OGDEN – 
The Big Sky Conference will release its All-Big Sky mens basketball selections tomorrow and if history has taught us anything, Weber State has a good chance at piling up the accolades.
Ever since the Big Sky cut it’s first-team selections down to only six players during the 2006-07 season, the Big Sky regular season winner has notched two first-teamers in every season.
Last season, the Wildcats (15-1 Big Sky, 21-10 Overall) saw senior guard Kellen McCoy and freshman guard Damian Lillard each get a first-team nod. The Wildcats posted no second-teamers, and senior forward Daviin Davis was named to the third-team.
OK, enough with the history lesson.
Lillard — the Big Sky scoring leader at 19.7 points per game — is a shoe-in for first-team this season and is the front-runner for the league MVP award. However, if WSU is to get a second first-teamer, that is debatable.
Four of the other first team selections are all locks (Montana senior Anthony Johnson, Portland State senior Dominic Waters, Northern Colorado senior Devon Beitzel and Northern Arizona junior Cameron Jones) but the sixth and final spot could go to any number of Big Sky players, with two WSU studs among them.
WSU senior center Steve Panos has displayed flashes of dominance all season long, but his lack of consistency in the paint may force him down to a second-team selection. Junior transfer Franklin Session has been a stat machine, ranking in the top 10 of five different categories. For further details on his stats make sure you check out Jasen Asay’s column in tomorrow’s Standard-Examiner.
Both have shots at first-team, but WSU coach Randy Rahe has a tendency to make pushes for his seniors in All-Big Sky ballots, so Panos is more likely to get the nod, if in-fact a WSU player gets that final spot.
However, there are strong cases for other players, such as UNC’s Will Figures and Idaho State’s Amorrow Morgan, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Outside of Lillard, Panos and Session, WSU could even see senior guard Nick Hansen steal a third-team nod, based of his hot shooting in the season’s final few weeks.
As far as awards go, once again, WSU is in line for another MVP in Lillard, who should mark the third Wildcat to win the award in the past four seasons, joining McCoy and 2006-07 winner David Patten.
Session and Idaho State junior Broderick Gilchrest both have legitimate cases for Newcomer of the Year, but based off the Bengals’ position in the standings, I can see this tipping in Session’s favor.
While there have been solid defensive efforts from several Wildcats this season, I don’t see anyone from WSU competing in the thick Defensive Player of the Year field. Northern Colorado’s Yahosh Bonner has been shut-down on some of the league’s best players this season (including Lillard) and has a great shot at winning. Portland State’s Jamie Jones and Montana’s Brian Qvale, who have been formidable defensive foes, also have outside shots at winning. No Wildcats though.
WSU hasn’t seen considerable playing time from it’s freshmen this season, and have virtually no shot at Freshman of the Year as well. Eastern Washington’s Glen Dean is the obvious choice there anyway.
For my full All-Big Sky Team and awards predictions, click the link below.
Posts Tagged ‘big sky conference’
Wildcats could pile up awards tomorrow
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 by Matthew Gerrish in Big Sky, Weber State, basketballPSU @ UM
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 by wiviking in Big Sky, Montana, Portland State, basketballGiven the relative ease with which the Vikings dispatched the Grizzlies in December, I’d love to believe that their Thursday night game will be identical. Unfortunately, that isn’t likely to be the case. The Grizzlies are 9-1 at home, the only loss coming early in the season at the hands of Santa Clara. Sitting third in the Big Sky, the Griz are hoping a bad weekend in Montana for the Vikings will translate into their getting right back in the race for home court during the Big Sky Tournament. However, that may be a tough task given that their opponent has won its last three games by an average of 21 points.
Match-Ups
Center
UM: Brian Qvale PSU: Jamie Jones
Sophomore Brian Qvale hasn’t developed into much of an offensive presence yet for the Grizzlies. Given the relative lack of production from the Viking big men in recent games, one might not expect that to be a problem. However, in the earlier match-up Julius Thomas had a double-double to go along with starter Jamie Jones’ 7 points. If nothing changes between Qvale and his freshman backup Derek Selvig, don’t be surprised to see another large gap in production.
Advantage: Vikings
Power Forward
UM: Jordan Hasquet PSU: Kyle Coston
Doesn’t it seem like Hasquet has been playing forever? The 4-year starter has seen a drop in production with the emergence of guard Anthony Johnson, but continues to play an important role in the Grizzly offensive schemes. Although he didn’t have his best game in the December match-up with the Vikings, he still produced plenty to eclipse the offensive output of Coston and Mara. Wayne Tinkle & Company better hope for one of Hasquet’s better games if they’re going to keep it closer than the 27 point spread seen in December. Tyrell Mara has reemerged on the offensive end and may warrant some more playing time. He’s averaging 10 points over his last three contests including a 12 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist effort in Saturday night’s win over Eastern Washington.
Advantage: Grizzlies
Small Forward
UM: Jack McGillis PSU: Phil Nelson
The 10 points that Jack McGillis scored in the December game may be a bit misleading given that 8 of those points came at the free throw line. One can only imagine what the point spread would have looked like if the Griz weren’t hitting their free throws… I have to say I’ll never get tired of looking at that box score given the difficulty the Vikings have had against the Grizzlies on the football field. Phil Nelson has scored 20 or more points in two of three and looked really solid in the second half against Eastern Washington. When he’s playing like that the Vikings don’t need much other offense.
Advantage: Vikings
Shooting Guard
UM: Ryan Staudacher PSU: Andre Murray
Don’t expect Staudacher to be held scoreless this time around. The only other team to hold him scoreless this season was Duke. His 3 point stroke has been much better at home, so I’d expect 5-15 points. However, he produces very little in other categories. He matches up with a man who fills up the stat sheet and has the potential to score in bunches. A more interesting match-up will likely take place when one of the Taylors comes into the game.
Advantage: Vikings
Point Guard
UM: Anthony Johnson PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Johnson, whose wife Shaunte transferred with him from Yakima Valley CC to play at Montana, is exactly what the Grizzlies have needed. The veteran floor general has led the Griz into third place in the Big Sky with big offensive numbers and the sort of leadership they weren’t getting in the past two years. His height advantage over Dominguez should allow him to shoot whenever he wants. The question is if he can make up for his teammates’ lack of offense. It seems like a tired refrain to say Jeremiah Dominguez does what the team needs him to do. However, it bears repeating whenever he has a low-scoring night because people seem surprised when he doesn’t score 15 or more points. JD knows that he’s the one the team counts on to hit shots late if the game is close. Given that knowledge, he doesn’t feel obligated to take a majority of the shots early on unless he’s open. That’s why Jones and Nelson often get involved early. If the Viks need him to make shots down the stretch in this one, he’ll be there.
Advantage: Push
Bench
Recent returnee Ceylon Elgin-Taylor should provide the Griz a boost off the bench. Prior to Sunday’s game with Northern Colorado, he hadn’t played since December 6. The other major contributor off the bench is senior forward Kyle Sharp, who provides 5 points and 4 rebounds per game. As noted above, Tyrell Mara has been the bright spot off the bench recently for the Viks. Julius Thomas will be out to prove that his 14 point 10 rebound effort from the first game between the two wasn’t a fluke.
Advantage: Push
Overall, I think the Viks just have too much offense for the Griz to compete with– even without an inside scorer. Although they have been good at home, they seem to lack the intangible quality that allows a team to win the tough games. Without that, I don’t see them competing for the Big Sky title. That said, I think PSU will have to be ready for a dogfight. The Grizzlies aren’t demoralized yet, and will be ready to defend the home floor.
Prediction: PSU 71 UM 66
PSU @ UNC
Friday, January 16th, 2009 by wiviking in Big Sky, Northern Colorado, Portland State, basketballPortland State may wish it hadn’t had such a long break in between games. Although it has probably helped them adjust to their new classes, they may have lost any momentum created by the thrashing they gave Idaho State. This could be important heading into one of the biggest conference road games they’ll play all season, on Sunday at Northern Colorado. If the Viks can win, it will allow them to create some space between themselves and one of the other title contenders. However, if they lose, they will be even in the standings.
The Bears have been tough at home this season, especially as of late. With a chance to feature in the game of the week, that should really be the case. The Vikings would be wise not to take them lightly.
Match-Ups
Center
UNC: Jabril Banks PSU: Jamie Jones
Banks poses an interesting match-up for Jones. They seem like perfect marks for one another, but the level of competition may be determined by whether or not Jones is fully recovered from a right wrist injury which has hampered him in recent weeks. As has been mentioned often in recent weeks, the Vikings really need Jones to score inside to keep their offense from becoming one-dimensional. The other reason they will need Jones is to counterbalance Banks, who is one of the top big men in the Big Sky Conference. Banks is coming off a big double-double last night in which he scored 23 points and brought down 10 boards.
Advantage: Push
Power Forward
UNC: Mike Proctor PSU: Kyle Coston
Although Coston has had a tough run shooting in recent games, he was able to score 11 with the help of a 5 for 5 night at the free throw line against Idaho State. As long as he stays in the lineup, he should excel against the true freshman Proctor who hasn’t really produced much. Other options for the Bears include Kingman and Taylor Montgomery.
Advantage: Vikings
Small Forward
UNC: Neal Kingman PSU: Phil Nelson
Against Idaho State, Phil Nelson looked like he was ready to become the player we all hoped he could be coming into the season. He also looked like Rip Hamilton. I don’t know if it was the mask that helped him become fearless inside, but if so, he should keep it on. He combined one of his best offensive games with a solid effort against one of the top wings in the Big Sky. Neal Kingman is likely to get the unenviable task of guarding Nelson to begin the game. As is the trend these days for forwards, Kingman can step outside and knock down the 3 ball. He had a great game against Portland in which he went 5 of 6 from long range and scored 18 points. However, given the way talent is distributed among the Bears, don’t be surprised to see them go with a 3 guard lineup. If this is the case, Nelson will probably get another chance at proving his mettle at the 4, something he had trouble with late in the Weber State game.
Advantage: Vikings
Shooting Guard
UNC: Devon Beitzel PSU: Andre Murray
Beitzel can be an incredibly dangerous player at times, (as referenced by dropping 32 points on NAU) and nonexistent at others (Just 2 points against EWU). However, with 3 talented guards, UNC has had no problem picking up for him whether with Figures or John Pena. Even if he’s feeling good, Beitzel will have to modify his game to deal with Andre Murray’s ability to block shots. It’s not often that guards have to deal with that sort of hindrance, but ignoring it won’t make it go away. Just ask Josh Akognon. If Ken Bone and the other Viking coaches looked at the stats, they might tell the team to get Murray the ball a lot more. He is shooting at over 49% and has improved his outside shot considerably in the past season. The only possible down side to this strategy would be the lost rebounding ability from the 2 spot. Given his success, I think he needs to take more shots regardless of what may happen.
Advantage: Push
Point Guard
UNC: Will Figures PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Figures is a very solid point guard who should match-up very well with Dominguez. He has scored at least 20 points in 4 of his last 5, so he won’t be taken lightly. Given his production, (12.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) he has to be considered a possibility for all-conference. However, his biggest asset may be his quickness which makes this Sunday a bit of a question mark. Jeremiah Dominguez’ quickness may be rivaled only by Kellen McCoy. However, Dominguez was able to shut down McCoy on the offensive end (limited to just one field goal). If the Vikings need him to score, Dominguez has been able to do that too, as in the Portland game when he put the entire team on his back and carried them to victory. There is no reason to doubt that Dominguez will continue to be just what the Vikings need because that is what he has done since the first time he suited up.
Advantage: Vikings
Bench
John Pena is a really solid player, but he isn’t quite on par with Dominic Waters. That said, UNC definitely has superior depth which would have given them the advantage prior to the loss of Jefferson Mason, who the Bears relied on for balance. Other contributors off the bench include Chris Kaba and Taylor Montgomery. Given the current makeups of the teams’ benches, I think production should be fairly even.
Advantage: Push
Given the importance and venue as well as each team’s offensive schemes I expect a close, exciting game. Ultimately, PSU should win. However, they will need to establish some sort of inside game with Jones and/or Thomas as well as a solid effort from Phil Nelson.
Prediction: PSU 76 UNC 73
Idaho State @ Portland State
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 by wiviking in Big Sky, Idaho State, Portland State, basketball
The Idaho State Bengals will enter the Peter W. Stott Center on Saturday night with a tough assignment: Trying to beat a team that has won 17 Big Sky games in a row and 15 in a row at home. They will also be only one rest day removed from a tough conference road game at Eastern Washington. The good news for the Bengals is that their tough non-conference schedule is finally over. After being picked to finish near the top of the Big Sky by almost everybody, the Bengals had 3 straight overtime losses to begin the season to go along with the bagel in the win column for road games. One bright spot is the continued development of junior small forward Amorrow Morgan, who has stepped up his production to become the team’s star.
For the Vikings, the story is quite different. Saturday night should be another chance to extend their great conference and home streaks while continuing a dream season. The Viks won all 3 match-ups between the two teams last season, including a 72-61 result that propelled PSU to the Big Sky Championship game. Stucki was the main point of damage, scoring 20 or more points in two of the three contests, so look for the Viks to really focus their defensive attention around him.
Match-Ups
Center
ISU: Demetrius Monroe/Deividas Busma PSU: Jamie Jones
Demetrius Monroe has had an up and down season for the Bengals, going for a double-double in his first four games and then seeing a vast drop-off in production since mid-December (averaging under 3 points per game in his last 6). Given his lack of success, 7’0” center Deividas Busma has seen more time as of late. His size could give Jamie Jones a lot of problems on the inside, but his inability to keep up with Jones may force Joe O’Brien to leave Monroe on the floor. It’s hard to envision a situation in which Jones would have any sort of advantage here unless Busma is on the court and it becomes a track meet. Look for the Bengals to exploit this mismatch and see where it takes them.
Advantage: Bengals
Power Forward
ISU: Chron Tatum PSU: Kyle Coston
After not seeing much time at the beginning of the season, Chron Tatum has recently worked his way into the rotation as an important body in the front line. His preference for inside play will likely make Kyle Coston uncomfortable, as he prefers to hover around the three point line. The winner of this match-up will depend on who gets the ball more often in places where he can be successful, as neither is much of a creator on his own. Given that Tatum’s preference is for easier shots, look for him to produce more than Coston.
Advantage: Bengals
Small Forward
ISU: Amorrow Morgan PSU: Phil Nelson
The junior from Memphis has become the go-to guy for the Bengals this season, at one point scoring 31 points (versus Boise State). Fortunately for the Bengals, he has the opportunity to be guarded by a player who could be called a project defensively. Nelson is making strides and can make amazing plays on either end, but is also one to take plays off and let his marks score easily. Nelson will get a chance to prove all of the doubters wrong here, and perhaps put the Big Sky on notice. One game after the exciting show down between two of the premier point guards in the Big Sky, Viking fans will get to see the first iteration of a dandy of a small forward match-up in person. I’m hesitant to pick either one, as they are two of the conference’s brightest stars, and should be exciting for the rest of this season and next at least.
Advantage: Push
Shooting Guard
ISU: Kal Bay PSU: Andre Murray
Kal Bay is a bit of an unknown to the Viks, but he will definitely be one to keep an eye on. After playing his freshman season at the University of Colorado, Bay transferred to the College of Eastern Utah where he had a solid year. He is the least of the Vikings worries from an offensive standpoint, but they will make sure to get a hand in his face when he is shooting the 3 ball because he can fill it up if given the chance. Andre Murray will get a chance to prove his mettle in this match-up. This is one of the games when the Vikings will need a big scoring night from both Murray and Dominic Waters if they are going to have any chance at winning. They both have the potential to score 20 or more points and I have no doubt that they will both do that in this game.
Advantage: Vikings
Point Guard
ISU: Matt Stucki PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
This should be another of the intriguing point guard match-ups to watch this season. It is also unique because Stucki stands a full foot taller than Dominguez. While one player has the size and power advantage, the other has the quickness and hand speed advantage. No matter who is more productive, these two all-conference performers should put on a show. Stucki and Dominguez matched up 3 times last season, with Stucki getting the better of Dominguez in two of the three. The good thing for Viking fans is that Dominguez outperformed Stucki at the Stott Center. The Vikings will need him to do that again if they are going to win this one.
Advantage: Vikings
Bench
Depending on who starts for the Bengals, they could have two seven-footers available to come off the bench. Although neither is a huge scoring threat, they should be able to affect the way PSU chooses to defend the rest of the team. The Bengals also have Donnie Carson and Austin Kilpatrick on the bench, two players who have the potential to make a difference if they get enough shots. The Viking bench will again include Dominic Waters, Tyrell Mara, and Wendell Wright, with the potential for Mickey Polis to make an appearance. Ken Bone and Viking fans will have to hope that Waters can continue to impact games as he has so far this season. Mara may also have an important role in this game if Coston has trouble being physical with Tatum down low.
Advantage: Vikings
I’m not sure why, but I think the Bengals match up really well with the Vikings this season. If any team has the athletes at the right positions to knock off the Vikings at home, it’s either the Weber State Wildcats or these Bengals. On this night I think the Vikings will prevail. Perhaps a game later in the season would allow a different outcome, but given the current records and production I’m going with the Vikings at home.
Prediction: PSU 76 ISU 71
WSU @ PSU
Monday, January 5th, 2009 by wiviking in Big Sky, Portland State, Weber State, basketball
Sorry to all the fans expecting previews for recent games. I was enjoying the holidays with my family and had very little time at the computer. However, I’ll be back on board for the rest of the season. After flipping the calendar over into the new year, the Vikings are sitting pretty with a game over all the other teams in the Big Sky, as well as the confidence that comes with winning the tough games. That said, 3 of the wins have come against teams that the Vikings should have blown out, and were only able to grind out. Although the 2008-09 Wildcat squad may not be the toughest squad that has ever stepped out onto the court, there is no doubt that they will play tough and force the Vikings to beat them. They have had some sub par performances like the thrashings they took at the hands of BYU and Utah State, they will have the seasoning that comes from playing the big teams which should benefit them long term.
Match-Ups
Center
WSU: Steve Panos PSU: Jamie Jones
Although Panos saw most of his time playing a hybrid big man with Valeika in the lineup, he has flourished as the full-time center, averaging 11 points per game. Although his production has dipped a bit in recent weeks, there is no reason to believe that he won’t be able to right the ship. On the other side, Jamie Jones will be happy to return to the comfort of playing at home against a similarly-sized opponent. Jamie has had a tough time when forced to match-up with larger opponents, and has scored 4 or fewer points on four occasions. Ultimately, Jones should be the more productive of the two if he can stay out of foul trouble and avoid being too physical with Panos.
Advantage: Vikings
Power Forward
WSU: Kyle Bullinger PSU: Kyle Coston
Bullinger and Coston both play the role of the “other guy” on the court. The hope is that they don’t screw it up for the other players on the team. However, each is capable of having a big night if their outside jumper is on. For Bullinger, that happened in the Wildcats last game (scored 17 in the win over Northern Colorado). Randy Rahe and Wildcat fans will have to hope he can reproduce that effort in order to fill the likely gap at small forward left by Hansen. If not, Davis will get the call. After starting the season strong, what has happened to Kyle Coston. The Horde’s favorite player has disappeared on the offensive end after a stretch early in the season when he scored in double-figures in 5 straight contests. Whatever has happened, perhaps some home cooking will help Kyle rebound, as the Viks will need him during the Big Sky schedule.
Advantage: Push
Small Forward
WSU: Nick Hansen PSU: Phil Nelson
Hansen will be a new face to the Vikings who presents an interesting match-up. He has seen a major drop off in production in recent games, but has at times shown the potential to contribute offensively. He may have trouble shooting over the 6’7” Nelson, who has shown defensive improvement over the course of the season. Nelson has also become much more consistent offensively in recent games (8 games in a row with 10 or more points), even when his outside shot hasn’t been falling. Perhaps this is the beginning of his evolution into the star that Viking fans expect him to become. Nelson should definitely handle Hansen, the question is what will happen when Davis is inserted into the lineup.
Advantage: Vikings
Shooting Guard
WSU: Damian Lillard PSU: Andre Murray
Although listed at shooting guard for match-up purposes, I’m sure Lillard considers himself a point guard. He has that in common with Dominic Waters. Ball handling duties will likely be shared between Lillard and McCoy. For the PSU fans not familiar with Lillard, he was referred to as “the steal of the year” by Scouts Inc. when he committed to Weber State despite many other offers. Based on Ken Bone’s comments after the win at Northern Arizona, it will be interesting to see if he inserts Dominic Waters into the starting lineup or sticks with “Draeno.” Either way, the Viks will have a guy coming off the bench capable of scoring 20 or more points, which is a great luxury they didn’t have last year. Although Lillard is very talented, he lacks the experience that either candidate for the Vikings possesses, and thus they will get the nod.
Advantage: Vikings
Point Guard
WSU: Kellen McCoy PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
This should be one of the most fun match-ups to watch this season. These two gritty point men led their respective teams in the most recent contest between the two, and there is no reason to believe this one should be any different. Although listed at 5’6” they find ways to score both inside and outside while providing intensity on the defensive end. Even though he’s one of the top players in the Big Sky, McCoy gets the short end of the stick here as I’m picking Dominguez. Watch out though. If he has a good shooting night, he has the potential to give Jeremiah a run for his money.
Advantage: Vikings
Bench
Morris, Mahoney, and Davis are definitely a solid group coming off the bench. The question is how they are going to compare with the Dom Waters & Company. Davis was insanely good against the Vikings last year (averaged over 21 points per game), and the Wildcats have to hope he’ll be able to duplicate that kind of effort if they have any chance of keeping up with Waters on Thursday. Although Waters has been great, and Julius Thomas has continued his development, Ken Bone is searching for something more from the rest of the bench. Tyrell Mara and Wendell Wright have both produced very little, even in extended minutes. Both teams have the guy capable of starting, then the rest. We’ll have to watch on Thursday night to see who excels in their opportunities.
Advantage: Push
Prediction: PSU 76 WSU 69
Coaches and Media Pick Montana #1 in Preseason
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 by catbob in Big SkyPerhaps a surprise to some, the Griz were picked first in both the media and coaches preseason polls. Some might have felt Eastern Washington deserved the #1 spot, but with the coaching turnover in Cheney, and the Grizzlies continued dominance in the Sky as of late, this is no surprise to this blogger.
Big Sky Conference
2008 COACHES POLL
Team (First-place votes) …………………………Points
1. Montana (7) …………………………………….. 63
2. Eastern Washington (1) ……………………. 52
3. Northern Arizona (1) ……………………….. 50
4. Montana State …………………………………. 40
5. Weber State ……………………………………. 38
6. Portland State ………………………………….. 30
7. Sacramento State …………………………….. 27
8. Idaho State ………………………………………. 15
9. Northern Colorado ………………………….. 9
2008 MEDIA POLL
Team (First-place votes) ………………………….. Points
1. Montana (23) …………………………………… 361
2. Eastern Washington (19) …………………. 350
3. Montana State …………………………………. 254
4. Northern Arizona (1) ……………………….. 248
5. Weber State ……………………………………. 229
6. Portland State ………………………………….. 194
7. Idaho State ………………………………………. 124
8. Sacramento State …………………………….. 113
9. Northern Colorado ………………………….. 65
Big Sky RB Rankings
Monday, June 30th, 2008 by catbob in Big SkyJust as I did for the QBs, here is a ranked list of the best running backs in the Sky. Gone are Lex Hilliard (UM) and Josh Barnett (ISU), two of the better running backs the Sky has had for a few years.
1. Trevyn Smith, Weber State – All Smith has done is rush for 2443 yards and 15 TDs in his first two years at Weber. Oh, and did I mention his is going to be a junior this fall? Two more years of the reigning Big Sky rushing yardage leader. Now that Weber might actually have a passing game to compliment Smith, the Wildcat’s offense could be a nightmare for teams to defend next year. Smith is shifty, has good speed, and rarely goes down on the first hit. The classic “no one wanted him out of high school, turned into a star” story.
2. Alex Henderson, Northern Arizona – After a breakout freshman season in 2006, Henderson slipped a bit in his sophomore campaign, falling shy of the 1,000 yard mark. This is due to sharing time with Lionel Scott, who combined with Henderson, make the Lumberjack backfield one of the best in the league, if not the best. They combined for over 1,500 yards last year. I still believe Henderson is the better of the two backs, and looks poised to regain that 1,000 yard rushing mark in 2008.
3. Demetrius Crawford, Montana State – The Cats have had a string of good newcomers in the backfield in the last few years, but none of them count sustain their success the following season (Evin Groves, 2005, Aaron Mason 2006), due mainly to injuries. Can Demetrius become the Cats first 1,000 yard rusher since Ryan Johnson in 2002? At 5′9 185, he is a small back, but might fit in perfectly with the spread offense Coach Ash will be instilling next fall.
4. Dale Morris, Eastern Washington – Had a great second half of the season, rushing for 513 yards and 8 TDs in the final six games, and rushed for 130 yard and 4 scores in the first round game against McNeese State. Of course when you have one of the most potent passing attacks in the county, it tends to open the running game up a little bit. He is a hard-nosed runner, and is hard to tackle at 5′9 205.
5. Bryan Hilliard, Sacramento State – Just when you think its safe, another Hilliard enters the backfield in the Sky. This time, however, he is a Hornet. Hilliard had a solid freshman campaign, rushing for 826 yards and 7 TDs, and had over 30 carries in each of the last two games of the season, where he rushed for 168 yard and 243 in the season finale against ISU. I’ve yet to see him really play (he only had 2 carries against MSU), so he may be deserving of a higher ranking. Coach Sperbeck has this team heading in the right direction.
6. Thomas Brooks-Fletcher, Montana – TBF as he is known, has had an up and down career at UM so far. He has had some injuries, and played behind All-American Lex Hilliard for a year. He had a career high 479 yards in 2006, with 2 scores. He is a solid runner, with a good combination of speed and power. With the Griz having one of the biggest OL in the Sky this coming season, he could have a breakout year in his junior campaign. But he has some big shoes to fill.
7. David Woods, Northern Colorado – Not really a home-run threat (long of 20), but a solid back who can get the yards needed. Had 715 yards and 5 touchdowns. Of course the only game he did not play in, was at Montana State, and ironically it was the only game the Bears won.
8. Ken Cornist, Idaho State – He may deserve to be higher on the list, but has never returned to his freshman form (783 yards and 14 TDs) , due mainly to being behind Josh Barnett. I’m not exactly sure what the Bengals are doing at RB next season, as they have a LOT of running backs on the roster. Cornist is a talented runner, and we will see if he can have a good senior season.
9. ??, Portland State – The leading rusher from last year was a fullback who had just over 500 yards, and he graduated. I honestly have no idea who the running back is for the pass happy Vikings, as their athletic site is horrid and I can’t even find a roster on it. Their second leading rusher was a converted LB who had to play due to injuries. Vikings fans… help?
I will admit I haven’t been keeping up with transfers as much as I have in the past, so I may have missed some high-profile guys who are coming in and are slated to start at their respective school.
2008 OOC schedule, make or break?
Friday, April 18th, 2008 by BWahlberg in Big Sky, footballHappy to be blogging here, many of you probably know me as RE/MAXGriz over on egriz, I was asked to add some of my long winded insight into the blog features here. Earlier this week in a discussion about the next season I thought I’d take a look at how the conference has booked their out of conference schedule (OOC). It’s interesting what’s been set up, and for the amount of teams that are really striving to reach the playoffs, I was pretty surprised at how difficult they set up their schedules. So lets take a look at what each team has set up before conference play starts:
Eastern Washington – Two FBS schools in Texas Tech and Colorado, in back-to-back games, ouch. I know that the gap between top FCS teams and many FBS teams has closed, I see both of these games as very tough ones to win for EWU. They’ve also got a home against Western Washington and two open dates (which I’ll bet one gets filled). I’d expect possibly a Great West team or maybe another D2 school if they don’t want to travel. If they look to a mid-west or east coast FCS team I’d expect they’d have to travel out there. 3 road games and 1 home game OOC could be rough, however it could also really toughen them up for the conference.
Weber State – They’ve also got 2 FBS teams, Hawai’i and Utah, probably both losses, those are both very good football teams. The two home games they have booked are lower division schools, Dixie St and Montana-Western. So chances are they’ll be 2-2 when done with the OOC, however they’ll not have a single win to help their status with the playoff committee, they’ll have to win at least 7 conference games to be even considered, if they even go 6-2 in conference play they’ll just have 6 Division 1 wins. So Weber must be banking on winning the conference auto-bid this year.
Idaho State – ISU has Boise and Idaho booked in their OOC, as well as North Dakota. Boise will most likely win, Idaho… who knows, I’d think the Vandals would have the edge there. North Dakota went 10-2 last year and beat Southern Utah (although SUU didn’t win a game). I think this game will be tough for ISU, they’re rebuilding and they’re having budget issues, so they probably won’t book an FCS road game as well. They could limp out of the OOC with either a 1-2 or 0-3 record.
Portland State – They’ve got an OOC that tilts to their favor, games against Cal Davis and W. Oregon. I don’t know much about Davis, so I can’t say how competitive they’ll be. PSU should have their system in place and I think they’ll win both of those games. Also they travel to Washington State, Wulff, WSU’s coach will be familiar with them, but he’s rebuilding a Cougar team that could have trouble stopping the spread offense. Could be interesting to see what happens.
Montana – The Grizzlies have a bear of an opening game, testing a defense with 8 new starters against Cal Poly’s amazing and experienced offense. The Wofford game stung Montana, and Cal Poly could do the same. After that Montana returns to home to host Southern Utah, Central Washington and Cal Davis. Most likely they’ll finish the OOC 3-1.
Montana State – Another team with 2 FBS and 2 lower division schools. The Cats play Minnesota and Kansas State back-to-back, they also host Adams State and South Dakota. MSU could be in a similar bind as Weber State, coming out of their OOC 2-2 and relying on winning the conference to make the playoffs. I think they might have a chance to knock off Minnesota, they beat Colorado a few years back, so who knows!
Sacramento State – CSUS has an interesting OOC, they host two lower-division schools, Humbolt State and Southern Oregon. They also travel to Davis and to Colorado State. Since half of the conference is playing Davis, maybe I should check up on these guys! Sac could be 3-1 OOC when it’s all said and done, they don’t play Davis until late, as they usually do.
Northern Colorado – They’ve got 3 games booked so far, they travel to Purdue and travel to (guess who?) UC Davis. They also host Texas State. Didn’t they beat Texas State last year, or the year before that? UNC is still building, and they’re on the rise, they could come out of this 1-2 but most likely I’ll say 0-3.
Northern Arizona – NAU plays Arizona State, New Mexico Highlands (who?), and Southern Utah. Pretty straight forwards, ASU will most likely beat NAU, but the other two games should be wins for the Lumberjacks. 2-1 OOC is decent.
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Quick, “Who is UC Davis?” note – Just looked it up, Davis went 5-6 last year, their most notable wins were against Portland State and beating San Diego late in the season. They didn’t do much else. A quick manual count has them losing 12 seniors to graduation from the 2007 season, which included some skill players. They’re a younger team, probably still finding their way.
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It amazes me how some teams almost schedule themselves right out of the playoffs, I know it’s usually because of money issues, but there’s a lot of cases where teams would have made the playoffs if they wouldn’t have booked 2 or 3 FBS teams, or didn’t book 2 or 3 Division 2 (or lower) schools. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out, it’s just a bummer we’ve got to wait so long until football season actually starts.
PSU VS ISU (3/11) Big Sky Semifinals
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 by wiviking in Big Sky, Idaho State, Portland StateIdaho State comes into the Big Sky semi-finals on the heels of a two point victory over Montana. They are the real unknown of the four remaining teams. They are young, and should be in the upper-echelon of the Big Sky for the next few years.
For the Vikings, there is a different story. After a 23 point win at home against the Bengals, and a 10 point win on the road, there is little reason to doubt Portland State’s chances to advance to advance to the Big Sky Championship game. If there is one unknown, it is how the Viking players will react to the Rose Garden. The only other game there this year, the Vikings only beat Division III Lewis & Clark by 1 point. Needless to say the current Viking team has come a long way. They give up the friendly confines of the Stott Center for the added seating capacity and big game atmosphere of the Rose Garden. One would hope the great season Ken Bone’s squad has had would bring more than a thousand fans to championship games.
Match-Ups
Center
ISU: Lucas Steijn PSU: Scott Morrison
This match-up is not fair. Out of the 3 options the Bengals have here, none can guard Scott Morrison, none can rebound with Morrison and none can score against Morrison. In the first game, Morrison had a very solid all-around game while holding Steijn to just 3 points and 3 rebounds. The second match-up saw Morrison have a little less success offensively, while giving the Bengal centers 2 points and 4 rebounds. Even JR Moore had success. I don’t see much changing. As I said before their last game, ISU doesn’t really have any post presence, so PSU may be able to put a little more pressure on the wing players.
Advantage: Vikings
Forward
ISU: Logan Kinghorn PSU: Kyle Coston
Kinghorn was outplayed by his backup, Chron Tatum in the second game against the Vikings. If Kinghorn starts slowly this time, look for the Bengals to go to Tatum early. They can’t hold anything back, as this is likely the last game of their season. Kyle Coston had a so-so game the last time he played against the Bengals, with 8 points and 2 rebounds. Considering how ineffective the other options for the Vikings were at the 4, he had a solid game. PSU doesn’t necessarily need a great effort from this position to win the game, but a little extra cushion couldn’t hurt.
Advantage: Push
Guard/Forward
ISU: Amorrow Morgan PSU: Deonte Huff
Morgan has had decent success against Huff, going for 11 points in both contests. However, he hasn’t been able to equal Huff’s success (20 points and 6 rebounds the last game between the two.) As I pointed out the last game between the two, Morgan is only a sophomore, so he could one day become the player Huff is. However, he is not ready to beat out the Big Sky first-teamer at this point in his career.
Advantage: Vikings
Off Guard
ISU: Donnie Carson/Austin Kilpatrick PSU: Andre Murray
Kilpatrick won the last battle between the two with 14 points to Murray’s 6. However, Murray went only 2-10 from the field. Assuming he can hit an average percentage of his shots, Andre should be able to keep pace. He outrebounded Kilpatrick 5-1 in the first match-up, something he probably won’t have to do in this match-up for the Vikings to have success. Can Kilpatrick seize the initiative and provide the much-needeed scoring punch aside Stucki and Morgan? If not, this game won’t be close. Recently, Carson has been receiving a lot of playing time. Against Montana he turned that into 10 points and 5 rebounds. If he can pitch in and contribute the same amount tonight, that will help keep the game close, and perhaps Stucki can pull something out of the bag late, who knows?
Advantage: Push
Point
ISU: Matt Stucki PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Stucki may be the one player who gives Dominguez serious problems defensively. Dominguez has been great all year, but the 6’6” Stucki is a full foot taller than Dominguez. Here, I gave the advantage to Stucki in the Stott Center game based on their outputs in the first game. Dominguez was able to hit right on his averages, but Stucki was great, going for 26 points. However, Dominguez had a very solid all-around game in the second match-up that superceded Stucki. As this season progressed, one could tell Jeremiah went out every night to send a message. He was rewarded for his outstanding play with the Big Sky Player of the Year award. He is clearly the factor that made last year’s mediocre squad into this year’s Big Sky champions.
Advantage: Vikings
Bench
The Vikings have the advantage here. The Bengals have three bench players who average 5 or more points per game, but none who is a real threat to go for a bunch of points. At home, the Viking bench players just tend to do better. Alex Tiefenthaler had 16 points the first time around against ISU, but failed to score a single point in the second contest. JR Moore stepped up with 6 points and 9 big rebounds in the second contest. With Julius Thomas healthy, Moore may not even see time. Hard to believe that even JR was dominant in the post against the Bengals.
Advantage: Vikings
Well… now comes the time for a prediction. The Bengals won only two conference games away from home: Northern Colorado and Montana. I predicted 76-60 at the Stott Center, and the game came out 81-58. This time, I’m expecting the Vikings to score a few less points in the unfamiliar atmosphere at the Rose Garden. However, I think they should still have plenty to get by the Bengals for a championship match-up with Northern Arizona or Weber State.
Prediction: PSU 73-60
Official 2008 Montana Grizzlies Recruits
Thursday, February 7th, 2008 by chris in Montana2008 SIGNEES ALPHABETICAL ROSTER
FLAYER pOS HT WI. YR EXP HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL)
Thomas Bauer LB 6-2 237 Jr. JC Niwot, Co (Saddleback CC)
Brandon Beecher DB 5-10 175 Fr. HS Aurora, CO (Overland HS)
Levi Buckles WR 6-3 % 195 Fr. HS Post Falls, ID (Post Falls HS)
Charles Burton OL 6-5 2315 Fr. HS Long Beach, CA (Milikan HS)
Tyzer Cady WR 6-0 180 Fr. HS Colstrip, MT (Coistrip HS)
Mike Cummings DB 6-1 192 Fr. HS Scottsdale, AZ (Chaparral HS)
Ray DeBruycker DE 6-3 205 Fr. HS Choteau, MT (Choteau HS)
Beau Donaldson RB 6-1 223 Fr. HS Missoula, MT (Big Sky HS)
Andrew Douglass LB 6-2 225 Fr. HS San Clemente, CA (San Clemente HS)
Kyle Finneman P 6-2 205 Fr. HS Havre, MT (Havre HS)
Sam Gratton WR 6-0 190 Fr. HS Billings, MT (Senior HS)
Greg Hardy TE 6-5 245 Fr. HS Fairview, MT (Fairview HS)
Josh Harris DR 6-5 210 Fr. HS Kalispell, MT (Flathead HS)
Eric Homec DR 6-5 215 Fr. HS Bozeman, MT (Bozeman HS)
Matt Hulse DL 6-3 260 Fr. HS Chandler, AZ (Hamilton US)
Jared Hunt DB 6-3 175 Fr. US Helena, MT (Helena Capital HS)
Trumaine Johnson — WR 6-3 180 Fr. HS Stockton, CA (Edison HS)
Gerald Kemp — QB 6-2 185 Fr. HS San Diego, CA (Rancho Bernardo HS)
Ryan Kessman WR 6-0 195 Fr. TR San Jacinto, CA (BYU)
Kyle Kmet OL 6-5 300 Fr. US Bonita, CA (Bonita Vista HS)
Blake Lebeau OL 6-5 275 Fr. US Union City, CA (James Logan US)
Matt Lipski OL 6-9 320 Fr. HS Ashland, OR (Ashland I-IS)
Donny Lisowski DB 5-11 190 Fr. HS Seattle, WA (O’Dea HS)
Mike McCord DB 6-0 185 Fr. HS Phoenix, AZ (Maryvale HS)
Caleb McSurdy LB 6-2 240 Fr. HS Boise, ID (Borah HS)
Dan Moore RB 5-11 215 Fr. HS Tucson, AZ (Mountain View US)
Jon Opperud OL 6-7 280 Fr. HS Milwaukie, OR (Milwaukie HS)
Brooks Rabold LB 6-2 205 Fr. HS Billings, MT (Central Catholic US)
Jabin Sainbrano WR 5-1 1 165 Fr, HS Temecula, CA (Great Oaks HS)
Russell Schey - K 6-2 180 Fr. HS Billings, MT (West HS)
Alex Shaw LB 6-2 220 Fr. I-IS Spokane, WA (Lewis & Clark HS)
Josh Stuberg LB 6-2 190 Fr. US Helena, MT (Helena HS)
Cody Von Appen DB 5-10 180 Fr. HS Kailua, HI (Kalaheo US)
TOTAL SIGNERS: 33.
GEOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN: Montana-12; California-8; Arizona-4; Colorado-2; Idaho-2; Oregon-2 Wash ington-2;Hawaii- 1.
BY POSITION: Wide Receiver-7; Linebacker-6 Offensive Line-5; Defensive Back-5; Defensive Line: 4; Running back-2; Tight End-I; Kicker-I; Punter-I; Quarterback- 1.
Griz 2008 FB Signees Add 4-4-4
Jabin Sainbrano (Pronounced: san-braw-no), WR, 5-11, 165, Fr., HS, lemecula, CA (Great Oaks HS): Jabin was a first team all-conference player at wide receiver and defensive back…chosen football MVP as a senior…lettered in football, track, and wrestling…served as team captain in track…voted recipient of Community Service Award. ..his high school football coach was Scott Strohsnider. Personal: Parents: Rick and Julia Sainbrano of Temecula. Major: Undecided. Birth date: March 13, 1990.
Russell Schey (Pronounced: Shy), K, 6-2, 180, Fr., HS, Billings, MT (West HS): Russell was named the “AA” first team at kicker twice. ..he was a first team all-state pick at safety as a senior…he is a two-time all-league selection at kicker and at defensive back…he earned letters in soccer (I), basketball (1), football (3), and track (2)…was team captain in football…his 2006 football team was the state champions with a 13-0 record…he made 150 PATs and converted 97.9% of his PAT attempts…kicked 10 career field goals with a long of 43 yards…he scored 211 career points in football, the third most in school history.. .his track team won the state title last year.. .his prep football coach was Paul Klaboe. Personal: Joan and Steve Schey of Billings. Major: Business. Birth date: March 3, 1990.
Alex Shaw, LB, 6-2, 220, Fr., HS, Spokane, WA (Lewis & Clark HS): Alex was the Washington 4A co-Player of the Year as a senior for the state champions who had a record of 11 -2…he was first team all-state and all-conference at running back and at linebacker in 2007…his senior season he rushed for 1,655 yards, and he gained 793 yards on 151 carries in the state playoffs..he rushed for 176 yards and was voted the “Player of the Game” in the state championship against Bothell High School game. ..nominated for the Eastern Washington “Student-Athlete of the Year Award”.. first team all-league, team MVP, and honorable mention all-state at defensive end as a junior…Greater Spokane League shot put (55-0) champion as a junior and member of winning 4×100 relay team…team captain in football as a junior and senior…earned three letters in football, basketball, and track. ..his prep football coach was Tom Yearout.. .Personal: Parents: Carl and Diane Shaw of Spokane. Major: Undecided. Birth date: June 28, 1990. Misc. Info.: He has a 3.6 GPA.
Josh Stuberg (Pronounced: stew-burg), LB, 6-2, 190, Fr., HS, Helena, MT (Helena HS): Josh was a first team all-state pick at cornerback as a junior, and a second team pick at wide receiver and kick returner.. .he led the state in touchdowns (15) and scoring (9.0 points a game) in 2006, and was third in all-purpose yards (1 ,324)…an all- conference player at cornerback and receiver as a sophomore and junior…second team all-state choice at wide receiver as a sophomore when he was second in the state in receptions. ..he started both ways as a senior, but was injured most of the season…placed in three events in the state track meet as a sophomore and injured for most of his junior year.. .high school football coach was former (1985-88) Griz quarterback Tony Arntson. Personal: Parents:
Rob and Carolee Stuberg of Helena. Major: Business. Birth date: August 18, 1989.
Cody Von Appen (Pronounced: vawn-ah-pln), DB, 5-10, 180, Fr., HS, Kailua, HI (Kalaheo HS): Cody was a first team all-conference selection following his junior and senior seasons in high school.. .as a senior he passed for 975 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 537 yards and nine scores…his junior year he passed for 11 TDs and rushed for 4 touchdowns.. .he was named his gird teams MVP on offense as a senior…chosen his high school’s “Athlete of the Year” as a freshman, sophomore, and junior…he has lettered four times in football and basketball, and three times in baseball…Persoflal: Thea Wheeler of Kailua and Fred Von Appen of Missoula. Major:
Undecided. Birth date: August 12, 1990. Misc. Info.: Cody’s dad, Fred, was an assistant head coach at Montana in 2003 and 2004. Fred coached in the professional and college ranks for 35 years.
Griz 2008 FB Signees Add 3-3-3
Donny Lisowski, DB, 5-11, 190, Fr., HS, Seattle, WA (O’Dea HS): Donny was a first team all-league selection at quarterback and defensive back as a senior…he was chosen the game MVP of the state-semi-final football game in 2007…nominated to East-West All-Star Game…named among the top 20 defensive backs in the state of Washington by Rivals.com and tabbed one of the top 100 recruits in the state by the Seattle Times…lettered in football (3), wrestling (1), and track (4).. ,track team MVP as a junior…state finalist in the 200 and 400 in 2007.. .league champion in wrestling as a freshman.. .prep football coach was Monty Kohler. Personal: Parents: Bob and Mary Lisowski of Seattle. Major: Journalism. Birth date: Jan. 20, 1989.
Mike McCord II, DB, 6-0, 185, Fr., HS, Phoenix, AZ (Maryvale HS): Mike was named All-Region Two-way
Player of the Year as a senior…selected first team All-Region at quarterback and defensive back in 2007…named Region Offensive Player of the Year.. .all-state honorable mention both ways following his senior campaign. ..in 2007 he rushed for 1,070 yards and passed for 490, and had 82 tackles and two interceptions. ..team captain as a junior and senior and offensive player of the year as a senior…earned three letters in football and two in track…his high school football coach was Pat Rowe. Personal: Parents: Michael and Anna McCord ofPhoenix. Major: Undecided. Birth date: May 9, 1990.
Caleb McSurdy, LB, 6-2, 240, Fr., HS, Boise, ID (Borah HS): Caleb was a first team all-state pick at linebacker and second team at tight end following his senior season when he had 65 tackles (52 solos), 8 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks, along with 22 catches for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns…a three-time all-conference selection at linebacker… voted his team’s “Defensive Player of the Year” as a junior and senior, and received “Commitment Award” those seasons as well…won the state championship in the shot put (56-6) and discus (166-0) as a junior and was tabbed “Thrower of the Year”.. .placed in the state shot put three times.. .team captain in football and track junior and senior years…his prep teams won state track titles in 2006 and 2007…his high school football coach was Vince Mann. Personal: Patrick and Nancy McSurdy of Boise. Major: Business. He carries a 3.7 GPA. Birth date: Feb. 24, 1990. Misc. Info.: He is Borah’s record-holder in the bench press (390) and squat (515). He plays the drums in a jazz band.
Dan Moore, RB, 5-11, 215, Fr., HS, Tucson, AZ (Mountain View HS): Dan was an all-state choice in 2007, and named All-Region and all-conference three times…the l4th~ranked poop in the nation by Scout.com. . .as a senior he rushed for 1,941 yards for 21 touchdowns and averaged 9.5 yards a carry, and had 2,525 all-purpose yards (he averaged 229.0 a game).. .voted his team MVP on offense after his senior year. ..team captain his junior and senior seasons.. set freshman rushing record and was a U.S.A Power-lifting champion as a freshman… .his high school football coach was Paul Schmidt. Personal: Parents: David and Amanda Moore of Tucson. Major: Forestry. Birth date: February 1, 1990. Misc. Info.: Has been chosen the MVP of every sports team he has been on since Elementary School (soccer, baseball, basketball, wrestling, and football).
Jon Opperud II (Pronounced.’ Ah-per-ood), OL, 6-7, 280, Fr., HS, Milwaukie, OR (MilwaUkie HS): Jon earned three letters in football, three in basketball, and two in track…team captain and Outstanding Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior.. .started both ways as a senior. ..high school football coach was Roland Aumueller. ..team captain in hoops as a senior and averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game…placed fourth in the state in the discus last season.. ,second team all-state in track as a junior and was all-league in track. Personal: Parent: Gail Opperud of Portland. Major: Undecided. Birth date: Feb. 13, 1990.
Brooks Rabold (Pronounced.’ ray-bold), LB, 6-2, 205, Fr., HS, Billings, MT (Central Catholic HS): Brooks was a two-time all-state and aII~confereflce pick in football.. .selected to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Mon-Dak All-Star Game.. .named to Great Falls Tribune’s “Super State Team”…hiS prep football teams won two league titles and one state championshiP.. .team captain as a senior. ..twice voted team MVP on defense. ..earned two letters in basketball and track, and three in football…PreP football coach was Jim Stanton…hiS senior year he had 99 tackles, 17 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 19 QB hurries, 4 fumble recoveries, and 3 forced fumbles. PersonaI.~ Parents:
Pat and Tessie Rabold of Billings. Major: Criminology. Birth date: May 16, 1990. Misc. Info.: His dad, Pat, is a member of the Football Flail of Fame at the University of Wyoming.
Griz 2008 FB Signees Add 2-2-2
Matt Hulse (Pronounced hull-see), DL, 6-3, 260, Fr., HS, Chandler, AZ (Hamilton HS): Matt earned letters in football and track.. .his football team was conference champion his senior year and an Arizona State semi-finalist in 2007 as well…his senior year he had 11 tackles for loss and two sacks…his high school football coach was Steve Belles. Personal: Parents: Sam Hulse Jr. And Alma Jo Cobb Hulse of Chandler. Major: Exercise science. Birth date: Sept. 26, 1989.
Jared Hunt, DB, 6-3, 175, Fr,, HS, Helena, MT (Helena Capital HS): Jared was a key players for his high school squads that won “AA” championships in 2006 (11-2) and 2007 (12-1)…all-state and all-conference as ajunior and senior at quarterback and punter.. track MVP in 2006 and 2007, and football MVP his junior year. ..passed for 1,857 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, rushed for 366 yards and six scores., and averaged 40.8 yards per punt….voted conference player of the year as a senior…grid coach was Pat Murphy. Personal: Parents: William and Mary Hunt of Helena. Major: Wildlife biology. Birth date: May 23, 1989. He’s played hockey for the past 13 years.
Trumaine Johnson, WR, 6-3, 180, Fr., HS, Stockton, CA (Edison HS): Trumaine was an outstanding quarterback last season, passing for 1,800 yards (with just 5 interceptions), rushing for 500 yards, and he had 22 total touchdowns.. .he was named first team all-league at quarterback and defensive back last season, and voted to his high school’s football “Hall of Fame” at defensive back…his junior year he was first team All-Area and all-league at wide receiver when he had 750 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns…he was tabbed his team’s “Junior of the Year” in football.. .he is also an all-state basketball player…his high school football coach was Elliot Burke. ..Personal:
Parents: Lynn Stallworth and Curtis Johnson of Stockton. Major: Business. Birth date: Jan. 1, 1990.
Gerald Kemp, QB, 6-2, 185, Fr., HS, San Diego, CA (Rancho Bernardo HS): Gerald was named team MVP in football as a senior. ..he was a second team All-North County pick in 2007, as well a first team all-league choice. ..he was also an all-league player in basketball last season..,voted team captain in football and basketball. ..he also competes in track, and last year his track team was league champion…his high school football coach was Brad Elrod…PersOflal.~ Parent: Geradine Kemp of San Diego. Major: Undecided. Birth date: May 23, 1990.
Ryan Kessman, WR, 5-10, 210, Fr., TR, San Jacinto, CA (BYU): Ryan spend one year at BYU last season and was a redshirt. . he was a standout at San Jacinto High School where at wide receiver he was chosen All-C.1.F., all state, all-league, and his league’s “Player of the Year” as a senior…he had 43 catches for 848 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he had 1,493 total yards at receivers and as,a returner his senior year…his high school football coach was Bill Powell…Personal.~ Parents: Steven and Paulynn Kessman of San Jacinto. Major: Undergraduate studies. Birth date: TBA.
Kyle Kmet (Pronounced: keh-met), OL, 6-5, 300, Fr., HS, Bonita, CA (Bonita Vista HS): Kyle was a an Diego All-Country selection and first team all-conference choice as a senior…he earned three letters in both football and track (shot/discus) and one in lacrosse.. he was also a three-time All-Academic Mesa League pick. ..team captain in football…hiS 2005 football team was the conference champion…hiS high school football coach was Carl Parrick. Personal: Parent: John Kmet of Bonita. Major: Undecided. Birth date: Oct. 16, 1990.
Blake Lebeau, OL, 6-5, 275, Fr., uS, Union City, CA (James Logan HS): Blake was named first team All-East
Bay and all-league.. .his senior football team rushed for 3,542 yards…his football teams won league championships in
2006 (8-3) and 2007 (1 1-1)…served as team captain in football…earned two letters in football…hiS high school
football coach was George Zuber. Personal.’ Parents: Thierry and Luana Lebeau of Union City. Major: Business.
Birth date: April 29, 1990.
Matt Lipski, OL, 6-9, 320, Fr., HS, Ashland, OR (Ashland US): Matt was a first team All-Southern Conference team pick his junior and senior seasons.. his third-ranked 2007 Grizzlies football team went 11-i and advanced to the state semi-finals.. .a three-year letterman in football…an all-conference player in basketball as a junior when his team went to the state 5A play-offs for the first time since l986…currently averaging 14 points, S rebounds, and 3 blocks a game…also lettered in water polo.. .grid coach was Charlie Hall. Personal: Parents: Tom and Sheryl Lipski of Ashland. Major: History or business. Birth date: Nov. 30, 1989.
Griz 2008 FB Signees Add 1-I-I
Beau Donaldson, RB, 6-1, 223, Fr., ~S, Missoula, MT (Big Sky US): Beau was named all-state three times in football.. .earned three letters in football, two in basketball, and four in track…his senior season he set school record and led the state with 1,682 yards rushing for 23 touchdownS…had 13 sacks in 2007…career-Wise he set school standards with 3,749 yards rushing for 44 touchdowns, scoring 278 points…set 10 school records in football…head coach was Gary Ekegren, a former Griz player (1959-6 1) and UM defensive line coach (1977-79)…flrst team all state both ways as a senior.. .his prep football teams made the state playoffs twice in his career…offenSiVe team MV? as a junior and senior in football, and team MVP his senior year. PersOnal.~ Parents: Larry and Catherine Donaldson of Missoula. Major: Physical therapy. Birth date: July 21, 1989.
Andrew Douglass, LB, 6-2, 225, Fr., US, San Clemente, CA (San Clemente US): Andrew was an All-C.I.F. first team pick at linebacker as a senior. ..first team All-South Coast League as a junior and senior…tabbed South Coast League’s MV? on defense following his senior season…lettered three times in football.. .team captain his senior year…high school football coach was Eric Patton…aS a senior he had Ill tackles (61 solos), 4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions. Personal.~ Parents: Richard and Jane Douglass of San Clemente. Major: Business. Birth date: Nov. 16, 1989.
Kyle Finneflian, P, 6-2, 205, Fr., US, Havre, MT (Havre US): Kyle was tabbed all-state at running back and punter…all-cOflfere1~ pick at halfback and linebacker…a three-sport letterman in football (3), track (4), and basketball…ClasS “A” champion in the 100 and 200.. .football team was Central A” champions in 2006~07…foOtba11 team captain and MVP as a senior.. .voted team captain in hoops as well…high school football coach was Kevin Sukut. Persoflal.~ Parents: Bruce and Pam Finnemafl of Havre. Major: Undecided. Birth date: June 14, 1989.
Sam Gratton, WR, 6-0, 190, Fr., HS, Billings, MT (Senior US): Sam was a three-time all-state choice at wide receiver.., selected to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Mon-Dak All-Star Game. ..named to the Great Falls Tribune’s “Super State Team”…flamed an All-American and Montana’s Player of’ the Year by PrepNation.COm…PruP football team was the “AA” runners-up in 2007, going 10-3…his senior year he had 43 catches for 723 yards and 7 touchdownS.. .team captain in 2007…co-Special Teams MVP as a senior at kicker…his high school football coach was former (l987-88)Griz wide receiver Mark Sulser… also lettered in track…in his career he had 149 receptionS for 2,155 yards and 13 TD5…Academic All-State with a 3.6 GPA. Personal: Parents:
Scott Gratton and Shelley Haughton, both of Billings. Personal: Major: Undecided. Birth date: Oct. 10, 1989. Sam’s dad Scott played linebacker for the Griz from 1979-82 and was Golden Helmet Award (hardest hitter) recipient in 1981 and 1982.
Greg Hardy, TE, 6-5, 245, Fr., US, FairvieW, MT (Fairview US): Greg was an all-state pick in football, basketball, and track.. .earned 12 letters: four each in football, basketball, and track. ..a three-time all~confereflCe selection in football, hoops, and track.. football and basketball team captain. ..givefl “Warrior Award” and chosen MV? in football.. .hoop team won the district title, going 20-6…high school football coa~h was Kevin Clausen. Personal: Parents: Jim and Mary Hardy of FairvieW. Major: Business. Birth date: Jan. 2, 1990. Greg’s dad, Jim, played football and basketball at Western Montana College (UM-Western).
Josh Harris, DE, 6-5, 210, Fr., HS, Kalispell, MT (Flatllead US); Josh was named all-state his senior year when he had 47 tackles, 7 sacks, and 14 quarterback hurries…team defensive MVP his senior season two-time all-league pick in football. ..honOrable mention all-state as a junior…selected to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Mon-Dak All-Star Game.. ,.lettered in football (3), basketball (I), and track (2). Named Academic All-State twice. His high school football coach was Russell McCarVel. Personal.’ Parents: Greg and Jeanie Harris of Kalispell. Major: Undecided. Birth date: Sept. 15, 1989. Josh’s dad, Greg, lettered in football at Montana from 1972-74.
Eric HomeC (Pronounced home-eck), DE, 6-5, 215, Fr., HS, Bozeman, MT (Bozeman US): Eric was an all-state pick at defensive end as a senior when he had 14 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 6 pass break-UPS, two of which led to interceptions…named to Great Falls Tribune’s “Super State Team”…chosen to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Mon-Dak All-Star Game.. .lettered in football and track.. .high school football coach was Troy Purcell. Personal Parents: Steve and Susan Flomec of Bozeman. Major: Business. Birth date: Sept. 15, 1989.
MONTANA GRIZZLIES “CLASS OF 2008” FOOTBALL SIGNEES
Thomas Bauer, LB, 6-2, 237, Jr., JC, Niwot, CO (Saddleback CC): Thomas comes to UM from Saddleback City College in Mission Viejo, Calif., where he was a first team All-Mission Conference pick at middle linebacker.., he was one of the leading tacklers on his 7-3 team a year ago and had 17 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles…he attended Northern Colorado as a freshman and was ranked 10th in the Big Sky Conference in total tackles and had the second most on the team…nominated for Big Sky “Player of the Week” twice as a freshman….he prepped at Niwot High School and was a first team all-state pick as a senior for his 12-I team, and was also named the All-Area Defensive Player of the Year that season…he was first team all-conference as a junior and senior and a three-year starter. Personal: Parents: Ron and Deb Bauer of Niwot. Major: Business. Birth date: October 21, 1986. He has been an honor roll student in high school, at UNC, and at Saddleback.
Brandon Beecher, DB, 5-10, 175, Fr., HS, Aurora, CO (Overland HS): Brandon was a first team all-conference as a junior and all-league as a sophomore. ..prep coach was Tony Manfredi who coached former Griz standout linebacker Tyler Joyce. ..lettered three times in football and basketball. ..plans to compete in track this spring in the 100 and 200…has been timed in the 40 in 4.38. Personal: Parents: Brian Beecher and Dana Moore of Aurora. Major: sociology/criminology. Birth date: Aug. 29, 1990.
Levi Buckles, WR, 6-3 ‘/2, 195, Fr., HS, Post Falls, ID (Post Falls HS): Levi was a second team all-state pick at wide receiver, and first team all-league as a junior and senior…tabbed the Inland Empire League Offensive Player of the Year as a senior when he had 51 receptions for 1,018 yards and 14 touchdowns…prep football coach was Jeff Heinz…first team All-North Idaho and offensive team MV? as a junior and senior…three-year letterman in basketball and team MV? in hoops his junior year. Personal: Parents: Carolyn and Dave Sims of Post Falls and Doug Buckles of Plumnier, Idaho. Major: Undecided. Birth date: Dec. 18, 1989.
Charles Burton, OL, 6-5, 315, Fr., HS, Long Beach, Ci~ (Milikan HS): Charles was an AlI-C.I.F. pick…voted
Moore League co-Offensive Linemen of the Year…on Milikan High’s Weight Lifting Hall of Fame (benches 305 and
squats 325).. .his school football coach was Kirk Diego.. .a four-year letterman in football and twice in track.
Personal: Parent: Felicia Burton of Long Beach. Major: Education. Birth date: Oct. 15, 1990.
Tyzer Cady (Pronounced Cay-dee), WR, 6-0, 180, Fr., US, Colstrip, MT (Colstrip HS): A 12-time letterman in football, basketball, and track and team captain in all three sports…all-state in football as a senior and all-league twice…all-state performer in track as a sophomore and juni~r…all-conference in basketball his junior year.. .prep grid coach was Mark Ator… member of Colstrip’s 2005 state cl.ampionship track team..retumed three kickoffs for touchdowns…the Clas’s B 100-meter champ as a junior. Personal: Parents: Rick and Tresa Cady of Colstrip. Major:
Undecided. Birth date: Nov. 28, 1989.
Mike Cummings, DB, 6-1, 192, Fr., HS, Scottsdale, AZ (Chaparral HS): Mike was an All-Region selection at wide receiver and at defensive back his junior and senior seasons…all-state wide receiver as a senior and at defensive back as ajunior…footbal! captain and offensive MVP as a senior and defensive MV? his senior year…high school football coach was Charlie Ragle. . .earned three letters in both football and basketball.. .BB defensive MVP three times.. team captain in football and basketball.. .senior year he had 77 catches for 1,421 yards and 18 TDs.. .had 14 career interceptions…football squad won region titles in 200~ (12-2) and 2006 (11-3), and in basketball in 2005-06 (25-4). Personal: Parents: Mickey and Lynn Cummings of Scottsdale. Major: Business. Birth date: Aug. 17, 1989.
Ray DeBruycker (‘Pronounced dee-brucker,), DE, 6-3, 205, Fr., US, Choteau, MT (Choteau HS): Ray was an all-state selection in football, wrestling, and track…two-time all-conference pick at tight end and linebacker. ..state wrestling champion at 189 pounds as ajunior…earned 10 letters in football (3), wrestling (4), and track 3)…team captain in wrestling as a junior and senior, and in football his senior season…prep football coach was Joel Chrisiaens…had 11 sacks his senior season, along with 45 catches for 450 yards and 6 touchdowns.. .chosen MVP of wrestling squad.. .selected to play in Montana’s annual East-West Shrine Game. Personal: Parents: Nels and Lorraine DeBruycker of Choteau. Major: Forestry. Birth date: Oct. 2, 1989.
