Super-State Football: Glacier, CMR stars on elite team
Prep football in Montana this season did not disappoint, and the athletes on the field were the reason why.
Glacier High absolutely ran through the Class AA en route to a perfect 13-0 season and the school's first-ever state championship. The Wolfpack headline the 2014 Great Falls Tribune Super-State Football team with eight players on the roster.
The C.M. Russell High Rustlers, the runner-up to Glacier under first-year head coach Gary Lowry, also have several performers on what is the 19th annual Super-State team.
The team, which seeks to honor the top players in the state, also boasts players from Class A, Class B and Class C.
Running backs
The running backs are C.M. Russell's Andrew Grinde and Missoula Big Sky's Cory Diaz.
Grinde, the 5-11, 213-pound junior, was voted as the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year after amassing 2,180 yards on the ground and 20 touchdowns, leading his team almost single-handedly to a state championship appearance. Grinde has been offered by the Bobcats and will surely pick up more offers and interest as he has one more season of Rustler football to play.
"Andrew Grinde, I thought we handled him pretty well in our game, and he never stopped," Great Falls High head coach Matt Krahe, whose team allowed him to rush for 226 yards in its annual crosstown game, said. "It was just boom, boom, boom. He's the real deal."
Diaz, a 6-0, 192-pound senior and first team All-State selection, averaged 151 yards rushing per game during the regular season. He was also on the first team as an outside linebacker.
"He's of the same mold as Andrew," Krahe said. "He is a big, bruising running back … He's a downhill runner, and he is always leaning forward. He's a competitor."
Quarterback
The quarterback is Glacier's Brady McChesney. A 6-0, 170-pound senior, McChesney was head and shoulders above the rest under center. He completed 60 percent of his passes and threw for 2,825 yards and 37 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
"I've said this, and I know it's a really bold statement, but I've coached some good quarterbacks," Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said, "I mean, I have some quarterbacks that have played in the NFL and CFL, and I think he is the best I've ever coached. The reason is, he may not have the tangible skillset … but he has the best intangibles that I've ever seen."
A first team All-State selection and the Most Valuable Player on offense, McChesney led the Wolfpack to an unblemished 13-0 record and Glacier's first state championship, where he threw for 250 yards and three scores. He is deciding between Montana Tech and Montana State, where, as of now, he would be a walk-on.
Wide receivers
The wide receivers are Glacier's Logan Jones, Great Falls High's Kessler Leonard and Laurel's Brandon Kubitz.
Jones, a 5-8, 165-pound senior, was one of the state's most dynamic athletes, a player who could beat other teams in a variety of ways, evident by the fact that he was chosen first team All-State in three separate categories: wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner. He had over 2,000 all-purpose yards. Jones, who finds himself on the Super-State team for the second straight year, is deciding between Montana and Montana State, both of which he would be a walk-on.
"He's just a threat," CMR head coach Gary Lowry said. "Anytime he touches the ball, whether it's kick returning or receiving, he's a threat to go the distance wherever he's at."
Leonard, a 6-0, 172-pound senior who was picked first team All-State as a receiver, caught 60 balls during the regular season, tied for first in the league. He averaged 65 yards per game as a wideout and manned his safety position admirably.
"He had a great season," Lowry said. " … He was a good player. He tore us up."
A 5-10, 165-pound senior, Kubitz did everything for Class A Laurel, setting several school records in the process. This season, he had 53 receptions for 850 yards and eight touchdowns.
Offensive line
The offensive line is comprised of Skyview's Kyle Reitler, C.M. Russell's Ryan Millhollin, Glacier's Harrison Kauffman, Wibaux's Trent Farnworth and Big Sky's Matt Murphy.
Reitler, a 6-5, 290-pound senior who is walking on at Montana State, was voted first team All-State and helped pave the way for one of the best rushing attacks in the state.
Because of Grinde's standout season, multiple CMR lineman are deserving but Millhollin, a 6-0, 204-pound senior and first team All-State selection, stood out from the rest this season. Millhollin is receiving interest from several Frontier schools.
A 6-2, 235-pound senior, Kauffman, a first team honoree, was another reason standout running back Thomas Trefney – and Jones – had big holes to run through. An intelligent kid, Kauffman is deciding between University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University.
At 6-0, 250 pounds, Farnworth, who played on the offensive and defensive line for the Class C state champions, was the leader on a big and burly line for the Longhorns. He was a four-year starter and will play football at Rocky Mountain College.
A 6-1, 245-pound senior, Murphy was chosen as one of the three offensive tackles on the first team and bolstered one of the best rushing attacks in the state.
Tight end
The tight end is Big Sky's Colin Bingham. A 6-2, 240-pounder, Bingham, who has offers from Montana, South Dakota and Northern Arizona, earned first team All-State honors as a tight end and a defensive end. He had 20 catches to go along with five touchdowns.
"He's extremely physical and extremely athletic," Krahe said.
Kicker
The kicker is Glacier's Brandon Purdy. A 5-10, 155-pound senior, Purdy was voted first team and, when talking to coaches, considered the best in the state. Also a soccer player, Purdy has some Frontier Conference offers but is looking to playing Division I and is gaining interest from several programs.
All-Purpose
The all-purpose players are Senior's Gabe Sulser and C.M. Russell's Karl Tucker II.
Perhaps the most impressive underclassmen in Montana this season, Sulser, only a freshman, was a nightmare for opposing secondaries, especially GFH and CMR. He was explosive on kick and punt returns, but he made his mark as a wide receiver, catching 42 balls for 675 yards and seven scores. His speed and cutting ability had defensive backs on skates most of the season.
Tucker II, the 6-1, 205-pound junior who has been offered by Montana State, is certainly one of the best players in the state, but he was sometimes overshadowed — and maybe underappreciated — because of Grinde and what he accomplished.
Tucker II ran the ball 91 times during the regular season, in his customary "Wildcat" spot, averaging 41 yards per game and also led the Rustlers in receptions with 41. He had 11 touchdowns during the regular season and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in all-purpose yards.
Defensive line
The defensive line is made up of Helena High's Chase Benson, C.M. Russell's Payton Sexe, Glacier's Andrew Harris and Butte Central's Marcus Ferriter.
A 6-4, 245-pound defensive end, the junior Benson – along with fellow teammate Gus Herzog – assumed position on one of the best defensive lines in Class AA, for a defense that was, statistically, the best in the league, giving up only 12.2 points per game during the regular season. Benson was a first team honoree.
"He's a guy you have to know where he is at on defense because they move him around a little bit," Lowry said. "You better try to stay away from him when you are running the ball. I'm serious."
Sexe, a 6-0, 207-pound senior and first team All-State selection, was undersized compared to some other defensive ends in the league, but he made up for it with his quickness and ability to get to the quarterback. He is being pursued by Carroll College.
Harris, a 6-4, 195-pound senior, led a defensive front for the Wolfpack that Grinde, after the state championship, called the best D-line he faced all season. Harris, a first team pick, was certainly at the forefront of that. Harris' mostly likely destination for collegiate football will be at Montana – his father played there in the 1970s; his older brother also played for the Grizzlies – as a walk-on.
"I thought there was more than one of him half the time we played him," Lowry said of Harris. "He was everywhere."
Ferriter, a 6-3, 220-pound senior defensive end, helped lead Butte Central, behind more than 20 sacks on the season, to a state championship berth in Class A while also earning first team All-State honors. Ferriter recently committed to Montana State as a preferred walk-on.
Linebackers
The linebackers are Glacier's Josh Hill, Helena's Isaiah Cech, Townsend's Jace Lewis and Corvallis' Jesse Sims.
Whenever Glacier's swarming defense is the conversation, opposing coaches usually start with Hill, the 6-1, 200-pound senior and first team All-State selection. Hill, who, like Jones, is on the Super-State team in back-to-back years, has scholarship offers from both Montana and Montana State; he will likely decide between those two.
"Him and that Harris kid were everywhere," Lowry said. "You turn around and there they are again on the tackle."
A 6-0, 205-pound inside linebacker, Cech, a first team honoree, was instrumental for a unit that led the league in total defense, allowing only 216 yards per game in the regular season. Cech is committed to Carroll College.
Lewis, the Townsend quarterback and linebacker, led the the Bulldogs to their first-ever Class B state championship. He had several key interceptions during the team's historic playoff run and, with his legs and arm, commanded a potent offensive attack.
"He's a good player," Fairfield head coach Les Meyer said. "He would be a good player, I think, in any Class ... Very impressed with him. I think he is a difference maker."
A 6-4, 232-pound senior, Sims did everything for a Corvallis team that went from a one-win team a year ago to a playoff contender. Projected as a tight end in college, Sims played linebacker and running back for the Blue Devils. Sims originally committed to play football at Oregon State, but he decommitted when head coach Mike Riley left for Nebraska. Montana, Montana State, several Big Sky schools and some FBS programs are after Simms.
Defensive backs
The defensive backs are Glacier's Cain Boschee and Tucker Rauthe, Bigfork's Josh Sandry and Belgrade's Brayden Konkol.
Boschee, a 6-3, 180-pound corner who had two critical interceptions in the state championship game, was a first team All-State selection. Boschee will most likely play football at Dickinson State University.
A 6-0, 200-pound senior and first All-State selection as a safety, Rauthe, along with Boschee, paired up for one the best defensive back duos in the state. Rauthe is committed to Montana Tech.
Sandry led Bigfork to a semifinal appearance in the Class B playoffs. A Montana Grizzly commit, Sandry, at 6-1, 175 pounds, was a standout quarterback and defensive back for the Vikings.
Konkol, a 6-1, 185-pound senior, led Belgrade to the final eight of the Class A playoffs, playing both defensive back and quarterback, where he was a first team All-State pick. He is committed to Montana State, where he will play safety.
Punter
The punter is Conrad's Shane Larson. Larson was the designated punter for the Cowboys, though they didn't punt very much this season. Part of the reason for that was Larson, the do-it-all quarterback and linebacker who led Conrad to the semifinals of the Class B playoffs. He single-handedly beat Glasgow in the playoffs, with a 42-carry, 246-yard, four-touchdown performance.
All-Purpose
The all-purpose selection on defense is Butte's Dalton Daum. At 6-1, 175, and arguably the state's fastest player, Daum did everything for his team this past season. A Montana State commit, Daum had 53 catches for 766 yards (76.6 yards per game) and six touchdowns. He also averaged nearly 25 yards per kick return and assumed the punt return responsibilities while also playing defensive back for head coach Arie Grey and the Bulldogs.