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Notebook: Lights motivated to beat the Bulldogs on senior day n From Page 11
players on offense. But they run the ball extremely well with sophomores Sam Rutherford and Dylan Kramer, and senior quarterback Tyler Hulse makes few mistakes. He’s thrown 15 touchdowns on the season, while only throwing five interceptions in 262 pass attempts this fall. Western’s defense is just as steady. Led by safety Jess McCloud, defensive end Phil Selin, and a rabid group of linebackers, the Dawgs allow just 28 points per game, 401 yards of offense and a Frontier-best 122 yards rushing per game. The Bulldogs have also garnered 15 takeaways this season, meaning their defense is just as steady and rock solid as their offense. And while some teams with no hopes of finishing high in the conference standings will generally mail in their last game, the Bulldogs won’t. With a win in Blue Pony Stadium
Saturday, Western will finish off one of its best seasons in a long, long time, and with tons of talent returning, would establish itself as a major player in the Frontier in 2015. Great Falls Production Saturday will be senior day for the MSUNorthern Lights when they take on UM-Western. And interim head coach Jake Eldridge says the goal will be to make sure the seniors leave Blue Pony Stadium with one last win. “We have to go out represent these seniors and get em’ out of here with a win on senior day,” Eldridge said. “So we just have to go back to work and I think we’ll have a good week of practice and be ready to play Western next Saturday.” And while Northern’s 15 seniors will do everything they can to make sure that hap-
pens Saturday, it’s a couple of sophomores from Great Falls who can really help lift the Lights to a win. Running back Zach McKinley is now smashing Northern records every time he steps on the field. The former CMR product has already broke five different MSU-N single-season and all-time rushing records, and he’s nowhere near done. On the other side of the ball, sophomore defensive end Tyler Craig is doing the same. With two games left in the season, Craig needs 1.5 sacks to tie the Northern singleseason record, and he’s averaging one sack per contest, which means he could break the record over the next two weeks. Craig has a Frontier best 10 sacks so far and is certainly a candidate for Frontier Defensive Player of the year.
Lost season The Montana Tech Orediggers were picked to finish fifth in the Frontier Conference this fall. It was a modest pick, but certainly, the Orediggers didn’t think they’d be where they are now. Tech has lost eight straight games since beating MSU-Northern on Aug. 30 in Butte. It’s become a season that everybody in Butte will want to forget. And things don’t get any easier for Tech, which is last in the Frontier in almost every single offensive category. Tech finishes the season with a home game against No. 5 Southern Oregon this Saturday. And if the Diggers’ can’t find a way to upset the potent Raiders, it will be Tech’s worst finish in two decades, as well as the second time the Orediggers have finished in last place in the Frontier in the last four seasons.
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Trevor Baum and the Montana State University-Northern seniors willplay for the last time at Blue Pony Stadium when the Light shost the UM-Western Bulldogs Saturday at 1 p.m.
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The Life of a Light
Playing football for MSUNorthern changed Travis Dean's life off the field more than on it George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Travis Dean is a football player. He’s been a football player since the day he arrived in Havre, a cold , snowy January night back in 2010. Travis Dean is also a quarterback. He’s been a Northern quarterback since that same night, when he was introduced at a MSU-Northern men’s basketball game. And, though injured for the rest of the season, he’s Northern’s starting quarterback.
However, in a twist you don’t see often from college football players, Dean is also a Havreite. Sure, it says Dean is from Gilbert, Arizona, but that’s no longer his home. Unlike so many college athletes who have played their final game, and who have received their college degree, Dean won’t be returning home to Arizona. Instead, Dean is already home. “When I got here, in January of 2010, I would have never thought I’d be where I’m at now,” said the MSU-N senior quarterback, who will have to watch Northern’s senior day game against UM-Western from the sidelines due to a fracture in his leg he suffered two weeks ago at Eastern Oregon. “Here I am from Arizona, and I get here that first night, and it’s full on winter. It was nasty outside. But, inside the Armory, I got introduced as a new recruit, and the ovation me and the other recruits that were there that night got, I was like wow, this is a lot different. “So, I look back now and I realize I got
that home feeling right away,” he continued. “I got that feeling that this place was going to be special to me. I met a bunch of great teammates when I first got here, I met the Samson family, and they immediately felt like family to me, even before I met Tricia (wife). This community, this campus, all the people, it just really grew on me right away.” And Dean grew here too. The Northern quarterback has endured so much in his time playing football for the Lights, that at times, it would have been easy for him to just pack up and head back
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean won't be able to play in Saturday's home finale against the UM-Western Bulldogs. But once football is over, Dean will remain in Havre, where he has made a home for himself.
MSU-Northern Lights vs UM-Western 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: 2-7 (1-7)
Streak: The Lights have llost their last two games by a combined score of of 125-34, against EOU and Carroll.
Saturday, November 8, 2014 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 12 p.m. Montana Western
2013 record: 4-6 (4-6)
Stadium: Vigilante Field
Nickname: Bulldogs
Streak: The Bulldogs, who beat the Lights last month, are aiming for their first winning season in conference play in over a decade.
2014 record: 5-5 (5-4)
Nov. 7, 2014
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League is now a two team race George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Two weeks left in the Frontier Conference football season, and as expected, the Frontier title will go down to the wire. In fact, unless a drastic upset takes place, it looks like a tie in the Frontier standings is more than likely. This past Saturday, Carroll College and Southern Oregon kept pace with each other, both winning handily. Carroll blasted the Montana State University-Northern Lights in Havre, while SOU thumped Rocky Mountain College 45-28. In the standings, the Fighting Saints and Raiders are tied at 7-1, each with two games left. Carroll will host a reeling RMC squad Saturday, then finish with a home game against College of Idaho Nov. 15. SOU plays its last road game this Saturday, at Montana Tech,
then returns home to host Eastern Oregon in a rivalry game Nov. 15. With RMC dropping its game at UM-Western last Saturday, the Battlin Bears have fallen out of contention for the Frontier title. At the start of the season, Rocky was a popular pick to challenge Carroll and SOU for the conference crown. However, EOU still has plenty to say about the conference championship, but the Mounties will have to win their last two road games, which would include an upset at SOU, and need Carroll to drop its last two home games, in order to share the league title. That scenario is unlikely given how well the Saints are playing, but EOU can very much spoil the conference title for the Raiders with a win in LaGrande, Oregon Nov. 15.
Two wins to finish the season would also put EOU within striking distance of being the third Frontier team invited to the NAIA playoffs. At this point, barring a disaster for either team, Carroll and SOU are locked into the playoffs, no matter which team wins the league’s automatic bid.
Hungry Dawgs When the UM-Western Bulldogs come to Havre Saturday for Northern’s home finale, they will have plenty to play for. Thought it’s Western’s last game of the season, and the Bulldogs have no chance of winning the Frontier or making the playoffs, they will be in Havre
Today in the Frontier Conference Montana Western Bulldogs (5-5, 5-4)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (2-7, 1-7)
Head coach: B. J. Robertston
Location: Dillon, Mont.
Colors: Black and Red
11
Rocky Mountain College (5-4, 4-4) at No. 2 Carroll College (7-1, 7-1) in Helena, Mont. No. 21 Eastern Oregon (6-3, 5-3) at College of Idaho (4-5, 3-5)
in Caldwell, Idaho
No. 5 Southern Oregon (8-1, 7-1) at Montana Tech (1-8, 1-8) in Butte, Mont.
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
ready for a fight. Western, which beat the Lights 50-30 back on Sept. 20 in Dillon, has a chance to go 6-4 in the Frontier standings, and post its first true winning record in nearly 10 years. The Bulldogs upset then nationally-ranked RMC last Saturday, and, in just B.J. Robertson’s second seas o n
Havre Daily News Week Ten Frontier Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. Carroll College 3. Eastern Oregon 4. UM-Western 5. Rocky Mountain College 6. College of Idaho 7. MSU-Northern 8. Montana Tech
as head coach, have become a tough team to beat for Frontier opponents. And one of the main reasons the Dawgs are hard to handle is their consistency. Western does nothing fancy, and the Bulldogs won’t likely have many All-Conference
n
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MSU-Northern Rewind
A MSU-N senior class like no other
Nov. 7, 2014
George Ferguson Sports Editor
www.havredailynews.com
Frontier Conference Standings
Southern Oregon Carroll College Eastern Oregon UM-Western Rocky Mountain College of Idaho MSU-Northern Montana Tech
From the Fringe... The Montana State UniversityNorthern Lights, in many ways, are a young football team. A team with a lot of potential for the future. But, that doesn’t mean the Lights don’t have veterans. In fact, Northern will honor 15 of those veterans Saturday before the Lights face the UM-Western Bulldogs at Blue Pony Stadium. It’s the home finale for the Lights, which means it’s senior day. And senior day is always an emotional time. But, given what the 15 Northern senior have been through, this season, and throughout their careers, Saturday will be extra emotional. “It’s kind of scary knowing this is it,” Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean said. “For all of us, this will be the last time we play football at home, and then next week, it will be the last football game we’ll ever play. That’s hard to think about. But what’s really hard is knowing all of us won’t be together, won’t play together anymore. This senior class is really special, and it hurts to think about this group not being together anymore. The group that will be honored Saturday is special. The group is special because it has stuck together, when many others from the recruiting classes of 2010 and 2011 did not. The group, some who have played for four years, others who have played for five, and even six, has a bond that hasn’t been able to be broken. And that group, with Dean, Trevor Baum, Rostyn Pace, Nick Luoma, Butch Hyder, Hunter Chandler, Jordan Rueschhoff, Michael McCrary, Jacob Criner, Kami Kanehailua, Tyler Phillips, John Jansen, Zach Bangert, Shomari Burton and Will DeVos, deserve the ovation, honor and accolades they’ll get before Saturday’s game. And that’s because, with those seniors, there’s never been any quit. Every one of them has been dedicated to the Northern football program, the university, the community, all of their coaches, and most importantly, to each other. It hasn’t been easy. From 2010 through last week’s loss to Carroll College, the Northern senior class has experienced just 17 wins, with 2011 being the best season when the Lights went 5-5. And, at the start of a prom-
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Conf. WL
7-1 7-1 5-3 5-4 4-4 3-5 1-7 1-8
NAIA Coaches Poll 14. Ottawa (Kan.) 15. Valley City State 16. William Penn (Iowa) 17. Robert Morris (Ill.) 18. Friends (Kan.) 19. Cumberland (Tenn.) 20. Benedictine (Kan.) 21. Eastern Oregon 22. Tabor (Kan.) 23. Langston (Okla.) 24. Dakota Wesleyan 25. Campbellsville (Ky.)
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Morningside (Iowa) 8-0 2. Carroll (Mont.) 7-1 3. Grand View (Iowa) 7-1 4. Faulkner (Ala.) 8-1 5. Southern Oregon 8-1 6. Georgetown (Ky.) 7-1 7. Northwestern (Iowa) 7-1 8. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 6-2 9. Missouri Valley 6-2 10. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 7-2 11. Marian (Ind.) 6-2 12. MidAmerica Nazarene 7-1 13. Baker (Kan.) 7-2
Overall WL
8-1 7-1 6-3 5-5 5-4 4-5 2-7 1-8
340 327 313 293 289 283 258 253 232 222 204 192 170
1 2 3 4 5 5 8 9 10 11 13 14 7
7-2 8-1 6-3 7-2 7-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-3 5-3 6-3 5-3
168 151 145 130 128 116 97 87 50 49 27 24
15 17 16 18 20 12 22 23 24 25 19 —
Others receiving votes: : Siena Heights (Mich.) 15; Reinhardt (Ga.) 10; Webber International (Fla.) 7.
Saturday, Nov. 8 MSU-Northern vs UM-Western Rocky Mountain at Carroll College Eastern Oregon at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Montana Tech
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders
Saturday, Nov. 15 MSU-Northern at Rocky Mountain College of Idaho at Carroll College Eastern Oregon at Southern Oregon
Lights Coaching Staff
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Nick Luoma is part of a big senior class at MSU-Northern that will play their final home game Saturday against UM-Western. ising 2014 season, the group lost the only head coach it had ever known when Mark Samson was forced to resign his post after 12 years at the helm. Right then and there, it would have been easy for this senior class to give up, to walk away, to move on and do other things. But that’s not how this group was brought up. It’s not how they were coached by Samson, and it’s not how they wanted to go out. Instead, this group has done what it has done from the times when they all came together, whether it was just two years ago when Burton joined the team, or six years ago, when Pace first started playing for the Lights. This group fought, this group worked even harder, this group stayed strong and stayed bonded. And that’s what makes this group so special. That’s what makes senior day so special to them. And that’s what makes each and every Northern senior in the Class of 2014 a player that should never be forgotten, not by this program, or its fans. No, this group of Northern seniors has represented the school, the program, the community of Havre and all Northern alumni exactly the way all of us wish every single studentathlete would…with dignity, class, respect and pride. For this group, it was always about football, always about team, always about dedication, and most importantly, it was always about Northern.
“This is the greatest group of senior since I’ve been here,” Dean said. “And that’s not meant as a disrespect to any of the other classes, because I was lucky enough to play with some great senior classes. But given what this group has been through, everything that has happened, it’s just a special group of guys. “This group has never seen an actual winning season,” he continued. “But we’ve stuck together. With this group, it’s always been about playing for the love of the game, about playing for Northern. It’s been about playing for each other, and trying to pass that on to the younger guys. In my opinion, every one of these seniors is a true team captain. They are all great leaders. These guys are my best friends. This is the only group I’ve ever been a part of that there is no quit. This group of seniors has always fought to the end, no matter the situation. And I’m proud to have been a part of a group like that. It’s going to be emotional, and really special to walk out onto that field one last time with these guys. I love them all, and they’ll forever be in my heart.” No one could have summed up these Northern seniors any better than Travis Dean just did. And just like they’re in your heart Travis, all of you will forever be in ours. I’m sure I speak on behalf of the entire Northern Nations when I say, thank you Northern seniors. We will never forget you.
Through Week Ten
Passing: Austin Dodge, SOU, 358 ypg Receiving: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 136 ypg Receptions: A. McCullough, RMC, 8 cpg Rushing: Dustin Rinker, CC, 130 ypg Tackles: Cory Bummer, RMC, 78 tackles Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 10 sacks INT's: Cory Brady, C of I, 5 ints
Jake Eldridge Head Coach
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
UM-Western Defensive Starters
MSU-N Offensive Numbers
UM-W Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25 ppg, 7th in Frontier Total offense: 483 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Jake Messerly #17, 6-1, 195 Receiver
Jay Owens #27, 6-0, 180 Cornerback
Rush offense: 174 ypg, 6th in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
UM-W Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 28 ppg, 5th in Frontier
Scoring: 44 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 401 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Total defense: 410 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Rush defense: 122 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Rush defense: 161 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Scoring: 25 ppg, 7th 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
Andrew Gilpin #94, 6-3, 255 Defensive line
Tyler Craig #91, 6-1, 240 Defensive end Dakota Wainwright #33, 6-0, 245 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
Tyrell Penner #95, 6-3, 270 Nose tackle
Zach Bangert #51, 6-1, 280 Right guard
Phil Seiln #92, 6-2, 240 Defensive line
Butch Hyder #13, 5-11, 200 Safety
Joe Coker #2, 6-0, 195 Linebacker
Will DeVos #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle Kami Kanehailua #42, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
A.J. Wilson #22, 6-1, 215 Linebacker Ben Sulser #5, 6-0, 180 Safety
Jacob Criner #36, 5-11, 240 Fullback
Total offense: 360 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Nick Brown #75, 6-1, 275 Offensive line
Jess McCloud #40, 6-1, 195 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Matt Lickfold #14, 6-2, 220 Receiver
Rushing: 191 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Pete Morales #77, 6-1, 285 Left tackle
Jake Eldridge MSU-N Head Coach
UM-Western 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
Dylan Murphy #71, 6-6, 310 Right tackle
B.J. Robertson Western Head Coach
Kylan Putman #71, 6-3, 265 Offensive line
Shayden Flint #63, 6-1, 280 Offensive line
Tyler Hulse #15, 6-2, 200 Quarterback
Caleb DeGroot #51, 6-2, 275 Offensive line
Sam Rutherford #20, 6-1, 220 Running back
Zach Bunney
#25, 5-7, 165 Receiver
Will Thacker #66, 6-1, 290 Offensive line
T.J. Benson #25, 5-10, 180 Linebacker Connor Greth
Donovan Hucke #49, 6-0, 275 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
#15, 6-2, 195 Kicker
Dakota Pineda #21, 5-8, 185 Cornerback
Mike McCrary #26, 5-10, 175 Corner
Beau Brekke #19, 5-8, 175 Receiver
George Sherwood
#11, 6-3, 215 Kicker
Robertson enters his second season as head coach for Montana Western. In his first season at the helm his Bulldogs went 4-6. He returned to his Alma Mater as head coach for the 2013 season after building a successful career as an assistant coach in programs at Rocky Mountain, Southern Oregon, and Rockford College. Robertson has served as assistant head coach, strength and condition coach, recruiting coordinator, special teams and as a position coach on both sides of the ball.
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5
Pos. DB LB DB DB DB QB LB WR WR RB WR WR QB QB QB K/P QB WR WR RB DB LB RB RB LB TE DB RB DB RB DB DL LB DB TE LB LB DB TE LB FB LB LB TE LB OL DL LB OL DL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL TE WR WR WR WR WR WR
Ht. 5-8 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-10 6-0 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-9 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-10 5-8 6-1 5-8 6-1 6-1 5-8 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-10 5-10 5-6 5-7 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-2 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-3 5-10 5-7 6-2 6-3 5-10
Wt. 170 215 175 195 185 170 210 195 175 190 215 185 200 220 200 195 240 165 175 215 185 240 205 210 185 205 185 210 175 165 185 255 245 190 230 190 215 196 210 215 220 215 215 215 230 270 225 215 275 245 230 280 230 280 291 255 240 275 290 230 200 180 165 200 210 175
Hometown Coupeville, Wash. Helena, Mont. Billings, Mont. Helena, Mont. Helena, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Bellevue, Wash. Helena, Mont. Hamilton, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Helena, Mont. Richey, Mont. Post Falls, Idaho Helena, Mont. Minden Nev. Mount Vernon, Wash. Dillon, Mont. Salmon, Idaho Great Falls, Mont. Idaho Falls, Idaho Helena, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Big Timber, Mont. Libby, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Battle Mountain, Nev. Oakley, Idaho Potlatch, Mont. Twin Bridges, Mont. Deer Lodge, Mont. Palmer, Alaska Great Falls, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Seattle, Wash. Manhattan, Mont. Clancy, Mont. Warden, Wash. Fernley, Nev. Great Falls, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Libby, Mont. Seattle, Wash. Missoula, Mont. Fort Benton, Mont. Blackfoot, Idaho Dillon, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Ronan, Mont. Puyallup, Wash. Belgrade, Mont. Idaho Falls, Idaho Winnemucca, Nev. Laurel, Mont. Billings, Mont. Spokane, Wash. Meridian, Idaho Bozeman, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Broadview, Mont. Billings, Mont. Valier, Mont. Monterey, Calif. Laurel, Mont.
No.Name 90 Patrick Valentine 91 Dylen Atchison 92 Philip Selin 93 Seth Mason 94 Andrew Gilpin 95 Tyrell Penner 98 Max Orrin
Year FR SO SR SO JR FR FR
Pos. K/P DL DL P/K DL DL DL
Ht. 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-2
Wt. 175 250 240 200 255 270 230
Hometown Troy, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Hamilton, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Salmon, Idaho Twin Bridges, Mont.
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
UM-Western Numerical Roster No.Name Year 1 Mitch Pelroy SO 2 Joe Coker JR 3 Ben Sulser JR 4 Connor Langel SR 5 Skyler Roope JR 6 Tres Cunningham FR 7 Will Fields SR 8 Quinn ChamberlainSO 9 Tyler Murray SO 10 Dylan Kramer JR 11 George SherwooodFR 12 Connor Lamping SO 13 Charlie Switzer SO 14 Matt Lickfold SO 15 Tyler Hulse SR 16 Connor Greth SO 17 Bennett Gibson FR 18 MJ Simkins FR 19 Beau Brekke SO 20 Sam Rutherford SO 21 Dakota Pineda SO 22 AJ Wilson JR 23 TJ Leep JR 24 Cory Holcomb SO 25 Taft Benson SO 26 Heath Hunter JR 27 Jay Owens FR 28 Michael Lake SR 29 Hunter Wadsworth FR 30 James Amos SO 31 Dilan Starkel SO 32 Reno Ward SO 33 Dakota WainwrightJR 34 Hunter Thomsen FR 36 Connor Fuller SR 37 Riley Martello FR 38 Michael Bennett FR 40 Jesse McCloud SR 41 Dustin Pickens FR 42 Adam Hansen FR 43 Tony Wilson SR 44 Ryan Otto SR 45 Matt Heidinger SO 47 Kraig Nelson FR 50 Connor Smith FR 51 Caleb DeGroot SR 52 Ernie Fultz SO 53 Garrett Buck FR 54 Donovan Hucke FR 58 Jarred Simons FR 59 Cody Mock FR 63 Shayden Flint FR 64 Andrew Wass FR 65 Jaxsen Lyon SO 66 Will Thacker JR 69 Cody Stone-MurphyFR 71 Kylan Putman SO 75 Nick Brown SR 77 John Munger FR 80 Wyatt Laakso FR 81 Jonah Lehmann FR 82 Christian Hanser FR 83 Matt Furhman FR 87 Justin Sullivan FR 82 Mitchell Keeton SO 89 Jon Verlanic FR
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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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Dean: MSU-N quarterback has made Havre his permanent home
Dean: Northern senior has endured tough injuries his whole career
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to the warmer weather in Arizona. But instead, Dean didn’t run. Instead, he grew, as a football player, and as a person. Instead of running home, he made Northern and Havre his home. And he says, through two knee injuries, to being a backup quarterback to the great Derek Lear, to the ups and downs of college football, school and being away from home, it was the relationships he built, first with coaches Mark and Kyle Samson, and later with his now wife Trish Samson, and eventually, with his parents finding their way to Havre, that made his life in Havre what it is today. “I’ve been through so many different situations while I’ve been here, and some pretty tough times,” he said. “But every step of the way, I’ve always felt like I had family here. When Kyle (Samson) recruited me, I immediately felt close to him. I felt like he was somebody I had known
my whole life, and I was always able to lean on him. And then I actually came here and met Coach (Mark) Samson. He is someone who all his players can count on, not just in football, but more importantly, with your life. He’s always there for his players, and he has certainly always been there for me. Right away, I just felt like he and his family were family to me, especially with me being so far away from home. That relationship I built with the Samson family was special and it meant the world to me to have them by my side.” Once upon a time, the Samson family felt like family to Dean, but now, four years after coming to Havre, they are family. This past summer, Dean married Tricia Samson, the youngest of Mark and Kelly’s three children. “I remember being over at Coach Samson’s house one day, and that was the first time I met her (Tricia),”
Dean said. “At first, we just became best friends. Then, eventually we started dating and moved in together, and now we’re married. I’ve been so lucky. She means the world time me. The entire Samson family does to me. I’m so thankful they all came into my life.” But getting married is only part of a major transformation Dean’s life has taken in his unique move from sunny Arizona to Havre. Not only does Dean have a new bride by his side through his last season of college football, but he has his parents here now too. Yes, Dean’s parents have also become Havreites, moving from Arizona to Havre in the summer of 2013. And through the last two seasons, including this one, where Dean has thrown for 2,107 yards and 10 touchdowns, Dean’s parents have been right there
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean, right, hands the ball to Zach McKinley during a Frontier Conference football game back in September in Havre. Dean has been a key member of the Lights' offense since he arrived in Havre in January of 2010. But he has also had to endure two knee injuries along the way. However, Dean has had a strong support system during his career at Northern, including getting married to Trish Samson last summer. Dean is will miss the Lights last two games due to a leg injury.
with him. “During my first semester here, my parents came up for the Carroll game that year,” he said. “It was a planned trip, but Derek (Lear) got hurt the week before, and I ended up starting that game. It was great that my parents were able to see me play in first my college game, but after that, they didn’t get to see me much. I was hurt and wasn’t playing, it’s a long way from Arizona to here. “And during that time, I was always jealous of some of the other guys that their parents were at every game, home or away,” he continued. “But I think, all the way back to that first trip up here, they felt like Havre was home too, and eventually, they committed to moving up here. At first I was like, are they really going to do it? And honestly, I’m still in awe sometimes that they are here and this is their home now too. But it’s been amazing having them here. Their support means the world to me, and it’s been great having them at all my games, especially these last two seasons where I’ve been playing a lot. It’s just awesome having my parents be a part of this community.” There’s a downside to Dean’s parents relocating to Havre though. “I’m still mad at them for taking away my vacation home in Arizona,” Dean joked. “But no, it’s amazing to have them here. And they are doing well. Both of them love it up here, and it’s just been great having my family here with me, through this experience.” So, as time winds down on his football career, Havre is home, for the entire Dean family. It’s a unique situation and one you don’t see that often in the world of collegiate athletics. But, in looking back, Dean knew pretty quickly just how much Havre was going to be a part of his life. He knew how important the Samson family would become to him, and he knew how much playing football at Northern would mean to him. In essence, coming to Northern changed his life in so many ways. Playing football at Northern has meant the world to him, but coming to Havre to play football gave Dean a life he didn’t know he would have. It was one he never
saw coming. And with football almost over, he’s going to move on to the next phase of his life, in his home town, and that town is Havre. “I’m pursuing a degree in education, I’ll be student teaching in the spring,” Dean said. “I have just found a love for the class room and for working with kids, educating kids. It’s my passion now. And I’m pretty sure I’ll go into coaching right away too. Football has given me so much, and I want to give back to the game. I want to give back to the younger generation, and I can do that through teaching and football. “And with football almost over, Trish and I are looking forward to the future, and everything that will come with it,” he continued. “She’s teaching at (Havre) Middle School, and we’re both going to be teachers eventually. So we can share that experience, and we’re excited about our summer’s off and traveling, and all those things. And eventually, we want to start a family. So even though it’s scary to know I won’t be playing foot-
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern quarterback Travis Dean, left, throws a pass during a 2013 Frontier Conference game against Carroll College in Havre. Dean made his first career start for the Lights as a freshman, against Carroll in 2010. Dean has endured plenty of ups and downs in his Northern career, but, before suffering a season-ending injury at Eastern Oregon two weeks ago, he was one of the top passers in the Frontier Conference and the NAIA. Dean will graduate from Northern this spring with a degree in education.
ball anymore, and I’m going to miss that experience, I’m going to miss all my teammates and coaches and the bonds I’ve built with them, and I’ll miss the fans and the great community support we get here at Northern, we’re excited about getting out in the real world and seeing what the future holds.” They say home is where the heart is. And from the first few days Dean was in Havre, and on Northern’s campus, it had his heart. Havre grabbed his heart, and it never let go, and that’s just fine with Travis Dean. Because he’s home. “I have a great life right now,” he added. “I’m happily married, I’m with all my family. I have great friends, teammates. I love Northern and I’m so thankful for the opportunity I was given. I could never see us going back to Arizona. That’s not meant as a bad thing. I loved growing up there. But this is home for me now. I look back and I never would have envisioned it when I was in high school, but here I am now. And it’s great.”
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Dean: MSU-N quarterback has made Havre his permanent home
Dean: Northern senior has endured tough injuries his whole career
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to the warmer weather in Arizona. But instead, Dean didn’t run. Instead, he grew, as a football player, and as a person. Instead of running home, he made Northern and Havre his home. And he says, through two knee injuries, to being a backup quarterback to the great Derek Lear, to the ups and downs of college football, school and being away from home, it was the relationships he built, first with coaches Mark and Kyle Samson, and later with his now wife Trish Samson, and eventually, with his parents finding their way to Havre, that made his life in Havre what it is today. “I’ve been through so many different situations while I’ve been here, and some pretty tough times,” he said. “But every step of the way, I’ve always felt like I had family here. When Kyle (Samson) recruited me, I immediately felt close to him. I felt like he was somebody I had known
my whole life, and I was always able to lean on him. And then I actually came here and met Coach (Mark) Samson. He is someone who all his players can count on, not just in football, but more importantly, with your life. He’s always there for his players, and he has certainly always been there for me. Right away, I just felt like he and his family were family to me, especially with me being so far away from home. That relationship I built with the Samson family was special and it meant the world to me to have them by my side.” Once upon a time, the Samson family felt like family to Dean, but now, four years after coming to Havre, they are family. This past summer, Dean married Tricia Samson, the youngest of Mark and Kelly’s three children. “I remember being over at Coach Samson’s house one day, and that was the first time I met her (Tricia),”
Dean said. “At first, we just became best friends. Then, eventually we started dating and moved in together, and now we’re married. I’ve been so lucky. She means the world time me. The entire Samson family does to me. I’m so thankful they all came into my life.” But getting married is only part of a major transformation Dean’s life has taken in his unique move from sunny Arizona to Havre. Not only does Dean have a new bride by his side through his last season of college football, but he has his parents here now too. Yes, Dean’s parents have also become Havreites, moving from Arizona to Havre in the summer of 2013. And through the last two seasons, including this one, where Dean has thrown for 2,107 yards and 10 touchdowns, Dean’s parents have been right there
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean, right, hands the ball to Zach McKinley during a Frontier Conference football game back in September in Havre. Dean has been a key member of the Lights' offense since he arrived in Havre in January of 2010. But he has also had to endure two knee injuries along the way. However, Dean has had a strong support system during his career at Northern, including getting married to Trish Samson last summer. Dean is will miss the Lights last two games due to a leg injury.
with him. “During my first semester here, my parents came up for the Carroll game that year,” he said. “It was a planned trip, but Derek (Lear) got hurt the week before, and I ended up starting that game. It was great that my parents were able to see me play in first my college game, but after that, they didn’t get to see me much. I was hurt and wasn’t playing, it’s a long way from Arizona to here. “And during that time, I was always jealous of some of the other guys that their parents were at every game, home or away,” he continued. “But I think, all the way back to that first trip up here, they felt like Havre was home too, and eventually, they committed to moving up here. At first I was like, are they really going to do it? And honestly, I’m still in awe sometimes that they are here and this is their home now too. But it’s been amazing having them here. Their support means the world to me, and it’s been great having them at all my games, especially these last two seasons where I’ve been playing a lot. It’s just awesome having my parents be a part of this community.” There’s a downside to Dean’s parents relocating to Havre though. “I’m still mad at them for taking away my vacation home in Arizona,” Dean joked. “But no, it’s amazing to have them here. And they are doing well. Both of them love it up here, and it’s just been great having my family here with me, through this experience.” So, as time winds down on his football career, Havre is home, for the entire Dean family. It’s a unique situation and one you don’t see that often in the world of collegiate athletics. But, in looking back, Dean knew pretty quickly just how much Havre was going to be a part of his life. He knew how important the Samson family would become to him, and he knew how much playing football at Northern would mean to him. In essence, coming to Northern changed his life in so many ways. Playing football at Northern has meant the world to him, but coming to Havre to play football gave Dean a life he didn’t know he would have. It was one he never
saw coming. And with football almost over, he’s going to move on to the next phase of his life, in his home town, and that town is Havre. “I’m pursuing a degree in education, I’ll be student teaching in the spring,” Dean said. “I have just found a love for the class room and for working with kids, educating kids. It’s my passion now. And I’m pretty sure I’ll go into coaching right away too. Football has given me so much, and I want to give back to the game. I want to give back to the younger generation, and I can do that through teaching and football. “And with football almost over, Trish and I are looking forward to the future, and everything that will come with it,” he continued. “She’s teaching at (Havre) Middle School, and we’re both going to be teachers eventually. So we can share that experience, and we’re excited about our summer’s off and traveling, and all those things. And eventually, we want to start a family. So even though it’s scary to know I won’t be playing foot-
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern quarterback Travis Dean, left, throws a pass during a 2013 Frontier Conference game against Carroll College in Havre. Dean made his first career start for the Lights as a freshman, against Carroll in 2010. Dean has endured plenty of ups and downs in his Northern career, but, before suffering a season-ending injury at Eastern Oregon two weeks ago, he was one of the top passers in the Frontier Conference and the NAIA. Dean will graduate from Northern this spring with a degree in education.
ball anymore, and I’m going to miss that experience, I’m going to miss all my teammates and coaches and the bonds I’ve built with them, and I’ll miss the fans and the great community support we get here at Northern, we’re excited about getting out in the real world and seeing what the future holds.” They say home is where the heart is. And from the first few days Dean was in Havre, and on Northern’s campus, it had his heart. Havre grabbed his heart, and it never let go, and that’s just fine with Travis Dean. Because he’s home. “I have a great life right now,” he added. “I’m happily married, I’m with all my family. I have great friends, teammates. I love Northern and I’m so thankful for the opportunity I was given. I could never see us going back to Arizona. That’s not meant as a bad thing. I loved growing up there. But this is home for me now. I look back and I never would have envisioned it when I was in high school, but here I am now. And it’s great.”
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5
Pos. DB LB DB DB DB QB LB WR WR RB WR WR QB QB QB K/P QB WR WR RB DB LB RB RB LB TE DB RB DB RB DB DL LB DB TE LB LB DB TE LB FB LB LB TE LB OL DL LB OL DL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL TE WR WR WR WR WR WR
Ht. 5-8 6-0 6-0 5-9 5-10 6-0 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-9 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-10 5-8 6-1 5-8 6-1 6-1 5-8 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-10 5-10 5-6 5-7 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-2 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-3 5-10 5-7 6-2 6-3 5-10
Wt. 170 215 175 195 185 170 210 195 175 190 215 185 200 220 200 195 240 165 175 215 185 240 205 210 185 205 185 210 175 165 185 255 245 190 230 190 215 196 210 215 220 215 215 215 230 270 225 215 275 245 230 280 230 280 291 255 240 275 290 230 200 180 165 200 210 175
Hometown Coupeville, Wash. Helena, Mont. Billings, Mont. Helena, Mont. Helena, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Bellevue, Wash. Helena, Mont. Hamilton, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Helena, Mont. Richey, Mont. Post Falls, Idaho Helena, Mont. Minden Nev. Mount Vernon, Wash. Dillon, Mont. Salmon, Idaho Great Falls, Mont. Idaho Falls, Idaho Helena, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Big Timber, Mont. Libby, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Battle Mountain, Nev. Oakley, Idaho Potlatch, Mont. Twin Bridges, Mont. Deer Lodge, Mont. Palmer, Alaska Great Falls, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Seattle, Wash. Manhattan, Mont. Clancy, Mont. Warden, Wash. Fernley, Nev. Great Falls, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Libby, Mont. Seattle, Wash. Missoula, Mont. Fort Benton, Mont. Blackfoot, Idaho Dillon, Mont. Laurel, Mont. Ronan, Mont. Puyallup, Wash. Belgrade, Mont. Idaho Falls, Idaho Winnemucca, Nev. Laurel, Mont. Billings, Mont. Spokane, Wash. Meridian, Idaho Bozeman, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Broadview, Mont. Billings, Mont. Valier, Mont. Monterey, Calif. Laurel, Mont.
No.Name 90 Patrick Valentine 91 Dylen Atchison 92 Philip Selin 93 Seth Mason 94 Andrew Gilpin 95 Tyrell Penner 98 Max Orrin
Year FR SO SR SO JR FR FR
Pos. K/P DL DL P/K DL DL DL
Ht. 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-2
Wt. 175 250 240 200 255 270 230
Hometown Troy, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Hamilton, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Salmon, Idaho Twin Bridges, Mont.
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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster
UM-Western Numerical Roster No.Name Year 1 Mitch Pelroy SO 2 Joe Coker JR 3 Ben Sulser JR 4 Connor Langel SR 5 Skyler Roope JR 6 Tres Cunningham FR 7 Will Fields SR 8 Quinn ChamberlainSO 9 Tyler Murray SO 10 Dylan Kramer JR 11 George SherwooodFR 12 Connor Lamping SO 13 Charlie Switzer SO 14 Matt Lickfold SO 15 Tyler Hulse SR 16 Connor Greth SO 17 Bennett Gibson FR 18 MJ Simkins FR 19 Beau Brekke SO 20 Sam Rutherford SO 21 Dakota Pineda SO 22 AJ Wilson JR 23 TJ Leep JR 24 Cory Holcomb SO 25 Taft Benson SO 26 Heath Hunter JR 27 Jay Owens FR 28 Michael Lake SR 29 Hunter Wadsworth FR 30 James Amos SO 31 Dilan Starkel SO 32 Reno Ward SO 33 Dakota WainwrightJR 34 Hunter Thomsen FR 36 Connor Fuller SR 37 Riley Martello FR 38 Michael Bennett FR 40 Jesse McCloud SR 41 Dustin Pickens FR 42 Adam Hansen FR 43 Tony Wilson SR 44 Ryan Otto SR 45 Matt Heidinger SO 47 Kraig Nelson FR 50 Connor Smith FR 51 Caleb DeGroot SR 52 Ernie Fultz SO 53 Garrett Buck FR 54 Donovan Hucke FR 58 Jarred Simons FR 59 Cody Mock FR 63 Shayden Flint FR 64 Andrew Wass FR 65 Jaxsen Lyon SO 66 Will Thacker JR 69 Cody Stone-MurphyFR 71 Kylan Putman SO 75 Nick Brown SR 77 John Munger FR 80 Wyatt Laakso FR 81 Jonah Lehmann FR 82 Christian Hanser FR 83 Matt Furhman FR 87 Justin Sullivan FR 82 Mitchell Keeton SO 89 Jon Verlanic FR
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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
UM-Western Defensive Starters
MSU-N Offensive Numbers
UM-W Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 25 ppg, 7th in Frontier Total offense: 483 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Jake Messerly #17, 6-1, 195 Receiver
Jay Owens #27, 6-0, 180 Cornerback
Rush offense: 174 ypg, 6th in Frontier
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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters
UM-W Offensive Numbers
MSU-N Defensive Numbers
Scoring: 28 ppg, 5th in Frontier
Scoring: 44 ppg, last in Frontier
Total defense: 401 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Total defense: 410 ypg, 4th in Frontier
Rush defense: 122 ypg, 1st in Frontier
Rush defense: 161 ypg, 3rd in Frontier
Scoring: 25 ppg, 7th 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
Andrew Gilpin #94, 6-3, 255 Defensive line
Tyler Craig #91, 6-1, 240 Defensive end Dakota Wainwright #33, 6-0, 245 Linebacker
Tucker Dunn
#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker
Tyrell Penner #95, 6-3, 270 Nose tackle
Zach Bangert #51, 6-1, 280 Right guard
Phil Seiln #92, 6-2, 240 Defensive line
Butch Hyder #13, 5-11, 200 Safety
Joe Coker #2, 6-0, 195 Linebacker
Will DeVos #95, 6-2, 255 Defensive tackle Kami Kanehailua #42, 6-1, 235 Linebacker
A.J. Wilson #22, 6-1, 215 Linebacker Ben Sulser #5, 6-0, 180 Safety
Jacob Criner #36, 5-11, 240 Fullback
Total offense: 360 ypg, 7th in Frontier
Nick Brown #75, 6-1, 275 Offensive line
Jess McCloud #40, 6-1, 195 Safety
Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back
Matt Lickfold #14, 6-2, 220 Receiver
Rushing: 191 ypg, 5th in Frontier
Pete Morales #77, 6-1, 285 Left tackle
Jake Eldridge MSU-N Head Coach
UM-Western 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
Dylan Murphy #71, 6-6, 310 Right tackle
B.J. Robertson Western Head Coach
Kylan Putman #71, 6-3, 265 Offensive line
Shayden Flint #63, 6-1, 280 Offensive line
Tyler Hulse #15, 6-2, 200 Quarterback
Caleb DeGroot #51, 6-2, 275 Offensive line
Sam Rutherford #20, 6-1, 220 Running back
Zach Bunney
#25, 5-7, 165 Receiver
Will Thacker #66, 6-1, 290 Offensive line
T.J. Benson #25, 5-10, 180 Linebacker Connor Greth
Donovan Hucke #49, 6-0, 275 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
#15, 6-2, 195 Kicker
Dakota Pineda #21, 5-8, 185 Cornerback
Mike McCrary #26, 5-10, 175 Corner
Beau Brekke #19, 5-8, 175 Receiver
George Sherwood
#11, 6-3, 215 Kicker
Robertson enters his second season as head coach for Montana Western. In his first season at the helm his Bulldogs went 4-6. He returned to his Alma Mater as head coach for the 2013 season after building a successful career as an assistant coach in programs at Rocky Mountain, Southern Oregon, and Rockford College. Robertson has served as assistant head coach, strength and condition coach, recruiting coordinator, special teams and as a position coach on both sides of the ball.
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MSU-Northern Rewind
A MSU-N senior class like no other
Nov. 7, 2014
George Ferguson Sports Editor
www.havredailynews.com
Frontier Conference Standings
Southern Oregon Carroll College Eastern Oregon UM-Western Rocky Mountain College of Idaho MSU-Northern Montana Tech
From the Fringe... The Montana State UniversityNorthern Lights, in many ways, are a young football team. A team with a lot of potential for the future. But, that doesn’t mean the Lights don’t have veterans. In fact, Northern will honor 15 of those veterans Saturday before the Lights face the UM-Western Bulldogs at Blue Pony Stadium. It’s the home finale for the Lights, which means it’s senior day. And senior day is always an emotional time. But, given what the 15 Northern senior have been through, this season, and throughout their careers, Saturday will be extra emotional. “It’s kind of scary knowing this is it,” Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean said. “For all of us, this will be the last time we play football at home, and then next week, it will be the last football game we’ll ever play. That’s hard to think about. But what’s really hard is knowing all of us won’t be together, won’t play together anymore. This senior class is really special, and it hurts to think about this group not being together anymore. The group that will be honored Saturday is special. The group is special because it has stuck together, when many others from the recruiting classes of 2010 and 2011 did not. The group, some who have played for four years, others who have played for five, and even six, has a bond that hasn’t been able to be broken. And that group, with Dean, Trevor Baum, Rostyn Pace, Nick Luoma, Butch Hyder, Hunter Chandler, Jordan Rueschhoff, Michael McCrary, Jacob Criner, Kami Kanehailua, Tyler Phillips, John Jansen, Zach Bangert, Shomari Burton and Will DeVos, deserve the ovation, honor and accolades they’ll get before Saturday’s game. And that’s because, with those seniors, there’s never been any quit. Every one of them has been dedicated to the Northern football program, the university, the community, all of their coaches, and most importantly, to each other. It hasn’t been easy. From 2010 through last week’s loss to Carroll College, the Northern senior class has experienced just 17 wins, with 2011 being the best season when the Lights went 5-5. And, at the start of a prom-
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Conf. WL
7-1 7-1 5-3 5-4 4-4 3-5 1-7 1-8
NAIA Coaches Poll 14. Ottawa (Kan.) 15. Valley City State 16. William Penn (Iowa) 17. Robert Morris (Ill.) 18. Friends (Kan.) 19. Cumberland (Tenn.) 20. Benedictine (Kan.) 21. Eastern Oregon 22. Tabor (Kan.) 23. Langston (Okla.) 24. Dakota Wesleyan 25. Campbellsville (Ky.)
Rec. Pts Prv.
1. Morningside (Iowa) 8-0 2. Carroll (Mont.) 7-1 3. Grand View (Iowa) 7-1 4. Faulkner (Ala.) 8-1 5. Southern Oregon 8-1 6. Georgetown (Ky.) 7-1 7. Northwestern (Iowa) 7-1 8. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 6-2 9. Missouri Valley 6-2 10. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 7-2 11. Marian (Ind.) 6-2 12. MidAmerica Nazarene 7-1 13. Baker (Kan.) 7-2
Overall WL
8-1 7-1 6-3 5-5 5-4 4-5 2-7 1-8
340 327 313 293 289 283 258 253 232 222 204 192 170
1 2 3 4 5 5 8 9 10 11 13 14 7
7-2 8-1 6-3 7-2 7-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-3 5-3 6-3 5-3
168 151 145 130 128 116 97 87 50 49 27 24
15 17 16 18 20 12 22 23 24 25 19 —
Others receiving votes: : Siena Heights (Mich.) 15; Reinhardt (Ga.) 10; Webber International (Fla.) 7.
Saturday, Nov. 8 MSU-Northern vs UM-Western Rocky Mountain at Carroll College Eastern Oregon at College of Idaho Southern Oregon at Montana Tech
Frontier Conference Individual Leaders
Saturday, Nov. 15 MSU-Northern at Rocky Mountain College of Idaho at Carroll College Eastern Oregon at Southern Oregon
Lights Coaching Staff
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Nick Luoma is part of a big senior class at MSU-Northern that will play their final home game Saturday against UM-Western. ising 2014 season, the group lost the only head coach it had ever known when Mark Samson was forced to resign his post after 12 years at the helm. Right then and there, it would have been easy for this senior class to give up, to walk away, to move on and do other things. But that’s not how this group was brought up. It’s not how they were coached by Samson, and it’s not how they wanted to go out. Instead, this group has done what it has done from the times when they all came together, whether it was just two years ago when Burton joined the team, or six years ago, when Pace first started playing for the Lights. This group fought, this group worked even harder, this group stayed strong and stayed bonded. And that’s what makes this group so special. That’s what makes senior day so special to them. And that’s what makes each and every Northern senior in the Class of 2014 a player that should never be forgotten, not by this program, or its fans. No, this group of Northern seniors has represented the school, the program, the community of Havre and all Northern alumni exactly the way all of us wish every single studentathlete would…with dignity, class, respect and pride. For this group, it was always about football, always about team, always about dedication, and most importantly, it was always about Northern.
“This is the greatest group of senior since I’ve been here,” Dean said. “And that’s not meant as a disrespect to any of the other classes, because I was lucky enough to play with some great senior classes. But given what this group has been through, everything that has happened, it’s just a special group of guys. “This group has never seen an actual winning season,” he continued. “But we’ve stuck together. With this group, it’s always been about playing for the love of the game, about playing for Northern. It’s been about playing for each other, and trying to pass that on to the younger guys. In my opinion, every one of these seniors is a true team captain. They are all great leaders. These guys are my best friends. This is the only group I’ve ever been a part of that there is no quit. This group of seniors has always fought to the end, no matter the situation. And I’m proud to have been a part of a group like that. It’s going to be emotional, and really special to walk out onto that field one last time with these guys. I love them all, and they’ll forever be in my heart.” No one could have summed up these Northern seniors any better than Travis Dean just did. And just like they’re in your heart Travis, all of you will forever be in ours. I’m sure I speak on behalf of the entire Northern Nations when I say, thank you Northern seniors. We will never forget you.
Through Week Ten
Passing: Austin Dodge, SOU, 358 ypg Receiving: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 136 ypg Receptions: A. McCullough, RMC, 8 cpg Rushing: Dustin Rinker, CC, 130 ypg Tackles: Cory Bummer, RMC, 78 tackles Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 10 sacks INT's: Cory Brady, C of I, 5 ints
Jake Eldridge Head Coach
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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The Life of a Light
Playing football for MSUNorthern changed Travis Dean's life off the field more than on it George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Travis Dean is a football player. He’s been a football player since the day he arrived in Havre, a cold , snowy January night back in 2010. Travis Dean is also a quarterback. He’s been a Northern quarterback since that same night, when he was introduced at a MSU-Northern men’s basketball game. And, though injured for the rest of the season, he’s Northern’s starting quarterback.
However, in a twist you don’t see often from college football players, Dean is also a Havreite. Sure, it says Dean is from Gilbert, Arizona, but that’s no longer his home. Unlike so many college athletes who have played their final game, and who have received their college degree, Dean won’t be returning home to Arizona. Instead, Dean is already home. “When I got here, in January of 2010, I would have never thought I’d be where I’m at now,” said the MSU-N senior quarterback, who will have to watch Northern’s senior day game against UM-Western from the sidelines due to a fracture in his leg he suffered two weeks ago at Eastern Oregon. “Here I am from Arizona, and I get here that first night, and it’s full on winter. It was nasty outside. But, inside the Armory, I got introduced as a new recruit, and the ovation me and the other recruits that were there that night got, I was like wow, this is a lot different. “So, I look back now and I realize I got
that home feeling right away,” he continued. “I got that feeling that this place was going to be special to me. I met a bunch of great teammates when I first got here, I met the Samson family, and they immediately felt like family to me, even before I met Tricia (wife). This community, this campus, all the people, it just really grew on me right away.” And Dean grew here too. The Northern quarterback has endured so much in his time playing football for the Lights, that at times, it would have been easy for him to just pack up and head back
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Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Montana State University-Northern senior quarterback Travis Dean won't be able to play in Saturday's home finale against the UM-Western Bulldogs. But once football is over, Dean will remain in Havre, where he has made a home for himself.
MSU-Northern Lights vs UM-Western 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: 2-7 (1-7)
Streak: The Lights have llost their last two games by a combined score of of 125-34, against EOU and Carroll.
Saturday, November 8, 2014 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 12 p.m. Montana Western
2013 record: 4-6 (4-6)
Stadium: Vigilante Field
Nickname: Bulldogs
Streak: The Bulldogs, who beat the Lights last month, are aiming for their first winning season in conference play in over a decade.
2014 record: 5-5 (5-4)
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League is now a two team race George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
Two weeks left in the Frontier Conference football season, and as expected, the Frontier title will go down to the wire. In fact, unless a drastic upset takes place, it looks like a tie in the Frontier standings is more than likely. This past Saturday, Carroll College and Southern Oregon kept pace with each other, both winning handily. Carroll blasted the Montana State University-Northern Lights in Havre, while SOU thumped Rocky Mountain College 45-28. In the standings, the Fighting Saints and Raiders are tied at 7-1, each with two games left. Carroll will host a reeling RMC squad Saturday, then finish with a home game against College of Idaho Nov. 15. SOU plays its last road game this Saturday, at Montana Tech,
then returns home to host Eastern Oregon in a rivalry game Nov. 15. With RMC dropping its game at UM-Western last Saturday, the Battlin Bears have fallen out of contention for the Frontier title. At the start of the season, Rocky was a popular pick to challenge Carroll and SOU for the conference crown. However, EOU still has plenty to say about the conference championship, but the Mounties will have to win their last two road games, which would include an upset at SOU, and need Carroll to drop its last two home games, in order to share the league title. That scenario is unlikely given how well the Saints are playing, but EOU can very much spoil the conference title for the Raiders with a win in LaGrande, Oregon Nov. 15.
Two wins to finish the season would also put EOU within striking distance of being the third Frontier team invited to the NAIA playoffs. At this point, barring a disaster for either team, Carroll and SOU are locked into the playoffs, no matter which team wins the league’s automatic bid.
Hungry Dawgs When the UM-Western Bulldogs come to Havre Saturday for Northern’s home finale, they will have plenty to play for. Thought it’s Western’s last game of the season, and the Bulldogs have no chance of winning the Frontier or making the playoffs, they will be in Havre
Today in the Frontier Conference Montana Western Bulldogs (5-5, 5-4)
At Montana State University-Northern Lights (2-7, 1-7)
Head coach: B. J. Robertston
Location: Dillon, Mont.
Colors: Black and Red
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Rocky Mountain College (5-4, 4-4) at No. 2 Carroll College (7-1, 7-1) in Helena, Mont. No. 21 Eastern Oregon (6-3, 5-3) at College of Idaho (4-5, 3-5)
in Caldwell, Idaho
No. 5 Southern Oregon (8-1, 7-1) at Montana Tech (1-8, 1-8) in Butte, Mont.
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
ready for a fight. Western, which beat the Lights 50-30 back on Sept. 20 in Dillon, has a chance to go 6-4 in the Frontier standings, and post its first true winning record in nearly 10 years. The Bulldogs upset then nationally-ranked RMC last Saturday, and, in just B.J. Robertson’s second seas o n
Havre Daily News Week Ten Frontier Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. Carroll College 3. Eastern Oregon 4. UM-Western 5. Rocky Mountain College 6. College of Idaho 7. MSU-Northern 8. Montana Tech
as head coach, have become a tough team to beat for Frontier opponents. And one of the main reasons the Dawgs are hard to handle is their consistency. Western does nothing fancy, and the Bulldogs won’t likely have many All-Conference
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Notebook: Lights motivated to beat the Bulldogs on senior day n From Page 11
players on offense. But they run the ball extremely well with sophomores Sam Rutherford and Dylan Kramer, and senior quarterback Tyler Hulse makes few mistakes. He’s thrown 15 touchdowns on the season, while only throwing five interceptions in 262 pass attempts this fall. Western’s defense is just as steady. Led by safety Jess McCloud, defensive end Phil Selin, and a rabid group of linebackers, the Dawgs allow just 28 points per game, 401 yards of offense and a Frontier-best 122 yards rushing per game. The Bulldogs have also garnered 15 takeaways this season, meaning their defense is just as steady and rock solid as their offense. And while some teams with no hopes of finishing high in the conference standings will generally mail in their last game, the Bulldogs won’t. With a win in Blue Pony Stadium
Saturday, Western will finish off one of its best seasons in a long, long time, and with tons of talent returning, would establish itself as a major player in the Frontier in 2015. Great Falls Production Saturday will be senior day for the MSUNorthern Lights when they take on UM-Western. And interim head coach Jake Eldridge says the goal will be to make sure the seniors leave Blue Pony Stadium with one last win. “We have to go out represent these seniors and get em’ out of here with a win on senior day,” Eldridge said. “So we just have to go back to work and I think we’ll have a good week of practice and be ready to play Western next Saturday.” And while Northern’s 15 seniors will do everything they can to make sure that hap-
pens Saturday, it’s a couple of sophomores from Great Falls who can really help lift the Lights to a win. Running back Zach McKinley is now smashing Northern records every time he steps on the field. The former CMR product has already broke five different MSU-N single-season and all-time rushing records, and he’s nowhere near done. On the other side of the ball, sophomore defensive end Tyler Craig is doing the same. With two games left in the season, Craig needs 1.5 sacks to tie the Northern singleseason record, and he’s averaging one sack per contest, which means he could break the record over the next two weeks. Craig has a Frontier best 10 sacks so far and is certainly a candidate for Frontier Defensive Player of the year.
Lost season The Montana Tech Orediggers were picked to finish fifth in the Frontier Conference this fall. It was a modest pick, but certainly, the Orediggers didn’t think they’d be where they are now. Tech has lost eight straight games since beating MSU-Northern on Aug. 30 in Butte. It’s become a season that everybody in Butte will want to forget. And things don’t get any easier for Tech, which is last in the Frontier in almost every single offensive category. Tech finishes the season with a home game against No. 5 Southern Oregon this Saturday. And if the Diggers’ can’t find a way to upset the potent Raiders, it will be Tech’s worst finish in two decades, as well as the second time the Orediggers have finished in last place in the Frontier in the last four seasons.
Havre Daily News/Eric Seidle Trevor Baum and the Montana State University-Northern seniors willplay for the last time at Blue Pony Stadium when the Light shost the UM-Western Bulldogs Saturday at 1 p.m.