounting for 397 on 26 completions. Both were career high’s for the senior, as was Robertson’s rushing total. “Jett and Tommy really led this team today, along with how well our offensive line
played,” Rolin said. “Tommy was operating the offense all day. He was just doing his job, and he played at such a high level. And Jett, he’s the man. He’s the toughest, hardestworking guy on this team, and he showed everybody exactly what he can do today. Those two guys were awesome.” And Northern’s offense was awesome, too. The Lights had over 36 minutes of possession time, were efficient on third down, and made plays from everywhere. Nine different receivers caught passes, led by Jordanoglou, who had seven catches for 131 yards. Bryce Bumgardner, Marvin Williams, Pugh and freshman tight end Jared Eisenbarth also had key grabs on clutch third-down plays, while Seth
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson The Lights charge onto the field for last Saturday's season-opening game against Mayville State. In their Andrew Rolin debut, the Lights won 49-20. Northern hosts nationally-ranked Rocky Mountain College Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium.
Roemmele, Wyatt McKinlay and Sam Mix also got into the act. The young Northern defense made its presence felt, too. Pfau did wind up throwing for 351 yards and Momon caught 10 balls for 154 yards, but Northern held the Comets to just 42 yards rushing, forced two fumbles and limited the Comets to just three scores. Caymus Thomas led the Lights with six tackles, but 11 different Northern defenders had at least four stops, while Joe Fehr and B.J. Hatcher each had a sack. “There’s plenty we can work on,” Wagner said. “We know we need to get better. But the defense took a big step forward today.” As did the entire Northern football program. The Lights had lost their last six games of 2017, and that sequence also included the resignation of then head coach Aaron Christenson. It was certainly a tough time. But, on Saturday, with a new season just beginning, the past was way behind the Lights. It was all about the present, and eventually the future. In front of over 2,000 fans at Blue Pony Stadium, a new era of Northern football began, and it began in one of the most exciting ways possible, with a thrilling, electrifying and intense win over Mayville State. “How cool is this?” Rolin said. “It was an exciting day. All these fans, the student section was awesome, it was loud and exciting and a lot of fun. This is the type of home atmosphere we want to have here. We want this stadium to be a very tough place for our opponents to play and it was today. “It was a great win,” he continued. “And we’re excited about it. We know we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to clean up, a lot of areas we can improve, and a tough Frontier Conference schedule ahead of us. But today, this is what it’s about. This is special. This team is special, and I’m just really excited about what we did today. It was a great, great day for Northern football.” The Lights (1-0, 0-0) begin that tough Frontier schedule right back at home when they host No. 20 Rocky Mountain College (1-0, 1-0) this Saturday at 1 p.m.
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Northern's Mountain of a Man Rocky will be a big exam for Lights Left Tackle Clint Willis took an unusual journey to becoming one of the best offensive linemen in the Frontier Conference George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Clint Willis missed a lot of time last season due to an injury, and he didn’t like it one bit. No the Lights’ mountain of a man who plays left tackle isn’t happy sitting on the sidelines. However, missing football is part of the incredible story about how the massive 6-7, 300-pound senior from Gardiner, Montana came to be a Light in the first place. Willis, who said he’s always been tall, is
George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
now a four-year starter for the Lights, but, his path to Northern wasn’t the traditional one, not by a long shot. “I only played football through my sophomore year,” Willis said ahead of Saturday’s huge game with Rocky Mountain College. “Because that year, I got in a really bad car accident and I broke me leg. It was a pretty severe injury, and I wasn’t able to play the rest of high school.” Upon graduation, Willis, at that time thought his football career was over, and he moved on. He said he worked construction jobs in Wyoming after high school, before eventually ending up working construction in Bozeman, where he met Dick Anderson. “At that point, when I was working in Bozeman, I had pretty much decided I wanted to go to Northern to do diesel technology,” Willis said. “So I got up here, and I started working a handful of construction jobs while I was going to school, and that’s
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The Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears and Montana State University-Northern Lights opened the 2018 season with thrilling victories on their home fields. So it’s only fitting that the Bears and Lights next play each other. Rocky will come to Blue Pony Stadium Saturday as the 20th-ranked team in the NAIA and fresh off a 19-0 shutout win over Carroll College last Thursday. A first look at the Bears would suggest they are every bit as good as their ranking says. A loaded defense led by Ryder Rice, four returning starting linebackers and defensive back Keenan Fagan, who led the Frontier Conference in interceptions last season, and he’s already got one in one game this season. Rocky also comes to Havre with not one, not two, but three capable quarterbacks. Senior Jacob Bakken, sophomore Drew Korf and transfer Nate Dick all played in last week’s
See Willis Page 6
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior Clint Willis, left blocks a Mayville State defender during last Saturday's NAIA football game between the Lights and Comets at Blue Pony Stadium. Willis is not just a four-year starter for the Lights, and the anchor of what has become a very good offensive line, he's also Northern's most veteran player, after coming to MSU-N as a walkon. Willis missed two years of high school football after a car accident, and also didn't start playing college football until he'd been away from the game for more than five full years. But, it didn't seem to matter much as Willis has turned into a dominant force for Northern. Willis and the Lights open Frontier Conference play this Saturday when they host the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears inside Blue Pony Stadium.
MSU-Northern Lights vs Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears Montana State University-Northern Location: Havre, Mont. Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2018 record: 1-0, 0-0
2017 record: 1-10, 0-10 Head coach: Andrew Rolin Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium Streak: The Lights haven't won two straight games at Blue Pony Stadium since the 2011 Frontier Conference season.
Saturday, September 1, 2018 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain College
2017 record: 6-5,6-4 Head coach: Jason Petrino
Location: Billings
Stadium: Herb Klindt Field
Nickname: Battlin' Bears
Streak: The Battlin' Bears have won six in a row against MSU-N. Their last loss to the Lights in Havre came on Sept. 12, 2009.
Colors: Green and White 2018 record: 1-0, 1-0
win over Carroll, and that fact makes the Bears even harder to defend. Meanwhile the Lights are shining after racking up 600 yards of offense in their 49-20 victory over Mayville State last Saturday. Northern’s win gave Andrew Rolin a victory in his very first game as a Light, while running back Jett Robertson tied a school record for most touchdowns in a game with four. It was certainly a great debut for the Lights, and it also makes Saturday’s game with Rocky a big one. The Lights haven’t beaten Rocky since a 2014 win in Billings, and it’s been even longer since they’ve beaten the Bears in Havre. Last season, in the Frontier’s opening weekend, Northern twice had leads on the Bears in the fourth quarter, but Sam
Sparks rescued Rocky with a late, 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. So there’s no denying how big Saturday’s game will be because both Rocky and Northern are confident and have a lot of buzz surrounding their programs right now. Expect an exciting game, and a capacity crowd at Blue Pony Stadium.
defense had no answer for EOU sophomore QB Kai Quinn who threw for 327 yards, while the Mounties picked off two passes and got a key fourth-down stop on defense with just under two minutes left in the game. The biggest shocker of the game wasn’t EOU’s win on its brand new turf at Community Stadium, though, it was how the EOU defense stymied the Yotes on the ground. The top rushing team in the Frontier the last two seasons, the Yotes were held to just 78 yards rushing for the contest.
Surprise
Full Week
The Lights and Bears aren’t the only 1-0 teams in the Frontier right now. Last Saturday night in LaGrande, Ore., Eastern Oregon opened the Frontier slate with a 24-21 win over College Of Idaho. The Yotes came into the season-opener picked third in the Frontier and were receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll. But their
Today in the Frontier Conference #20 Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (1-0, 1-0)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (1-0, 0-0) UM-Western (0-0, 0-0) at Carroll College (0-1, 0-1) in Helena, MT
#4 Southern Oregon (0-0, 0-0 at Eastern Oregon (1-0, 1-0 in LaGrande, Oregon
RV Montana Tech (0-0, 0-0) at RV College of Idaho (0-1, 0-1) in Caldwell, Iadaho
Full Coverage on Twitter @HavreDaily
This Labor Day Weekend marks the start of the Frontier season in its entirety. And with EOU off to a 1-0 start, the Game of the Week might just be in LaGrande, where the Mounties will look to make it 2-0 when they host arch rival Southern Oregon. It’s the season debut for the Raiders, and they’re breaking in a new quarterback, so it, will be
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2018 Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Southern Oregon; 2. Rocky Mountain; T3. Montana Tech; T3. College of Idaho; 5. Carroll College; 6. Eastern Oregon; 7. UM-Western; 8. MSU-Northern Havre Daily News Frontier Conference Week 2 Power Rankings 1. Rocky Mountain College 2. Southern Oregon 3. Eastern Oregon 4. Montana Tech 5. College of Idaho 6. Carroll College 7. MSU-Northern 8. UM-Western
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Lights open Rolin era with a special win over Mayville State George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Montana State University-Northern Lights have been grinding And not just under new head coach Andrew Rolin. No, the Lights have been grinding in rebuilding mode for what has seemed like an eternity now. But on a warm, sunny August afternoon inside Blue Pony Stadium, the Lights let it all out in what turned out to be as magical a season-opener as MSU-N football has had in a long, long time. In Rolin’s debut as head coach of the Lights, Northern came out flying, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter on their way to a rousing and exciting 49-20 win over the Mayville State Comets Saturday afternoon in Havre. “I’m very proud of this team,” Rolin said after becoming the first Northern head coach to start his career 1-0. “We’re very proud of this first win. It’s special, and it’s exciting. The atmosphere today was electric. I could feel it all game, and our guys felt it, too. It’s a special day, and one I’m always going to remember. “This feels great,” added senior OT Clint Willis. “I think everybody on this team came out and gave it their all today. We definitely took a big step forward today.” A step forward indeed. Saturday was just Northern’s third win in its last 19 games dating back to the 2016 season. It was also the Light’s first win inside Blue Pony Stadium since they stunned Carroll College Sept. 17, 2016. “It feels great,” senior linebacker Alec Wagner said. “It feels great to come out and play as well as we did today. Obviously, we know we have a lot to work on. But today was a great day, and this is going to give us a lot of confidence going forward.” The game might inspire more confidence, but from the start, the Lights looked like a confident group already. Northern forced Mayville into an immediate three-and-out to start the contest, and from there, the Lights’ offense went off. On its first possession of the 2018 season, the Lights marched 95 yards in just nine plays, capping their first score of the season with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Wilson to Jett Robertson. That would be the start of what would turn into a huge day for both Robertson and Wilson. Robertson wound up rushing for 167 yards and scoring four times. His second of those four scores came on a sixyard TD run just seven minutes into the game, and it put the Lights ahead 14-0. Wilson, who nearly threw for 400 yards on the day, would add a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Pugh at the 3:35 mark of the first quarter, and the Lights were off and running, up 21-0. “We preach every day about getting off to a fast start, and we did that today,” Rolin said.
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Frontier Conference Standings
Rocky Mountain Eastern Oregon MSU-Northern Southern Oregon Montana Tech UM-Western College of Idaho Carroll College
Conf. WL
Overall WL
1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Thursday, Aug. 23 Rocky Mountain 19, Carroll College 0 Saturday, Aug. 25 MSU-Northern 49, Mayville State 20 Eastern Oregon 24, College of Idaho 21 Saturday MSU-Northern vs Rocky Mountain UM-Western at Carroll College Montana Tech at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Eastern Oregon
NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll 2017 Rec. Pts. Prv. 13. Dickinson St. (ND) 9-2 178 14 1. Saint Francis (Ind.) 14-0 340 1 14. Langston (OK) 10-1 177 13 2. Reinhardt (GA.) 12-1 349 2 15. Marian (Ind.) 7-3 167 18 3. Morningside (Iowa.) 13-1 340 3 16. Concordia (Mich.) 9-2 163 15 4. Southern Oregon 12-1 324 4 17. Sterling (Kan.) 9-3 159 16 5. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)11-1 310 5 18. Tabor (Kan.) 8-2 95 17 6. St. Xavier 10-2 296 6 19. Campbellsville 8-2 86 20 7. Georgetown (KY) 9-2 268 7 20. Rocky Mountain 6-5 75 NR 7. Northwestern (IA) 10-3 2368 8 21. Kansas Wesleyn 8-3 67 21 9. Baker (Kan) 10-2 259 9 22. SAGU (Texas) 8-3 51 19 10. Grand View 9-3 231 11 22. Arizona Christian 7-3 51 NR 11. Southeastern (Fla) 8-2 227 10 24. Faulkner (Ala) 7-3 46 22 12. Benedictine (Kan.) 9-3 197 12 25. Dakota State (S.D.) 8-2 44 23 Others receiving votes: : Montana Tech (44), Evangel (Mo.) (17), Oklahoma Panhandle State (15), St. Francis (Ill.) (12), College of Idaho (10), William Penn (Iowa) (10), Missouri Valley (9), Midland (Neb.) (8), Bluefield (Va.) 3
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders 2017
Passing: Tanner Trosin, SOU, 374 ypg Receiving: Dion Williams, MT, 110 ypg Receptions: Dion Williams, MT, 8 cpg Rushing: Jed Fike, MT, 139 ypg Tackles: Garet Fowler, MSU-N, 115 Sacks: Connor Wines, MT, 10 sacks INT's: Keenan Fagan, RMC, 7 ints
2018 Lights Coaching Staff Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Jordan Pugh smashes his way through the Mayville State defense for a touchdown during last Saturday's game at Blue Pony Stadium. “I think we need to finish better. But we got off to a great start, and you can see, when this offense is really clicking, we’re pretty hard to stop.” And Mayville could do little to stop the Lights. Northern rolled up 30 first downs and 650 yards of offense Saturday, and any time the Comets threatened the Lights, they answered right back. That was evident in the second stanza when Northern responded to two Mayville TDs. After the Comets pulled to within 21-6 early in the period, the Lights ripped off a 12-play, 73yard drive which included converting a seemingly impossible first-and-51 sequence. A huge grab by Pugh on fourth down was the difference, and two plays later, Robertson was in the endzone for the third time. Mayville came
right back and pulled to within 28-14 with just over a minute left in the half, but the Lights ran their two-minute drill to absolute perfection, with Wilson hitting Fotios Jordanoglou twice, and Robertson scoring his fourth TD on what was a 4-play, 74-yard drive that took less than a minute. “In the first half especially, our offense was firing on all cylinders,” Robertson said. “We came out full-throttle, we were playing fast, the O-line was opening up huge holes, and everybody was making plays. And we got points on the board quickly.” Northern’s defense did its part, too. The Lights limited the Comets to just six first downs in the first half, and that included a second-quarter goal-line stand where the Lights held the Comets out of the endzone
from the four-yard line. “Defensively, I thought our guys played well today,” Rolin said. “We’re a young defense, and there were mistakes out there. But the effort was exactly what we wanted it to be. Those guys played hard and physical all day. This defense took a good step forward today, and they’re going to continue to get better.” Mayville did make a little more offensive progress in the second half, cutting the lead to 35-20 on Creighton Pfau’s second TD pass to Trent Momon with 3:53 left in the third quarter. That came after both teams had fumbled twice in a four-minute span. However, the Lights were never going to allow the Comets
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Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson The 2018 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff includes, Andrew Rolin, Head Coach; Jake Chestnut, Defensive Coordinator; Jonathan Amosa, Running Backs/Tight Ends/Strength and Conditioning; CJ Robertson, Offensive Line/Run Game; Ray Clark, Defensive Backs; John Kocurek, Wide Receivers/ Recruiting; James Amos, Tight Ends; Ollie Ogbu, Defensive Line.
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Rocky Mountain Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2018 Offensive Numbers
RMC 2018 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 49 ppg, 1st in Frontier Total offense: 651 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Seth Roemelle #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Kendell Jefferson #1, 6-1, 180 Cornerback
Passing: 402 ypg, 1st in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
RMC 2018 Offensive Numbers
MSU-N 2018 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 0 ppg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 29 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 126 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Total defense: 400 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Rush defense: 56 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Rush defense: 42 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 19 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Rolin was hired in December of 2017. He is the fourth fulltime head coach of the Lights since the school reintroduced football. Before coming to Northern he had coaching stops at San Diego, Washington, San Jose State and Libby. Rolin played QB at San Diego. He is a native of Rancho Cordova, California.
Dylan Schmidt #74, 6-3, 270 Offensive line
Tommy Wilson #22, 6-1, 205 Quarterback
Ryan Handley #73, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Fili Church #13, 6-2, 225
Defensive line
Denton Wetherell #90, 6-1, 270 Defensive line
Darius Alexander-Jones #53, 6-3, 280 Offensive line
Trenton Woodward #56, 6-4, 265 Offensive line
Tucker Burns #98, 6-1, 260 Defensive line
Ryder Rice #17, 6-6, 220 Defensive line
Diego Morales #43, 5-8, 175 Kicker
Marvin Williams #19, 5-10, 155 Receiver
Rushing: 153 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Billy Williams #36, 6-0, 205 Linebacker Ostin Welch #26, 6-2, 170 Safety
AceMorgan #17, 6-0, 235 Linebacker Tyler Pallas #92, 6-0, 245 Defensive tackle
Chase Bertelsen #44, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Morgan McCrary #8, 5-10, 190 Safety
Jason Petrino RMC Head Coach
Tanner Bloom #71, 6-2, 280 Offensive line
Jaren Maki
#47, 6-2, 215 Linebacker
Justin Pfeifer #55, 6-0, 285 Defensive line
Troy Bacon #51, 6-3, 310 Center
Drew Korf #4, 6-1, 195 Quarterback
Mason Melby #40, 5-11, 200 Running back
Cory Roemeling #60, 6-3, 275 Offensive line
Dallas Mack #5, 6-2, 230 Linebacker
Jake Norby #31, 6-2, 200 Linebacker
Joe Fehr #58, 6-3, 220 Linebacker
John Boogaard #77, 6-4, 290 Offensive line
Max Gray
#3, 6-0, 185 Receiver
Darneail Jenkins #9, 6-4. 253 Tight end
Jared Eisenbarth #80, 6-1, 205 Tight end Sam Tapia #89, 6-0, 180 Punter
Connor Koker #91, 5-11, 230 Defensive end
Kirk Durtsche #2, 5-10, 200 Safety Wyatt McKinlay #44, 6-0, 210 Fullback
Total offense: 283 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Zane Guse #58, 6-7, 290 Offensive line
Keenan Fagan #8, 6-1, 190 Safety
Jett Robertson #2, 5-11, 195 Running Back
Lucas Overton #5, 6-1, 200 Receiver
Caymus Thomas #13, 5-11, 165 Cornerback
Clint Willis #75, 6-7, 300 Offensive line
Andrew Rolin MSU-N Head Coach
Rocky Mountain Offensive Starters
Devariej Criss #34, 5-9, 175 Corner Devonte Woods #6, 5-9, 180 Cornerback
Taylor Schwartz #89, 6-0, 185 Receiver
Matt Larson
#46, 6-1, 218 Punter
Petrino was named the 17th head football coach in Rocky Mountain College history on January 21, 2016. 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. 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. He stayed on head coach Mike Van Diest’s Carroll College coaching staff for three seasons.
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Pos.
Kendell Jefferson DB Kirk Durtsche DB Josh Kraft WR Max Gray WR Devin Pope LB JoJo Bones DT Drew Korf QB Dallas Mack LB Lucas Overton WR Sam Sparks RB Devonte Woods DB Jacob Bakken QB Jimmy Henderson DB Tyler Eberhardt RB Keenan Fagan DB Darneail Jenkins TE Isaiah Schlegel DB Joel McRae QB Max Melfi LB Nathan Dick QB Derrick Olsen WR Fili Church DE Jawuan Nave Jr. WR Caden Bethel WR Mason Price DE Kyle Frazier LB Holden Ryan LB Dillon Johnson K/P Cade McInerney DB Jordin Myers QB Ryder Rice DE Drew Bonds WR Tom Roman DE Colton Williams RB Del Rude DB Ty Reynolds DB Domonick AmendolaraDB Jackson Barber DB Koby Ruff DB Carter Johnson RB Carter Garsjo WR Victor Ngalamulume RB Corey Hickman DB Cody McCombs RB Austin Werbelow DB Tyler Hilliard DB Chris Wright DB Dylan Fisher LB Brock Peterson RB Tommy Corcoran RB Ben Hoffman LB Allen Williamson RB Joe Gallatin LB Brock Bushfield DB Chase Truscott FB Billy Williams LB Brad Drake FB Shane Larson LB Joel Kaplan FB Prince Johnson LB Mason Melby RB Corey Bibe LB Cameron Henesh TE JJ Taele LB Nolan McCafferty LB Chase Bertelsen LB Kale Larson FB Isaiah Tennell LB Matt Larson RB Jason Miller K/P Troy Hennes TE Trace Simonson LB Troy Bacon OL
Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-4 6-0 5-6 6-1 6-3 5-11 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-3 5-9 6-2 6-6 6-0 6-0 5-11 5-11 5-9 5-8 6-1 5-9 5-9 6-1 6-0 5-8 5-9 5-10 5-9 5-7 5-11 5-8 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-11 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-0 6-4
180 200 175 185 215 285 195 230 200 195 180 195 185 185 190 253 195 180 200 185 175 225 180 165 208 230 215 175 157 169 220 180 225 190 195 175 161 180 165 195 167 226 165 190 164 190 170 213 165 180 204 215 210 181 220 205 225 210 210 193 200 215 195 220 225 235 184 195 218 213 218 205 310
Sr. Pasadena, Calif. Pasadena JC Sr. Casper, Wyo. Chadron State Jr. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS Sr. Arlington, Wash. Chadron State Sr. Moorpark, Calif. Moorpark JC Sr. Stockton, Calif. Lincoln HSr So. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Jr. Ballantine, Mont. Huntley Project HS So. Emmett, Idaho Emmett HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Jr. Daytona Beach, Fla. Father Lopez HS Sr. Wibaux, Mont. Wibaux HS Jr. Riverdale, Ga. Riverdale HS Mendocino JC Jr. Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston HS Sr. Lake Tapps, Wash. Lake Tapps HS Sr. West Pittsburg, Calif. Laney JC R-Fr. Nampa, Idaho Skyview HS Fr. Colstrip, Mont. Colstrip HS So. Huntington Beach, Calif. Marina HS R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana So. Helena, Mont. Helena HS So. Nampa, Idaho Skyview HS Fr. Spangle, Wash. Spangle HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Desert Ridge HS Fr. Twin Falls, Idaho Shelley HS So. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS So. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana Sr. Orting, Wash. Orting HS Fr. Meridian, Idaho Mountain View HS Fr. Jerome, Idaho Jerome HS Jr. Savage, Mont. Savage HS Fr. Tacoma, Wash. Woodrow Wilson HS Jr. Post Falls, Idaho Post Falls HS R-Fr. Sheridan, Wyo. Big Horn HS R-Fr. Eagle, Idaho Eagle HS Fr. Daphne, Ala. Daphne HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Gilbert HS Fr. Bountiful, Utah Viewmont HS Jr. Belgrade, Mont. Belgrade HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Centennial HS Sr. Denver, Colo. Denver East HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Desert Vista HS R-Fr. Gillette, Wyo. Campbell County HS R-Fr. Mountain Home, Idaho Fr. Boise, Idaho Mountain View HS R-Fr. Clyde Park, Mont. Fr. Reno, Nev. Galena HS Fr. Dalton Gardens, Idaho So. Malta, Mont. Malta HS Jr. Polson, Mont. Polson HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Skyview HS So. St. Maries, Idaho St. Maries HS Sr. Gillette, Wyo. Campbell County HS Jr. Priest River, Idaho Priest River HS Jr. Conrad, Mont. Conrad HS So. Spokane, Wash. Ferris HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Perry HS Sr. Baker, Mont. Baker HS R-Fr. Kennewick, Wash. Fr. American Falls, Idaho American Falls HS Sr. Oceanside, Calif. Palomar JC R-Fr. Sheridan, Wyo. Big Horn HS Sr. Wibaux, Mont. Wibaux HS Fr. Conrad, Mont. Conrad HS Fr. La Puente, Calif. Nogales HS Sr. Las Vegas, Nev. Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Fr. Belt, Mont. Belt HS Fr. Loring, Mont. Malta HS Sr. Oak Hills, Calif. Boise State
No. Name 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99
Chad Nebel Kayden Scatena Aaron Morast Ryder Conklin Zane Guse Raegan Stephenson Cory Roemeling Craig Sowers Reilly Gauman Christian Hovey Chase Spangler Mason Roberts Stason Makaila Ronald Phelps John Little Spencer Weisel Michael Lee Tanner Bloom Joey Roberts Tucker Maxwell Jaryd McCray Cooper Stauss Billy Main John Boogaard Beau St. John Drew McGuinn Jerome Miller Austin Weakley Brandon Mosley Oliver Munch Gregor Watson Casey Cole Andrew Simon John Bass Sawyer Silliker Chad LaRose Taylor Schwartz Denton Wetherell Bruce Spang Colin Maslin Lane Severson Bronson Ray Jace Billy Ty Nygard Tucker Burns Ian Torrez
Pos.
DT OL DE OL OL DT OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DT OL OL DT OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR TE WR K/P WR TE WR TE DE WR DT DT DT DT DE DT DE DT DT
Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 6-1 250 6-4 295 6-6 217 6-2 305 6-7 290 5-8 241 6-3 275 6-3 275 6-0 283 6-3 295 5-11 270 6-0 240 6-3 285 6-1 362 6-0 267 6-0 263 6-4 265 6-2 280 6-0 257 6-1 238 6-4 270 6-0 318 6-5 330 6-4 290 6-3 291 6-6 363 6-3 213 5-11 205 6-4 240 5-10 150 6-0 Sr. 6-1 175 6-2 218 6-0 175 6-4 210 6-4 227 6-0 185 6-1 270 6-2 274 6-1 282 5-11 230 6-2 247 5-11 240 6-0 251 6-1 260 6-3 302
R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Shepherd HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Fallon, Mont. Terry HS R-Fr. Sweet, Idaho Emmet HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Billings Skyview HS Fr. Jenks, Okla. Jenks HS Jr. Kennewick, Wash. Southridge HS R-Fr. Laurel, Mont. Laurel HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Perry HS Fr. Olivehurst, Calif. East Nicolaus HS R-Fr. Kuna, Idaho Kuna HS R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Central HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Hamilton HS R-Fr. San Francisco, Calif. Fr. Boise, Idaho Centennial HS Fr. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene HS Fr. Kalispell, Mont. Flathead HS R-Fr. Casper, Wyo. Kelly Walsh HS Fr. Vancouver, Wash. Mountain View HS So. Lewistown, Mont. Fergus County HS R-Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Queen Creek, Ariz. Desert Ridge HS R-Fr. Arlington, Wash. Lakewood HS Sr. Monument, Colo. Fr. Rosalia, Wash. Liberty HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Fr. Kuna, Idaho Kuna HS Sr. Clovis, Calif. Reedley JC Sr. Fontana, Calif. Chaffey JC R-Fr. Boise, Idaho Boise HS Duns, Scotland Berwickshire HS R-Fr. Laurel, Mont. R-Fr. Whitehall, Mont. Montana Tech R-Fr. Kearns, Utah Kearns HS R-Fr. Whitefish, Mont. Whitefish HS Fr. Victor, Idaho Teton HS Sr. Glendive, Mont. Dawson County HS Jr. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Skyview HS So. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Skyview HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Mountain View HS Jr. Havre, Mont. Montana State Fr. Wolf Point, Mont. Wolf Point HS Sr. Kingston, Wash. Kingston HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS
5
MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Rocky Mountain College Numerical Roster No. Name
August 31, 2018
No. Name
2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 64 65 66 67 71 72 73 74 75 77 78 80 81 82 83 84 86 87
Pos. Ht. Wt. Year
Jett Robertson RB Gary Carter DB Fotios Jordanoglou WR Jeff Tinae DB Wylie Novak DB Morgan McCrary DB Sam Mix WR Jay Vance DB Brenden Medina QB Caymus Thomas DB Bryce Bumgardner WR Bryce Missey QB Jake Horner WR Andrew Morgan LB Bennett Feinstein-Smith TE Marvin Williams WR Da’Jon Thomas WR Damien Nelson DB Tommy Wilson QB Samuel Brayboy RB Basie Desterfanis DB Ostin Welch DB Codi Small RB Connor Crawford RB Sam Tapia P Caleb Knoche DB James Beckett DB Andrew Trahan-ProctorRB Devariej Criss DB Derante Lamelle DL Cody Lucke FB Landon Taylor DB Kolby Steen LB Jared Craig DB Koby McCallum DB Peter Hamilton LB Diego Morales K Wyatt McKinlay FB Brandon Powell FB Eric Reyna DB Jaren Maki LB Chase Story LB Chase Gilbert LB Ian Sparrow DL Alec Wagner LB Darius Alexander-JonesOL Aaron Dolfay DL Justin Pfeifer DL Trenton Woodward OL Dax Miller LB Joe Fehr DL Joshua Hutchins OL Dale Cummings OL Colter Cyzmoniak DL Trevor Yuhas OL Spencer Colony OL Cisco Herrera OL Ryan Handley OL Dylan Schmidt OL Clint Willis OL Tevita Leetham OL Tenny Mauigon OL Jared Eisenbarth TE Keagan Stroop WR Charles Storey TE James Gilham WR Malick Touare WR Joe Mikkelsen TE David Evans TE
5-11 6-0 5-9 5-10 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-5 5-8 5-8 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-8 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-6 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-8 5-9 5-11 6-0 5-8 6-0 5-10 5-8 6-2 5-11 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-9 6-4 6-4 6-2
195 160 180 160 182 190 190 225 208 165 185 205 170 238 236 155 175 155 205 208 190 165 185 205 185 195 187 198 160 255 215 165 180 152 190 220 175 210 250 160 215 195 210 230 215 280 225 285 265 190 220 285 318 260 275 265 320 275 270 300 250 353 205 150 210 170 205 190 210
JR FR SR FR FR JR SR FR FR SO JR SO SO SR JR SO FR FR SR FR JR FR FR SO SR FR JR FR SO JR SO FR FR FR FR SO JR JR JR FR SO FR FR SO SR JR SO FR JR FR SO FR JR FR FR FR JR JR JR SR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR
Hometown Glendale, AZ Menlo Park, CA Ripon, CA Seattle, WA Cut Bank, MT Las Vegas, NV Sammamish, WA Fresno, CA Sebastopol, CA Spokane, WA Saint Helens, OR Spanaway, WA Great Falls, MT Waianae, HI Portland, OR Puyallup, WA San Diego, CA Great Falls, MT Fresno, CA Auburn, WA Fresno, CA Malta, MT Hardin, MT Missoula, MT Carlsbad, CA Forsyth, MT
Kirkland, WA Tacoma, WA San Francisco, CA Browning, MT Fort Benton, MT Chehalis, WA Laurel, MT Salem, OR Cut Bank, MT Pasadena, CA Geraldine, MT Sacramento, CA Kalispell, MT Belt, MT Roy, Utah Green Acres, WA Mesa, AZ Laurel, MT Gilroy, CA Portland, OR Cut Bank, MT Three Forks, MT Florence, MT Eureka, MT Puyallup, WA Cremona, AB Eureka, MT Great Falls, MT Fort Qu’Appellle, SK Madera, CA Missoula, MT Nine Mile Falls, WA Gardiner, MT West Jordan, UT Seattle, WA Woodinville, WA Belt, MT Hardin, MT Browning, MT Hardin, MT Brockton, MT Hardin, MT
No. Name 88 89 91 92 94 96 98 99
Seth Roemmele Jordan Pugh Connor Koker Tyler Pallas B.J. Hatcher Trendae Umi-Tuato’o Ronnie Chavez Jonathyn Jordan
Pos. Ht. Wt. Year
WR TE DL DL DL DL DL DL
6-1 6-5 5-11 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-2 6-3
185 225 230 245 205 290 245 205
SR JR SO SO FR FR SO FR
Hometown Claresholm, AB Tacoma, WA Spokane, WA Chehalis, WA Laurel, MT Auburn, WA Missoula, MT Snellville, GA
2018 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Andrew Rolin, Head Coach Jake Chestnut, Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Amosa, Running Backs/Tight Ends/Strength and Conditioning CJ Robertson, Offensive Line/Run Game Ray Clark, Defensive Backs John Kocurek, Wide Receivers/Recruiting James Amos, Tight Ends Ollie Ogbu, Defensive Line
Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Robert Tate; Sports Information: Sierra Richards
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August 31, 2018
Willis: Overcoming Injuries has been a part of Clint Willis' journey
Willis: Massive Clint Willis has blossomed into a great left tackle
■ From Page 2
■ From Page 6
when I started meeting a lot of guys on the football team, and getting to know some of them, and I was realizing how much I missed playing.” By that point, it had been almost four years since Willis had played a competitive football game, and that was 8-man Class C football. But, with Willis’ size and strength, there was no way new Northern head football coach Aaron Christenson was going to turn a way somebody like Willis, who was essentially looking to just walk on and try out at that time. “I kind of just showed up,” Willis said. “It was spring ball of Aaron’s first year, and at that time, I wasn’t sure if they’d put me on the OL or DL, but, Coach Cody O’Neil gave me a crash course on playing the offensive line, and that’s where I ended up.” That was the spring of 2015, and Willis realized quickly, how much he had to learn about college football. “That spring and into fall camp, I was backing up Pete Morales and Dylan Murphy, two really good players,” Willis said. Those guys were showing me the ropes, but yeah, it was a tough transition. The defense had guys like Tyler Craig and Jordan Brusio and Pat Barnett, and those guys were kicking my ass in practice every single day. And it was pissing me off. So I knew I had to work hard, and that’s what I did. I learned everything I could from those guys and coach O’Neil, and I just busted my ass to get as good as I could.” It worked, and it needed to work because Willis would be called into duty much sooner than he ever thought. “Well my freshman year, I had to end up starting be-
cause Dylan Murphy got ruled ineligible by the NAIA for already having played too many years. So I got thrown into the fire. I was playing next to Matt McKeen and he helped me out a lot, but that first year, that was tough. But I learned a lot and I think I got a lot better because of playing that year, and playing with that offensive line, and going up against our really good D-Line every day in practice.” It stands to reason why starting as a freshman would always be tough. But, when you’re a freshman who hadn’t played football in five years, that’s another kind of difficult altogether. And yet, Willis overcame it. By his junior season he had blossomed into a dominant left tackle, and, had helped pave the way for Zach McKinley’s record-setting rushing career, among other milestones. However, Willis wasn’t done having to deal with missing football. No, he’d have to go through that one more time because shortly into the 2017 season, he found out he had torn his achilles tendon, a devastating injury that forced him to miss much of last season, and also face the possibility that his football career might be done. “It was the third series of our third game against Carroll last year,” Willis said. “I thought I had just injured my calf actually so I dealt with it at first and I played in two more games. I didn’t know then that my achilles had completely detached from my heel, so I kept trying
n
to play on it. Then at the Eastern Oregon game, I pretty much couldn’t walk at all after that game was over. My whole leg was swollen and it had been swollen pretty much that whole week. So I went back into the trainers, we did all the testing and everything, and at that point, I realized I was done for the season. I was pretty frustrated about it.” Frustrated enough that Willis didn’t know if playing again was in the cards. After all, he’d already had to overcome one bad leg injury in his life. But, during Willis’ recovery from the torn achilles, Northern’s football program was going through a dramatic change with the arrival of new head coach Andrew Rolin, and Willis’ mind-set started to change too. “I was pretty upset about the injury,” Willis said. “I didn’t know if I could recover enough to play. But listening to Coach Rolin’s perspective on life and football and everything, how positive he is and how much energy he has, that changed things for me. He really took care of me, we had a great spring, and things just got a lot better.” Better indeed. Fast forward to last Saturday, and there was Willis, Northern’s giant left tackle, and the young Lights’ most experienced player, a captain, leading the Lights onto the field, in brand spanking new uniforms, and in front of a capacity crowd at Blue Pony
Stadium, for a game that would eventually turn into a 49-20 season-opening win over Mayville State. It was one of those perfect days for the Lights, the kind that have been so rare during Willis’ tenure at Northern. “It was a great day, a great win for us,” Willis said after the victory over the Comets. A great day for certain. And one that was nearly nine years in the making for Willis, who, after not playing football for five years, after walking on at Northern, after battling through last season’s devastating injury, and after overcoming some long odds to even play college football, is now one of the best left tackles in the Frontier Conference. “I am pretty proud of what I’ve done,” Willis said. “It was never easy. A lot of ups and downs for sure. Just playing left tackle at this level was hard. I came from Gardiner, and 8-man football. Didn’t know anything about pass-pro or any of that stuff. And the injuries I’ve had, it was difficult at times. But I’ve had a lot of great guys help me along the way, coaches who have helped me. It’s been a lot of fun, and quite the journey for sure.” And the journey isn’t over. No, even though it’s Willis’ last year of football, with what he and the Lights did last Saturday against Mayville, this last journey for Clint Willis has only just begun.
See Willis Page 6
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Clint Willis lines up for a play during last Saturday's game against Mayville State. At one point, Willis had been without football for five years, but as a senior, he's one of the top left tackles in the Frontier Conference.
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Clint Willis posed in front a semi tractor on Northern's campus earlier this week. MSU-N's diesel technology program brought Willis to Northern, and from there, he decided to walk on to the football team after having not played the game since his sophomore year of high school.
7
6
August 31, 2018
www.havredailynews.com
www.havredailynews.com
August 31, 2018
Willis: Overcoming Injuries has been a part of Clint Willis' journey
Willis: Massive Clint Willis has blossomed into a great left tackle
■ From Page 2
■ From Page 6
when I started meeting a lot of guys on the football team, and getting to know some of them, and I was realizing how much I missed playing.” By that point, it had been almost four years since Willis had played a competitive football game, and that was 8-man Class C football. But, with Willis’ size and strength, there was no way new Northern head football coach Aaron Christenson was going to turn a way somebody like Willis, who was essentially looking to just walk on and try out at that time. “I kind of just showed up,” Willis said. “It was spring ball of Aaron’s first year, and at that time, I wasn’t sure if they’d put me on the OL or DL, but, Coach Cody O’Neil gave me a crash course on playing the offensive line, and that’s where I ended up.” That was the spring of 2015, and Willis realized quickly, how much he had to learn about college football. “That spring and into fall camp, I was backing up Pete Morales and Dylan Murphy, two really good players,” Willis said. Those guys were showing me the ropes, but yeah, it was a tough transition. The defense had guys like Tyler Craig and Jordan Brusio and Pat Barnett, and those guys were kicking my ass in practice every single day. And it was pissing me off. So I knew I had to work hard, and that’s what I did. I learned everything I could from those guys and coach O’Neil, and I just busted my ass to get as good as I could.” It worked, and it needed to work because Willis would be called into duty much sooner than he ever thought. “Well my freshman year, I had to end up starting be-
cause Dylan Murphy got ruled ineligible by the NAIA for already having played too many years. So I got thrown into the fire. I was playing next to Matt McKeen and he helped me out a lot, but that first year, that was tough. But I learned a lot and I think I got a lot better because of playing that year, and playing with that offensive line, and going up against our really good D-Line every day in practice.” It stands to reason why starting as a freshman would always be tough. But, when you’re a freshman who hadn’t played football in five years, that’s another kind of difficult altogether. And yet, Willis overcame it. By his junior season he had blossomed into a dominant left tackle, and, had helped pave the way for Zach McKinley’s record-setting rushing career, among other milestones. However, Willis wasn’t done having to deal with missing football. No, he’d have to go through that one more time because shortly into the 2017 season, he found out he had torn his achilles tendon, a devastating injury that forced him to miss much of last season, and also face the possibility that his football career might be done. “It was the third series of our third game against Carroll last year,” Willis said. “I thought I had just injured my calf actually so I dealt with it at first and I played in two more games. I didn’t know then that my achilles had completely detached from my heel, so I kept trying
n
to play on it. Then at the Eastern Oregon game, I pretty much couldn’t walk at all after that game was over. My whole leg was swollen and it had been swollen pretty much that whole week. So I went back into the trainers, we did all the testing and everything, and at that point, I realized I was done for the season. I was pretty frustrated about it.” Frustrated enough that Willis didn’t know if playing again was in the cards. After all, he’d already had to overcome one bad leg injury in his life. But, during Willis’ recovery from the torn achilles, Northern’s football program was going through a dramatic change with the arrival of new head coach Andrew Rolin, and Willis’ mind-set started to change too. “I was pretty upset about the injury,” Willis said. “I didn’t know if I could recover enough to play. But listening to Coach Rolin’s perspective on life and football and everything, how positive he is and how much energy he has, that changed things for me. He really took care of me, we had a great spring, and things just got a lot better.” Better indeed. Fast forward to last Saturday, and there was Willis, Northern’s giant left tackle, and the young Lights’ most experienced player, a captain, leading the Lights onto the field, in brand spanking new uniforms, and in front of a capacity crowd at Blue Pony
Stadium, for a game that would eventually turn into a 49-20 season-opening win over Mayville State. It was one of those perfect days for the Lights, the kind that have been so rare during Willis’ tenure at Northern. “It was a great day, a great win for us,” Willis said after the victory over the Comets. A great day for certain. And one that was nearly nine years in the making for Willis, who, after not playing football for five years, after walking on at Northern, after battling through last season’s devastating injury, and after overcoming some long odds to even play college football, is now one of the best left tackles in the Frontier Conference. “I am pretty proud of what I’ve done,” Willis said. “It was never easy. A lot of ups and downs for sure. Just playing left tackle at this level was hard. I came from Gardiner, and 8-man football. Didn’t know anything about pass-pro or any of that stuff. And the injuries I’ve had, it was difficult at times. But I’ve had a lot of great guys help me along the way, coaches who have helped me. It’s been a lot of fun, and quite the journey for sure.” And the journey isn’t over. No, even though it’s Willis’ last year of football, with what he and the Lights did last Saturday against Mayville, this last journey for Clint Willis has only just begun.
See Willis Page 6
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Clint Willis lines up for a play during last Saturday's game against Mayville State. At one point, Willis had been without football for five years, but as a senior, he's one of the top left tackles in the Frontier Conference.
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Clint Willis posed in front a semi tractor on Northern's campus earlier this week. MSU-N's diesel technology program brought Willis to Northern, and from there, he decided to walk on to the football team after having not played the game since his sophomore year of high school.
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1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 35 36 37 38 39 40 40 41 41 42 43 44 44 45 46 47 49 50 51
Pos.
Kendell Jefferson DB Kirk Durtsche DB Josh Kraft WR Max Gray WR Devin Pope LB JoJo Bones DT Drew Korf QB Dallas Mack LB Lucas Overton WR Sam Sparks RB Devonte Woods DB Jacob Bakken QB Jimmy Henderson DB Tyler Eberhardt RB Keenan Fagan DB Darneail Jenkins TE Isaiah Schlegel DB Joel McRae QB Max Melfi LB Nathan Dick QB Derrick Olsen WR Fili Church DE Jawuan Nave Jr. WR Caden Bethel WR Mason Price DE Kyle Frazier LB Holden Ryan LB Dillon Johnson K/P Cade McInerney DB Jordin Myers QB Ryder Rice DE Drew Bonds WR Tom Roman DE Colton Williams RB Del Rude DB Ty Reynolds DB Domonick AmendolaraDB Jackson Barber DB Koby Ruff DB Carter Johnson RB Carter Garsjo WR Victor Ngalamulume RB Corey Hickman DB Cody McCombs RB Austin Werbelow DB Tyler Hilliard DB Chris Wright DB Dylan Fisher LB Brock Peterson RB Tommy Corcoran RB Ben Hoffman LB Allen Williamson RB Joe Gallatin LB Brock Bushfield DB Chase Truscott FB Billy Williams LB Brad Drake FB Shane Larson LB Joel Kaplan FB Prince Johnson LB Mason Melby RB Corey Bibe LB Cameron Henesh TE JJ Taele LB Nolan McCafferty LB Chase Bertelsen LB Kale Larson FB Isaiah Tennell LB Matt Larson RB Jason Miller K/P Troy Hennes TE Trace Simonson LB Troy Bacon OL
Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-4 6-0 5-6 6-1 6-3 5-11 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-3 5-9 6-2 6-6 6-0 6-0 5-11 5-11 5-9 5-8 6-1 5-9 5-9 6-1 6-0 5-8 5-9 5-10 5-9 5-7 5-11 5-8 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-11 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-0 6-4
180 200 175 185 215 285 195 230 200 195 180 195 185 185 190 253 195 180 200 185 175 225 180 165 208 230 215 175 157 169 220 180 225 190 195 175 161 180 165 195 167 226 165 190 164 190 170 213 165 180 204 215 210 181 220 205 225 210 210 193 200 215 195 220 225 235 184 195 218 213 218 205 310
Sr. Pasadena, Calif. Pasadena JC Sr. Casper, Wyo. Chadron State Jr. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS Sr. Arlington, Wash. Chadron State Sr. Moorpark, Calif. Moorpark JC Sr. Stockton, Calif. Lincoln HSr So. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Jr. Ballantine, Mont. Huntley Project HS So. Emmett, Idaho Emmett HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Jr. Daytona Beach, Fla. Father Lopez HS Sr. Wibaux, Mont. Wibaux HS Jr. Riverdale, Ga. Riverdale HS Mendocino JC Jr. Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston HS Sr. Lake Tapps, Wash. Lake Tapps HS Sr. West Pittsburg, Calif. Laney JC R-Fr. Nampa, Idaho Skyview HS Fr. Colstrip, Mont. Colstrip HS So. Huntington Beach, Calif. Marina HS R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana So. Helena, Mont. Helena HS So. Nampa, Idaho Skyview HS Fr. Spangle, Wash. Spangle HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Desert Ridge HS Fr. Twin Falls, Idaho Shelley HS So. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS So. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana Sr. Orting, Wash. Orting HS Fr. Meridian, Idaho Mountain View HS Fr. Jerome, Idaho Jerome HS Jr. Savage, Mont. Savage HS Fr. Tacoma, Wash. Woodrow Wilson HS Jr. Post Falls, Idaho Post Falls HS R-Fr. Sheridan, Wyo. Big Horn HS R-Fr. Eagle, Idaho Eagle HS Fr. Daphne, Ala. Daphne HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Gilbert HS Fr. Bountiful, Utah Viewmont HS Jr. Belgrade, Mont. Belgrade HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Centennial HS Sr. Denver, Colo. Denver East HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Univ. of Montana Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Desert Vista HS R-Fr. Gillette, Wyo. Campbell County HS R-Fr. Mountain Home, Idaho Fr. Boise, Idaho Mountain View HS R-Fr. Clyde Park, Mont. Fr. Reno, Nev. Galena HS Fr. Dalton Gardens, Idaho So. Malta, Mont. Malta HS Jr. Polson, Mont. Polson HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Skyview HS So. St. Maries, Idaho St. Maries HS Sr. Gillette, Wyo. Campbell County HS Jr. Priest River, Idaho Priest River HS Jr. Conrad, Mont. Conrad HS So. Spokane, Wash. Ferris HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Perry HS Sr. Baker, Mont. Baker HS R-Fr. Kennewick, Wash. Fr. American Falls, Idaho American Falls HS Sr. Oceanside, Calif. Palomar JC R-Fr. Sheridan, Wyo. Big Horn HS Sr. Wibaux, Mont. Wibaux HS Fr. Conrad, Mont. Conrad HS Fr. La Puente, Calif. Nogales HS Sr. Las Vegas, Nev. Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Senior HS Fr. Belt, Mont. Belt HS Fr. Loring, Mont. Malta HS Sr. Oak Hills, Calif. Boise State
No. Name 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99
Chad Nebel Kayden Scatena Aaron Morast Ryder Conklin Zane Guse Raegan Stephenson Cory Roemeling Craig Sowers Reilly Gauman Christian Hovey Chase Spangler Mason Roberts Stason Makaila Ronald Phelps John Little Spencer Weisel Michael Lee Tanner Bloom Joey Roberts Tucker Maxwell Jaryd McCray Cooper Stauss Billy Main John Boogaard Beau St. John Drew McGuinn Jerome Miller Austin Weakley Brandon Mosley Oliver Munch Gregor Watson Casey Cole Andrew Simon John Bass Sawyer Silliker Chad LaRose Taylor Schwartz Denton Wetherell Bruce Spang Colin Maslin Lane Severson Bronson Ray Jace Billy Ty Nygard Tucker Burns Ian Torrez
Pos.
DT OL DE OL OL DT OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DT OL OL DT OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR TE WR K/P WR TE WR TE DE WR DT DT DT DT DE DT DE DT DT
Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 6-1 250 6-4 295 6-6 217 6-2 305 6-7 290 5-8 241 6-3 275 6-3 275 6-0 283 6-3 295 5-11 270 6-0 240 6-3 285 6-1 362 6-0 267 6-0 263 6-4 265 6-2 280 6-0 257 6-1 238 6-4 270 6-0 318 6-5 330 6-4 290 6-3 291 6-6 363 6-3 213 5-11 205 6-4 240 5-10 150 6-0 Sr. 6-1 175 6-2 218 6-0 175 6-4 210 6-4 227 6-0 185 6-1 270 6-2 274 6-1 282 5-11 230 6-2 247 5-11 240 6-0 251 6-1 260 6-3 302
R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Shepherd HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Fallon, Mont. Terry HS R-Fr. Sweet, Idaho Emmet HS Jr. Billings, Mont. Billings Skyview HS Fr. Jenks, Okla. Jenks HS Jr. Kennewick, Wash. Southridge HS R-Fr. Laurel, Mont. Laurel HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Perry HS Fr. Olivehurst, Calif. East Nicolaus HS R-Fr. Kuna, Idaho Kuna HS R-Fr. Billings, Mont. Billings Central HS Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. Hamilton HS R-Fr. San Francisco, Calif. Fr. Boise, Idaho Centennial HS Fr. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene HS Fr. Kalispell, Mont. Flathead HS R-Fr. Casper, Wyo. Kelly Walsh HS Fr. Vancouver, Wash. Mountain View HS So. Lewistown, Mont. Fergus County HS R-Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Queen Creek, Ariz. Desert Ridge HS R-Fr. Arlington, Wash. Lakewood HS Sr. Monument, Colo. Fr. Rosalia, Wash. Liberty HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Capital HS Fr. Kuna, Idaho Kuna HS Sr. Clovis, Calif. Reedley JC Sr. Fontana, Calif. Chaffey JC R-Fr. Boise, Idaho Boise HS Duns, Scotland Berwickshire HS R-Fr. Laurel, Mont. R-Fr. Whitehall, Mont. Montana Tech R-Fr. Kearns, Utah Kearns HS R-Fr. Whitefish, Mont. Whitefish HS Fr. Victor, Idaho Teton HS Sr. Glendive, Mont. Dawson County HS Jr. Meridian, Idaho Rocky Mountain HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Skyview HS So. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS Fr. Billings, Mont. Skyview HS Fr. Boise, Idaho Mountain View HS Jr. Havre, Mont. Montana State Fr. Wolf Point, Mont. Wolf Point HS Sr. Kingston, Wash. Kingston HS Fr. Chandler, Ariz. Hamilton HS
5
MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Rocky Mountain College Numerical Roster No. Name
August 31, 2018
No. Name
2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 64 65 66 67 71 72 73 74 75 77 78 80 81 82 83 84 86 87
Pos. Ht. Wt. Year
Jett Robertson RB Gary Carter DB Fotios Jordanoglou WR Jeff Tinae DB Wylie Novak DB Morgan McCrary DB Sam Mix WR Jay Vance DB Brenden Medina QB Caymus Thomas DB Bryce Bumgardner WR Bryce Missey QB Jake Horner WR Andrew Morgan LB Bennett Feinstein-Smith TE Marvin Williams WR Da’Jon Thomas WR Damien Nelson DB Tommy Wilson QB Samuel Brayboy RB Basie Desterfanis DB Ostin Welch DB Codi Small RB Connor Crawford RB Sam Tapia P Caleb Knoche DB James Beckett DB Andrew Trahan-ProctorRB Devariej Criss DB Derante Lamelle DL Cody Lucke FB Landon Taylor DB Kolby Steen LB Jared Craig DB Koby McCallum DB Peter Hamilton LB Diego Morales K Wyatt McKinlay FB Brandon Powell FB Eric Reyna DB Jaren Maki LB Chase Story LB Chase Gilbert LB Ian Sparrow DL Alec Wagner LB Darius Alexander-JonesOL Aaron Dolfay DL Justin Pfeifer DL Trenton Woodward OL Dax Miller LB Joe Fehr DL Joshua Hutchins OL Dale Cummings OL Colter Cyzmoniak DL Trevor Yuhas OL Spencer Colony OL Cisco Herrera OL Ryan Handley OL Dylan Schmidt OL Clint Willis OL Tevita Leetham OL Tenny Mauigon OL Jared Eisenbarth TE Keagan Stroop WR Charles Storey TE James Gilham WR Malick Touare WR Joe Mikkelsen TE David Evans TE
5-11 6-0 5-9 5-10 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-5 5-8 5-8 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-8 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-6 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-8 5-9 5-11 6-0 5-8 6-0 5-10 5-8 6-2 5-11 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-9 6-4 6-4 6-2
195 160 180 160 182 190 190 225 208 165 185 205 170 238 236 155 175 155 205 208 190 165 185 205 185 195 187 198 160 255 215 165 180 152 190 220 175 210 250 160 215 195 210 230 215 280 225 285 265 190 220 285 318 260 275 265 320 275 270 300 250 353 205 150 210 170 205 190 210
JR FR SR FR FR JR SR FR FR SO JR SO SO SR JR SO FR FR SR FR JR FR FR SO SR FR JR FR SO JR SO FR FR FR FR SO JR JR JR FR SO FR FR SO SR JR SO FR JR FR SO FR JR FR FR FR JR JR JR SR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR
Hometown Glendale, AZ Menlo Park, CA Ripon, CA Seattle, WA Cut Bank, MT Las Vegas, NV Sammamish, WA Fresno, CA Sebastopol, CA Spokane, WA Saint Helens, OR Spanaway, WA Great Falls, MT Waianae, HI Portland, OR Puyallup, WA San Diego, CA Great Falls, MT Fresno, CA Auburn, WA Fresno, CA Malta, MT Hardin, MT Missoula, MT Carlsbad, CA Forsyth, MT
Kirkland, WA Tacoma, WA San Francisco, CA Browning, MT Fort Benton, MT Chehalis, WA Laurel, MT Salem, OR Cut Bank, MT Pasadena, CA Geraldine, MT Sacramento, CA Kalispell, MT Belt, MT Roy, Utah Green Acres, WA Mesa, AZ Laurel, MT Gilroy, CA Portland, OR Cut Bank, MT Three Forks, MT Florence, MT Eureka, MT Puyallup, WA Cremona, AB Eureka, MT Great Falls, MT Fort Qu’Appellle, SK Madera, CA Missoula, MT Nine Mile Falls, WA Gardiner, MT West Jordan, UT Seattle, WA Woodinville, WA Belt, MT Hardin, MT Browning, MT Hardin, MT Brockton, MT Hardin, MT
No. Name 88 89 91 92 94 96 98 99
Seth Roemmele Jordan Pugh Connor Koker Tyler Pallas B.J. Hatcher Trendae Umi-Tuato’o Ronnie Chavez Jonathyn Jordan
Pos. Ht. Wt. Year
WR TE DL DL DL DL DL DL
6-1 6-5 5-11 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-2 6-3
185 225 230 245 205 290 245 205
SR JR SO SO FR FR SO FR
Hometown Claresholm, AB Tacoma, WA Spokane, WA Chehalis, WA Laurel, MT Auburn, WA Missoula, MT Snellville, GA
2018 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Andrew Rolin, Head Coach Jake Chestnut, Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Amosa, Running Backs/Tight Ends/Strength and Conditioning CJ Robertson, Offensive Line/Run Game Ray Clark, Defensive Backs John Kocurek, Wide Receivers/Recruiting James Amos, Tight Ends Ollie Ogbu, Defensive Line
Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Robert Tate; Sports Information: Sierra Richards
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Rocky Mountain Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2018 Offensive Numbers
RMC 2018 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 49 ppg, 1st in Frontier Total offense: 651 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Seth Roemelle #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Kendell Jefferson #1, 6-1, 180 Cornerback
Passing: 402 ypg, 1st in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
RMC 2018 Offensive Numbers
MSU-N 2018 Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 0 ppg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 29 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 126 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Total defense: 400 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Rush defense: 56 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Rush defense: 42 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 19 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Rolin was hired in December of 2017. He is the fourth fulltime head coach of the Lights since the school reintroduced football. Before coming to Northern he had coaching stops at San Diego, Washington, San Jose State and Libby. Rolin played QB at San Diego. He is a native of Rancho Cordova, California.
Dylan Schmidt #74, 6-3, 270 Offensive line
Tommy Wilson #22, 6-1, 205 Quarterback
Ryan Handley #73, 6-4, 275 Offensive line
Fili Church #13, 6-2, 225
Defensive line
Denton Wetherell #90, 6-1, 270 Defensive line
Darius Alexander-Jones #53, 6-3, 280 Offensive line
Trenton Woodward #56, 6-4, 265 Offensive line
Tucker Burns #98, 6-1, 260 Defensive line
Ryder Rice #17, 6-6, 220 Defensive line
Diego Morales #43, 5-8, 175 Kicker
Marvin Williams #19, 5-10, 155 Receiver
Rushing: 153 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Billy Williams #36, 6-0, 205 Linebacker Ostin Welch #26, 6-2, 170 Safety
AceMorgan #17, 6-0, 235 Linebacker Tyler Pallas #92, 6-0, 245 Defensive tackle
Chase Bertelsen #44, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Morgan McCrary #8, 5-10, 190 Safety
Jason Petrino RMC Head Coach
Tanner Bloom #71, 6-2, 280 Offensive line
Jaren Maki
#47, 6-2, 215 Linebacker
Justin Pfeifer #55, 6-0, 285 Defensive line
Troy Bacon #51, 6-3, 310 Center
Drew Korf #4, 6-1, 195 Quarterback
Mason Melby #40, 5-11, 200 Running back
Cory Roemeling #60, 6-3, 275 Offensive line
Dallas Mack #5, 6-2, 230 Linebacker
Jake Norby #31, 6-2, 200 Linebacker
Joe Fehr #58, 6-3, 220 Linebacker
John Boogaard #77, 6-4, 290 Offensive line
Max Gray
#3, 6-0, 185 Receiver
Darneail Jenkins #9, 6-4. 253 Tight end
Jared Eisenbarth #80, 6-1, 205 Tight end Sam Tapia #89, 6-0, 180 Punter
Connor Koker #91, 5-11, 230 Defensive end
Kirk Durtsche #2, 5-10, 200 Safety Wyatt McKinlay #44, 6-0, 210 Fullback
Total offense: 283 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Zane Guse #58, 6-7, 290 Offensive line
Keenan Fagan #8, 6-1, 190 Safety
Jett Robertson #2, 5-11, 195 Running Back
Lucas Overton #5, 6-1, 200 Receiver
Caymus Thomas #13, 5-11, 165 Cornerback
Clint Willis #75, 6-7, 300 Offensive line
Andrew Rolin MSU-N Head Coach
Rocky Mountain Offensive Starters
Devariej Criss #34, 5-9, 175 Corner Devonte Woods #6, 5-9, 180 Cornerback
Taylor Schwartz #89, 6-0, 185 Receiver
Matt Larson
#46, 6-1, 218 Punter
Petrino was named the 17th head football coach in Rocky Mountain College history on January 21, 2016. 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. 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. He stayed on head coach Mike Van Diest’s Carroll College coaching staff for three seasons.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Lights open Rolin era with a special win over Mayville State George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Montana State University-Northern Lights have been grinding And not just under new head coach Andrew Rolin. No, the Lights have been grinding in rebuilding mode for what has seemed like an eternity now. But on a warm, sunny August afternoon inside Blue Pony Stadium, the Lights let it all out in what turned out to be as magical a season-opener as MSU-N football has had in a long, long time. In Rolin’s debut as head coach of the Lights, Northern came out flying, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter on their way to a rousing and exciting 49-20 win over the Mayville State Comets Saturday afternoon in Havre. “I’m very proud of this team,” Rolin said after becoming the first Northern head coach to start his career 1-0. “We’re very proud of this first win. It’s special, and it’s exciting. The atmosphere today was electric. I could feel it all game, and our guys felt it, too. It’s a special day, and one I’m always going to remember. “This feels great,” added senior OT Clint Willis. “I think everybody on this team came out and gave it their all today. We definitely took a big step forward today.” A step forward indeed. Saturday was just Northern’s third win in its last 19 games dating back to the 2016 season. It was also the Light’s first win inside Blue Pony Stadium since they stunned Carroll College Sept. 17, 2016. “It feels great,” senior linebacker Alec Wagner said. “It feels great to come out and play as well as we did today. Obviously, we know we have a lot to work on. But today was a great day, and this is going to give us a lot of confidence going forward.” The game might inspire more confidence, but from the start, the Lights looked like a confident group already. Northern forced Mayville into an immediate three-and-out to start the contest, and from there, the Lights’ offense went off. On its first possession of the 2018 season, the Lights marched 95 yards in just nine plays, capping their first score of the season with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Wilson to Jett Robertson. That would be the start of what would turn into a huge day for both Robertson and Wilson. Robertson wound up rushing for 167 yards and scoring four times. His second of those four scores came on a sixyard TD run just seven minutes into the game, and it put the Lights ahead 14-0. Wilson, who nearly threw for 400 yards on the day, would add a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Pugh at the 3:35 mark of the first quarter, and the Lights were off and running, up 21-0. “We preach every day about getting off to a fast start, and we did that today,” Rolin said.
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Frontier Conference Standings
Rocky Mountain Eastern Oregon MSU-Northern Southern Oregon Montana Tech UM-Western College of Idaho Carroll College
Conf. WL
Overall WL
1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Thursday, Aug. 23 Rocky Mountain 19, Carroll College 0 Saturday, Aug. 25 MSU-Northern 49, Mayville State 20 Eastern Oregon 24, College of Idaho 21 Saturday MSU-Northern vs Rocky Mountain UM-Western at Carroll College Montana Tech at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Eastern Oregon
NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll 2017 Rec. Pts. Prv. 13. Dickinson St. (ND) 9-2 178 14 1. Saint Francis (Ind.) 14-0 340 1 14. Langston (OK) 10-1 177 13 2. Reinhardt (GA.) 12-1 349 2 15. Marian (Ind.) 7-3 167 18 3. Morningside (Iowa.) 13-1 340 3 16. Concordia (Mich.) 9-2 163 15 4. Southern Oregon 12-1 324 4 17. Sterling (Kan.) 9-3 159 16 5. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)11-1 310 5 18. Tabor (Kan.) 8-2 95 17 6. St. Xavier 10-2 296 6 19. Campbellsville 8-2 86 20 7. Georgetown (KY) 9-2 268 7 20. Rocky Mountain 6-5 75 NR 7. Northwestern (IA) 10-3 2368 8 21. Kansas Wesleyn 8-3 67 21 9. Baker (Kan) 10-2 259 9 22. SAGU (Texas) 8-3 51 19 10. Grand View 9-3 231 11 22. Arizona Christian 7-3 51 NR 11. Southeastern (Fla) 8-2 227 10 24. Faulkner (Ala) 7-3 46 22 12. Benedictine (Kan.) 9-3 197 12 25. Dakota State (S.D.) 8-2 44 23 Others receiving votes: : Montana Tech (44), Evangel (Mo.) (17), Oklahoma Panhandle State (15), St. Francis (Ill.) (12), College of Idaho (10), William Penn (Iowa) (10), Missouri Valley (9), Midland (Neb.) (8), Bluefield (Va.) 3
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders 2017
Passing: Tanner Trosin, SOU, 374 ypg Receiving: Dion Williams, MT, 110 ypg Receptions: Dion Williams, MT, 8 cpg Rushing: Jed Fike, MT, 139 ypg Tackles: Garet Fowler, MSU-N, 115 Sacks: Connor Wines, MT, 10 sacks INT's: Keenan Fagan, RMC, 7 ints
2018 Lights Coaching Staff Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern's Jordan Pugh smashes his way through the Mayville State defense for a touchdown during last Saturday's game at Blue Pony Stadium. “I think we need to finish better. But we got off to a great start, and you can see, when this offense is really clicking, we’re pretty hard to stop.” And Mayville could do little to stop the Lights. Northern rolled up 30 first downs and 650 yards of offense Saturday, and any time the Comets threatened the Lights, they answered right back. That was evident in the second stanza when Northern responded to two Mayville TDs. After the Comets pulled to within 21-6 early in the period, the Lights ripped off a 12-play, 73yard drive which included converting a seemingly impossible first-and-51 sequence. A huge grab by Pugh on fourth down was the difference, and two plays later, Robertson was in the endzone for the third time. Mayville came
right back and pulled to within 28-14 with just over a minute left in the half, but the Lights ran their two-minute drill to absolute perfection, with Wilson hitting Fotios Jordanoglou twice, and Robertson scoring his fourth TD on what was a 4-play, 74-yard drive that took less than a minute. “In the first half especially, our offense was firing on all cylinders,” Robertson said. “We came out full-throttle, we were playing fast, the O-line was opening up huge holes, and everybody was making plays. And we got points on the board quickly.” Northern’s defense did its part, too. The Lights limited the Comets to just six first downs in the first half, and that included a second-quarter goal-line stand where the Lights held the Comets out of the endzone
from the four-yard line. “Defensively, I thought our guys played well today,” Rolin said. “We’re a young defense, and there were mistakes out there. But the effort was exactly what we wanted it to be. Those guys played hard and physical all day. This defense took a good step forward today, and they’re going to continue to get better.” Mayville did make a little more offensive progress in the second half, cutting the lead to 35-20 on Creighton Pfau’s second TD pass to Trent Momon with 3:53 left in the third quarter. That came after both teams had fumbled twice in a four-minute span. However, the Lights were never going to allow the Comets
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Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson The 2018 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff includes, Andrew Rolin, Head Coach; Jake Chestnut, Defensive Coordinator; Jonathan Amosa, Running Backs/Tight Ends/Strength and Conditioning; CJ Robertson, Offensive Line/Run Game; Ray Clark, Defensive Backs; John Kocurek, Wide Receivers/ Recruiting; James Amos, Tight Ends; Ollie Ogbu, Defensive Line.
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Northern's Mountain of a Man Rocky will be a big exam for Lights Left Tackle Clint Willis took an unusual journey to becoming one of the best offensive linemen in the Frontier Conference George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Clint Willis missed a lot of time last season due to an injury, and he didn’t like it one bit. No the Lights’ mountain of a man who plays left tackle isn’t happy sitting on the sidelines. However, missing football is part of the incredible story about how the massive 6-7, 300-pound senior from Gardiner, Montana came to be a Light in the first place. Willis, who said he’s always been tall, is
George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
now a four-year starter for the Lights, but, his path to Northern wasn’t the traditional one, not by a long shot. “I only played football through my sophomore year,” Willis said ahead of Saturday’s huge game with Rocky Mountain College. “Because that year, I got in a really bad car accident and I broke me leg. It was a pretty severe injury, and I wasn’t able to play the rest of high school.” Upon graduation, Willis, at that time thought his football career was over, and he moved on. He said he worked construction jobs in Wyoming after high school, before eventually ending up working construction in Bozeman, where he met Dick Anderson. “At that point, when I was working in Bozeman, I had pretty much decided I wanted to go to Northern to do diesel technology,” Willis said. “So I got up here, and I started working a handful of construction jobs while I was going to school, and that’s
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The Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears and Montana State University-Northern Lights opened the 2018 season with thrilling victories on their home fields. So it’s only fitting that the Bears and Lights next play each other. Rocky will come to Blue Pony Stadium Saturday as the 20th-ranked team in the NAIA and fresh off a 19-0 shutout win over Carroll College last Thursday. A first look at the Bears would suggest they are every bit as good as their ranking says. A loaded defense led by Ryder Rice, four returning starting linebackers and defensive back Keenan Fagan, who led the Frontier Conference in interceptions last season, and he’s already got one in one game this season. Rocky also comes to Havre with not one, not two, but three capable quarterbacks. Senior Jacob Bakken, sophomore Drew Korf and transfer Nate Dick all played in last week’s
See Willis Page 6
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Montana State University-Northern senior Clint Willis, left blocks a Mayville State defender during last Saturday's NAIA football game between the Lights and Comets at Blue Pony Stadium. Willis is not just a four-year starter for the Lights, and the anchor of what has become a very good offensive line, he's also Northern's most veteran player, after coming to MSU-N as a walkon. Willis missed two years of high school football after a car accident, and also didn't start playing college football until he'd been away from the game for more than five full years. But, it didn't seem to matter much as Willis has turned into a dominant force for Northern. Willis and the Lights open Frontier Conference play this Saturday when they host the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears inside Blue Pony Stadium.
MSU-Northern Lights vs Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears Montana State University-Northern Location: Havre, Mont. Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2018 record: 1-0, 0-0
2017 record: 1-10, 0-10 Head coach: Andrew Rolin Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium Streak: The Lights haven't won two straight games at Blue Pony Stadium since the 2011 Frontier Conference season.
Saturday, September 1, 2018 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain College
2017 record: 6-5,6-4 Head coach: Jason Petrino
Location: Billings
Stadium: Herb Klindt Field
Nickname: Battlin' Bears
Streak: The Battlin' Bears have won six in a row against MSU-N. Their last loss to the Lights in Havre came on Sept. 12, 2009.
Colors: Green and White 2018 record: 1-0, 1-0
win over Carroll, and that fact makes the Bears even harder to defend. Meanwhile the Lights are shining after racking up 600 yards of offense in their 49-20 victory over Mayville State last Saturday. Northern’s win gave Andrew Rolin a victory in his very first game as a Light, while running back Jett Robertson tied a school record for most touchdowns in a game with four. It was certainly a great debut for the Lights, and it also makes Saturday’s game with Rocky a big one. The Lights haven’t beaten Rocky since a 2014 win in Billings, and it’s been even longer since they’ve beaten the Bears in Havre. Last season, in the Frontier’s opening weekend, Northern twice had leads on the Bears in the fourth quarter, but Sam
Sparks rescued Rocky with a late, 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. So there’s no denying how big Saturday’s game will be because both Rocky and Northern are confident and have a lot of buzz surrounding their programs right now. Expect an exciting game, and a capacity crowd at Blue Pony Stadium.
defense had no answer for EOU sophomore QB Kai Quinn who threw for 327 yards, while the Mounties picked off two passes and got a key fourth-down stop on defense with just under two minutes left in the game. The biggest shocker of the game wasn’t EOU’s win on its brand new turf at Community Stadium, though, it was how the EOU defense stymied the Yotes on the ground. The top rushing team in the Frontier the last two seasons, the Yotes were held to just 78 yards rushing for the contest.
Surprise
Full Week
The Lights and Bears aren’t the only 1-0 teams in the Frontier right now. Last Saturday night in LaGrande, Ore., Eastern Oregon opened the Frontier slate with a 24-21 win over College Of Idaho. The Yotes came into the season-opener picked third in the Frontier and were receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll. But their
Today in the Frontier Conference #20 Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (1-0, 1-0)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (1-0, 0-0) UM-Western (0-0, 0-0) at Carroll College (0-1, 0-1) in Helena, MT
#4 Southern Oregon (0-0, 0-0 at Eastern Oregon (1-0, 1-0 in LaGrande, Oregon
RV Montana Tech (0-0, 0-0) at RV College of Idaho (0-1, 0-1) in Caldwell, Iadaho
Full Coverage on Twitter @HavreDaily
This Labor Day Weekend marks the start of the Frontier season in its entirety. And with EOU off to a 1-0 start, the Game of the Week might just be in LaGrande, where the Mounties will look to make it 2-0 when they host arch rival Southern Oregon. It’s the season debut for the Raiders, and they’re breaking in a new quarterback, so it, will be
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2018 Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Southern Oregon; 2. Rocky Mountain; T3. Montana Tech; T3. College of Idaho; 5. Carroll College; 6. Eastern Oregon; 7. UM-Western; 8. MSU-Northern Havre Daily News Frontier Conference Week 2 Power Rankings 1. Rocky Mountain College 2. Southern Oregon 3. Eastern Oregon 4. Montana Tech 5. College of Idaho 6. Carroll College 7. MSU-Northern 8. UM-Western
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Notebook: Jett Robertson shines in season debut ■ From Page 11 interesting to see if the EOU defense can be as stingy against the Raider passing attack, as it was against the C of I running game. Montana Tech and UM-Western also make their season debuts this weekend. The Orediggers travel to C of I, where they ended the season a year ago with a horrific loss to the Yotes. UM-Western goes to Helena to face a reeling Carroll squad that will try and rebound from its dismal offensive performance at Rocky last Thursday night. Both Tech and Western are also breaking in new starting quarterbacks, and doing that on the road in the Frontier is never easy. Frontier Honors Jett Robertson's huge season debut earned him Northern's first Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor in several years. Robertson is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior running back from Glendale, Ariz. In North-
ern’s opening season non-conference win over Mayville State (N.D.). Robertson rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He also caught five passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. Also nominated, and listed in alphabetical order, are Victor Dias of Eastern Oregon and Lucas Overton of Rocky Mountain College. Rocky's Ryder Rice was named Defensive Player of the Week. Rice had four sacks in RMC's win over Carroll College last Thursday. MSU-N's Joe Fehr was also nominated. EOU's Nathan Harden was named Special Team's Player of the Week. In the Mounties' 24-21 win over C of I last Saturday, Harden made a field goal, was perfect on PATs and had five punts for 291 yards. Northern's Diego Morales was also nominated. Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson MSU-Northern's Jett Robertson was named Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 167 yards and scoring four touchdowns in Northern's win over Mayville State last Saturday.
Rewind: Northern rolls in Andrew Rolin's debut ■ From Page 10 to truly make a game of it. Northern answered the Mayville score with no time left on the clock in the third when Wilson hit a streaking Jordanoglou, and he did the rest, taking it to the house from 41 yards away. That score put the Lights up 42-20, and Northern tacked on an insurance score in the fourth, with newcomer Andrez Trahan-Proctor bulldozing his way into the endzone on a 13-yard run with 5:58 left. Proctor’s first touchdown as a Light was
also indicative of not just how well the Lights played offensively, but just how tough MSUN’s running game looks to be. Northern rushed for 220 yards, with Robertson gaining 167 on 28 carries. His huge day also included five catches for 82 yards to go with his four touchdowns. MSU-N’s passing game was just as good, with the Lights throwing for 431 yards, and Wilson accounting for 397 on 26 completions. Both were career high’s for the senior, as was Robertson’s rushing total. “Jett and Tommy really led this team today, along with how well our offensive line
played,” Rolin said. “Tommy was operating the offense all day. He was just doing his job, and he played at such a high level. And Jett, he’s the man. He’s the toughest, hardestworking guy on this team, and he showed everybody exactly what he can do today. Those two guys were awesome.” And Northern’s offense was awesome, too. The Lights had over 36 minutes of possession time, were efficient on third down, and made plays from everywhere. Nine different receivers caught passes, led by Jordanoglou, who had seven catches for 131 yards. Bryce Bumgardner, Marvin Williams, Pugh and freshman tight end Jared Eisenbarth also had key grabs on clutch third-down plays, while Seth
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson The Lights charge onto the field for last Saturday's season-opening game against Mayville State. In their Andrew Rolin debut, the Lights won 49-20. Northern hosts nationally-ranked Rocky Mountain College Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium.
Roemmele, Wyatt McKinlay and Sam Mix also got into the act. The young Northern defense made its presence felt, too. Pfau did wind up throwing for 351 yards and Momon caught 10 balls for 154 yards, but Northern held the Comets to just 42 yards rushing, forced two fumbles and limited the Comets to just three scores. Caymus Thomas led the Lights with six tackles, but 11 different Northern defenders had at least four stops, while Joe Fehr and B.J. Hatcher each had a sack. “There’s plenty we can work on,” Wagner said. “We know we need to get better. But the defense took a big step forward today.” As did the entire Northern football program. The Lights had lost their last six games of 2017, and that sequence also included the resignation of then head coach Aaron Christenson. It was certainly a tough time. But, on Saturday, with a new season just beginning, the past was way behind the Lights. It was all about the present, and eventually the future. In front of over 2,000 fans at Blue Pony Stadium, a new era of Northern football began, and it began in one of the most exciting ways possible, with a thrilling, electrifying and intense win over Mayville State. “How cool is this?” Rolin said. “It was an exciting day. All these fans, the student section was awesome, it was loud and exciting and a lot of fun. This is the type of home atmosphere we want to have here. We want this stadium to be a very tough place for our opponents to play and it was today. “It was a great win,” he continued. “And we’re excited about it. We know we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to clean up, a lot of areas we can improve, and a tough Frontier Conference schedule ahead of us. But today, this is what it’s about. This is special. This team is special, and I’m just really excited about what we did today. It was a great, great day for Northern football.” The Lights (1-0, 0-0) begin that tough Frontier schedule right back at home when they host No. 20 Rocky Mountain College (1-0, 1-0) this Saturday at 1 p.m.