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Notebook: Northern's Baum is tearing up the Frontier Conference so far n From Page 11
But one thing is clear, the Frontier is loaded with good teams, from top to bottom, and the league is already shown that with four teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and another receiving votes this week. And while there’s plenty of big games left to play, it looks as though the race to the Frontier championship is going to have to wait to be settled until well into November. And while the Lights have played excellent pass defense this season, allowing just 206 yards per game, they are now faced with stopping the best quarterback in the NAIA in SOU’s Austin Dodge. Barring injury or any other disaster, Dodge is set to smash at least eight different NAIA offensive records at some point this season. Dodge will blow by the total career passing yards mark of 13,388 as he was less than 2,000 yards shy of that one when the season started. Air Emergency The Lights know exactly what’s coming when Southern Oregon takes the field Saturday in Havre. The game will be SOU’s second trip to Havre since joining the Frontier, and the Raiders fourth foray into Blue Pony Stadium in the last 15 years. And it’s no secret what the Raiders will do. They will throw the ball without fear, they will go fast and they will try to put as many points on the scoreboard as possible. That’s the task the Northern defense is faced with on Saturday. If he stays on his pace of throwing for four touchdowns every outing, he’ll break Chris Reisert’s record of 120 career TD passes Saturday in Havre. Dodge is just three shy of that now. And he needs less than 400 yards of offense to break Carroll great Tyler Emmert’s record of 13,979 career total yards gained. Other NAIA records in jeopardy because of the great Dodge include, total completions, passing yards per game, total offensive yards per game, touchdowns responsible for and career passing attempts. Of course, Northern will do everything it can Saturday to prevent Dodge from racking up the huge numbers he’s accustomed to. And the Lights have a chance to do just that if their pass rush can continue to be what it has been so far this season. Defensive end Tyler Craig is having a monster sophomore campaign, as he leads the Frontier with six sacks, while Patrick Barnett and Will DeVos each have three tackles for loss. Northern interim head coach Jake Eldridge, who has had to game plan for Dodge as the Lights’ defensive coordinator the last three seasons, understands just what it takes to slow the senior quarterback down, let alone stop him from bombarding the opposition with passing yards and big plays. “You have to be able to generate some pressure on him (Dodge),” Eldridge said. “Maybe not necessarily with sacks, because their offensive line is very good and he’s very mobile in the pocket. But if you can get to him, throw his timing off and disrupt the timing with his receivers, that’s one way to at least slow them down a little bit. That’s what we hope to do, get some pressure on him.”
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern's Trevor Baum is currently the leading receiver in the Frontier Conference, and he is coming off a huge game last Saturday at UM-Western. Baum and the Lights take on No. 7 Southern Oregon Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Catch the Ball If you like watching wide receivers do their thing, then Blue Pony Stadium is certainly the place to be on Saturday as no less than five of the top statistical receivers in the Frontier will be in action. On the side of the Lights is senior Trevor Baum. In his first and only season as a wide receiver, Baum is running wild on the Frontier. He’s caught 39 balls for 604 yards this season, and he averages 16 yards per grab, to go along with nine catches per outing. Baum is coming off a 200-yard performance against Western last Saturday, and he’s hit paydirt three times. On the other side is sophomore Jake Messerly, who also has two 100-yard games this year. Messerly is a speedster and a big-play threat, and in his career at Northern, he already has six catches that went for 70 yards or longer.
Meanwhile, the SOU receivers, as expected, are no slouches either. Brothers Matt and Ryan Retzlaff were both All-Conference a year ago. Both are Oregon State transfers, who each went over a 1,000 yards a season ago and combined to haul in 40 touchdowns. But the most gifted receiver in the league might be Dylan Young, who already has nearly 600 yards and four touchdowns this season. Young is a threat to go the distance from anywhere on the field, and he’s someone who has to command a lot of attention from opposing defenses. The Raiders also acquired the services of former Portland State star Victor Dean this season. Dean lit up the Big Sky Conference at times a year ago, and at 6-6 and 215 pounds, he’s an NFL-sized WR with blazing speed. Instant Impact The College of Idaho suffered its first loss
of its innaguaral season when the Yotes were thumped by SOU, 56-28 last Saturday in Ashland, Ore. But, no matter where the Yotes finish in their first season in the Frontier, they certainly have a star at quarterback. Junior TeeJay Gordon is the definition of a dual-threat QB, and his running ability is giving Frontier defenses fits they probably weren’t prepared for when facing the Yotes for the first time. While he’s an adept passer, the 5-11 Gordon, out of Manteca, California, has already rushed for 359 yards on 50 carries this season. He’s also thrown for 603 yards and the Yotes are averaging eight yards per play every time Gordon has the ball in his hands. And with eight total touchdowns already, Gordon has quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous weapons in all of the Frontier Conference.
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No more road blocks Rostyn Pace overcame a lot, simply to play the game he loves, at the school he loves George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com If there is one thing that is true about Rostyn Pace it’s that he loves football. To play college football at the NAIA level should be proof enough of his passion for the game. After all, playing football is a job and it’s not always an easy one. Playing football at the college level is hard work, no one can deny that. But for the 6-3, 370-pound Pace, it’s a labor of love and that’s why he has continued to play it, de-
spite all the obstacles thrown in his way. For starters, Pace was not offered a single scholarship to play football at the collegiate level following a successful high school career at Sunburst, where he played offensive guard, tight end and defensive line. After attending Montana State University-Northern in 2009, Pace decided that he wanted to get back to the game he loves. So he walked into the head coach Mark Samson’s office and told him he wanted to walk on. Samson, promptly got Pace some equipment and a locker.
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior Rostyn Pace, left, blocks a teammate during aLights' practice earlier this week. Pace, who came to MSU-N as a student, then a walk-on, will be starting his 30th game for the Lights on Saturday.
MSU-Northern Lights vs Southern Oregon Raiders Montana State University Northern Location: Havre, Mont.
2013 record: 4-6 (4-6) Head coach: Jake Eldridge Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium
Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2014 record: 1-3 (0-3)
Streak: The Lights have yet to beat the Raiders at Blue Pony Stadium, dating back to the 2001 season.
Saturday, September 13, 2014 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Homecoming Southern Oregon University
2013 record: 7-4 (7-3)
Stadium: Raider Stadium
Nickname: Raiders
Streak: The Raiders have won four straight to start the season. They haven't thrown for under 300 yards in their last 14 games.
2014 record: 4-0 (3-0)
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Frontier is a mess after four weeks George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The first quarter of the Frontier Conference football season is in the books. And while teams have learned plenty about themselves through their first three or four games, I’m not sure the league has learned anything about what might happen come November. If anything, we’ve learned that there’s a long way to go, a lot of big games to be played, and that, any number of different Frontier schools still has a chance at the Frontier championships. Last Saturday’s NAIA Game of the Week between then No. 5 Rocky Mountain College and No. 7 Carroll College in Billings taught us that. RMC had a chance to grab the Frontier by the throat, playing a one-loss Carroll squad in its home opener at Herb Klindt Field. But instead of the Battlin’ Bears seizing
control of the Frontier, Carroll snatched all that away with a Carroll-like 33-8 road win. The game resembled the Carroll team that Frontier fans are used to seeing, a team that dominates the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, moves the chains and controls time of possession, and flat-out wears a team down to a frazzle. That’s exactly what the Saints want to do every week, and that’s exactly what they did to the Battlin’ Bears last Saturday in Billings. So now, if Rocky doesn’t have control of the Frontier, and Carroll already has a loss on its slate, it’s Southern Oregon’s turn to run away with the league title. The Raiders are 3-0 in the Frontier, with a win over the Saints, and they will be favored this Saturday when they
invade Blue Pony Stadium to take on the Montana State University-Northern Lights. However, it would be wise to think SOU won’t escape the Frontier unscathed either. The Raiders get Rocky at home, but that game isn’t until Nov. 1. Before that, in just three weeks, SOU has to make the trip to Helena to play the Saints for a second time, and that game could be the difference between the Raiders winning the league title, sharing it, or not winning it all. Interestingly, through the first quarter of the season, the standings would suggest two losses could still clinch the Frontier championship. And, at this point, only two Frontier teams, Northern and Montana
Today in the Frontier Conference No. 7 Southern Oregon Raiders (4-0, 3-0)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (1-3, 0-3)
Head coach: Craig Howard
Location: Ashland, Oregon
Colors: Red and White
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No. 21 Eastern Oregon (1-1, 2-1) at No. 10 Rocky Mountain (3-1, 2-1) in Billings, Mont.
in Butte, Mont.
College of Idaho (1-1, 2-1) at Montana Tech (1-3, 1-3)
No. 5 Carroll College and UM-Western have byes this week
2014 Frontier Conference Coaches Preseason Poll 1. Carroll College 2. Rocky Mountain College 3. Southern Oregon 4. Eastern Oregon 5. MSU-Northern 5. UM-Western 7. Montana Tech 8. College of Idaho
Tech are below .500 in the standings, meaning even UM-Western, Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho can’t be considered out of the picture at this point. In fact, no one can be counted out. The Raiders certainly can’t and won’t overlook the Lights on Saturday. Despite a 50-30 setback at West-
Havre Daily News Week Five Frontier Conference Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. Carroll College 3. Rocky Mountain College 4. Eastern Oregon 5. UM-Western 6. MSU-Northern 7. College of Idaho 8. Montana Tech
ern last Saturday, Northern has one of the top defenses in the Frontier Conference, and defense is key to slowing down, and having a chance to beat the high-powered Raiders. If Northern can do that on Saturday, then the Frontier standings will be even more muddled.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Bulldogs power past Lights in Dillon Northern puts up big numbers on offense, but can't slow down UM-Western
offense. Jordan Rueschhoff answered Bulldogs too far ahead for Northern with a career-best 47-yard field goal, to rally. The Lights added a 35-yard but the Dawgs came right back as pass from Dean to Baum, but it was Hulse hit Matt Lickfold for a 48-yard too late for MSU-N to claw all the TD. However, the first-half fireworks way back. were only beginning as Dean found Like Western, Northern’s offense Jake Messerly on a 73-yard score to had a huge day. Dean threw for a camake it 14-10 Western with six min- reer-high 403 yards to go along with George Ferguson utes left in the first stanza. five touchdowns as the Lights piled And the back-and-forth tussle con- up 544 yards of offense. Baum finHavre Daily News sports editor tinued as the two top-ranked defenses ished his career day with 11 catches gferguson@havredailynews.com could do little to slow the offenses for 218 yards, while Messerly added The Montana State University- down. Western closed the first quar- seven grabs for 131 yards. On the Northern defense had really been ter with another Hulse to Lickfold ground, Northern was effective at putting up some strong numbers, and TD, but Dean threw a 42-yard strike times, with McKinley, the Frontier’s a strong front during the first three to Trevor Baum just eight seconds in leading rusher, gaining 93 yards, weeks of the 2014 season. But the the second quarter to make the score but only on 11 carries. Mario GobLights found out how the other half 21-17. Hulse added a 17-yard TD run in bato also carried seven times for 44 lives Saturday afternoon in Dillon. the second, while Dean found Baum yards. In a game that featured the top two on a 60-yard scoring strike to end the But the day belonged to Hulse and defenses in the Frontier Conference, scoring in a wild first half which saw the Western attack. The Bulldogs it was the offenses that took center Western lead 27-23. got 99 yards from Rutherford on stage Saturday at VigiAnd while the ground, while Dylan lante Stadium, as the UMthe Lights were Kramer rushed for 58 on Western Bulldogs raced lighting up West10 carries. Lickfold led the past the Lights 50-30. The ern’s normally receivers with six catches two teams came in each staunch defense for 141 yards, while the surrendering less than 400 in the first half, Bulldogs ran five more yards per game, but both things didn’t go plays than the lights and offenses easily surpassed the same way for gained just one more first those numbers, while the Northern in the down. Bulldogs outscored Northfinal 30 minutes. D e f e n s i v e l y, ern 23-7 in the second half. “Our ofMSU-N sophomore Tyler Western rolled up 504 fense came out Craig got his sixth sack of yards of offense, including doing whatever the season and had seven 255 on the ground, and the they wanted,” ElDean Baum stops. Kaimi Kanehailuia Bulldogs, who snapped a dridge said. “We had 10 tackles, while Tuckthree-game losing streak were running up er Dunn and Will DeVos with the win, got a huge and down the added five each. day from quarterback field on them, The loss dropped Tyler Hulse. The junior and we had a ton the Lights to a bitter 0-3 accounted for five touchof big plays. I felt in the Frontier Conferdowns, threw for 255 yards like we were firence and 1-3 overall. The and ran for another 93 on ing on all cylinBulldogs improved to 2-2 in 12 carries. While Western ders in the first the league and 2-3 overall, running back Sam Ruhalf. We played as they head into their bye therford, and Northern really well offenweek. counterpart Zach McKinsively. On the other hand, ley came into to the game “Unfortunately, Northern will have a tall as the focal points, it was when our defense order in front of it if it Hulse and Northern QB finally did buckle wants to get its first conTravis Dean who spent the down and get ference win of 2014. Satday going back and forth. some stops in the Messerly Craig urday, the Lights will host “The offenses definitefourth quarter, unbeaten and No. 9-ranked ly had the upper hand,” that was the time Southern Oregon at Blue Northern interim head coach Jake when things went the other way for Pony Stadium. Eldridge said. “As a defense, we got our offense. We just didn’t capitalize “There’s no off week,” Eldridge said. outplayed big time. Western came out on those stops and the scoring oppor“The Western game is behind us now. and punched our defense in the mouth tunities we had down there. So that We’re moving forward and we’ll come and we didn’t respond. Western ran was tough.” back to work on Monday and get the ball really hard, they pounded it With Western already in front 30ready for an entirely different beats right at us, and we made some very 23, Hulse capped a drive with a onein Southern Oregon. That’s what we uncharacteristic mistakes defen- yard plunge to give the Bulldogs a 37have to do, and we’ll work really hard sively. And we just weren’t physical 23 lead with just the fourth quarter to get ready for that game.” enough, or aggressive enough.” remaining. And the Western defense The Lights are home to face SouthHulse opened the scoring with a 61- finally broke Northern’s back when ern Oregon in their homecoming yard touchdown run less than three Taft Benson intercepted Dean and game this Saturday. Kickoff is set for minutes into the contest. It started a returned it 25 yards for a score ear21-point first quarter for the Western ly in the fourth quarter, putting the 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.
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Frontier Conference Standings
Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain Carroll College UM-Western College of Idaho Eastern Oregon Montana Tech MSU-Northern
Conf. WL
3-0 2-1 2-1 2-2 1-1 1-1 1-3 0-2
NAIA Coaches Poll 13. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 14. Benedictine (Kan.) 15. William Penn (Iowa) 16. Northwestern (Iowa) 17. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 18. Cumberland (Tenn.) 19. Robert Morris (Ill.) 20. Marian (Ind.) 21. Eastern Oregon 22. Dakota Wesleyan 23. Cumberlands (Ky.) 24. Kentucky Christian 25. Ottawa (Kan.)
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Morningside (Iowa) (14) 2 2. Baker (Kan.) (1) 3-0 3. Tabor (Kan.) 3-0 4. Faulkner (Ala.) 4-0 5. Carroll (Mont.) 2-1 6. Georgetown (Ky.) 2-0 7. Southern Oregon 4-0 8. Grand View (Iowa) 2-1 9. Saint Francis (Ind.) 2-1 10. Rocky Mountain 3-1 11. Missouri Valley 1-1 12. St. Francis (Ill.) 3-0
Overall WL
4-0 3-1 2-1 2-3 2-1 2-1 1-3 1-3
3-0
340
327 312 296 281 274 264 261 227 215 209 205
3 4 6 7 8 9 1 12 5 13 14
167 163 149 144 142 115 105 94 78 63 38 34 32
10 17 20 18 19 21 — — 25 15 11 — 16
Others receiving votes: : Sterling (Kan.) 11; Bacone (Okla.) 10; Avila (Mo.) 7; Concordia (Neb.) 3; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3; Langston (Okla.) 3.
Saturday, Sept. 20 UM-Western 50, MSU-Northern 30 Carroll College 33, Rocky Mountain 8 Eastern Oregon 39, Montana Tech10 Southern Oregon 56, College of Idaho 20
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders
Saturday, Sept. 27 MSU-Northern vs Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain vs Eastern Oregon Montana Tech at College of Idaho
Through Week Five
Passing: Austin Dodge, SOU, 336 ypg Receiving: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 150 ypg Receptions: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 9.3 cpg Rushing: Zach McKinley, MSU-N, 124 ypg Tackles: Laurence Calcagno, SOU, 44 Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 6 sacks INT's: Byron Benson, EOU, 3 ints
Lights Coaching Staff
Jake Eldridge Head Coach
2-1 2-1 3-1 2-1 3-1 2-1 3-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 3-1 1-2
Scott Leeds Offense/WR
Jorge Magana Asst. Coach
Arthur Smith Asst. Coach
Not Pictured: Christian Rago, Asst. Coach
Cody O'Neil Asst. Coach
James Erickson Student Asst.
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Southern Oregon Defensive Starters
MSU-N Offensive Numbers
SOU Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25.3 ppg, 7th in Frontier Total offense: 480 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Jake Messerly #17, 6-1, 195 Receiver
Tyler Rogers #5, 5-11, 225 Cornerback
Passing: 314 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
SOU Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 27 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Scoring: 40 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 396 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 313 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Pass defense: 221 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Pass defense: 207 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 43.6 ppg, 1st in Frontier Malcolm Manuel #3, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Eldridge will be the interim head coach of the Lights this season. He has been the defensive coordinator for four years at MSU-N, and is a former AllConference defensive back for the Lights. In all, Eldridge has coached for seven seasons at Northern.
Rostyn Pace #74, 6-3, 275 Left guard
Travis Dean #8, 6-0, 200 Quarterback
Shomari Burton #70, 6-3, 305 Center
Daniel Breaux #47, 6-3, 245 Defensive end
Tyler Craig #91, 6-1, 240 Defensive end Mylz Blake #31, 5-10, 213 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
David Weider #92, 6-2, 270 Nose tackle
Zach Bangert #51, 6-1, 280 Right guard
Dylan Murphy #71, 6-6, 310 Right tackle
Joseph Lealofi #40, 6-3, 2500 Defensive tackle
Butch Hyder #13, 5-11, 200 Safety
Heston Altenbach #22, 6-2, 215 Linebacker
Will DeVos #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle Kami Kanehailua #42, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Laurence Calcagno #30, 5-11, 227 Linebacker Julius Rucker #1, 6-2, 195 Safety
Jacob Criner #36, 5-11, 240 Fullback
Total offense: 585 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Tylor King #72, 6-6, 305 Offensive line
Dustin Fretwell #7, 5-9, 185 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Matt Retzlaff
#8, 5-11, 180 Receiver
Passing: 350 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Pete Morales #77, 6-1, 285 Left tackle
Jake Eldridge MSU-N Head Coach
Southern Oregon Offensive Starters
Hunter Chandler #34, 5-9, 188 Safety
Patrick Barnett #90, 6-2, 265 Defensive tackle Jesse Morales #7, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Tyler Phillips #43, 6-2, 230 Defensive end Trevor Jones #14, 6-0, 220 Defensive end
Craig Howard SOU Head Coach
Dylan Bratlie #63, 6-4, 300 Offensive line
Bubba Rylance #59, 5-11, 305 Offensive line
Austin Dodge #3, 6-3, 210 Quarterback
Melvin Mason #23, 5-11, 205 Running back
Max Proudfit #78, 6-4, 295 Offensive line
Drew Gibson #77, 6-6, 285 Offensive line
Ryan Retzlaff
#12, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Ben Bachman #89, 6-3, 230 Tight end
John Jansen #44, 6-3, 240 Tight end Jordan Rueschhoff #14, 6-2, 185 Kicker/Punter
Trevor Baum #1, 6-1, 200 Receiver
Karrington Jones #6, 6-1, 180 Cornerback
Mike McCrary #26, 5-10, 175 Corner
Dylan Young #11, 6-3, 197 Receiver
Aldrick Rosas
#99, 6-2, 195 Kicker
Alex Nelson
#85, 5-11, 165 Kicker
Howard took over as head coach at Southern Oregon in February 2011. He led the Raiders to a 5-5 record in 2011, and a cochampionship in SOU's first year as part of the Frontier Conference in 2012 to go with an appearance in the NAIA quarterfinals. Howard also erved as the head coach at Oregon Tech from 1991-92, He served as defensive coordinator for the Owls from 1978-81 and again from 1987-89 and was defensive coordinator at Portland State from 1982-83.
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5
Year SO JR SR SR JR JR SR SO FR JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SO SR SO FR JR SR SO SO FR FR JR JR SO SR SO FR FR FR FR JR SR JR JR JR FR SR FR FR FR SO SO SO SO SO SR FR SR JR JR FR FR FR JR FR JR SO SR JR JR FR
Pos. DB DB QB WR DB DB DB WR QB TE WR WR WR DE WR WR RB LB LB RB RB DB RB DB RB LB WR DB DB LB LB LB DB DB RB DB DB LB DL DL LB DE LB DB LB LB LB LB LB LB OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR
Ht. 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-6 5-11 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-11 5-6 5-10 5-11 5-9 5-7 6-2 5-11 5-9 5-9 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-9 5-10 5-11 5-8 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-4 6-8 6-4 6-6 6-2 6-4 6-1
Wt. 192 190 210 215 185 190 185 180 215 215 197 190 208 220 183 175 160 210 210 190 165 215 205 160 178 225 185 187 175 227 213 215 190 195 190 175 160 220 250 245 190 245 210 175 190 230 205 210 225 210 305 250 254 300 280 245 255 230 305 260 315 235 285 297 295 205
Hometown Portland, Ore. Carson, Calif. Vancouver, Wash. San Diego, Calif. Seattle, Wash. Los Angeles, Calif. El Dorado Hills, Calif. Medford, Ore. Eugene, Ore. Sandy, Ore. Salem, Ore. Medford, Ore. Vacaville, Calif. Folsom, Calif. Medford, Ore. El Paso, Texas Diamond Springs, Calif. Eagle Point, Ore. Kalolei, Hawaii Elk Grove, Calif. Hawthorne, Calif. Coquille, Ore. Vacaville, Calif. Valencia, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev. Fullterton, Calif. Sammamish, Wash. Salem, Ore. Portland, Ore. Canby, Ore. Los Angeles, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev. Edmonds, Wash. Sherwood, Ore. Elk Grove, Calif. Grants Pass, Ore. Turlock, Calif. Los Angeles, Calif. Oregon City, Ore. Las Vegas, Nev. Greenfield, Calif. Camas Valley, Ore. Concord, Calif. Burney, Calif. Klamath Falls, Ore. Trail, Ore. Springfield, Ore. Eugene, Ore. Fontana, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Aloha, Ore. Salem, Ore. Vancouver, Wash. Molalla, Ore. Hillsboro, Ore. Sonoma, Calif. Dairy, Ore. Portland, Ore. Coquille, Ore. Des Moines, Wash. Salem, Ore. Medford, Ore. Waipahu, Hawaii Vancouver, Wash. Rocklin, Calif.
No.Name 81 Jesse Needles 83 Caden Johnson 85 Alex Nelson 87 Jake Ovgard 88 Adonis Griffin 89 Ben Bachman 90 Colin Davis 92 David Weider 93 Jacob Proul 95 Curtis Catron 96 Kalan Hoedl 98 Thomas Giddens 99 Aldrick Rosas
Year SO FR JR FR JR FR FR JR SO FR FR JR SO
Pos. WR WR K WR WR TE DL DL DL DE DL P K
Ht. 5-9 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-5 5-10 6-2 6-2
Wt. 175 187 165 175 220 230 225 270 275 230 235 200 195
Hometown Wallace, Idaho Modesto, Calif. Moorpark, Calif. Klamath Falls, Ore. Sacramento, Calif. Gresham, Ore. West Linn, Ore. Sacramento, Calif. Folsom, Calif. Cameron Park, Calif. West Linn, Ore. Monroe, La. Orland, Calif.
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Southern Oregon Numerical Roster No.Name 1 Julius Rucker 2 Jaylenn Hart 3 Austin Dodge 4 Victor Dean 5 Tyler Rogers 6 Karrington Jones 7 Dustin Fretwell 8 Matt Retzlaff 9 Kamerun Smith 10 Gannon Schroder 11 Dylan Young 12 Ryan Retzlaff 13 Blakelyn Birks 14 Trevor Jones 15 Jeremy Scottow 16 Sean McShane 17 Sean Tow 18 Steven Josephson 19 Mason Alfaro 20 Louis Macklin 21 JJ Latu 22 Heston Altenbach 23 Melvin Mason 24 Kyle Alexander 25 Lantz Worthington 26 Daniel Abernethy 27 Teran Togia 28 Colton Grimwood 29 Nathan Torres-Walker 30 Laurence Calcagno 31 Mylz Blake 33 Kevin Blueford 34 Ray Robinson 35 Matthew Cuzzetto 36 Keegan Lawrence 37 Le'Dontrae Gooden 38 Nick Tatom 39 Markus Sanders 40 Joseph Leolofi 41 Grant Torgerson 42 Isiah Carter 44 Daniel Breaux 46 Ryan Dancer 48 Alex Bates 51 Macloud Luntey 52 Alex Stork 53 Caleb Ash 55 Aaron Downes 57 Bryce York 58 Lance Binks 59 Ronald Rylance 61 Miguel Cruz-Camacho 62 Michael Bryant 63 Dylan Bratlie 66 Kolby Koberstein 69 Sheridan Olds 70 Carter Latno 71 Sean Angel 72 Tylor King 73 Larry Bowen 74 Chance Dollahite 75 Connor Astley 77 Drew Gibson 78 Nathaniel Timoteo 79 Max Proudfit 80 Domonic Giampaoli
Sept. 26, 2014
No. 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 63 65 66 69 70
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Trevor Baum WR 6-1 Tucker Dunn LB 6-1 Malcolm Manuel DB 5-9 Bryan Moon DB 5-10 Zach Plum WR 5-8 Nick Luoma WR 6-2 Jesse Morales LB 6-0 Travis Dean QB 6-0 Jess Krahn QB 6-3 Jake Day WR 5-10 Garrett Jericoff DB 5-9 Holden Maki QB 5-9 Butch Hyder DB 5-11 Jordan Rueschhoff K J.R. Finai QB 6-2 Morgan Dirickson QB 6-1 Jake Messerly WR 6-1 Sam Mix WR 6-1 Alex Cox DB 5-8 Tyson Ernst WR 5-11 Kyle Cochran DB 5-11 Mario Gobbato RB 5-8 Jed Eaton DB 5-11 Zach McKinley RB 5-10 Torin Brunson RB 5-8 Michael McCrary DB 5-10 Jesse Mavernik DB 6-1 Kaden Barrus RB 5-9 Kole Chartier DB 5-11 Russel Haynie LB 6-2 Justin Fritz LB 5-11 Hunter Croff RB 5-10 Brooks Dunn LB 5-10 Hunter Chandler DB 5-10 Dakota Schelling LB 6-0 Jacob Criner RB 5-11 Derek Andresen LB 5-9 Jordan Oraw LB 6-2 Wyatt McKinlay RB 5-10 Dave Cross TE 6-1 Trent Tarner RB 5-10 Valentine Kanehailua LB 6-0 Tyler Phillips DL 6-1 John Jansen TE 6-3 Michael McKeen LB 5-10 Joshua Wright DL 6-2 Jordan Brusio DL 5-11 Garet Fowler LB 5-10 Miguel Carranza LS 5-10 Robert Johnson OL 6-1 Zach Bangert OL 6-1 Josiah Pola LB 5-11 Austin Rychner DL 5-10 Owen Debryucker LB Dustin Odegard DL 6-0 Dace Fisher DL 6-1 Andrew Moser LB 6-1 Adolfo Robles OL 6-2 Kenneth Shane Stubbs OL 6-1 Dale Cummings OL 6-1 Kelin King OL 6-3 Braxton Hasner DL 6-1 Jacob Folk OL 6-4 Brennon Lewis OL 6-2 Shomari Burton OL 6-3
200 225 170 180 165 215 210 200 220 165 195 170 200 6-0 215 195 195 195 190 200 170 185 195 205 160 175 180 170 170 200 220 190 190 190 185 240 195 205 205 225 180 240 225 240 215 230 240 205 230 250 280 225 230 5-11 210 195 220 270 270 330 260 290 335 310 305
Yr.
SR SO JR FR RS-FR SR SO SR FR JR JR FR SR 200 RS-FR FR SO FR FR RS-FR FR SO RS-FR SO FR SR FR FR FR FR SO FR FR SR FR SR FR RS-FR FR RS-FR FR SR SR SR JR FR SO FR JR FR SR FR SO 225 FR FR FR SO FR FR FR FR JR FR SR
Hometown
Susanville, Calif. Chandler, Ariz. Carson, Calif. Chehalis, Wash. Havre, Mont. Stockett, Mont. La Habra, Calif. Gilbert, Ariz. Brush Prairie, Wash. Irvine, Calif. Hilmar, Calif. Belt, Mont. Boise, Idaho SR Gillette, Wyo. Kearns, Utah Fallow, Nev. Missoula, Mont. Sammamish, Wash. Chehalis, Wash. Fallon, Nev. Helena, Mont. Blaine, Wash. Broadview, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Gooding, Idaho Las Vegas, Nev. Stockett, Mont. Gooding, Idaho Stockett, Mont. Hobson, Mont. Brady, Mont. Belt, Mont. Chandler, Ariz. Bozeman, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Kalispell, Mont. Chandler, Ariz. Chester, Mont. Geraldine, Mont. Hot Springs, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Ewa Beach, Hawaii Renton, Wash. Broadview, Mont. Oakley, Calif. Oakland, Calif. Billings, Mont. Belgrad, Mont. Fontana, Calif. Stevensville, Mont. Concord, Calif. Chandler, Ariz. Ekalaka, Mont. SO Choteau, Mont. Havre, Mont. Sidney, Mont. Pullman, Wash. Bakersfield, Calif. Shelby, Mont. Cremona, Alberta Malta, Mont. Brady, Mont. Ft. Belknap, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Port Orchard, Wash.
No.
71 73 74 75 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 87 88 90 91 92 94 95 99
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Dylan Murphy OL Jeremy Eisenmann Rostyn Pace OL Wes Ostby OL Pete Morales OL Matthew McKeen OL Sam Harris DL Logan Mayernik WR Bowe McKay WR Will Ketchum WR Chad Mayernik WR Kagen Khamaneh TE Connor Benn WR Seth Roemmelle WR Patrick Barnett DL Tyler Craig DL Lane Urick DL Matt Bachmeier DL Will DeVos DL Jefferson Aumua DL
6-6 OL 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 5-10 5-9 6-3 5-8 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-3
310 6-3 270 335 295 290 290 180 195 165 160 225 160 190 265 230 285 260 255 340
Yr.
JR 250 SR SO SO FR FR SO FR FR FR FR FR FR SO SO SO FR SR JR
Hometown
Gleichen, Alberta FR Missoula, Mont. Sun Burst, Mont. Deer Park, Wash. La Habra, Calif. Oakley, Calif. Longview, Wash. Great Falls, Mont. Chehalis, Wash. Box Elder, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Ronan, Mont. Clare Sholm, Alberta Billings, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Helena, Mont. Vale, Ore. Auburn, Wash.
2014 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Jake Eldridge, interim head coach, def. coordinator; Scott Leeds, offense/wide receivers; Jorge Magana, asst. coach; Cody O'Neil, asst.coach; Christian Rago, asst. coach; Arthur Smith, asst. coach; James Erickson, student assistant. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Nicole Yazzie.
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Pace: MSU-N senior offensive lineman ready for Homecoming
Pace: Senior lineman sets the tone for Lights' big offensive line
n From Page 2
n From Page 6
The rest was history. “I just wanted to keep playing the sport I loved,” Pace said. “I kind of just went into coach (Samson’s) office one day and told him that I would like to keep playing football and he got me a locker and some Northern gear and it just went from there. I went to winter conditioning and got into shape and then I played spring ball. And then I redshirted a year and got better.” When he first walked into Samson’s office that day, it was because
he wanted to play football and play he would play for the Lights. After redshirting in 2010, Pace got onto the field in the 2011 season and took over as a starter at left guard after the third game of the season. “When I first joined the program, I thought I would get to start as a senior maybe,” Pace said. “But there were some injuries and I kind of got thrown in there and ended up finishing the season at left guard.” Pace, who was also a starter at left tackle in 2012 and 2013 before moving
over to right guard this season, has started 29 games counting this, his senior seaosn for the Lights, which is hard to believe considering no one recruited him to play college football out of high school. “It feels good, I am proud of myself,” Pace said. “It has felt nice to be able to (start 29 games) because no one even offered me a college scholarship. I wanted to keep playing. I didn’t really think all this would
n
See Pace Page 7
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern's Rostyn Pace first arrived at Northern as a student six years ago, from tiny Sunburst. But still wanting to play football, he walked n to the Lights, red-shirted one season, and has since been a starter on the offensive line for three different seasons. Pace, who was an All-State player at three different positions, in high school, has also overcame injuries while at Northern, but with Saturday's Homecoming game against Southern Oregon, will be starting for the 30th time in what has been a strong career.
would come out of it, this has been awesome.” Pace, who came to Northern to pursue a degree in agriculture will graduate this spring and plans on using his degree to help run and eventually take over the family farm outside of Sunburst, the tiny farming and gas town just south of the Port of Shelby border in north central Montana. Yet, before he does that, he has some unfinished business as a football player. The most important remaining for Pace is for the Lights to finish with a winning season in his senior year. He also wants to earn AllConference honors as an offensive linemen as well, but most of all he just wants to keep playing the game he loves as long as he can. “Playing for Northern has been a
great experience and it’s been fun,” Pace said. “I wouldn’t change anything about it.” Unfortunately, his time at Northern has not always been easy. Two seasons ago, Pace suffered a dislocated shoulder that caused him to miss time and before the start of his senior season, Samson was forced to resign amid controversy, leaving Pace without the coach that gave him his start in Northern football. “It’s strange with him not being there,” Pace said. “I used to spend a lot of time with him because he used to coach offensive line, so I saw him a lot both on and off the field. It just didn’t seem right the way he left. So that has been different and it was before my senior year so it doesn’t feel right without him.”
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle The Montana State University-Northern Lights have one of the best offensive lines in the Frontier Conference. One big reason why is the play and leadership of senior guard Rostyn Pace, right. Pace has started 29 times, at three different places on the line for the Lights, and has established himself as one of the most technically strong linemen in the Frontier. Pace, who will graduate in the spring, hopes to return to Sunburst to run the family farm someday. But first, he'll play in his final Homecoming game when the Lights host Southern Oregon Saturday.
But through every obstacle, Pace has persevered and is now a senior member of the Lights’ offensive line. Pace knows that this season will mark the end of his career. He will not be playing on Sunday’s in the National Football League. Instead, his life is destined to follow another path. That doesn’t change the fact that Pace is what college athletics at the NAIA level are all about; studentathletes competing because they love the game. At this level, it’s as simple as that. There are no big contracts that lay ahead of him. No fame or fortune. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters to Pace is playing the game he loves and now that his career has just seven games left, you can bet he is cherishing every minute of it.
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Sept. 26, 2014
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Sept. 26, 2014
www.havredailynews.com
Pace: MSU-N senior offensive lineman ready for Homecoming
Pace: Senior lineman sets the tone for Lights' big offensive line
n From Page 2
n From Page 6
The rest was history. “I just wanted to keep playing the sport I loved,” Pace said. “I kind of just went into coach (Samson’s) office one day and told him that I would like to keep playing football and he got me a locker and some Northern gear and it just went from there. I went to winter conditioning and got into shape and then I played spring ball. And then I redshirted a year and got better.” When he first walked into Samson’s office that day, it was because
he wanted to play football and play he would play for the Lights. After redshirting in 2010, Pace got onto the field in the 2011 season and took over as a starter at left guard after the third game of the season. “When I first joined the program, I thought I would get to start as a senior maybe,” Pace said. “But there were some injuries and I kind of got thrown in there and ended up finishing the season at left guard.” Pace, who was also a starter at left tackle in 2012 and 2013 before moving
over to right guard this season, has started 29 games counting this, his senior seaosn for the Lights, which is hard to believe considering no one recruited him to play college football out of high school. “It feels good, I am proud of myself,” Pace said. “It has felt nice to be able to (start 29 games) because no one even offered me a college scholarship. I wanted to keep playing. I didn’t really think all this would
n
See Pace Page 7
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern's Rostyn Pace first arrived at Northern as a student six years ago, from tiny Sunburst. But still wanting to play football, he walked n to the Lights, red-shirted one season, and has since been a starter on the offensive line for three different seasons. Pace, who was an All-State player at three different positions, in high school, has also overcame injuries while at Northern, but with Saturday's Homecoming game against Southern Oregon, will be starting for the 30th time in what has been a strong career.
would come out of it, this has been awesome.” Pace, who came to Northern to pursue a degree in agriculture will graduate this spring and plans on using his degree to help run and eventually take over the family farm outside of Sunburst, the tiny farming and gas town just south of the Port of Shelby border in north central Montana. Yet, before he does that, he has some unfinished business as a football player. The most important remaining for Pace is for the Lights to finish with a winning season in his senior year. He also wants to earn AllConference honors as an offensive linemen as well, but most of all he just wants to keep playing the game he loves as long as he can. “Playing for Northern has been a
great experience and it’s been fun,” Pace said. “I wouldn’t change anything about it.” Unfortunately, his time at Northern has not always been easy. Two seasons ago, Pace suffered a dislocated shoulder that caused him to miss time and before the start of his senior season, Samson was forced to resign amid controversy, leaving Pace without the coach that gave him his start in Northern football. “It’s strange with him not being there,” Pace said. “I used to spend a lot of time with him because he used to coach offensive line, so I saw him a lot both on and off the field. It just didn’t seem right the way he left. So that has been different and it was before my senior year so it doesn’t feel right without him.”
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle The Montana State University-Northern Lights have one of the best offensive lines in the Frontier Conference. One big reason why is the play and leadership of senior guard Rostyn Pace, right. Pace has started 29 times, at three different places on the line for the Lights, and has established himself as one of the most technically strong linemen in the Frontier. Pace, who will graduate in the spring, hopes to return to Sunburst to run the family farm someday. But first, he'll play in his final Homecoming game when the Lights host Southern Oregon Saturday.
But through every obstacle, Pace has persevered and is now a senior member of the Lights’ offensive line. Pace knows that this season will mark the end of his career. He will not be playing on Sunday’s in the National Football League. Instead, his life is destined to follow another path. That doesn’t change the fact that Pace is what college athletics at the NAIA level are all about; studentathletes competing because they love the game. At this level, it’s as simple as that. There are no big contracts that lay ahead of him. No fame or fortune. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters to Pace is playing the game he loves and now that his career has just seven games left, you can bet he is cherishing every minute of it.
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5
Year SO JR SR SR JR JR SR SO FR JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SO SR SO FR JR SR SO SO FR FR JR JR SO SR SO FR FR FR FR JR SR JR JR JR FR SR FR FR FR SO SO SO SO SO SR FR SR JR JR FR FR FR JR FR JR SO SR JR JR FR
Pos. DB DB QB WR DB DB DB WR QB TE WR WR WR DE WR WR RB LB LB RB RB DB RB DB RB LB WR DB DB LB LB LB DB DB RB DB DB LB DL DL LB DE LB DB LB LB LB LB LB LB OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR
Ht. 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-6 5-11 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-11 5-6 5-10 5-11 5-9 5-7 6-2 5-11 5-9 5-9 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-9 5-10 5-11 5-8 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-4 6-8 6-4 6-6 6-2 6-4 6-1
Wt. 192 190 210 215 185 190 185 180 215 215 197 190 208 220 183 175 160 210 210 190 165 215 205 160 178 225 185 187 175 227 213 215 190 195 190 175 160 220 250 245 190 245 210 175 190 230 205 210 225 210 305 250 254 300 280 245 255 230 305 260 315 235 285 297 295 205
Hometown Portland, Ore. Carson, Calif. Vancouver, Wash. San Diego, Calif. Seattle, Wash. Los Angeles, Calif. El Dorado Hills, Calif. Medford, Ore. Eugene, Ore. Sandy, Ore. Salem, Ore. Medford, Ore. Vacaville, Calif. Folsom, Calif. Medford, Ore. El Paso, Texas Diamond Springs, Calif. Eagle Point, Ore. Kalolei, Hawaii Elk Grove, Calif. Hawthorne, Calif. Coquille, Ore. Vacaville, Calif. Valencia, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev. Fullterton, Calif. Sammamish, Wash. Salem, Ore. Portland, Ore. Canby, Ore. Los Angeles, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev. Edmonds, Wash. Sherwood, Ore. Elk Grove, Calif. Grants Pass, Ore. Turlock, Calif. Los Angeles, Calif. Oregon City, Ore. Las Vegas, Nev. Greenfield, Calif. Camas Valley, Ore. Concord, Calif. Burney, Calif. Klamath Falls, Ore. Trail, Ore. Springfield, Ore. Eugene, Ore. Fontana, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Aloha, Ore. Salem, Ore. Vancouver, Wash. Molalla, Ore. Hillsboro, Ore. Sonoma, Calif. Dairy, Ore. Portland, Ore. Coquille, Ore. Des Moines, Wash. Salem, Ore. Medford, Ore. Waipahu, Hawaii Vancouver, Wash. Rocklin, Calif.
No.Name 81 Jesse Needles 83 Caden Johnson 85 Alex Nelson 87 Jake Ovgard 88 Adonis Griffin 89 Ben Bachman 90 Colin Davis 92 David Weider 93 Jacob Proul 95 Curtis Catron 96 Kalan Hoedl 98 Thomas Giddens 99 Aldrick Rosas
Year SO FR JR FR JR FR FR JR SO FR FR JR SO
Pos. WR WR K WR WR TE DL DL DL DE DL P K
Ht. 5-9 6-1 5-11 5-8 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-5 5-10 6-2 6-2
Wt. 175 187 165 175 220 230 225 270 275 230 235 200 195
Hometown Wallace, Idaho Modesto, Calif. Moorpark, Calif. Klamath Falls, Ore. Sacramento, Calif. Gresham, Ore. West Linn, Ore. Sacramento, Calif. Folsom, Calif. Cameron Park, Calif. West Linn, Ore. Monroe, La. Orland, Calif.
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
Southern Oregon Numerical Roster No.Name 1 Julius Rucker 2 Jaylenn Hart 3 Austin Dodge 4 Victor Dean 5 Tyler Rogers 6 Karrington Jones 7 Dustin Fretwell 8 Matt Retzlaff 9 Kamerun Smith 10 Gannon Schroder 11 Dylan Young 12 Ryan Retzlaff 13 Blakelyn Birks 14 Trevor Jones 15 Jeremy Scottow 16 Sean McShane 17 Sean Tow 18 Steven Josephson 19 Mason Alfaro 20 Louis Macklin 21 JJ Latu 22 Heston Altenbach 23 Melvin Mason 24 Kyle Alexander 25 Lantz Worthington 26 Daniel Abernethy 27 Teran Togia 28 Colton Grimwood 29 Nathan Torres-Walker 30 Laurence Calcagno 31 Mylz Blake 33 Kevin Blueford 34 Ray Robinson 35 Matthew Cuzzetto 36 Keegan Lawrence 37 Le'Dontrae Gooden 38 Nick Tatom 39 Markus Sanders 40 Joseph Leolofi 41 Grant Torgerson 42 Isiah Carter 44 Daniel Breaux 46 Ryan Dancer 48 Alex Bates 51 Macloud Luntey 52 Alex Stork 53 Caleb Ash 55 Aaron Downes 57 Bryce York 58 Lance Binks 59 Ronald Rylance 61 Miguel Cruz-Camacho 62 Michael Bryant 63 Dylan Bratlie 66 Kolby Koberstein 69 Sheridan Olds 70 Carter Latno 71 Sean Angel 72 Tylor King 73 Larry Bowen 74 Chance Dollahite 75 Connor Astley 77 Drew Gibson 78 Nathaniel Timoteo 79 Max Proudfit 80 Domonic Giampaoli
Sept. 26, 2014
No. 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 63 65 66 69 70
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Trevor Baum WR 6-1 Tucker Dunn LB 6-1 Malcolm Manuel DB 5-9 Bryan Moon DB 5-10 Zach Plum WR 5-8 Nick Luoma WR 6-2 Jesse Morales LB 6-0 Travis Dean QB 6-0 Jess Krahn QB 6-3 Jake Day WR 5-10 Garrett Jericoff DB 5-9 Holden Maki QB 5-9 Butch Hyder DB 5-11 Jordan Rueschhoff K J.R. Finai QB 6-2 Morgan Dirickson QB 6-1 Jake Messerly WR 6-1 Sam Mix WR 6-1 Alex Cox DB 5-8 Tyson Ernst WR 5-11 Kyle Cochran DB 5-11 Mario Gobbato RB 5-8 Jed Eaton DB 5-11 Zach McKinley RB 5-10 Torin Brunson RB 5-8 Michael McCrary DB 5-10 Jesse Mavernik DB 6-1 Kaden Barrus RB 5-9 Kole Chartier DB 5-11 Russel Haynie LB 6-2 Justin Fritz LB 5-11 Hunter Croff RB 5-10 Brooks Dunn LB 5-10 Hunter Chandler DB 5-10 Dakota Schelling LB 6-0 Jacob Criner RB 5-11 Derek Andresen LB 5-9 Jordan Oraw LB 6-2 Wyatt McKinlay RB 5-10 Dave Cross TE 6-1 Trent Tarner RB 5-10 Valentine Kanehailua LB 6-0 Tyler Phillips DL 6-1 John Jansen TE 6-3 Michael McKeen LB 5-10 Joshua Wright DL 6-2 Jordan Brusio DL 5-11 Garet Fowler LB 5-10 Miguel Carranza LS 5-10 Robert Johnson OL 6-1 Zach Bangert OL 6-1 Josiah Pola LB 5-11 Austin Rychner DL 5-10 Owen Debryucker LB Dustin Odegard DL 6-0 Dace Fisher DL 6-1 Andrew Moser LB 6-1 Adolfo Robles OL 6-2 Kenneth Shane Stubbs OL 6-1 Dale Cummings OL 6-1 Kelin King OL 6-3 Braxton Hasner DL 6-1 Jacob Folk OL 6-4 Brennon Lewis OL 6-2 Shomari Burton OL 6-3
200 225 170 180 165 215 210 200 220 165 195 170 200 6-0 215 195 195 195 190 200 170 185 195 205 160 175 180 170 170 200 220 190 190 190 185 240 195 205 205 225 180 240 225 240 215 230 240 205 230 250 280 225 230 5-11 210 195 220 270 270 330 260 290 335 310 305
Yr.
SR SO JR FR RS-FR SR SO SR FR JR JR FR SR 200 RS-FR FR SO FR FR RS-FR FR SO RS-FR SO FR SR FR FR FR FR SO FR FR SR FR SR FR RS-FR FR RS-FR FR SR SR SR JR FR SO FR JR FR SR FR SO 225 FR FR FR SO FR FR FR FR JR FR SR
Hometown
Susanville, Calif. Chandler, Ariz. Carson, Calif. Chehalis, Wash. Havre, Mont. Stockett, Mont. La Habra, Calif. Gilbert, Ariz. Brush Prairie, Wash. Irvine, Calif. Hilmar, Calif. Belt, Mont. Boise, Idaho SR Gillette, Wyo. Kearns, Utah Fallow, Nev. Missoula, Mont. Sammamish, Wash. Chehalis, Wash. Fallon, Nev. Helena, Mont. Blaine, Wash. Broadview, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Gooding, Idaho Las Vegas, Nev. Stockett, Mont. Gooding, Idaho Stockett, Mont. Hobson, Mont. Brady, Mont. Belt, Mont. Chandler, Ariz. Bozeman, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Kalispell, Mont. Chandler, Ariz. Chester, Mont. Geraldine, Mont. Hot Springs, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Ewa Beach, Hawaii Renton, Wash. Broadview, Mont. Oakley, Calif. Oakland, Calif. Billings, Mont. Belgrad, Mont. Fontana, Calif. Stevensville, Mont. Concord, Calif. Chandler, Ariz. Ekalaka, Mont. SO Choteau, Mont. Havre, Mont. Sidney, Mont. Pullman, Wash. Bakersfield, Calif. Shelby, Mont. Cremona, Alberta Malta, Mont. Brady, Mont. Ft. Belknap, Mont. Fallon, Nev. Port Orchard, Wash.
No.
71 73 74 75 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 87 88 90 91 92 94 95 99
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Dylan Murphy OL Jeremy Eisenmann Rostyn Pace OL Wes Ostby OL Pete Morales OL Matthew McKeen OL Sam Harris DL Logan Mayernik WR Bowe McKay WR Will Ketchum WR Chad Mayernik WR Kagen Khamaneh TE Connor Benn WR Seth Roemmelle WR Patrick Barnett DL Tyler Craig DL Lane Urick DL Matt Bachmeier DL Will DeVos DL Jefferson Aumua DL
6-6 OL 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 5-10 5-9 6-3 5-8 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-3
310 6-3 270 335 295 290 290 180 195 165 160 225 160 190 265 230 285 260 255 340
Yr.
JR 250 SR SO SO FR FR SO FR FR FR FR FR FR SO SO SO FR SR JR
Hometown
Gleichen, Alberta FR Missoula, Mont. Sun Burst, Mont. Deer Park, Wash. La Habra, Calif. Oakley, Calif. Longview, Wash. Great Falls, Mont. Chehalis, Wash. Box Elder, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Ronan, Mont. Clare Sholm, Alberta Billings, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Helena, Mont. Vale, Ore. Auburn, Wash.
2014 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Jake Eldridge, interim head coach, def. coordinator; Scott Leeds, offense/wide receivers; Jorge Magana, asst. coach; Cody O'Neil, asst.coach; Christian Rago, asst. coach; Arthur Smith, asst. coach; James Erickson, student assistant. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Nicole Yazzie.
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
Southern Oregon Defensive Starters
MSU-N Offensive Numbers
SOU Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25.3 ppg, 7th in Frontier Total offense: 480 ypg, 2nd in Frontier
Jake Messerly #17, 6-1, 195 Receiver
Tyler Rogers #5, 5-11, 225 Cornerback
Passing: 314 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
SOU Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 27 ppg, 4th in Frontier
Scoring: 40 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 396 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Total defense: 313 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Pass defense: 221 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Pass defense: 207 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Scoring: 43.6 ppg, 1st in Frontier Malcolm Manuel #3, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Eldridge will be the interim head coach of the Lights this season. He has been the defensive coordinator for four years at MSU-N, and is a former AllConference defensive back for the Lights. In all, Eldridge has coached for seven seasons at Northern.
Rostyn Pace #74, 6-3, 275 Left guard
Travis Dean #8, 6-0, 200 Quarterback
Shomari Burton #70, 6-3, 305 Center
Daniel Breaux #47, 6-3, 245 Defensive end
Tyler Craig #91, 6-1, 240 Defensive end Mylz Blake #31, 5-10, 213 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
David Weider #92, 6-2, 270 Nose tackle
Zach Bangert #51, 6-1, 280 Right guard
Dylan Murphy #71, 6-6, 310 Right tackle
Joseph Lealofi #40, 6-3, 2500 Defensive tackle
Butch Hyder #13, 5-11, 200 Safety
Heston Altenbach #22, 6-2, 215 Linebacker
Will DeVos #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle Kami Kanehailua #42, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
Laurence Calcagno #30, 5-11, 227 Linebacker Julius Rucker #1, 6-2, 195 Safety
Jacob Criner #36, 5-11, 240 Fullback
Total offense: 585 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Tylor King #72, 6-6, 305 Offensive line
Dustin Fretwell #7, 5-9, 185 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Matt Retzlaff
#8, 5-11, 180 Receiver
Passing: 350 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Pete Morales #77, 6-1, 285 Left tackle
Jake Eldridge MSU-N Head Coach
Southern Oregon Offensive Starters
Hunter Chandler #34, 5-9, 188 Safety
Patrick Barnett #90, 6-2, 265 Defensive tackle Jesse Morales #7, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Tyler Phillips #43, 6-2, 230 Defensive end Trevor Jones #14, 6-0, 220 Defensive end
Craig Howard SOU Head Coach
Dylan Bratlie #63, 6-4, 300 Offensive line
Bubba Rylance #59, 5-11, 305 Offensive line
Austin Dodge #3, 6-3, 210 Quarterback
Melvin Mason #23, 5-11, 205 Running back
Max Proudfit #78, 6-4, 295 Offensive line
Drew Gibson #77, 6-6, 285 Offensive line
Ryan Retzlaff
#12, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Ben Bachman #89, 6-3, 230 Tight end
John Jansen #44, 6-3, 240 Tight end Jordan Rueschhoff #14, 6-2, 185 Kicker/Punter
Trevor Baum #1, 6-1, 200 Receiver
Karrington Jones #6, 6-1, 180 Cornerback
Mike McCrary #26, 5-10, 175 Corner
Dylan Young #11, 6-3, 197 Receiver
Aldrick Rosas
#99, 6-2, 195 Kicker
Alex Nelson
#85, 5-11, 165 Kicker
Howard took over as head coach at Southern Oregon in February 2011. He led the Raiders to a 5-5 record in 2011, and a cochampionship in SOU's first year as part of the Frontier Conference in 2012 to go with an appearance in the NAIA quarterfinals. Howard also erved as the head coach at Oregon Tech from 1991-92, He served as defensive coordinator for the Owls from 1978-81 and again from 1987-89 and was defensive coordinator at Portland State from 1982-83.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Bulldogs power past Lights in Dillon Northern puts up big numbers on offense, but can't slow down UM-Western
offense. Jordan Rueschhoff answered Bulldogs too far ahead for Northern with a career-best 47-yard field goal, to rally. The Lights added a 35-yard but the Dawgs came right back as pass from Dean to Baum, but it was Hulse hit Matt Lickfold for a 48-yard too late for MSU-N to claw all the TD. However, the first-half fireworks way back. were only beginning as Dean found Like Western, Northern’s offense Jake Messerly on a 73-yard score to had a huge day. Dean threw for a camake it 14-10 Western with six min- reer-high 403 yards to go along with George Ferguson utes left in the first stanza. five touchdowns as the Lights piled And the back-and-forth tussle con- up 544 yards of offense. Baum finHavre Daily News sports editor tinued as the two top-ranked defenses ished his career day with 11 catches gferguson@havredailynews.com could do little to slow the offenses for 218 yards, while Messerly added The Montana State University- down. Western closed the first quar- seven grabs for 131 yards. On the Northern defense had really been ter with another Hulse to Lickfold ground, Northern was effective at putting up some strong numbers, and TD, but Dean threw a 42-yard strike times, with McKinley, the Frontier’s a strong front during the first three to Trevor Baum just eight seconds in leading rusher, gaining 93 yards, weeks of the 2014 season. But the the second quarter to make the score but only on 11 carries. Mario GobLights found out how the other half 21-17. Hulse added a 17-yard TD run in bato also carried seven times for 44 lives Saturday afternoon in Dillon. the second, while Dean found Baum yards. In a game that featured the top two on a 60-yard scoring strike to end the But the day belonged to Hulse and defenses in the Frontier Conference, scoring in a wild first half which saw the Western attack. The Bulldogs it was the offenses that took center Western lead 27-23. got 99 yards from Rutherford on stage Saturday at VigiAnd while the ground, while Dylan lante Stadium, as the UMthe Lights were Kramer rushed for 58 on Western Bulldogs raced lighting up West10 carries. Lickfold led the past the Lights 50-30. The ern’s normally receivers with six catches two teams came in each staunch defense for 141 yards, while the surrendering less than 400 in the first half, Bulldogs ran five more yards per game, but both things didn’t go plays than the lights and offenses easily surpassed the same way for gained just one more first those numbers, while the Northern in the down. Bulldogs outscored Northfinal 30 minutes. D e f e n s i v e l y, ern 23-7 in the second half. “Our ofMSU-N sophomore Tyler Western rolled up 504 fense came out Craig got his sixth sack of yards of offense, including doing whatever the season and had seven 255 on the ground, and the they wanted,” ElDean Baum stops. Kaimi Kanehailuia Bulldogs, who snapped a dridge said. “We had 10 tackles, while Tuckthree-game losing streak were running up er Dunn and Will DeVos with the win, got a huge and down the added five each. day from quarterback field on them, The loss dropped Tyler Hulse. The junior and we had a ton the Lights to a bitter 0-3 accounted for five touchof big plays. I felt in the Frontier Conferdowns, threw for 255 yards like we were firence and 1-3 overall. The and ran for another 93 on ing on all cylinBulldogs improved to 2-2 in 12 carries. While Western ders in the first the league and 2-3 overall, running back Sam Ruhalf. We played as they head into their bye therford, and Northern really well offenweek. counterpart Zach McKinsively. On the other hand, ley came into to the game “Unfortunately, Northern will have a tall as the focal points, it was when our defense order in front of it if it Hulse and Northern QB finally did buckle wants to get its first conTravis Dean who spent the down and get ference win of 2014. Satday going back and forth. some stops in the Messerly Craig urday, the Lights will host “The offenses definitefourth quarter, unbeaten and No. 9-ranked ly had the upper hand,” that was the time Southern Oregon at Blue Northern interim head coach Jake when things went the other way for Pony Stadium. Eldridge said. “As a defense, we got our offense. We just didn’t capitalize “There’s no off week,” Eldridge said. outplayed big time. Western came out on those stops and the scoring oppor“The Western game is behind us now. and punched our defense in the mouth tunities we had down there. So that We’re moving forward and we’ll come and we didn’t respond. Western ran was tough.” back to work on Monday and get the ball really hard, they pounded it With Western already in front 30ready for an entirely different beats right at us, and we made some very 23, Hulse capped a drive with a onein Southern Oregon. That’s what we uncharacteristic mistakes defen- yard plunge to give the Bulldogs a 37have to do, and we’ll work really hard sively. And we just weren’t physical 23 lead with just the fourth quarter to get ready for that game.” enough, or aggressive enough.” remaining. And the Western defense The Lights are home to face SouthHulse opened the scoring with a 61- finally broke Northern’s back when ern Oregon in their homecoming yard touchdown run less than three Taft Benson intercepted Dean and game this Saturday. Kickoff is set for minutes into the contest. It started a returned it 25 yards for a score ear21-point first quarter for the Western ly in the fourth quarter, putting the 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.
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Frontier Conference Standings
Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain Carroll College UM-Western College of Idaho Eastern Oregon Montana Tech MSU-Northern
Conf. WL
3-0 2-1 2-1 2-2 1-1 1-1 1-3 0-2
NAIA Coaches Poll 13. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 14. Benedictine (Kan.) 15. William Penn (Iowa) 16. Northwestern (Iowa) 17. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 18. Cumberland (Tenn.) 19. Robert Morris (Ill.) 20. Marian (Ind.) 21. Eastern Oregon 22. Dakota Wesleyan 23. Cumberlands (Ky.) 24. Kentucky Christian 25. Ottawa (Kan.)
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Morningside (Iowa) (14) 2 2. Baker (Kan.) (1) 3-0 3. Tabor (Kan.) 3-0 4. Faulkner (Ala.) 4-0 5. Carroll (Mont.) 2-1 6. Georgetown (Ky.) 2-0 7. Southern Oregon 4-0 8. Grand View (Iowa) 2-1 9. Saint Francis (Ind.) 2-1 10. Rocky Mountain 3-1 11. Missouri Valley 1-1 12. St. Francis (Ill.) 3-0
Overall WL
4-0 3-1 2-1 2-3 2-1 2-1 1-3 1-3
3-0
340
327 312 296 281 274 264 261 227 215 209 205
3 4 6 7 8 9 1 12 5 13 14
167 163 149 144 142 115 105 94 78 63 38 34 32
10 17 20 18 19 21 — — 25 15 11 — 16
Others receiving votes: : Sterling (Kan.) 11; Bacone (Okla.) 10; Avila (Mo.) 7; Concordia (Neb.) 3; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3; Langston (Okla.) 3.
Saturday, Sept. 20 UM-Western 50, MSU-Northern 30 Carroll College 33, Rocky Mountain 8 Eastern Oregon 39, Montana Tech10 Southern Oregon 56, College of Idaho 20
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders
Saturday, Sept. 27 MSU-Northern vs Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain vs Eastern Oregon Montana Tech at College of Idaho
Through Week Five
Passing: Austin Dodge, SOU, 336 ypg Receiving: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 150 ypg Receptions: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 9.3 cpg Rushing: Zach McKinley, MSU-N, 124 ypg Tackles: Laurence Calcagno, SOU, 44 Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 6 sacks INT's: Byron Benson, EOU, 3 ints
Lights Coaching Staff
Jake Eldridge Head Coach
2-1 2-1 3-1 2-1 3-1 2-1 3-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 3-1 1-2
Scott Leeds Offense/WR
Jorge Magana Asst. Coach
Arthur Smith Asst. Coach
Not Pictured: Christian Rago, Asst. Coach
Cody O'Neil Asst. Coach
James Erickson Student Asst.
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No more road blocks Rostyn Pace overcame a lot, simply to play the game he loves, at the school he loves George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com If there is one thing that is true about Rostyn Pace it’s that he loves football. To play college football at the NAIA level should be proof enough of his passion for the game. After all, playing football is a job and it’s not always an easy one. Playing football at the college level is hard work, no one can deny that. But for the 6-3, 370-pound Pace, it’s a labor of love and that’s why he has continued to play it, de-
spite all the obstacles thrown in his way. For starters, Pace was not offered a single scholarship to play football at the collegiate level following a successful high school career at Sunburst, where he played offensive guard, tight end and defensive line. After attending Montana State University-Northern in 2009, Pace decided that he wanted to get back to the game he loves. So he walked into the head coach Mark Samson’s office and told him he wanted to walk on. Samson, promptly got Pace some equipment and a locker.
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior Rostyn Pace, left, blocks a teammate during aLights' practice earlier this week. Pace, who came to MSU-N as a student, then a walk-on, will be starting his 30th game for the Lights on Saturday.
MSU-Northern Lights vs Southern Oregon Raiders Montana State University Northern Location: Havre, Mont.
2013 record: 4-6 (4-6) Head coach: Jake Eldridge Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium
Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2014 record: 1-3 (0-3)
Streak: The Lights have yet to beat the Raiders at Blue Pony Stadium, dating back to the 2001 season.
Saturday, September 13, 2014 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Homecoming Southern Oregon University
2013 record: 7-4 (7-3)
Stadium: Raider Stadium
Nickname: Raiders
Streak: The Raiders have won four straight to start the season. They haven't thrown for under 300 yards in their last 14 games.
2014 record: 4-0 (3-0)
Sept. 26, 2014
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Frontier is a mess after four weeks George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The first quarter of the Frontier Conference football season is in the books. And while teams have learned plenty about themselves through their first three or four games, I’m not sure the league has learned anything about what might happen come November. If anything, we’ve learned that there’s a long way to go, a lot of big games to be played, and that, any number of different Frontier schools still has a chance at the Frontier championships. Last Saturday’s NAIA Game of the Week between then No. 5 Rocky Mountain College and No. 7 Carroll College in Billings taught us that. RMC had a chance to grab the Frontier by the throat, playing a one-loss Carroll squad in its home opener at Herb Klindt Field. But instead of the Battlin’ Bears seizing
control of the Frontier, Carroll snatched all that away with a Carroll-like 33-8 road win. The game resembled the Carroll team that Frontier fans are used to seeing, a team that dominates the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, moves the chains and controls time of possession, and flat-out wears a team down to a frazzle. That’s exactly what the Saints want to do every week, and that’s exactly what they did to the Battlin’ Bears last Saturday in Billings. So now, if Rocky doesn’t have control of the Frontier, and Carroll already has a loss on its slate, it’s Southern Oregon’s turn to run away with the league title. The Raiders are 3-0 in the Frontier, with a win over the Saints, and they will be favored this Saturday when they
invade Blue Pony Stadium to take on the Montana State University-Northern Lights. However, it would be wise to think SOU won’t escape the Frontier unscathed either. The Raiders get Rocky at home, but that game isn’t until Nov. 1. Before that, in just three weeks, SOU has to make the trip to Helena to play the Saints for a second time, and that game could be the difference between the Raiders winning the league title, sharing it, or not winning it all. Interestingly, through the first quarter of the season, the standings would suggest two losses could still clinch the Frontier championship. And, at this point, only two Frontier teams, Northern and Montana
Today in the Frontier Conference No. 7 Southern Oregon Raiders (4-0, 3-0)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (1-3, 0-3)
Head coach: Craig Howard
Location: Ashland, Oregon
Colors: Red and White
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No. 21 Eastern Oregon (1-1, 2-1) at No. 10 Rocky Mountain (3-1, 2-1) in Billings, Mont.
in Butte, Mont.
College of Idaho (1-1, 2-1) at Montana Tech (1-3, 1-3)
No. 5 Carroll College and UM-Western have byes this week
2014 Frontier Conference Coaches Preseason Poll 1. Carroll College 2. Rocky Mountain College 3. Southern Oregon 4. Eastern Oregon 5. MSU-Northern 5. UM-Western 7. Montana Tech 8. College of Idaho
Tech are below .500 in the standings, meaning even UM-Western, Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho can’t be considered out of the picture at this point. In fact, no one can be counted out. The Raiders certainly can’t and won’t overlook the Lights on Saturday. Despite a 50-30 setback at West-
Havre Daily News Week Five Frontier Conference Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. Carroll College 3. Rocky Mountain College 4. Eastern Oregon 5. UM-Western 6. MSU-Northern 7. College of Idaho 8. Montana Tech
ern last Saturday, Northern has one of the top defenses in the Frontier Conference, and defense is key to slowing down, and having a chance to beat the high-powered Raiders. If Northern can do that on Saturday, then the Frontier standings will be even more muddled.
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Notebook: Northern's Baum is tearing up the Frontier Conference so far n From Page 11
But one thing is clear, the Frontier is loaded with good teams, from top to bottom, and the league is already shown that with four teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and another receiving votes this week. And while there’s plenty of big games left to play, it looks as though the race to the Frontier championship is going to have to wait to be settled until well into November. And while the Lights have played excellent pass defense this season, allowing just 206 yards per game, they are now faced with stopping the best quarterback in the NAIA in SOU’s Austin Dodge. Barring injury or any other disaster, Dodge is set to smash at least eight different NAIA offensive records at some point this season. Dodge will blow by the total career passing yards mark of 13,388 as he was less than 2,000 yards shy of that one when the season started. Air Emergency The Lights know exactly what’s coming when Southern Oregon takes the field Saturday in Havre. The game will be SOU’s second trip to Havre since joining the Frontier, and the Raiders fourth foray into Blue Pony Stadium in the last 15 years. And it’s no secret what the Raiders will do. They will throw the ball without fear, they will go fast and they will try to put as many points on the scoreboard as possible. That’s the task the Northern defense is faced with on Saturday. If he stays on his pace of throwing for four touchdowns every outing, he’ll break Chris Reisert’s record of 120 career TD passes Saturday in Havre. Dodge is just three shy of that now. And he needs less than 400 yards of offense to break Carroll great Tyler Emmert’s record of 13,979 career total yards gained. Other NAIA records in jeopardy because of the great Dodge include, total completions, passing yards per game, total offensive yards per game, touchdowns responsible for and career passing attempts. Of course, Northern will do everything it can Saturday to prevent Dodge from racking up the huge numbers he’s accustomed to. And the Lights have a chance to do just that if their pass rush can continue to be what it has been so far this season. Defensive end Tyler Craig is having a monster sophomore campaign, as he leads the Frontier with six sacks, while Patrick Barnett and Will DeVos each have three tackles for loss. Northern interim head coach Jake Eldridge, who has had to game plan for Dodge as the Lights’ defensive coordinator the last three seasons, understands just what it takes to slow the senior quarterback down, let alone stop him from bombarding the opposition with passing yards and big plays. “You have to be able to generate some pressure on him (Dodge),” Eldridge said. “Maybe not necessarily with sacks, because their offensive line is very good and he’s very mobile in the pocket. But if you can get to him, throw his timing off and disrupt the timing with his receivers, that’s one way to at least slow them down a little bit. That’s what we hope to do, get some pressure on him.”
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern's Trevor Baum is currently the leading receiver in the Frontier Conference, and he is coming off a huge game last Saturday at UM-Western. Baum and the Lights take on No. 7 Southern Oregon Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Catch the Ball If you like watching wide receivers do their thing, then Blue Pony Stadium is certainly the place to be on Saturday as no less than five of the top statistical receivers in the Frontier will be in action. On the side of the Lights is senior Trevor Baum. In his first and only season as a wide receiver, Baum is running wild on the Frontier. He’s caught 39 balls for 604 yards this season, and he averages 16 yards per grab, to go along with nine catches per outing. Baum is coming off a 200-yard performance against Western last Saturday, and he’s hit paydirt three times. On the other side is sophomore Jake Messerly, who also has two 100-yard games this year. Messerly is a speedster and a big-play threat, and in his career at Northern, he already has six catches that went for 70 yards or longer.
Meanwhile, the SOU receivers, as expected, are no slouches either. Brothers Matt and Ryan Retzlaff were both All-Conference a year ago. Both are Oregon State transfers, who each went over a 1,000 yards a season ago and combined to haul in 40 touchdowns. But the most gifted receiver in the league might be Dylan Young, who already has nearly 600 yards and four touchdowns this season. Young is a threat to go the distance from anywhere on the field, and he’s someone who has to command a lot of attention from opposing defenses. The Raiders also acquired the services of former Portland State star Victor Dean this season. Dean lit up the Big Sky Conference at times a year ago, and at 6-6 and 215 pounds, he’s an NFL-sized WR with blazing speed. Instant Impact The College of Idaho suffered its first loss
of its innaguaral season when the Yotes were thumped by SOU, 56-28 last Saturday in Ashland, Ore. But, no matter where the Yotes finish in their first season in the Frontier, they certainly have a star at quarterback. Junior TeeJay Gordon is the definition of a dual-threat QB, and his running ability is giving Frontier defenses fits they probably weren’t prepared for when facing the Yotes for the first time. While he’s an adept passer, the 5-11 Gordon, out of Manteca, California, has already rushed for 359 yards on 50 carries this season. He’s also thrown for 603 yards and the Yotes are averaging eight yards per play every time Gordon has the ball in his hands. And with eight total touchdowns already, Gordon has quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous weapons in all of the Frontier Conference.