MSU-Northern Game Day 9-5-2015

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Notebook: Lights return from a much needed bye week n From Page 11

again in Ashland, Oregon next month. Southern marches into Carroll’s Nelson Stadium Saturday as the defending NAIA national champions. And while the Raiders don’t have star quarterback Austin Dodge anymore, they have something few teams have…multiple wins at Nelson Stadium in recent years. SOU stunned Carroll three years ago in Helena, but last season’s trilogy was one for the ages. Carroll and SOU opened the season last year in Oregon with the Raiders coming away with a 38-35 win. However, the Saints responded by beating the Raiders, and eventually clinching the Frontier title with a crazy, 42-40 win in Helena the following month. But, the Carroll/SOU story of 2014 didn’t end there. With the Saints a top seed in the NAIA playoffs, all roads seemed to point to Carroll having a chance to win its seventh national championship. But the road ended with a 45-42 loss to the Raiders in the quarterfinals in Helena. Carroll’s season was over right there, while SOU would go on to

win the national championship. So, there’s no doubt Carroll has been looking forward to this game for nearly a year. It should be a sellout crowd in Helena, and revenge will be the order of the day. SOU is breaking in a new quarterback, while Carroll has an experienced QB in Mac Roche, but an inexperienced defense in some spots. So no doubt, the game is intriguing and it could be the start to yet another chapter in a saga that is starting to dominate the Frontier Conference.

Frontier in the coming years. C of I did it on the ground too. Utah transfer J.J. Hyde rushed for three scores and 85 yards while fellow back Kyle Merriitt led all rushers with 104 yards and quarterback TeeJay Gordon added 58 yards on the ground to go with two touchdowns through the air. The Yotes only re-started football last season, so, Saturday’s win over EOU was its first against a nationally-ranked opponent since a 23-19 win over Willamette all the way back Oct. 18, 1969.

Hot Start

Full Slate

Eastern Oregon has high hopes for the 2015 season. But those hopes took a major heat on a hot, smoky day in Caldwell, Idaho. Last Saturday, the Frontier season began with College of Idaho shocking the No. 13 Mounties 40-28 before a sellout crowd at Simplot Stadium. And once again, the Yotes proved they are going to be a force in the

Saturday will mark the first day of the season in which every Frontier team is in action. While Northern (0-1) takes on Montana Tech (0-0) in Havre, and Carroll (0-0) hosts SOU (0-0) in Helena, UM-Western will make its season debut when it plays host to Rocky Mountain College (1-0) in Dillon. The Battlin’ Bears opened their season last Satur-

day with a home win over Dickinson State. The Yotes (1-0) are at home again, but will play a non-conference game against Pacific University, while EOU (0-1) moves way up to face NCAA Division I Sacramento State Saturday night Sacramento, California. Awards Last week, the Frontier had its first Player of the Week Awards. Hyde, of College of Idaho, was named the Frontier Offensive player of the Week, after rushing for three scores three scores and 85 yards on just 13 carries. EOU linebacker Gary Posten was named the Defensive Player of the Week. In the loss at C of I, Posten record 17 total tackles including 11 solo stops. RMC kicker Evan Connelly was named the Special Team’s Player of the Week. Connelly kicked three field goals in the Bears’ 23-13 win over DSU.

Havre Daily News/File Photo Montana State University-Northern defensive end Tyler Craig, right, chases Montana Tech quarterback Dawson Reardon during a Frontier Conference football game last fall in Havre. The Lights and Orediggers meet in a Frontier opener Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.

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Life Changing Move

In the blink of an eye, Aaron Christensen went from an assistant in Missouri to the man in charge at MSU-Northern George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

Life can change in the blink of an eye. So can a career. One day, you’re here, and the next you’re there. That’s exactly what happened to Montana State University-Northern first-year head coach Aaron Christensen. On Thanksgiving Day of 2014, Christensen was on the offensive coordinator at Missouri Valley College, and on Christmas Day, he was the head coach of

the Lights. Christensen was announced by Northern Athletic Director Christian Oberquell as the Lights third head coach in the era since football was brought back to MSU-N – the announcement coming on Christmas, and just a few weeks later, he was in his office at Northern and his family, wife Jolene, and daughters Olivia, Avery, and Adalynn were headed for a Montana they had never really seen. And from that point, life has been different. Good, but different. “It all happened really fast,” Christensen, who spent three years as MVC’s offensive coordinator said. “But that’s coaching. “It’s been really busy since I got here, just getting things going. So I really haven’t had much of a chance to reflect on it a lot. But it’s been good. Everything is going in the right direction, and that’s what we want.” Going in the right direction from a football standpoint has been Christensen’s main focus since he took over the program in January. A program that lost 11-year head coach Mark

Samson prior to the star of the 2014 season, and saw Northern defensive coordinator Jake Eldridge take over as interim head coach for the year. So, while Christensen is essentially the third head coach at Northern since August of last year, the program has certainly gone through some turmoil, and that means there’s been challenges in his first months as head coach. But challenges are part of the gig, especially when it’s your first time as a head coach of a college football program. “My old head coach always told me, everyone can tell you what it’s like to be a head

n

Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern head coach Aaron Christensen was hired to lead the Lights back in December. Ever since, it's been a whirlwind move to Havre, followed by plenty of challenges. But now, it's just about football.

MSU-Northern Lights vs Montana Tech Orediggers Location: Havre, Mont. Nickname: Lights Colors: Maroon and Yellow 2015 record: 0-1 (0-0)

2014 record: 3-8 (2-8) Head coach: Aaron Christensen Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium Streak: The Lights are on a one-game winning streak against Tech. The Lights won 37-34 last fall in Havre.

Saturday, September 5, 2014 Blue Pony Stadium ~ 1 p.m. Montana Tech

2014 record: 1-9 (1-9)

Stadium: Alumni Coliseum

Nickname: Orediggers

Streak: The Orediggers won their season-opener for two straight season, including a 40-28 win over the Lights last August.

2015 record: 0-0 (0-0)

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Game of the Year set for Helena George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

opportunity to win their first game in the Aaron Christensen era. A year ago, the Lights earned a dramatic 37-34 win over the Orediggers in Havre, a game that came down to a last-second field goal. Both teams were picked to finish at the bottom of the Frontier this season, but one of them will get off to a 1-0 start in league play after Saturday. Northern is young across the board, and that showed in its tough loss at DSU two weeks ago. Tech, despite going just 1-9 last season, is much more experienced. However, there is one question mark that won’t be answered until the Orediggers’ first offensive series. And that’s who the starting quarterback is. Tech returns red-shirt junior

starter Dawson Reardon, but the Orediggers also brought in Montana State transfer Quinn McQueary. Given McQueary’s talent and skill level, and having spent the last year competing with Dakota Prukop and Jake Bleskin for the Bobcats’ starting job, it seemed likely he’d win the Orediggers’ starting job. But, in Tech’s first twodeep of the season, head coach Chuck Morrell did not list a starter, so who is calling the signals against the Lights on Saturday remains a mystery. But whoever is starting for the Orediggers at quarterback, that guy will be facing a hungry Northern defense and a Lights’ team fired up for its home opener. Things didn’t go as planned in MSU-N’s season-opener, so now the Lights

Today in the Frontier Conference Montana Tech Orediggers (0-0, 0-0)

At Montana State University-Northern Lights (0-0, 0-1)

Head coach: Chuck Morrell

Location: Butte, Mont.

Colors: Green and White

Sept. 4, 2015

The NAIA football season is in its infancy. But Aug. 22 probably seems like a long time ago to the Montana State University-Northern Lights. MSU-N opened its season with a 17-7 loss at Dickinson State two weeks ago, and, the Lights are now coming off a much-needed bye week. The bye was perfect timing for the young Northern squad, which got to work on systems and fundamentals for an entire week following the loss to DSU, and they got to do it without having to worry about an opponent. Now however, it’s time for Northern to re-start its season, and the Lights get to do it at home. MSU-N opens the 2015 Frontier Conference season Saturday against Montana Tech at Blue Pony Stadium, and the Lights are excited for another

See Christensen Page 6

Montana State University-Northern

11

No. 1 Southern Oregon (0-0, 0-0) at No. 4 Carroll College (0-0, 0-0) in Helena, Mont.

Rocky Mountain College (0-0, 1-0) at UM-Western (0-0, 0-0) in Butte, Mont.

Pacific University (0-0) at College of Idaho (1-0, 1-0) in Caldwell, Idaho

No. 13 Eastern Oregon (0-1,0-1) at Sacramento State (0-0) in Sacramento, Calif.

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

will try and take a step forward on their home turf. Game of the Year September is early when it comes to talk of championships and big games, but that’s not the case this Saturday in Helena. Instead, the fate of the Frontier Conference

Havre Daily News Week Two Frontier Power Rankings 1. Southern Oregon 2. Carroll College 3. College of Idaho 4. UM-Western 5. Rocky Mountain College 6. Eastern Oregon 7. MSU-Northern 8. Montana Tech

could very well be determined by the outcome of Saturday’s contest between No. 1 Southern Oregon and No. 5 Carroll College. The game, billed as the NAIA Game of the Week, might as well be the NAIA Game of the Year, at least until the two teams meet

n

See Notebook Page 12

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MSU-Northern Rewind

Blue Hawks dim Lights in opener Northern fights hard but comes up short in stormy Dickinson

George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com The Montana State UniversityNorthern Lights had high hopes, and were hoping to shine bright under the lights of Dickinson, North Dakota, for their season-opening game. Instead, things turned stormy for the Lights, just as the weather did Saturday night inside the Besiot Activities Center. Northern, which had won its two previous games against Dickinson State, was stymied on offense, and a couple of special team’s miscues helped lead the Blue Hawks to a 17-7 win. However, the game, which was played in a 40 mph wind and intermittent rain, didn’t start out that way as MSU-N’s Jake Messerly took the opening kickoff 76 yards and set the Lights up with a great scoring chance. From there however, the Lights came up empty, and it would be a tough night for the Lights’ young offense. "That first drive after the kickoff return, that kind of summed up our night," said MSU-N first-year head coach Aaron Christensen. “We had great field position and we would gain nine or 10 yards and then seem to back five years. On that series, we went for it on fourth down and had an off-sides penalty that killed it. So we could just never put two positive plays in a row together. And that's kind of how it went for us on offense the whole game." On the other side of the ball, backup DSU quarterback Reid Sterling surprised the MSU-N defense by rushing for 80 yards on 24 carries and throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Reid to give DSU an early 7-0 lead. Sterling came on in relief of starter Ryan Moerkerke, who himself was starting for injured veteran Kaler Ray. Still, the Lights’ offense answered the bell by putting together an excellent drive midway through the second stanza, a drive that was capped by Zach McKinley’s first touchdown of the season, a 9-yard scamper to paydirt. However, that would be all the Lights would get and, thanks to an errant snap on a punt attempt deep in MSU-N territory, the Blue Hawks were able to take a 14-7 lead into halftime after Sterling scored on a 6-yard run. Northern’s defense played admirably, and allowed only a 23-yard field goal the rest of the way, but Sterling

Frontier Conference Standings

College of Idaho Rocky Mountain Carroll College UM-Western Southern Oregon Montana Tech MSU-Northern Eastern Oregon

Conf. WL 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1

Overall WL 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1

NAIA Coaches Poll

Rec. Pts Prv.

1. Southern Oregon (8) 13-2 1. Marian (Ind.) (5) 11-3 3. Morningside (Iowa) 12-2 4. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 10-3 4. Carroll (Mont.) (1) 10-2 6. Grand View (Iowa) 11-2 7. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 10-3 8. MidAmerica Nazarene 9-2 9. Missouri Valley 9-4 10. Faulkner (Ala.) 9-3 11. Georgetown (Ky.) 8-3 12. Northwestern (Iowa) 9-2

304 304 289 277 277 254 240 227 222 200 198 181

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 8 10 11 12

13. Eastern Oregon 8-3 14. Ottawa (Kan.) 9-3 15. Baker (Kan.) 8-3 16. Campbellsville (Ky.) 7-4 17. Valley City State 9-2 18. Langston (Okla.) 7-5 19. William Penn (Iowa) 7-4 20. Robert Morris (Ill.) 8-3 21. Friends (Kan.) 8-3 22. Doane (Neb.) 7-3 22. Tabor (Kan.) 7-4 24. Webber International 8-3 25. Benedictine (Kan.) 7-4

172 148 138 136 105 98 95 90 64 51 51 42 36

13 14 16 15 17 19 18 20 21 22 24 23 25

Others receiving votes: : Sterling (Kan.) 9; Saint Francis (Ind.) 9; Montana Western 9; Reinhardt (Ga.) 3.

Saturday, Aug. 29 Rocky Mountain 23, Dickinson State 13 College of Idaho 40, Eastern Oregon 28 Saturday MSU-Northern vs Montana Tech College of Idaho vs Pacific Eastern Oregon at Sacramento State Rocky Mountain at UM-Western Southern Oregon at Carroll College

Frontier Conference Individual Leaders 2014 Final

Passing: Austin Dodge, SOU, 351 ypg Receiving: Trevor Baum, MSU-N, 136 ypg Receptions: A. McCullough, RMC, 8 cpg Rushing: Dustin Rinker, CC, 130 ypg Tackles: Laurence Calcagno, SOU 145 Sacks: Tyler Craig, MSU-N, 10 sacks INT's: Cory Brady, C of I, 6 ints

Lights Coaching Staff Dickinson Press MSU-Northern's Jake Messerly, right, runs with the ball during a NAIA football game between the Lights and Dickinson State on Aug. 22. continued to elude defenders all night, including several runs on third down which kept the clock running and the ball away from the Lights in the second half. "I thought our defense played pretty well," Christensen said. "I don't think we gave them (Blue Hawks) much. They made some plays but they weren't plays where we gave them to them. So, I thought our defense definitely played well enough for us to win the game." Sterling would finish the game completing eight passes to go with his rushing total. But despite the struggles to stop the elusive quarterback, the Lights were stout on defense. Northern held the Blue Hawks to just 10 first downs and 222 yards of offense. The Lights also had five sacks, including three by star defensive end Tyler Craig. Tucker Dunn and Garet Fowler also had sacks, while Craig led the way with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Still, the strong defensive effort couldn’t offset the special team’s miscues, or the inability of the MSU-N offense to generate any momentum, especially in the second half. Several promising drives stalled in the third and fourth quarters, and by game’s end, the Lights managed just 189 yards of offense. In windy conditions, Northern’s passing game struggled the most as sophomore Jess Krahn

was just 4-of-18 on the night. McKinley did rush for 96 yards, while Mario Gabotto added 62 on 13 carries, but DSU’s defense stood tall for much of the night, and handed the Lights their first loss against the Blue Hawks since 2013. "The special team's plays were probably the difference in the game," Christensen said. "The two touchdowns they scored were both off of special team's mistakes by us. So special teams was definitely a difference in the game, and we knew that it would be. "As far as how we played offensively, credit Dickinson State," Christensen said. "They did their job against our offense. I thought our offensive line executed pretty well, but we just had too many plays that set us back offensively and stopped drives. Just too many little things that we didn't do right at times." The Lights (0-1) have some time to figure things out. Because of agreeing to an early start date, Northern will now get a bye before opening Frontier Conference play Sept. 5 against Montana Tech at Blue Pony Stadium. "A lot of the issues we saw in the game are very correctable," Christensen said. "I think we saw some very positive things from that game, but also things we need to get fixed. So that's what we're going to focus on during the bye week."

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

Montana Tech Defensive Starters

MSU-N 2014 Offensive Numbers

TECH 2014 Defensive Numbers

Scoring: 25 ppg, 6th in Frontier Total offense: 483 ypg, 3rd in Frontier

Jake Messerly #17, 6-1, 195 Receiver

DeAngelo Bell #1, 5-9, 170 Cornerback

Rush offense: 172 ypg, 5th in Frontier

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MSU-Northern Defensive Starters

TECH 2014 Offensive Numbers

MSU-N 2014 Defensive Numbers

Scoring: 36 ppg, 5th in Frontier

Scoring: 44 ppg, last in Frontier

Total defense: 425 ypg, 5th in Frontier

Total defense: 448 ypg, 6th in Frontier

Rush defense: 184 ypg, 5th in Frontier

Rush defense: 197 ypg, 6th in Frontier

Scoring: 23 ppg, last 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).

Jeremy Eisenmann #73, 6-3, 250 Offensive line

Jess Krahn #8, 6-3, 220 Quarterback

Matt McKeen #78, 6-2,290 Center

Jake Crawford #42, 6-3, 250 Defensive line

Tyler Craig #91, 6-2, 245 Defensive end David Meis #46, 6-3, 225 Linebacker

Tucker Dunn

#2, 6-1, 225 Linebacker

Tyler Sanders #55, 6-2, 265 Nose tackle

Jacob Folk #60, 6-4, 335 Offensive line

Luke Benz #43, 6-2, 245 Defensive line

Traejun Ford #25, 6-0, 185 Safety

Matt Neylan #32, 6-3, 225 Linebacker

Lane Urick #92, 6-1, 285 Defensive tackle GaretFowler #12, 5-10, 205 Linebacker

Tyler Gavlak #48, 6-1, 215 Linebacker Gunnar Kayser #11, 6-3, 215 Safety

Wyatt McKinlay #44, 5-10, 205 Fullback

Garrett Jericoff #1, 5-9, 165 Safety

Patrick Barnett #90, 6-2, 265 Defensive tackle Jon McGinnis #4, 6-1, 205 Linebacker

Jordan Brusio #47, 5-11, 240 Defensive end

Pete Morales #77, 6-3, 295 Offensive line

Chuck Morrell Montana Tech Head Coach

Tyler Denny #69, 6-6. 285 Offensive line

Ryan Stemple #66, 6-3, 290 Offensive line

Quinn McQueary #8, 6-3, 190 Quarterback

Jalen Whitely #57, 6-3, 275 Offensive line

Nolan Saraceni #33, 5-11, 205 Running back

Zach Winfield

#25, 6-1, 220 Running back

Jack Hape #58, 6-4, 280 Offensive line

Drew Schleeman #51, 6-3, 225 Linebacker

Andrew Loudenback #18, 6-3, 230 Tight end

Kagen Khameneh #85, 6-3, 225 Tight end Dillon Barnes #89, 6-0, 160 Punter

Total offense: 333 ypg, last in Frontier

Travis Oakson #71, 6-2, 290 Offensive line

Rial Gunlickson #41, 6-1, 200 Safety

Zach McKinley #24, 5-11, 210 Running Back

Alex Bray #80, 5-11, 180 Receiver

Rushing: 152 ypg, 7th in Frontier

Diamond Pedro #72, 6-3, 250 Offensive line

Aaron Christensen MSU-N Head Coach

Montana Tech Offensive Starters

Jaime Toscano #49, 5-8, 210 Kicker

Jake Day #10, 5-10, 185 Receiver

Xavier Mardesn #6, 6-0, 180 Cornerback

Logan Sprouse #21, 5-11, 170 Corner

Carlos Martinez #5, 5-9, 170 Receiver

Derrick Holt

#40, 5-9, 185 Kicker

Head coach Chuck Morrell begins his fifth campaign at the helm of the Oredigger football program. He starts the 2015 season with a 15-27 overall record at Montana Tech and for his career. Morrell arrived at Tech from the University of South Dakota, where he served as the defensive coordinator in 2009. Prior to his stint at USD, Morrell coached at the University of Sioux Falls from 19982009, where he served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

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MSU-Northern Numerical Roster

Montana Tech Numerical Roster No. Name Year 1 DeAngelo Bell SR 2 Caleb Vance SR 3 Clay Cavender SR 4 Cash Barden JR 5 Carlos Martinez JR 6 Xavier Marsden JR 7 Chris Lachance JR 8 Quinn McQueary SO 9 Reid Siderius SO 10 Sean Sullivan SO 11 Gunnar Kayser JR 12 Chris Kelly JR 13 Dion Williams FR 14 Jacob Miller JR 15 Nicholas Beauchaine JR 16 Tucker Rauthe FR 17 Dawson Reardon SO 18 Andrew Loudenback JR 19 Matt Berg SR 20 Deontae Wells JR 21 Michael Pirnik JR 22 Jimmy Weigel SO 23 Will Davey SO 24 Anthony Nelson JR 25 Zach Bunney JR 26 Eddie Smith JR 27 Clay Brozovich JR 28 Hunter Gappmayer FR 29 Devon Jones SR 30 Daniel Van Dyke FR 31 Zach Hulse JR 32 Matthew Neylan SR 33 Nolan Saraceni JR 34 Zach Winfield SO 35 Thane McCracken FR 36 Nic Amestoy FR 37 Jess Stenzel SO 38 Sam Hanich JR 39 Chris Johnson FR 40 Derrick Holt JR 41 Rial Gunlikson JR 42 Jacob Crawford SR 43 Luke Benz JR 45 Brock Beede SO 46 David Meis SR 47 Connor Wines FR 48 Tyler Gavlak SR 50 Jacob Yedica FR 51 Drew Schleeman SO 52 Levi Dawes SO 53 Seth Adams FR 55 Tyler Sanders SO 56 AJ Robinson FR 57 Jalen Whitley SO 58 Jack Hape FR 59 Gage Marcum SO 62 Devin Ward SO 63 Axel Bladhom FR 65 Tyler Bigot JR 66 Ryan Stemple JR 68 Breque Shepard JR 69 Tyler Denny SR 71 Travis Oakason JR 72 Gage McCann SR 73 Kellen Davis FR 74 Hayden Smith FR

Pos. Ht. DB 5-9 DB 6-0 WR 5-9 LB 6-3 WR 5-7 DB 6-0 WR 6-4 QB 6-3 DB 6-4 WR 6-3 DB 6-4 WR 6-3 WR 6-1 DL 6-3 WR 6-1 DB 6-0 QB 6-1 TE/QB 6-3 K/QB 5-9 DB 6-0 DB 6-1 WR 6-2 DB 6-1 DB 5-9 RB 5-7 LB 5-10 RB 5-10 RB 5-8 DL 6-0 DB 5-9 LB 6-2 LB 6-3 RB 5-10 WR 6-1 RB 5-7 LB 5-10 LB 6-1 LB 6-1 DB 5-9 K/P 5-9 DB 6-1 TE 6-3 DL 6-2 LB 6-5 LB 6-3 LB 6-2 LB 6-1 LB 6-1 LB 6-3 DL 6-2 RB 6-0 DL 6-2 LB 6-1 DL 6-3 OL 6-4 OL 6-3 OL 6-5 OL 6-5 OL 6-4 OL 6-3 OL 6-0 OL 6-6 OL 6-2 OL 6-5 OL 6-3 OL 6-3

Wt. 170 190 180 225 170 185 200 195 200 180 200 200 195 250 170 200 210 225 180 175 190 205 175 170 165 210 195 195 215 165 215 225 195 220 175 190 215 200 170 185 190 240 240 245 225 230 215 200 225 240 220 265 200 275 275 250 275 250 280 290 250 285 290 295 260 250

Hometown Portland, Ore. Missoula, Mont. Redding, Calif. Oak Park, Calif. Denver, Colo. La Mirada, Calif San Diego, Calif. Manhattan, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Red Lodge, Mont. Colbert, Wash. San Diego, Calif. Fairfield, Calif. Bakersfield, Calif. Bozeman, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Helena, Mont. Monterey, Calif. Butte, Mont. St. Louis, Mo. Gilroy, Calif. Spokane, Wash. Polson, Mont. Corona, Calif. Butte, Mont. Modesto, Calif. Butte, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. South Clearfield, Utah Helena, Mont. Helena, Mont. San Diego, Calif. Billings, Mont. Helena, Mont. Shelby, Mont. Helena, Mont. Great Falls, Mont. Missoula, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Renton, Wash. Kalispell, Mont. Tumwater, Wash. Kidder County, N.D. Joliet, Mont. Clancy, Mont. Gardner, Mont. Stevensville, Mont. Spokane Valley, WA Butte, Mont. Helena, Mont. Helena, Mont. Helena, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Billings, Mont. Bozeman, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Kalispell, Mont. Pendleton, Ore. Missoula, Mont. Helena, Mont. Milford, Utah Kila, Mont. Billings, Mont. Moscow, Idaho Gig Harbor, Wash.

No. Name Year 75 Matt Murphy FR 76 Zach Dennehy FR 77 Alexander Ravarino SO 80 Alec Bray SR 81 Mitchell Keeton JR 83 Zeb Bloom FR 84 Beau-Riley Pearson SR 85 Mick Paffhausen FR 86 Cam Nissen FR 87 Slaten Long JR 88 Kolby Kansala JR 89 Levi Lynde FR 90 Trevor Hopf FR 91 John Brennan FR 92 Joey Orrino SO 93 Eli Brewer FR 94 Chance Hansen FR 94 Chance Hansen FR 96 Andy Butcher SO 98 James Foote FR

Pos. Ht. OL/DL 6-1 OL 6-2 OL 6-3 WR 5-11 WR 6-3 WR 5-11 TE 6-2 WR 5-10 TE 6-5 TE 6-3 TE 6-4 WR 5-9 DL 6-4 DL 6-0 DL 5-10 DL 6-3 DL 6-4 DL 6-4 DL 6-5 DL 6-1

Wt. 245 280 275 185 210 190 230 175 220 240 215 155 250 250 275 240 235 235 250 245

Hometown Missoula, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Sandy, Utah Missoula, Mont. Monterey, Calif. Simms, Mont. Bakersfield, Calif. Dillon, Mont. Bigfork, Mont. Helena, Mont. Eagle Creek, Ore. Red Lodge, Mont. Billings, Mont. Whitehall, Mont. Anaconda, Mont. East Wenatchee, Wash. Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls, Idaho Lewistown, Mont. Missoula, Mont.

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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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Sept. 4, 2015

www.havredailynews.com

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Sept. 4, 2015

www.havredailynews.com

Christensen: New head coach looking forward to his home debut

Christensen: New MSU-Northern head man liking life in Havre

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coach, but you don’t know until you actually do it,” Christensen said. “It’s a lot like having kids. People can tell you what it’s like, but until you have them, you really don’t know.” And while the challenges have been plenty, Christensen certainly came to Havre prepared for the job. During his time in Missouri, MVC won three consecutive Heart of America Athletics Conference Championships, had three NAIA FCS appearances, and one NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) semifinal appearance. Prior to becoming offensive coordinator, Christensen served as running backs' coach, wide receivers' coach, video coordinator and passing game coordinator for MVC. Christensen was on staff at MVC for five Heart of America Athletic Conference championships, seven NAIA Football Championship Series appearances, and three NAIA FCS semifinal

games. And for many of those seasons, his MVC offenses ranked among the best in the NAIA. Before arriving at MVC, Christensen attended Huron University where he earned All -Conference honors as a TE. Following his playing career, Christensen spent two seasons as a student coach coaching the tight ends at Huron. Prior to Huron, Christensen played at San Jose City College near his hometown of Hayward, California. But as well prepared as Christensen was coming in, there were things, like in all jobs where you climb the ladder, that he’s had to learn and adjust to on the go. “I think the biggest challenge has been just dealing with the things you don’t anticipate or really have to deal with before,” he said. “When you’re an assistant coach, it’s definitely a fulltime job, but you’re not responsible for

every little thing like the head coach is. So, as head coach, there’s just a lot more attention to detail. You are responsible for making sure every little thing is taken care of, not just on the football field, but off it too. So that’s probably been the biggest adjustment for me.” And while Christensen has certainly been paying attention to every detail of the Northern program, he’s still managed to get acclimated to Havre and Montana life. And it’s a life he said he and his family are thoroughly enjoying. “It’s been great,” he said. “My family loves it here. The first thing you notice about Havre is how nice everyone is. Everyone has been so great in welcoming us here. Everyone has been really supportive of us. And we’re definitely settling in. My oldest

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See Christensen Page 7

Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern head football coach Aaron Christensen gives instructions during a recent Lights' practice. After spending months preparing and putting his stamp on the program, Christensen is about to make his head coaching debut at Blue Pony Stadium. "I'm excited about it. I've been looking forward to it. It's very exciting this being my first home game as head coach here at Northern," Christensen said. The Lights make their home debut Saturday afternoon against the Montana Tech Orediggers. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

daughter is now in school, my wife is coaching soccer here. So we are really a part of this community now, and we’re very happy to be here.” And, Northern fans are going to be happy to have Christensen as well. While the Lights have always been a source of pride in Havre, with pride, integrity and commitment to excellence being the mantra of every head coach the Lights have had, those are things that Christensen takes very seriously, and they are things that are certainly going to be a staple of the program he wants to build at MSU-N. “As far as what I want this program to be, to look like,” he said. “The first thing is the academic side. I want to make sure we’re doing it right there. That’s really important to me. And overall, we just want to make sure we can say, we’re doing this the right way, not just with the football, but with all aspects of our program.

“On the field,” he continued. “We always want to be a physical football team. I know I’ve said that 100 times probably since I got here, but it’s true. Being a physical team will eventually lead you to where you want to go, especially in this conference (Frontier Conference). So we have to be that physical team in order to build the type of program that we want to be.” Christensen also knows that getting the program to where he wants to be will take time. After all, the roster in his first season has seen plenty of change, and while there’s talent on his first Northern team, Christensen marched into his first season as a head coach with a team with just four seniors. And that young team suffered a season-opening setback at Dickinson State on Aug. 22. Still, listening to him talk about what he is doing with the program, and what he envisions the Lights to

Havre Daily News/Roger Miller Montana State University-Northern head football coach Aaron Christensen talks to the Lights after a fall camp practice last month in Havre. Christensen is in the midst of his first season, not only with the Lights, but as a head football coach at the collegiate level. Christensen came to Havre from NAIA Missouri Valley College where he was an assistant, including a three-year stint as offensive coordinator. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge on the offensive side of the ball as MVC was one of the top offensive teams in the country under his watch.

be, now and in the future, you can tell Christensen won’t waver or deviate from that plan. He’s excited about being the Lights’ head coach, and more importantly, he’s very proud of it. And while it may not have all sunk in just yet, because all of this happened so fast, there’s no doubt, the man who came to Havre from Missouri Valley College, is now 100 percent Northern, and he’s darn proud of it. “I’m very excited, every day,” Christensen said. “This is an opportunity I’m very thankful for, and it’s one you don’t want to take for granted. So while I haven’t had a chance to really reflect on it a lot, it does feel good to be the head coach here at Northern, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in.”