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Notebook: College of Idaho making first trip to Blue Pony Stadium n From Page 11
a team like that, that’s tough, but we have to give a great effort every single play, and that’s something we really emphasized during the bye week.” This week however, the Lights have turned their attention to the Yotes, who come to Havre for the first time in school history – and while that’s exciting, the Yotes too are struggling. C of I hasn’t won a game since beating Eastern Oregon 40-28 back on Aug. 29, so the Yotes are certainly coming to Havre hungry. But, C of I head coach Mike Moroski knew there would be growing pains. The Yotes are only in their second season of Frontier Conference football – or any football for that matter in more than four decades. And while last season saw some highs, including a last-second, 35-31 win over MSU-N at home, things have gotten a little more daunting this season. Still, the Yotes are in the process of building a program from scratch, must like Northern did almost 20 years ago. And those things take time, and couple that with the fact that C of I resurrected football in the toughest
conference in the NAIA, and season’s like the one the Yotes are having are bound to happen. Yet, Moroski has something special brewing in Caldwell, Idaho. The Yotes have a splashy, two-year old stadium and are averaging over 5,000 fans per home game. They also have a roster rich in in-state talent as C of I boasts 48 players from the state of Idaho. Add to that a dazzling dual-threat quarterback in TeeJay Gordon, and All-Conference sophomore tight end in Marcus Lenhart, a great running game and a tough-nosed 4-2-5 defense, and the Yotes don’t look like a team at the bottom of the Frontier Conference. And they’ll certainly be a handful for the Lights in what will be their historical first trip inside famed Blue Pony Stadium this Saturday. Defensive While fans are used to seeing Frontier teams light up local scoreboards like a pinball machine, the league is also very defensive this season – in particular at UM-West-
ern and Carroll College. The Bulldogs may be coming off a home loss to Carroll, but they come into Saturday’s showdown with SOU boasting the top-ranked defense in the NAIA. Western allows an NAIA best nine points per game, and they rank in the Top 10 in the NAIA in seven different defensive categories. Linebackers A.J. Wilson and Joe Coker are All-American shoe-ins, but as a team, the Bulldogs are as stingy as anyone in the country. Carroll too has been very good. In conference play, the Saints are allowing just 21 points per game, which is third behind another stout defense at Montana Tech. The Saints have a stalwart leading the way in the secondary in All-American safety James Dowgin, while Tech’s defense revolves around tackling machine, and senior linebacker David Meis. Meanwhile, at Northern, Tyler Craig is once again racking up sacks at an alarming rate, and he’s in a race with Western’s Reno Ward in that category. Ward and Craig each have five sacks and eight tackles for loss this season, which are both tops in the Frontier,
and among the NAIA’s leaders. So, while there’s no doubt, the offenses in the league are still dangerous, it’s defense which is really stepping to the forefront across the conference this season. Leaders Speaking of leaders, heading into the halfway point of the season, Montana Tech’s Nolan Saraceni is starting to run away with the Frontier rushing title. The junior tailback from Billings is averaging 141 yards per game, while MSU-N’s Zach McKinley is third at 97 yards per outing. Rocky quarterback Chase White has started to emerge as a top passer in the league. He leads the Frontier with 263 passing yards per game, and also leads the league in total offense. Teammate and star WR Andre McCullouch is tops in the league with 106 yards and eight catches per game. On defense, aside from Ward and Craig, EOU’s Gary Posten is tops in the conference with 13.1 tackles per game, while C of I’s Nate Moore has a league-best five interceptions.
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Zach McKinley, right, is the third leading rusher in the Frontier Conference. He and the Lights will look to get their offense on track when MSU-Northern plays host to the College of Idaho Yotes Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.
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Cover Man
Malcolm Manuel is MSUN's lockdown corner, but he's also become one of the Lights' biggest leaders Chris Peterson Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com
Football has been a journey for Montana State University-Northern's Malcolm Manuel and it's one that he won't soon forget. Manuel came to Northern two years ago from Golden West College and since his arrival he has been an important part of Lights football, and not just on the field, but off it as well. "Malcolm is just a great person," Lights defensive coordinator Jake Eldrigde said.
"He just does everything the right way and not just on the X's and O's, but off the field, the way he handles himself he has earned a lot of respect from his peers and from the community by doing things right and doing what he is supposed to do." Manuel, who has played cornerback the last two years for Northern has been a steady presence of leadership during what has been a disappointing season to say the least. The Lights have started 0-5 and three of their losses have come in blowout fashion. Yet, as one of the team's captains, Manuel has taken it upon himself to keep things positive and keep the team from not giving up. "It's been hard," Manuel said. "But I have just tried to do what I can to stay positive. We will joke around a little bit before practice just to keep things light. I think that we do have a lot of talent. We just have a lot of young guys that haven't played a lot before. So we are just trying to be positive and keep going."
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After a week off, the Frontier Conference football season will resume in earnest this weekend. And there’s a lot of questions still to be answered. In fact, it’s almost like the season hasn’t started yet, because no one has really taken control of the Frontier title chase as of yet. For a brief moment, it looked like Carroll College had seized command when the Fighting Saints beat Southern Oregon to open the season last month in Helena. But Montana Tech erased that control when the Orediggers beat the Saints the following week in Butte. Then, Tech turned right around and lost to Eastern Oregon, while UM-Western’s 3-0 start to the season was halted by a 10-9 loss to Carroll at home two weeks ago. Meanwhile, SOU hasn’t lost since
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern senior cornerback Malcolm Manuel isn't just one of the best cover corners in the Frontier Conference, he's also one of the few seniors on the Lights' roster. And he's also an inspirational leader for MSU-N.
MSU-Northern Lights vs College of Idaho Yotes 2014 record: 3-8 (2-8)
Location: Havre, Mont.
Head coach: Aaron Christensen
Nickname: Lights
Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium
Colors: Maroon and Yellow
Streak: The Lights are on a five-game losing streak to start the 2015 season.
2015 record: 0-5 (0-4)
Saturday, October 10, 2015 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. College of Idaho Location: Caldwell, Idaho Nickname: Yotes Colors: Purple and Gold 2015 record: 1-4 (1-3)
2014 record: 4-7 (3-7)
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George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
See Manuel Page 6
Montana State University-Northern
Oct. 9, 2015
Frontier is completely up for grabs
Manuel, who has been playing the game of football since he was a kid growing up outside of Los Angeles, didn't expect his football career to take him to Havre. But, following two years of playing wide receiver and defensive back for Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California, Havre is where he ended up. "I had a scholarship to go to a Division II school in Colorado, but it didn't work out," Manuel said. "Their coaching staff got let go, so I started sending my film around the conference. I talked to Coach (Kyle) Samson and I ended up coming to Northern."
n
11
the opening-day setback at Carroll, and so, that leaves the league in a four-way tie for first place heading into this weekend’s games. And Rocky Mountain College is just a game behind the four Frontier leaders. Of course, the league champion will emerge eventually, and several games in the second half of the season will have plenty to do with that. SOU, which holds the No. 2 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll, will visit No. 16 Western Saturday in Dillon, and that game will have lasting implications on the rest of the Frontier season. SOU then turns around and hosts a rematch with the Saints Oct. 24, while Carroll gets Tech at home Oct. 24. Those three games could very well de-
termine who wins the league title, and how many teams the Frontier will get in the upcoming NAIA playoffs. Of course, if rankings had anything to do with it, the Frontier would be sitting pretty. Carroll is just behind SOU in the coaches poll, at No. 4, while Western is No. 16 and Tech is No. 17. For the second week in a row, RMC also received votes in the poll. New kids in town One game that won’t have playoff implications this weekend is the Montana State University-Northern Lights’ home tilt with the College of Idaho Yotes Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Never-the-less, both teams will be fighting to the bitter end to win. Northern has begun its season
Today in the Frontier Conference College of Idaho Yotes (1-4, 1-3)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (0-5, 0-4)
Head coach: Mike Moroski Stadium: Simplot Stadium Streak: The Yotes are making their first-ever trip to Blue Pony Stadium. C of I is 1-0 all time against MSU-N.
Eastern Oregon (1-3, 1-4) at No. 4 Carroll College (3-1, 3-1) in Helena, Mont. Montana Tech (3-1, 3-1) at Rocky Mountain College (3-2, 2-2) in Billings, Mont.
No. 2 Southern Oregon (3-1, 3-1) at No. 16 UM-Western (3-1, 3-1) in Dillon, Mont.
2015 Frontier Conference Coaches Preseason Poll 1. Carroll College 2. Southern Oregon 3. Eastern Oregon 4. Rocky Moutain 5. UM-Western 6. College of Idaho 7. Montana Tech 8.MSU-Northern with five straight losses, and the Lights have really struggled in their last three games, losing 46-0 at RMC, 44-2 at home to UM-Western and 82-9 at SOU two weeks ago. So, MSU-N head coach Aaron Christensen used the bye week to get healthy, but also emphasize some basic football principles. “We got beat pretty bad at South-
Havre Daily News Week Six Frontier Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. UM-Western 3. Carroll College 4. Montana Tech 5. Rocky Mountain College 6. Eastern Oregon 7. College of Idaho 8. MSU-Northern ern Oregon,” Christensen said. “That’s a really good team (Raiders) and we didn’t play very well, so it was a tough combination. But when we looked at the film, we noticed we just weren’t really giving as good of an effort as we needed too. We got way down, and against
n
See Notebook Page 12
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Raiders show Lights no mercy Northern struggles to keep up with high-powered Southern Oregon
George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In what has clearly become a rebuilding season, things continue to be tough for the young Montana State University-Northern Lights. After two straight games where the MSU-N offense got shutout, that streak finally ended Saturday in Ashland, Oregon. But it mattered little as the Lights could do nothing to stop the No. 4 Southern Oregon Raiders at home. In record-setting fashion, the defending NAIA national champion Raiders pummeled the winless Lights 82-9 Saturday afternoon, dropping Northern to 0-4 in the Frontier Conference and 0-5 overall. The loss was a bitter one for the Lights considering they had their best offensive output in weeks. Not only did Northern put together solid drives that resulted in a Jess Krahn touchdown pass to Qwaundre Yancy, but the Lights also got a field goal from Jaime Tomasco. In the end, MSU-N totaled 264 yards and ran 78 plays, including 159 yards on the ground. Zach McKinley had a strong day with 81 yards rushing and 43 receiving on four catches. Yancy also had 39 yards on four grabs, while Krahn was 9-of-26 for 96 yards and a score. However, those numbers were nothing compared to SOU’s explosion. The Raiders scored 12 touchdowns against the Lights, and none of the drives took longer than three minutes. SOU scored 41 points in the first quarter alone and led 62-3 at halftime. The Raiders ended up with 686 yards of offense on 70 plays, including 469 yards in the first half. In the air, quarterback Tanner Trosin and Kamerun Smith combined to throw for seven touchdowns, while the Raiders had 369 yards passing. SOU also rushed for 317 yards, including 110 yards on just eight carries by Melvin Mason, who also had 57 yards receiving. Eleven different Raiders ran the ball Saturday, while 14 different players caught passes, as SOU improved to 3-1 overall and 3-1 in the Frontier. With the win, the Raiders moved into a four-way tie for first in the Frontier, along with Carroll College, UM-Western and Montana Tech. Defensively, Garet Jericof and Jesse Morales combined for 15 stops, while Malcolm Manuel had an interception. The Lights will now have their second bye week, and will look to regroup
Frontier Conference Standings
Carroll College UM-Western Southern Oregon Montana Tech Rocky Mountain College of Idaho Eastern Oregon MSU-Northern
Conf. WL 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 2-2 1-3 1-3 0-4
Overall WL 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-2 1-4 1-4 0-5
Saturday MSU-Northern vs College of Idaho Eastern Oregon at Carroll College Southern Oregon at UM-Western Montana Tech at Rocky Mountain Saturday, Oct. 17 MSU-Northern at Montana Tech Carroll College at Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain at College of Idaho UM-Western at Eastern Oregon
NAIA Coaches Poll
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 4-0 2. Southern Oregon (1) 3-1 3. Morningside (Iowa) (1) 4-1 4. Carroll (Mont.) 3-1 5. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4-1 6. Baker (Kan.) 5-1 7. Grand View (Iowa) 5-1 8. Doane (Neb.) 5-0 9. Saint Francis (Ind.) 5-0 10. Faulkner (Ala.) 3-1 11. Robert Morris (Ill.) 4-1 12. Dakota Wesleyan 5-0 13. Reinhardt (Ga.) 5-0
339 321 314 308 276 271 262 245 241 217 206 196 182
1 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 3 12 13 14
14. Marian (Ind.) 15. Tabor (Kan.) 16. Montana Western 17. Montana Tech 18. William Penn (Iowa) 19. Kansas Wesleyan 20. Northwestern (Iowa) 21. Benedictine (Kan.) 22. St. Francis (Ill.) 23. St. Ambrose (Iowa) 24. Webber International 25. Dickinson State
3-2 4-1 3-1 3-1 4-2 5-0 3-2 4-2 4-1 4-0 2-2 5-1
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders 2015 Week Six
Passing: Chase White, RMC, 263 ypg Receiving: A. McCullouch, RMC, 104 ypg Receptions: A. McCullouch, RMC 8 cpg Rushing: Nolan Saraceni, MT, 145 ypg Tackles: Gary Posten, EOU 67 Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 5 sacks INT's: Cory Brady, C of I, 5 ints
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Qwaundre Yancy and the Lights had the week off following a difficult loss at Southern Oregon on Sept. 26.
Southern Oregon 82, Lights 9
MSU Northern 0 3 6 0 — 9 Southern Oregon 41 21 13 7 — 82 SOU: Matt Retzlaff 31 pass from Tanner Trosin (Marcus Montano kick) SOU: Adonis Griffin 3 pass from Trosin (Montano kick) SOU: Melvin Mason 44 pass from Kamerun Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Sean Tow 18 run (Montano kick) SOU: Retzlaff 16 run (Montano kick) SOU: Sean Angel 13 pass from Smith (kick fail) MSU-N: Jaime Toscano 32 field goal SOU: Retzlaff 43 pass from Trosin (Montano kick) SOU: Zack Davis 27 pass from Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Davis 73 pass from Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Louis Macklin 1 run (Montano kick) SOU: Jesse Needles 8 run (Montano kick) MSU-N: Qwaundre Yancy 25 pass from Jess Krahn
(kick failed) SOU: Bobby Lum 6 run (Montano kick) INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING — MSN: Zach McKinley 26-81, Qwaundre Yancy 1-47, Jett Robertson 7-14, Mario Gobatto 7-13, Jess Krahn 10-4. SOU: Melvin Mason 8-110, Louis Macklin 8-41, Sean Tow 6-32, JJ Latu 2-28, Tanner Trosin 2-18, Matt Retzlaff 1-16, Kamerun Smith 1-12, Jesse Needles 2-12, Bobby Lum 2-9, Adan Madera 2-7, Keegan Lawrence 2-6, Jack Singler 1-2. PASSING — MSN: Jess Krahn 9-26-96-2, Holden Maki 1-1-9-0. SOU: Kamerun Smith 6-8-167-0, Tanner Trosin 8-12-159-0, Jack Singler 8-13-67-1. RECEIVING — MSN: Zach McKinley 4-43, Qwaundre Yancy 4-39, Kagen Khamaneh 1-14, Malachi Flores 1-9. SOU: Zack Davis 2-100, Matt Retzlaff 3-89, Melvin Mason 3-57, Dominic Giampaoli 3-45, Sean Tow 2-43, Jeremy Scottow 2-23, Sean Angel 1-13, Lantz Worthington 2-11, Caden Johnson 1-10, Adonis Griffin 2-8, Jesse Needles 1-(minus 6).
6 16 17 18 19 21 15 23 24 25 22 NR
Others receiving votes: : Cumberlands (Ky.) 8; Peru State (Neb.) 7; Campbellsville (Ky.) 5; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 4.
Lights Coaching Staff
during that time. Northern doesn’t take the field again until a home game with College of Idaho Oct. 10 at Blue Pony Stadium.
174 157 150 136 115 110 86 77 59 54 36 25
Jim Potter The 2015 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff. Back row, left to right, Jorge Magana, Dylan Murphy, Aaron Christensen, Cody O'Neil and Matt Stevens. Front row, left to right, Arthur Smith, Chuck Terry, Jake Eldridge and Darold DeBolt.
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
College of Idaho Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2014 Offensive Numbers
C of I Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 5 ppg, last in Frontier Total offense: 216 ypg, last in Frontier
Seth Rommele #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Nate Moore #21, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Rush offense: 137 ypg, 6th in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
C of I Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 29 ppg, 6th in Frontier
Scoring: 49 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 416 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Total defense: 490 ypg, last in Frontier
Rush defense: 247 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Rush defense: 222 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Scoring: 27 ppg, 6th in Frontier Malcolm Manuel #3, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Aaron Christensen enters his first season as the Head Football Coach of Montana State UniversityNorthern. He brings with him a decade of coaching experience at the NAIA level. From 2012 to 2014, Coach Christensen served as the Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator for Missouri Valley College (MVC).
Adolfo Robles #58, 6-2, 270 Offensive line
Jess Krahn #8, 6-3, 220 Quarterback
Matt McKeen #78, 6-2,290 Center
Carlos Murana #98, 6-2, 240 Defensive line
Tyler Craig #91, 6-2, 245 Defensive end Ben Cecceralli #58, 5-11, 185 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
Josh Price #59, 6-3, 295 Nose tackle
Jacob Folk #60, 6-4, 335 Offensive line
Pete Morales #77, 6-3, 295 Offensive line
Matt Crispo #95, 6-1, 295 Defensive line
Logan Sprouse #21, 5-11, 170 Safety
B.J. Newman #5, 5-10, 170 Safety
Lane Urick #92, 6-1, 285 Defensive tackle GaretFowler #12, 5-10, 205 Linebacker
Troy Carr #28, 5-11, 205 Linebacker Hunter Temple #34, 5-5, 180 Safety
Gabe Benavidez #40, 5-10, 250 Fullback
Garrett Jericoff #1, 5-9, 165 Safety
Patrick Barnett #90, 6-2, 265 Defensive tackle Jesse Morales #7, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Jordan Brusio #47, 5-11, 240 Defensive end Trevor Henderson #41, 6-3, 285 Defensive line
Jaime Toscano #49, 5-8, 210 Kicker
Jake Day #10, 5-10, 185 Receiver
Mike Moroski C of I Head Coach
Andrew Galloway #64, 6-2, 290 Offensive line
Greg Dohmen #64, 6-4, 285 Offensive line
TeeJay Gordon #5, 5-10, 180 Quarterback
Zach Garzoli #33, 5-9, 185 Running back
Dylan Garcia #69, 6-0, 255 Offensive line
Sam Zvirdys #66, 6-4, 265 Offensive line Shayne Robinson
#12, 5-11, 190 Receiver
Marcus Lenhardt #85, 6-4, 225 Tight end
Kagen Khameneh #85, 6-3, 225 Tight end Dillon Barnes #89, 6-0, 160 Punter
Total offense: 385 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Sam Ball #60, 6-3, 275 Offensive line
Cory Brady #2, 6-0, 185 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Wes Fitzpatrick #22, 6-0, 200 Receiver
Rushing: 180 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Clint Willis #75, 6-6, 280 Offensive line
Aaron Christensen MSU-N Head Coach
College of Idaho Offensive Starters
Morris Kroma #24, 6-0, 180 Cornerback
Myvon Rawlings #6, 6-0, 185 Safety
Austin Diffey #6, 5-11, 180 Receiver
Hartvig Bondo
#82, 5-11, 185 Kicker
Kevin McLemore
#36, 6-3, 205 Punter
Mike Moroski is in his third year as head coach at the College and has a 4-7 alltime record. Was named head coach in January of 2013 and led the Yotes through their "zero year" program, prior to the return to the field in September of 2014. Moroski came to the College after three decades at UC-Davis – both as a player and a coach. He was the Aggies' offensive coordinator from 19932010.
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
College of Idaho Numerical Roster No.
1 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 32 33 33 34 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 56 58 59 60 62 64 66 69 82 83 84 84 85 88 91
Name
Year
Trae Bishop Marzett Davis Cory Brady Isaac Gonzalez Elijah Carter Teejay Gordon B.J. Newman Austin Diffey Levi Elsberry J.J. Hyde Tyler Cox Cole Maupin Shayne Robinson Charlie Shepherd T.J. Clarke A.J. Martin Colton Sweesy Hank Boeger Zach Cooper Dakota Stallions Nate Moore Wes Fitzpatrick John Hohnhorst Grant Darrington Bryan Dilworth Mike Johnson Troy Carr Malik Whitfield Jake Hennessey Dakota Horsewood Kyle Merritt David Juarez Jacques Carter Zach Garzoli Hunter Temple Kevin McLemore Chase Fiddler Joe Murphy Ringo Robinson Trevor Henderson Jordan Vielma Taylor Oppedyk Tony Torres Ryan Texeira Drake Rigby Mikey Cooper James Roy Travis Mayer Khallid Ransom Jason Byce Alec Montelongo Jarrett Williams Ben Ceccarelli Josh Price Sam Ball Hayden Paul Andrew Galloway Sam Zvirdys Dylan Garcia Hartvig Bondo Devin Krawowski Lance Jones Leroy Sisnett Marcus Lenhardt Andy Forse Kade Paulsen
SO SR SO SO SO SR JR SO SR FR FR JR SO SO JR FR SR SO JR SO JR SO SO JR SO SR SO SO JR FR SR SO FR SO SO SR SO FR JR SO SO SO SR SR FR SO SO FR SR SO JR SO SO SR SO SO SO SO SO FR SO SO FR SO SR SO
Pos. Ht.
DB RB DB WR WR QB DB WR WR QB QB TE DB WR DB QB RB DB WR RB DB WR DB DB DB RB LB DB LB LB RB DB DB RB DB P LB RB FB DE DE DE DT FB DB LB OL DB LB LB OL OL LB DT OL OL OL OL OL K WR WR DE TE TE DL
5-11 5-6 5-11 5-11 5-8 5-11 5-10 5-10 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-4 5-11 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-10 6-2 6-2 5-6 5-9 6-2 5-10 5-9 6-1 5-9 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-7 5-5 6-2 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-3 5-9 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-8 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-0 5-10 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2
Wt.
175 170 175 175 170 185 170 190 180 230 170 225 190 155 180 180 175 200 170 155 170 180 185 185 200 180 175 160 180 180 215 180 190 175 165 195 195 175 235 225 209 200 245 230 180 200 280 180 235 190 315 215 195 240 265 265 280 245 245 170 175 185 180 220 205 215
Hometown
Twin Falls, Idaho Sacramento, Calif. Boise, Idaho La Habra, Calif. La Habra, Calif. Manteca, Calif. Riverton, Utah Eagle, Idaho Homedale, Idaho Caldwell, ID Boise, Idaho Crane, Ore. Turnwater, Wash. Riggins, Idaho Boise, Idaho Idaho Falls, Idaho Twin Falls, Idaho Gooding, Idaho Meridian, Idaho New Plymouth, Idaho Boise, Idaho Valencia, Calif. Twin Falls, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Los Angeles, Calif. Rathdrum, Calif. Mountain Home, Idaho Mountain Home, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Irvine, Calif. Stockton, Calif. Clearfield, Utah Orland, Calif. Kuna, Idaho Simi Valley, Calif Fruitland, Idaho Boise, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Idaho Falls, Idaho Buhl, Idaho American Falls, Idaho Livermore, Calif. Boise, Idaho Nampa, Idaho Honolulu, Hawaii Booney Lake, Wash. San Diego, Calif. Twin Falls, Idaho Saratoga, Calif. Catheys Valley, Calif. Mountain Home, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Nampa, Idaho Payette, Idaho Turnwater, Wash. Boise, Idaho Trondheim, Norway Notus, Idaho Garden Valley, Idaho Auckland, New Zealand Eagle, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Pocatello, Idaho
No.
93 94 96 97 98
Name
Trevor Smith Kyle Ashby Talon Sudbeck Zach Hall Carlos Murana
Year
SO FR SR SO JR
Pos. Ht.
DT LB DT DL DE
5-11 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-0
Wt.
210 220 265 220 250
Hometown
Shelley, Idaho San Diego, Calif. Newport Beach, Calif. Emmett, Idaho Chula Vista, Calif
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No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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 52 53 55 56 58 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Garrett Jericoff DB Tucker Dunn LB Malcolm Manuel DB Jonathan McGinnis LB Herman Smith QB Myvon Rawlings DB Jesse Morales LB Alex Rodriguez DB Jake Day WR Jess Krahn QB Garet Fowler LB Malachi Flores WR Holden Maki QB J.R. Finai WR Joseph DeLaCruz WR Jake Messerly WR Nathan Loutzenhiser QB Bowe McKay WR Qwaundre Yancy WR Logan Sprouse DB Mario Gobbato RB Colton Boyle QB Zach McKinley RB Traejun Foard DB Quintan Boos DB Denzel Hamiel DB Zach Crace RB Kaden Barrus DB Felix Ramirez DB Casey Keen DB Sherman Arthur DB Brooks Dunn LB Garret Severson LB Dakota Schelling LB Corey Lee DB N'Drain "David" N'GuessaLB Lane Foster RB Kyle Watson FB Gabriel Benavidez FB Tovati "TJ" Gasetoto Jr. LB Jonathan Gragg LB Paxton Maki LB Wyatt McKinlay FB Michael McKeen LB Kyle Williams DB Jordan Brusio DL Jace Billy DL Jaime Toscano K Kyle Martinez LB Alec Wagner LB Austin Rychner DL Mitchell Harmon DL Dace Fisher DL Adolfo Robles OL Jacob Folk OL Elijah Dennison DL Justin Ratzburg OL Trenton Woodward OL Dale Cummings OL Trevor Frandsen DL Adam Ayala DL Salesi Koloamatangi DL Brennan Lewis OL Robert Johnson OL Ryan Handley OL Diamond Pedro OL Jeremy Eisenmann OL Dylan Schmidt OL Clint Willis OL Casey Cleveland OL Pete Morales OL Matthew McKeen OL Jaxon Simonson OL
5'9" 6'1" 5'9" 6'1" 6'5" 6'0" 6'0" 6'2" 5'10" 6'3" 5'10" 5'10" 5'9" 6'2" 5'8" 6'1" 6'0" 6'3" 5'7" 5'11" 5'8" 6'0" 5'10" 6'0" 6'0" 6'3" 5'9" 5'9" 5'9" 5'8" 6'1" 5'10" 5'11" 6'0" 5'10" 6'0" 5'10" 6'1" 5'10" 6'0" 6'2" 6'0" 5'10" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 6'0" 5'8" 6'0" 5'11" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 6'2" 6'4" 6'2" 6'0" 6'5" 6'1" 5'11" 6'3" 6'0" 6'2" 6'1" 6'3" 6'3" 6'3" 6'4" 6'6" 6'1" 6'3" 6'2" 6'3"
195 225 170 205 215 165 210 205 165 220 205 165 170 215 160 215 190 225 160 170 185 200 205 185 205 210 170 170 190 160 170 190 170 185 175 190 180 220 250 215 210 165 205 215 205 230 210 210 240 210 230 245 195 270 335 245 280 240 330 230 260 235 310 250 230 310 250 275 280 265 295 290 280
Yr. JR JR SR JR SO FR JR FR SO SO SO FR FR SO FR JR FR FR FR JR JR FR JR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR JR SO FR SO JR FR FR FR JR FR FR FR SO FR SO JR FR JR JR FR JR SO FR JR SO FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR JR FR FR FR FR JR SR FR
Hometown
Hilmar High School, Calif. Hamilton High School, Ariz. Golden West College, Calif. Dickinson State, N.D. Colorado State University Silverado High School, Calif. La Habre High School, Calif. Canyon Springs High School Irvine High School, Calif. Hockinson High School, Wash. Belgrade High School, Mont. Vasquez High School, Calif. Belt High School, Mont. Kearns High School, Utah Farmersville High School, Calif. Missoula Sentinel High School, Sandpoint High School, Idaho W.F. High School, Wash. Sahuaro High School, Ariz. Allan Hancock, Calif. Blaine High School, Wash. Sammamish High School CM Russell High School, Mont. Basha High School, Ariz. Malta High School, Mont. Prairie High School, Wash. Libby High School, Mont. Gooding High School, Idaho Sammamish High School,. Cascade High School, Mont. Los Angeles Southwest, Calif. Hamilton High School, Ariz. White River High School. Churchhill County High School College of the Canyons, Calif. Kent High School, Wash. Hot Springs High School, Mont. Lambert High School, Mont. Merced Junior College, Calif. Washington High Hellgate High School, Mont. Belt High School, Mont. Geraldine High School, Mont. Freedom High School, Calif. Desert Oasis High School, Calif. Billings West High School Havre High School, Mont. Citrus College, Calif. City College of San Francisco Laurel High School, Mont. Carter County High School Citrus College, Calif. Sidney High School, Mont. Garces Memorial High School Harlem JR/SR High School Enumclaw High School, Wash. Conrad High School, Mont. Three Forks High School, Mont. Cochran High School, AB Missoula Big Sky High School Prairie High School, Wash. Hamilton High School, Ariz. Churchill County High School Stevensville High School, Idaho Hellgate High School, Mont. College of the Siskiyous, Calif. Missoula Sentinel High School Lakeside High School, Wash. Gardiner High School, Mont. CM Russell High School, Mont. La Habra High School, Calif. Freedom High School, Calif. North Star High School, Mont.
No. 80 85 87 88 89 90 91 92 94 95 99
Name
Logan Mayernik Kagen Khamaneh Jordan Pugh Seth Roemmele Dillon Barnes Patrick Barnett Tyler Craig Lane Urick Linnwood Kirkland Josh Loutzenhiser Jefferson Aumua
Pos. Ht. Wt.
WR TE TE WR P DL DL DL DL DL DL
5'11" 6'3" 6'5" 6'0" 6'0" 6'2" 6'2" 6'1" 6'0" 6'1" 6'3"
180 225 220 190 160 265 230 285 260 255 340
Yr. JR SO FR FR JR JR JR JR JR SO SR
Hometown
Carterville High School, Mont. Missoula Sentinel High School Wilson High School, Wash. Willow Creek High School, AB Citrus College, Calif. Billings West High School CM Russell High School, Mont. Great Falls High School, Mont. Waldrof College, Iowa Sandpoint High School, Idaho College of the Siskiyous, Calif.
2015 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Aaron Christensen, head coach; Jake Eldridge, defensive coordinator, strength & conditioning; Cody O'Neil, offensive line, recruiting coordinator; Jorge Magana, defensive line; Arthur Smith, linebackers; Matt Stevens, running backs; Chuck Terry, wide receivers; Darold DeBolt, defensive line, special teams; Dylan Murphy, tight ends, offensive line. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Nicole Yazzie.
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Manuel: MSU-N corner has flourished in small town life, and football
Manuel: Despite tough losses, MSU-N captain is making memories
n From Page 2
n From Page 6
And even though Havre was a big change for the kid from Southern California, Manuel quickly adjusted to small town life. "It was a big culture shock for sure when I first came up here with my parents," Manuel said. "But I got used to it and fit in pretty quickly. I really like it here. I think the community is great. We get a lot of support from them, but I also made some good friends. I have really enjoyed it here." On the field, there hasn't been a lot for Manuel and the Lights to celebrate the last two years. They are just 3-13 during his 16-game career and so far this season, the Lights are 0-5. Yet, Manuel is undeterred and said he is doing everything in his power to help his club get off the
snide. "That is my biggest thing right now," Manuel said. "I just want to get a win. I would love to get two, or three or four wins. But right now, I at least want to get one. That would mean a lot with it being my senior year." As a corner, Manuel has had his moments, and during this two seasons, he has amassed solid numbers with 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, eight pass breakups and three interceptions. He also blocked a kick that preserved a win over Montana Tech a season ago and returned a blocked extra point for two points in a loss earlier this season to Montana-Western. "That was probably be my favorite memory of playing for Northern
was in that game against Tech," Manuel said. "They had a late field goal to try and tie the game and I don't even know if I was supposed to go, but I got in there and got a piece of it. So that is probably the play that I will remember most." Unfortunately, Manuel's football career, at least as a player is down to just six games. And even though he knows the team won't be competing for the Frontier Conference championship this season or anything of the sort, he is still motivated and determined not only to get better himself, but to help his teammates get better as well. "I think they (the MSU-N coaches) have brought in a lot of talent," Maneul said. "They are just really
young. But if they grow together, I think they can be good and that's something I would take a lot of pride in down the road. I try to work really hard with the freshmen and even sophomores to do what I can to help them improve." That is also the reason why Manuel wants to purse a masters degree in sports management once his career at Northern is over and he graduates from MSU-N with a degree in health promotion this spring. Coaching and being in a leadership role are things that come naturally to him. That's why he has been so successful as one of the team's captains this season
and why, if he chooses coaching as a profession, he should have success. "Malcolm is everything a coach could want out of a captain," Eldridge said. "He is a great leader and I think he would make a great coach someday. He has great communication skills and he is just kind of a soft spoken person. There is just something about him that he can communicate well and get along with all different kinds of people. I think he would be great at anything he does because he is a great person, but he would be especially good at coaching." Manuel said he plans to go to graduate school next year, but he is
n See Manuel Page 7
Havre Daily News/File Photo Montana State University-Northern cornerback Malcolm Manuel, right, chases a Southern Oregon wide receiver during a Frontier Conference football game last fall at Blue Pony Stadium. Manuel, a team captain for the Lights in his senior season, has always been charged with covering the oppositions top receiver, something he relishes each and every game. But his cover skills aren't the only thing that sets Manuel apart this season, he's also one of MSU-N's top tacklers, and one of the few, true veteran players on an otherwise young MSU-N roster.
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern's Malcolm Manuel transferred to MSU-N from California a season ago. As a junior, he was fifth on the team in tackles and had two interceptions. Manuel has been even better so far this season, but his influence on the Northern program goes well beyond the field. Manuel, who will graduate from Northern this spring, is a team captain, and is helping to mold the younger MSU-N defensive backs every day in practice, as well as off the field. Manuel and the Lights will look for their first win Saturday when they host the College of Idaho Yotes at Blue Pony Stadium.
not sure where. Yet, those decisions will come in due time. Right now, he is focused on the present. He wants to enjoy his last year of college football, trying to get one more win and cherishing every second he gets on the field with his teammates. "I think the thing I will remember the most about my time playing football at Northern is all the friends that I have made," Manuel said. "I don't think you could come here for 2-3 weeks and not make a friend. I have built some really great relationships with guys like Tyler Craig and Garrett Jericoff and those are the kinds of friendships that will last a lifetime."
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Manuel: MSU-N corner has flourished in small town life, and football
Manuel: Despite tough losses, MSU-N captain is making memories
n From Page 2
n From Page 6
And even though Havre was a big change for the kid from Southern California, Manuel quickly adjusted to small town life. "It was a big culture shock for sure when I first came up here with my parents," Manuel said. "But I got used to it and fit in pretty quickly. I really like it here. I think the community is great. We get a lot of support from them, but I also made some good friends. I have really enjoyed it here." On the field, there hasn't been a lot for Manuel and the Lights to celebrate the last two years. They are just 3-13 during his 16-game career and so far this season, the Lights are 0-5. Yet, Manuel is undeterred and said he is doing everything in his power to help his club get off the
snide. "That is my biggest thing right now," Manuel said. "I just want to get a win. I would love to get two, or three or four wins. But right now, I at least want to get one. That would mean a lot with it being my senior year." As a corner, Manuel has had his moments, and during this two seasons, he has amassed solid numbers with 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, eight pass breakups and three interceptions. He also blocked a kick that preserved a win over Montana Tech a season ago and returned a blocked extra point for two points in a loss earlier this season to Montana-Western. "That was probably be my favorite memory of playing for Northern
was in that game against Tech," Manuel said. "They had a late field goal to try and tie the game and I don't even know if I was supposed to go, but I got in there and got a piece of it. So that is probably the play that I will remember most." Unfortunately, Manuel's football career, at least as a player is down to just six games. And even though he knows the team won't be competing for the Frontier Conference championship this season or anything of the sort, he is still motivated and determined not only to get better himself, but to help his teammates get better as well. "I think they (the MSU-N coaches) have brought in a lot of talent," Maneul said. "They are just really
young. But if they grow together, I think they can be good and that's something I would take a lot of pride in down the road. I try to work really hard with the freshmen and even sophomores to do what I can to help them improve." That is also the reason why Manuel wants to purse a masters degree in sports management once his career at Northern is over and he graduates from MSU-N with a degree in health promotion this spring. Coaching and being in a leadership role are things that come naturally to him. That's why he has been so successful as one of the team's captains this season
and why, if he chooses coaching as a profession, he should have success. "Malcolm is everything a coach could want out of a captain," Eldridge said. "He is a great leader and I think he would make a great coach someday. He has great communication skills and he is just kind of a soft spoken person. There is just something about him that he can communicate well and get along with all different kinds of people. I think he would be great at anything he does because he is a great person, but he would be especially good at coaching." Manuel said he plans to go to graduate school next year, but he is
n See Manuel Page 7
Havre Daily News/File Photo Montana State University-Northern cornerback Malcolm Manuel, right, chases a Southern Oregon wide receiver during a Frontier Conference football game last fall at Blue Pony Stadium. Manuel, a team captain for the Lights in his senior season, has always been charged with covering the oppositions top receiver, something he relishes each and every game. But his cover skills aren't the only thing that sets Manuel apart this season, he's also one of MSU-N's top tacklers, and one of the few, true veteran players on an otherwise young MSU-N roster.
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern's Malcolm Manuel transferred to MSU-N from California a season ago. As a junior, he was fifth on the team in tackles and had two interceptions. Manuel has been even better so far this season, but his influence on the Northern program goes well beyond the field. Manuel, who will graduate from Northern this spring, is a team captain, and is helping to mold the younger MSU-N defensive backs every day in practice, as well as off the field. Manuel and the Lights will look for their first win Saturday when they host the College of Idaho Yotes at Blue Pony Stadium.
not sure where. Yet, those decisions will come in due time. Right now, he is focused on the present. He wants to enjoy his last year of college football, trying to get one more win and cherishing every second he gets on the field with his teammates. "I think the thing I will remember the most about my time playing football at Northern is all the friends that I have made," Manuel said. "I don't think you could come here for 2-3 weeks and not make a friend. I have built some really great relationships with guys like Tyler Craig and Garrett Jericoff and those are the kinds of friendships that will last a lifetime."
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
College of Idaho Numerical Roster No.
1 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 32 33 33 34 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 56 58 59 60 62 64 66 69 82 83 84 84 85 88 91
Name
Year
Trae Bishop Marzett Davis Cory Brady Isaac Gonzalez Elijah Carter Teejay Gordon B.J. Newman Austin Diffey Levi Elsberry J.J. Hyde Tyler Cox Cole Maupin Shayne Robinson Charlie Shepherd T.J. Clarke A.J. Martin Colton Sweesy Hank Boeger Zach Cooper Dakota Stallions Nate Moore Wes Fitzpatrick John Hohnhorst Grant Darrington Bryan Dilworth Mike Johnson Troy Carr Malik Whitfield Jake Hennessey Dakota Horsewood Kyle Merritt David Juarez Jacques Carter Zach Garzoli Hunter Temple Kevin McLemore Chase Fiddler Joe Murphy Ringo Robinson Trevor Henderson Jordan Vielma Taylor Oppedyk Tony Torres Ryan Texeira Drake Rigby Mikey Cooper James Roy Travis Mayer Khallid Ransom Jason Byce Alec Montelongo Jarrett Williams Ben Ceccarelli Josh Price Sam Ball Hayden Paul Andrew Galloway Sam Zvirdys Dylan Garcia Hartvig Bondo Devin Krawowski Lance Jones Leroy Sisnett Marcus Lenhardt Andy Forse Kade Paulsen
SO SR SO SO SO SR JR SO SR FR FR JR SO SO JR FR SR SO JR SO JR SO SO JR SO SR SO SO JR FR SR SO FR SO SO SR SO FR JR SO SO SO SR SR FR SO SO FR SR SO JR SO SO SR SO SO SO SO SO FR SO SO FR SO SR SO
Pos. Ht.
DB RB DB WR WR QB DB WR WR QB QB TE DB WR DB QB RB DB WR RB DB WR DB DB DB RB LB DB LB LB RB DB DB RB DB P LB RB FB DE DE DE DT FB DB LB OL DB LB LB OL OL LB DT OL OL OL OL OL K WR WR DE TE TE DL
5-11 5-6 5-11 5-11 5-8 5-11 5-10 5-10 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-4 5-11 5-8 5-8 5-11 5-10 6-2 6-2 5-6 5-9 6-2 5-10 5-9 6-1 5-9 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-7 5-5 6-2 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-3 5-9 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-8 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-0 5-10 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2
Wt.
175 170 175 175 170 185 170 190 180 230 170 225 190 155 180 180 175 200 170 155 170 180 185 185 200 180 175 160 180 180 215 180 190 175 165 195 195 175 235 225 209 200 245 230 180 200 280 180 235 190 315 215 195 240 265 265 280 245 245 170 175 185 180 220 205 215
Hometown
Twin Falls, Idaho Sacramento, Calif. Boise, Idaho La Habra, Calif. La Habra, Calif. Manteca, Calif. Riverton, Utah Eagle, Idaho Homedale, Idaho Caldwell, ID Boise, Idaho Crane, Ore. Turnwater, Wash. Riggins, Idaho Boise, Idaho Idaho Falls, Idaho Twin Falls, Idaho Gooding, Idaho Meridian, Idaho New Plymouth, Idaho Boise, Idaho Valencia, Calif. Twin Falls, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Los Angeles, Calif. Rathdrum, Calif. Mountain Home, Idaho Mountain Home, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Irvine, Calif. Stockton, Calif. Clearfield, Utah Orland, Calif. Kuna, Idaho Simi Valley, Calif Fruitland, Idaho Boise, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Idaho Falls, Idaho Buhl, Idaho American Falls, Idaho Livermore, Calif. Boise, Idaho Nampa, Idaho Honolulu, Hawaii Booney Lake, Wash. San Diego, Calif. Twin Falls, Idaho Saratoga, Calif. Catheys Valley, Calif. Mountain Home, Idaho Boise, Idaho Boise, Idaho Nampa, Idaho Payette, Idaho Turnwater, Wash. Boise, Idaho Trondheim, Norway Notus, Idaho Garden Valley, Idaho Auckland, New Zealand Eagle, Idaho Caldwell, Idaho Pocatello, Idaho
No.
93 94 96 97 98
Name
Trevor Smith Kyle Ashby Talon Sudbeck Zach Hall Carlos Murana
Year
SO FR SR SO JR
Pos. Ht.
DT LB DT DL DE
5-11 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-0
Wt.
210 220 265 220 250
Hometown
Shelley, Idaho San Diego, Calif. Newport Beach, Calif. Emmett, Idaho Chula Vista, Calif
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No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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 52 53 55 56 58 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Garrett Jericoff DB Tucker Dunn LB Malcolm Manuel DB Jonathan McGinnis LB Herman Smith QB Myvon Rawlings DB Jesse Morales LB Alex Rodriguez DB Jake Day WR Jess Krahn QB Garet Fowler LB Malachi Flores WR Holden Maki QB J.R. Finai WR Joseph DeLaCruz WR Jake Messerly WR Nathan Loutzenhiser QB Bowe McKay WR Qwaundre Yancy WR Logan Sprouse DB Mario Gobbato RB Colton Boyle QB Zach McKinley RB Traejun Foard DB Quintan Boos DB Denzel Hamiel DB Zach Crace RB Kaden Barrus DB Felix Ramirez DB Casey Keen DB Sherman Arthur DB Brooks Dunn LB Garret Severson LB Dakota Schelling LB Corey Lee DB N'Drain "David" N'GuessaLB Lane Foster RB Kyle Watson FB Gabriel Benavidez FB Tovati "TJ" Gasetoto Jr. LB Jonathan Gragg LB Paxton Maki LB Wyatt McKinlay FB Michael McKeen LB Kyle Williams DB Jordan Brusio DL Jace Billy DL Jaime Toscano K Kyle Martinez LB Alec Wagner LB Austin Rychner DL Mitchell Harmon DL Dace Fisher DL Adolfo Robles OL Jacob Folk OL Elijah Dennison DL Justin Ratzburg OL Trenton Woodward OL Dale Cummings OL Trevor Frandsen DL Adam Ayala DL Salesi Koloamatangi DL Brennan Lewis OL Robert Johnson OL Ryan Handley OL Diamond Pedro OL Jeremy Eisenmann OL Dylan Schmidt OL Clint Willis OL Casey Cleveland OL Pete Morales OL Matthew McKeen OL Jaxon Simonson OL
5'9" 6'1" 5'9" 6'1" 6'5" 6'0" 6'0" 6'2" 5'10" 6'3" 5'10" 5'10" 5'9" 6'2" 5'8" 6'1" 6'0" 6'3" 5'7" 5'11" 5'8" 6'0" 5'10" 6'0" 6'0" 6'3" 5'9" 5'9" 5'9" 5'8" 6'1" 5'10" 5'11" 6'0" 5'10" 6'0" 5'10" 6'1" 5'10" 6'0" 6'2" 6'0" 5'10" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 6'0" 5'8" 6'0" 5'11" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 6'2" 6'4" 6'2" 6'0" 6'5" 6'1" 5'11" 6'3" 6'0" 6'2" 6'1" 6'3" 6'3" 6'3" 6'4" 6'6" 6'1" 6'3" 6'2" 6'3"
195 225 170 205 215 165 210 205 165 220 205 165 170 215 160 215 190 225 160 170 185 200 205 185 205 210 170 170 190 160 170 190 170 185 175 190 180 220 250 215 210 165 205 215 205 230 210 210 240 210 230 245 195 270 335 245 280 240 330 230 260 235 310 250 230 310 250 275 280 265 295 290 280
Yr. JR JR SR JR SO FR JR FR SO SO SO FR FR SO FR JR FR FR FR JR JR FR JR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR JR SO FR SO JR FR FR FR JR FR FR FR SO FR SO JR FR JR JR FR JR SO FR JR SO FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR JR FR FR FR FR JR SR FR
Hometown
Hilmar High School, Calif. Hamilton High School, Ariz. Golden West College, Calif. Dickinson State, N.D. Colorado State University Silverado High School, Calif. La Habre High School, Calif. Canyon Springs High School Irvine High School, Calif. Hockinson High School, Wash. Belgrade High School, Mont. Vasquez High School, Calif. Belt High School, Mont. Kearns High School, Utah Farmersville High School, Calif. Missoula Sentinel High School, Sandpoint High School, Idaho W.F. High School, Wash. Sahuaro High School, Ariz. Allan Hancock, Calif. Blaine High School, Wash. Sammamish High School CM Russell High School, Mont. Basha High School, Ariz. Malta High School, Mont. Prairie High School, Wash. Libby High School, Mont. Gooding High School, Idaho Sammamish High School,. Cascade High School, Mont. Los Angeles Southwest, Calif. Hamilton High School, Ariz. White River High School. Churchhill County High School College of the Canyons, Calif. Kent High School, Wash. Hot Springs High School, Mont. Lambert High School, Mont. Merced Junior College, Calif. Washington High Hellgate High School, Mont. Belt High School, Mont. Geraldine High School, Mont. Freedom High School, Calif. Desert Oasis High School, Calif. Billings West High School Havre High School, Mont. Citrus College, Calif. City College of San Francisco Laurel High School, Mont. Carter County High School Citrus College, Calif. Sidney High School, Mont. Garces Memorial High School Harlem JR/SR High School Enumclaw High School, Wash. Conrad High School, Mont. Three Forks High School, Mont. Cochran High School, AB Missoula Big Sky High School Prairie High School, Wash. Hamilton High School, Ariz. Churchill County High School Stevensville High School, Idaho Hellgate High School, Mont. College of the Siskiyous, Calif. Missoula Sentinel High School Lakeside High School, Wash. Gardiner High School, Mont. CM Russell High School, Mont. La Habra High School, Calif. Freedom High School, Calif. North Star High School, Mont.
No. 80 85 87 88 89 90 91 92 94 95 99
Name
Logan Mayernik Kagen Khamaneh Jordan Pugh Seth Roemmele Dillon Barnes Patrick Barnett Tyler Craig Lane Urick Linnwood Kirkland Josh Loutzenhiser Jefferson Aumua
Pos. Ht. Wt.
WR TE TE WR P DL DL DL DL DL DL
5'11" 6'3" 6'5" 6'0" 6'0" 6'2" 6'2" 6'1" 6'0" 6'1" 6'3"
180 225 220 190 160 265 230 285 260 255 340
Yr. JR SO FR FR JR JR JR JR JR SO SR
Hometown
Carterville High School, Mont. Missoula Sentinel High School Wilson High School, Wash. Willow Creek High School, AB Citrus College, Calif. Billings West High School CM Russell High School, Mont. Great Falls High School, Mont. Waldrof College, Iowa Sandpoint High School, Idaho College of the Siskiyous, Calif.
2015 Montana State University-Northern Football Staff Aaron Christensen, head coach; Jake Eldridge, defensive coordinator, strength & conditioning; Cody O'Neil, offensive line, recruiting coordinator; Jorge Magana, defensive line; Arthur Smith, linebackers; Matt Stevens, running backs; Chuck Terry, wide receivers; Darold DeBolt, defensive line, special teams; Dylan Murphy, tight ends, offensive line. Athletic Director: Christian Oberquell; Certified Athletic Trainer: Nichole Borst; Sports Information: Nicole Yazzie.
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MSU-Northern Offensive Starters
College of Idaho Defensive Starters
MSU-N 2014 Offensive Numbers
C of I Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 5 ppg, last in Frontier Total offense: 216 ypg, last in Frontier
Seth Rommele #88, 6-0, 190 Receiver
Nate Moore #21, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Rush offense: 137 ypg, 6th in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
C of I Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 29 ppg, 6th in Frontier
Scoring: 49 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 416 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Total defense: 490 ypg, last in Frontier
Rush defense: 247 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Rush defense: 222 ypg, 6th in Frontier
Scoring: 27 ppg, 6th in Frontier Malcolm Manuel #3, 5-9, 170 Cornerback
Aaron Christensen enters his first season as the Head Football Coach of Montana State UniversityNorthern. He brings with him a decade of coaching experience at the NAIA level. From 2012 to 2014, Coach Christensen served as the Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator for Missouri Valley College (MVC).
Adolfo Robles #58, 6-2, 270 Offensive line
Jess Krahn #8, 6-3, 220 Quarterback
Matt McKeen #78, 6-2,290 Center
Carlos Murana #98, 6-2, 240 Defensive line
Tyler Craig #91, 6-2, 245 Defensive end Ben Cecceralli #58, 5-11, 185 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
Josh Price #59, 6-3, 295 Nose tackle
Jacob Folk #60, 6-4, 335 Offensive line
Pete Morales #77, 6-3, 295 Offensive line
Matt Crispo #95, 6-1, 295 Defensive line
Logan Sprouse #21, 5-11, 170 Safety
B.J. Newman #5, 5-10, 170 Safety
Lane Urick #92, 6-1, 285 Defensive tackle GaretFowler #12, 5-10, 205 Linebacker
Troy Carr #28, 5-11, 205 Linebacker Hunter Temple #34, 5-5, 180 Safety
Gabe Benavidez #40, 5-10, 250 Fullback
Garrett Jericoff #1, 5-9, 165 Safety
Patrick Barnett #90, 6-2, 265 Defensive tackle Jesse Morales #7, 6-0, 210 Linebacker
Jordan Brusio #47, 5-11, 240 Defensive end Trevor Henderson #41, 6-3, 285 Defensive line
Jaime Toscano #49, 5-8, 210 Kicker
Jake Day #10, 5-10, 185 Receiver
Mike Moroski C of I Head Coach
Andrew Galloway #64, 6-2, 290 Offensive line
Greg Dohmen #64, 6-4, 285 Offensive line
TeeJay Gordon #5, 5-10, 180 Quarterback
Zach Garzoli #33, 5-9, 185 Running back
Dylan Garcia #69, 6-0, 255 Offensive line
Sam Zvirdys #66, 6-4, 265 Offensive line Shayne Robinson
#12, 5-11, 190 Receiver
Marcus Lenhardt #85, 6-4, 225 Tight end
Kagen Khameneh #85, 6-3, 225 Tight end Dillon Barnes #89, 6-0, 160 Punter
Total offense: 385 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Sam Ball #60, 6-3, 275 Offensive line
Cory Brady #2, 6-0, 185 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Wes Fitzpatrick #22, 6-0, 200 Receiver
Rushing: 180 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Clint Willis #75, 6-6, 280 Offensive line
Aaron Christensen MSU-N Head Coach
College of Idaho Offensive Starters
Morris Kroma #24, 6-0, 180 Cornerback
Myvon Rawlings #6, 6-0, 185 Safety
Austin Diffey #6, 5-11, 180 Receiver
Hartvig Bondo
#82, 5-11, 185 Kicker
Kevin McLemore
#36, 6-3, 205 Punter
Mike Moroski is in his third year as head coach at the College and has a 4-7 alltime record. Was named head coach in January of 2013 and led the Yotes through their "zero year" program, prior to the return to the field in September of 2014. Moroski came to the College after three decades at UC-Davis – both as a player and a coach. He was the Aggies' offensive coordinator from 19932010.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
Raiders show Lights no mercy Northern struggles to keep up with high-powered Southern Oregon
George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com In what has clearly become a rebuilding season, things continue to be tough for the young Montana State University-Northern Lights. After two straight games where the MSU-N offense got shutout, that streak finally ended Saturday in Ashland, Oregon. But it mattered little as the Lights could do nothing to stop the No. 4 Southern Oregon Raiders at home. In record-setting fashion, the defending NAIA national champion Raiders pummeled the winless Lights 82-9 Saturday afternoon, dropping Northern to 0-4 in the Frontier Conference and 0-5 overall. The loss was a bitter one for the Lights considering they had their best offensive output in weeks. Not only did Northern put together solid drives that resulted in a Jess Krahn touchdown pass to Qwaundre Yancy, but the Lights also got a field goal from Jaime Tomasco. In the end, MSU-N totaled 264 yards and ran 78 plays, including 159 yards on the ground. Zach McKinley had a strong day with 81 yards rushing and 43 receiving on four catches. Yancy also had 39 yards on four grabs, while Krahn was 9-of-26 for 96 yards and a score. However, those numbers were nothing compared to SOU’s explosion. The Raiders scored 12 touchdowns against the Lights, and none of the drives took longer than three minutes. SOU scored 41 points in the first quarter alone and led 62-3 at halftime. The Raiders ended up with 686 yards of offense on 70 plays, including 469 yards in the first half. In the air, quarterback Tanner Trosin and Kamerun Smith combined to throw for seven touchdowns, while the Raiders had 369 yards passing. SOU also rushed for 317 yards, including 110 yards on just eight carries by Melvin Mason, who also had 57 yards receiving. Eleven different Raiders ran the ball Saturday, while 14 different players caught passes, as SOU improved to 3-1 overall and 3-1 in the Frontier. With the win, the Raiders moved into a four-way tie for first in the Frontier, along with Carroll College, UM-Western and Montana Tech. Defensively, Garet Jericof and Jesse Morales combined for 15 stops, while Malcolm Manuel had an interception. The Lights will now have their second bye week, and will look to regroup
Frontier Conference Standings
Carroll College UM-Western Southern Oregon Montana Tech Rocky Mountain College of Idaho Eastern Oregon MSU-Northern
Conf. WL 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 2-2 1-3 1-3 0-4
Overall WL 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-2 1-4 1-4 0-5
Saturday MSU-Northern vs College of Idaho Eastern Oregon at Carroll College Southern Oregon at UM-Western Montana Tech at Rocky Mountain Saturday, Oct. 17 MSU-Northern at Montana Tech Carroll College at Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain at College of Idaho UM-Western at Eastern Oregon
NAIA Coaches Poll
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 4-0 2. Southern Oregon (1) 3-1 3. Morningside (Iowa) (1) 4-1 4. Carroll (Mont.) 3-1 5. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4-1 6. Baker (Kan.) 5-1 7. Grand View (Iowa) 5-1 8. Doane (Neb.) 5-0 9. Saint Francis (Ind.) 5-0 10. Faulkner (Ala.) 3-1 11. Robert Morris (Ill.) 4-1 12. Dakota Wesleyan 5-0 13. Reinhardt (Ga.) 5-0
339 321 314 308 276 271 262 245 241 217 206 196 182
1 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 3 12 13 14
14. Marian (Ind.) 15. Tabor (Kan.) 16. Montana Western 17. Montana Tech 18. William Penn (Iowa) 19. Kansas Wesleyan 20. Northwestern (Iowa) 21. Benedictine (Kan.) 22. St. Francis (Ill.) 23. St. Ambrose (Iowa) 24. Webber International 25. Dickinson State
3-2 4-1 3-1 3-1 4-2 5-0 3-2 4-2 4-1 4-0 2-2 5-1
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders 2015 Week Six
Passing: Chase White, RMC, 263 ypg Receiving: A. McCullouch, RMC, 104 ypg Receptions: A. McCullouch, RMC 8 cpg Rushing: Nolan Saraceni, MT, 145 ypg Tackles: Gary Posten, EOU 67 Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 5 sacks INT's: Cory Brady, C of I, 5 ints
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Qwaundre Yancy and the Lights had the week off following a difficult loss at Southern Oregon on Sept. 26.
Southern Oregon 82, Lights 9
MSU Northern 0 3 6 0 — 9 Southern Oregon 41 21 13 7 — 82 SOU: Matt Retzlaff 31 pass from Tanner Trosin (Marcus Montano kick) SOU: Adonis Griffin 3 pass from Trosin (Montano kick) SOU: Melvin Mason 44 pass from Kamerun Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Sean Tow 18 run (Montano kick) SOU: Retzlaff 16 run (Montano kick) SOU: Sean Angel 13 pass from Smith (kick fail) MSU-N: Jaime Toscano 32 field goal SOU: Retzlaff 43 pass from Trosin (Montano kick) SOU: Zack Davis 27 pass from Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Davis 73 pass from Smith (Montano kick) SOU: Louis Macklin 1 run (Montano kick) SOU: Jesse Needles 8 run (Montano kick) MSU-N: Qwaundre Yancy 25 pass from Jess Krahn
(kick failed) SOU: Bobby Lum 6 run (Montano kick) INDIVIDUAL LEADERS RUSHING — MSN: Zach McKinley 26-81, Qwaundre Yancy 1-47, Jett Robertson 7-14, Mario Gobatto 7-13, Jess Krahn 10-4. SOU: Melvin Mason 8-110, Louis Macklin 8-41, Sean Tow 6-32, JJ Latu 2-28, Tanner Trosin 2-18, Matt Retzlaff 1-16, Kamerun Smith 1-12, Jesse Needles 2-12, Bobby Lum 2-9, Adan Madera 2-7, Keegan Lawrence 2-6, Jack Singler 1-2. PASSING — MSN: Jess Krahn 9-26-96-2, Holden Maki 1-1-9-0. SOU: Kamerun Smith 6-8-167-0, Tanner Trosin 8-12-159-0, Jack Singler 8-13-67-1. RECEIVING — MSN: Zach McKinley 4-43, Qwaundre Yancy 4-39, Kagen Khamaneh 1-14, Malachi Flores 1-9. SOU: Zack Davis 2-100, Matt Retzlaff 3-89, Melvin Mason 3-57, Dominic Giampaoli 3-45, Sean Tow 2-43, Jeremy Scottow 2-23, Sean Angel 1-13, Lantz Worthington 2-11, Caden Johnson 1-10, Adonis Griffin 2-8, Jesse Needles 1-(minus 6).
6 16 17 18 19 21 15 23 24 25 22 NR
Others receiving votes: : Cumberlands (Ky.) 8; Peru State (Neb.) 7; Campbellsville (Ky.) 5; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 4.
Lights Coaching Staff
during that time. Northern doesn’t take the field again until a home game with College of Idaho Oct. 10 at Blue Pony Stadium.
174 157 150 136 115 110 86 77 59 54 36 25
Jim Potter The 2015 Montana State University-Northern coaching staff. Back row, left to right, Jorge Magana, Dylan Murphy, Aaron Christensen, Cody O'Neil and Matt Stevens. Front row, left to right, Arthur Smith, Chuck Terry, Jake Eldridge and Darold DeBolt.
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Oct. 9, 2015
Cover Man
Malcolm Manuel is MSUN's lockdown corner, but he's also become one of the Lights' biggest leaders Chris Peterson Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com
Football has been a journey for Montana State University-Northern's Malcolm Manuel and it's one that he won't soon forget. Manuel came to Northern two years ago from Golden West College and since his arrival he has been an important part of Lights football, and not just on the field, but off it as well. "Malcolm is just a great person," Lights defensive coordinator Jake Eldrigde said.
"He just does everything the right way and not just on the X's and O's, but off the field, the way he handles himself he has earned a lot of respect from his peers and from the community by doing things right and doing what he is supposed to do." Manuel, who has played cornerback the last two years for Northern has been a steady presence of leadership during what has been a disappointing season to say the least. The Lights have started 0-5 and three of their losses have come in blowout fashion. Yet, as one of the team's captains, Manuel has taken it upon himself to keep things positive and keep the team from not giving up. "It's been hard," Manuel said. "But I have just tried to do what I can to stay positive. We will joke around a little bit before practice just to keep things light. I think that we do have a lot of talent. We just have a lot of young guys that haven't played a lot before. So we are just trying to be positive and keep going."
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After a week off, the Frontier Conference football season will resume in earnest this weekend. And there’s a lot of questions still to be answered. In fact, it’s almost like the season hasn’t started yet, because no one has really taken control of the Frontier title chase as of yet. For a brief moment, it looked like Carroll College had seized command when the Fighting Saints beat Southern Oregon to open the season last month in Helena. But Montana Tech erased that control when the Orediggers beat the Saints the following week in Butte. Then, Tech turned right around and lost to Eastern Oregon, while UM-Western’s 3-0 start to the season was halted by a 10-9 loss to Carroll at home two weeks ago. Meanwhile, SOU hasn’t lost since
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern senior cornerback Malcolm Manuel isn't just one of the best cover corners in the Frontier Conference, he's also one of the few seniors on the Lights' roster. And he's also an inspirational leader for MSU-N.
MSU-Northern Lights vs College of Idaho Yotes 2014 record: 3-8 (2-8)
Location: Havre, Mont.
Head coach: Aaron Christensen
Nickname: Lights
Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium
Colors: Maroon and Yellow
Streak: The Lights are on a five-game losing streak to start the 2015 season.
2015 record: 0-5 (0-4)
Saturday, October 10, 2015 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. College of Idaho Location: Caldwell, Idaho Nickname: Yotes Colors: Purple and Gold 2015 record: 1-4 (1-3)
2014 record: 4-7 (3-7)
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George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
See Manuel Page 6
Montana State University-Northern
Oct. 9, 2015
Frontier is completely up for grabs
Manuel, who has been playing the game of football since he was a kid growing up outside of Los Angeles, didn't expect his football career to take him to Havre. But, following two years of playing wide receiver and defensive back for Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California, Havre is where he ended up. "I had a scholarship to go to a Division II school in Colorado, but it didn't work out," Manuel said. "Their coaching staff got let go, so I started sending my film around the conference. I talked to Coach (Kyle) Samson and I ended up coming to Northern."
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the opening-day setback at Carroll, and so, that leaves the league in a four-way tie for first place heading into this weekend’s games. And Rocky Mountain College is just a game behind the four Frontier leaders. Of course, the league champion will emerge eventually, and several games in the second half of the season will have plenty to do with that. SOU, which holds the No. 2 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll, will visit No. 16 Western Saturday in Dillon, and that game will have lasting implications on the rest of the Frontier season. SOU then turns around and hosts a rematch with the Saints Oct. 24, while Carroll gets Tech at home Oct. 24. Those three games could very well de-
termine who wins the league title, and how many teams the Frontier will get in the upcoming NAIA playoffs. Of course, if rankings had anything to do with it, the Frontier would be sitting pretty. Carroll is just behind SOU in the coaches poll, at No. 4, while Western is No. 16 and Tech is No. 17. For the second week in a row, RMC also received votes in the poll. New kids in town One game that won’t have playoff implications this weekend is the Montana State University-Northern Lights’ home tilt with the College of Idaho Yotes Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium. Never-the-less, both teams will be fighting to the bitter end to win. Northern has begun its season
Today in the Frontier Conference College of Idaho Yotes (1-4, 1-3)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (0-5, 0-4)
Head coach: Mike Moroski Stadium: Simplot Stadium Streak: The Yotes are making their first-ever trip to Blue Pony Stadium. C of I is 1-0 all time against MSU-N.
Eastern Oregon (1-3, 1-4) at No. 4 Carroll College (3-1, 3-1) in Helena, Mont. Montana Tech (3-1, 3-1) at Rocky Mountain College (3-2, 2-2) in Billings, Mont.
No. 2 Southern Oregon (3-1, 3-1) at No. 16 UM-Western (3-1, 3-1) in Dillon, Mont.
2015 Frontier Conference Coaches Preseason Poll 1. Carroll College 2. Southern Oregon 3. Eastern Oregon 4. Rocky Moutain 5. UM-Western 6. College of Idaho 7. Montana Tech 8.MSU-Northern with five straight losses, and the Lights have really struggled in their last three games, losing 46-0 at RMC, 44-2 at home to UM-Western and 82-9 at SOU two weeks ago. So, MSU-N head coach Aaron Christensen used the bye week to get healthy, but also emphasize some basic football principles. “We got beat pretty bad at South-
Havre Daily News Week Six Frontier Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. UM-Western 3. Carroll College 4. Montana Tech 5. Rocky Mountain College 6. Eastern Oregon 7. College of Idaho 8. MSU-Northern ern Oregon,” Christensen said. “That’s a really good team (Raiders) and we didn’t play very well, so it was a tough combination. But when we looked at the film, we noticed we just weren’t really giving as good of an effort as we needed too. We got way down, and against
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Oct. 9, 2015
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Notebook: College of Idaho making first trip to Blue Pony Stadium n From Page 11
a team like that, that’s tough, but we have to give a great effort every single play, and that’s something we really emphasized during the bye week.” This week however, the Lights have turned their attention to the Yotes, who come to Havre for the first time in school history – and while that’s exciting, the Yotes too are struggling. C of I hasn’t won a game since beating Eastern Oregon 40-28 back on Aug. 29, so the Yotes are certainly coming to Havre hungry. But, C of I head coach Mike Moroski knew there would be growing pains. The Yotes are only in their second season of Frontier Conference football – or any football for that matter in more than four decades. And while last season saw some highs, including a last-second, 35-31 win over MSU-N at home, things have gotten a little more daunting this season. Still, the Yotes are in the process of building a program from scratch, must like Northern did almost 20 years ago. And those things take time, and couple that with the fact that C of I resurrected football in the toughest
conference in the NAIA, and season’s like the one the Yotes are having are bound to happen. Yet, Moroski has something special brewing in Caldwell, Idaho. The Yotes have a splashy, two-year old stadium and are averaging over 5,000 fans per home game. They also have a roster rich in in-state talent as C of I boasts 48 players from the state of Idaho. Add to that a dazzling dual-threat quarterback in TeeJay Gordon, and All-Conference sophomore tight end in Marcus Lenhart, a great running game and a tough-nosed 4-2-5 defense, and the Yotes don’t look like a team at the bottom of the Frontier Conference. And they’ll certainly be a handful for the Lights in what will be their historical first trip inside famed Blue Pony Stadium this Saturday. Defensive While fans are used to seeing Frontier teams light up local scoreboards like a pinball machine, the league is also very defensive this season – in particular at UM-West-
ern and Carroll College. The Bulldogs may be coming off a home loss to Carroll, but they come into Saturday’s showdown with SOU boasting the top-ranked defense in the NAIA. Western allows an NAIA best nine points per game, and they rank in the Top 10 in the NAIA in seven different defensive categories. Linebackers A.J. Wilson and Joe Coker are All-American shoe-ins, but as a team, the Bulldogs are as stingy as anyone in the country. Carroll too has been very good. In conference play, the Saints are allowing just 21 points per game, which is third behind another stout defense at Montana Tech. The Saints have a stalwart leading the way in the secondary in All-American safety James Dowgin, while Tech’s defense revolves around tackling machine, and senior linebacker David Meis. Meanwhile, at Northern, Tyler Craig is once again racking up sacks at an alarming rate, and he’s in a race with Western’s Reno Ward in that category. Ward and Craig each have five sacks and eight tackles for loss this season, which are both tops in the Frontier,
and among the NAIA’s leaders. So, while there’s no doubt, the offenses in the league are still dangerous, it’s defense which is really stepping to the forefront across the conference this season. Leaders Speaking of leaders, heading into the halfway point of the season, Montana Tech’s Nolan Saraceni is starting to run away with the Frontier rushing title. The junior tailback from Billings is averaging 141 yards per game, while MSU-N’s Zach McKinley is third at 97 yards per outing. Rocky quarterback Chase White has started to emerge as a top passer in the league. He leads the Frontier with 263 passing yards per game, and also leads the league in total offense. Teammate and star WR Andre McCullouch is tops in the league with 106 yards and eight catches per game. On defense, aside from Ward and Craig, EOU’s Gary Posten is tops in the conference with 13.1 tackles per game, while C of I’s Nate Moore has a league-best five interceptions.
Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Zach McKinley, right, is the third leading rusher in the Frontier Conference. He and the Lights will look to get their offense on track when MSU-Northern plays host to the College of Idaho Yotes Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.