Thursday’s Regional Briefs: Grizzly football scrimmage

Grizzly offense shows improvement

MISSOULA – The offense showed improvement and the defense was stellar during the Montana Grizzlies’ second scrimmage of spring football practice here Thursday night.

The offense, which did not score a touchdown in UM’s first scrimmage of spring drills last Saturday, scored two, both via the passing game. The offense also notched two field goals, and the Grizzlies’ veteran defense registered a pair of interceptions and four sacks.

The first touchdown came on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Makena Simis to redshirt freshman receiver Zach Hollenbeck. The second TD throw was on the final offensive possession of the scrimmage — a 3-yarder from Brady Gustafson to senior wide-out Ellis Henderson.

“It was a lot better today,” head coach Bob Stitt said. “I was excited about the drives that we put together. We had some 14, 15-play drives, and those are really going to take its toll on the defense.”

Senior kicker Daniel Sullivan scored the first points of the scrim, connecting on a 26-yard field goal, and later in the scrimmage was followed by senior Chris Lider booted a 30-yard three-pointer. Sullivan and junior Harrison Greenberg each made their one PAT attempts following those two TD receptions.

Gustafson, a junior from Billings, was 11-of-22-1 for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Simis, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho was 7-of-9-1 for 45 yards and a score. Eric Prater, a redshirt freshman from Lake Havasu, Ariz., went 5-of-11-0 passing for 57 yards.

“They’re coming along,” Stitt said about the quarterbacks. “As they get more reps they’re going to get more comfortable with the things that we’re doing. Particularly Brady. He had some nice checks, and he had one to score the touchdown to Ellis. That was a great man-to-man check at the end of the scrimmage, and as I said earlier, we’re going to get better as we get more reps.”

Junior halfback John Nguyen led all rushers with 11 carries for 66 yards, and he was followed by sophomore Lorenzo Logwood (13-38), and redshirt freshman Carl Johnson (6-26).

End Tyrone Holmes and tackle Caleb Kidder led the defense. Kidder, a junior from Helena who missed last season with an injury, had a team-high 8 tackles, along with a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection. Holmes, a senior returning starter from Eagle Point, Ore., had 6 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a TFL.

Senior linebacker Connor Lebsock and senior safety Eric Johnson each had interception.

“I was excited about the defense and the way they came out and got two take-aways,” Stitt said. “We had some things going on offense, and the defense came right back with a turnover, and then they finished the scrimmage with a turnover. So, I was really please on both sides, and we want good things happening on both sides and not be one-sided.”

The Griz will take a few days off for spring break and they resume practice on April 6. UM’s annual Spring Game will be Saturday, April 11, in Carroll College’s Nelson Stadium, starting at 1 p.m.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

PASSING: Brady Gustafson 11-22-1—105; Chad Chalich 1-2-0—6); Eric Prater 5-11-0—57; Makena Simis 7-9-1—45. Totals: 24-44-2—201, 2 TDs.

RUSHING: John Nguyen 11-66; Lorenzo Logwood 13-38; Carl Johnson 6-26; Prater 2-9, Simis 1-2, Chalich 1-2; Gustafson 5-(-21). Totals: 39-for-122.

RECEIVING: Caleb Lyons 5-22; Zach Hollenback 3-51 (TD); Jamaal Jones 3-48; Chase Naccarato 3-26; Reese Carlson 2-17, Ryan Burke 2-9, Ellis Henderson 2-7 (TD), Josh Janssen 1-13, Nguyen 1-9, Tristen Clark 1-6.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

TACKLES: Caleb Kidder: 8; Tyrone Holmes: 6; Connor Strahm: 6; Ryan McKinley: 6; Manu Rasmussen: 6; Kendrick Van Ackeren: 5; Connor Lebsock: 4; Jeremiah Kose: 4; Markell Sanders: 4.

SACKS: Holmes: 2; Herbert Gamboa: 1; Kidder: 1.

INTERCEPTIONS: Eric Johnson: 1 and Lebsock: 1.

PASS DEFLECTIONS: McKinley: 2; Kose: 1; Jake Dallaserra: 1; Mick Delaney: 1; Tyler Richtmyer: 1; Kidder: 1; Chris Parker: 1; Addison Owen: 1.

TACKLES FOR LOSS: Kidder: 1; Holmes: 1; Zach Peevey: 1; Van Ackeren: 1.

UGF volleyball program adds two

University of Great Falls volleyball coach Arunas Duda has announced the signing of middle hitter Bree Fregeau and defensive specialist Shaylene Fishel to the Lady Argonauts program.

Fregeau is a 6-foot-2 player from Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif. She also competed for and served as captain of the 951 Elite Volleyball Club under coach Dennis Palpallatoc. The 18 team finished fourth at the SCVA Tournament in Las Vegas in 2013.

“We are extremely excited to be able to sign Bree to join the Argo volleyball program in the fall,” Duda said. “She has had some of the best coaching in southern California and we can’t wait for her to bring her experience and passion to our program.”

While competing for Great Oak High, Fregeau won the Passion Award in 2012 and the Spirit Award in 2014. Her team won the Southwestern League championship in 2014 and advanced to the CIF Division IA Southern Section semifinals. She was also an AP honors student and highly active in student government during high school.

“Bree should make an immediate impact on the court for us and will compete for time both in the middle and on the right side,” Duda said. “We are excited to get a commitment from a player that was so highly recruited. The future continues to look bright for our program.”

Fishel is a defensive specialist from Columbia Falls, Mont. Her Wildcats team won the Northwestern A Division two seasons in a row and finished second at the Class A state tournament in 2014.

“She really impressed us with her ball control skills and court sense during her visit,” Duda said. “She will make a great addition to a position that is shaping into a huge strength for the Argos in the fall.”

Fishel, the daughter of James and Lavita Vineyard, was a three-year letter-winner in volleyball and was earned All-Conference Honorable Mention as a junior and All-Conference honors as a senior. She holds the school record with 682 digs and was named Academic All-State. She also won the Most Inspirational Player Award at the Montana Western volleyball camp.

UGF lacrosse team on road this week

The University of Great Falls lacrosse team plays in Bozeman this weekend with games against Montana and Montana State.

UGF plays MSU at 4 Friday afternoon and takes on UM at 1 on Saturday.

The Argonauts (0-3) are still looking for their first non-scrimmage victory. Coach Kylan Hallett’s squad dropped a difficult 10-9 decision at Portland State last Sunday.

The Bobcats (2-4 overall) are led by Louis Richman’s 13 goals and 11 assists. Connor Dack has 11 goals and five assists, Kelly Carroll has 10 goals and Preston Knight adds nine goals and six assists. David Rizzolo and Alec Hallman each have five goals.

The Griz (3-3 overall) are led on offense by Eric Larson (18 goals, seven assists), Kit Jeffrey (12 goals, 15 assists), Andrew Wenzl (10 goals) and Beau Wells (nine goals).

The Argos are led on offense by midfielder Dakota Norman, who has five goals and two assists on the season. Albert Williams adds three goals and two assists, while Joshua Smith also has three goals. Javon Wilson has a pair of goals to go along with two assists.

Carroll softball adds seven recruits

HELENA – The Carroll College softball team of head coach Aaron Jackson recently added seven recruits, including a pair of Montana natives.

Helena Capital star Brittany Smith and Billings West outfielder Ashley Davis have committed to the new Carroll program.

Smith was a two-time all-conference pitcher and defensive MVP. She was also a three-year Academic All-State Honoree in softball and was a four-year honor roll member. Davis helped lead the Bears to the 2014 State AA Championship. She was a 2014 Softball All-State Selection in the outfield.

Also coming to Carroll are pitcher Tess Eaton of San Diego, outfielder TJ Rucker of Portland, Ore., catcher Tianna Harper of Mead, Colo., catcher-third baseman Madison Soper of Banks, Ore., and JC transfer Courtney Cloud. Originally of Maple Valley, Wash., and Western Nebraska CC.

Rocky starts spring football practice

BILLINGS – The Rocky Mountain Bears, with 15 starters returning from last year’s 5-6 team, start spring football practice on Friday.

Head coach Brian Armstrong, in his seventh season, expects to have 88 players participating in spring drills. The Bears open the 2015 season Aug. 29 when Dickinson State visits Billings.

Among the returners are two-time first team All-America wide receiver Andre McCullouch, who last season had 87 receptions for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Bears will be searching for a starting quarterback as Bryce Baker graduates in May. As a four-year starter, Baker amassed an incredible 11,796 yards (10,968 passing). Baker’s backup, Chase White of Shelby, will compete for the starting job with Wibaux sophomore Jacob Bakken.

Among the defensive stars returning are junior defensive end Austin Chamberlain of Helena and senior defensive tackle DuShawn McDaniel.

The Bears will conduct two scrimmages, which will be open and free of charge to the public. The first will take place on Wendy’s Field at Daylis Stadium on Saturday, April 11 from 4-6 p.m. The other scrum will be held at Herb Klindt Field on Rocky’s campus April 18 beginning at 1 p.m.

Billings courts Big Sky men’s tourney

BILLINGS – The city of Billings and Rimrock Auto Arena did their best this week to convince representatives of the Big Sky Conference that Billings would make a great permanent host for the league’s men’s basketball tournament.

Big Sky officials visited the city Wednesday and Thursday.

The campaign started when the visitors got off the plane. A player from each of the league’s 12 basketball programs is featured on windows over the baggage claim area. Signs welcoming the conference officials were hung Tuesday and desk clerks at the hotel will be wearing T-shirts from various league schools.

The group was scheduled to visit potential practice facilities and the city’s hotel offerings.

Montana’s Breunig named all-district

Montana junior forward Martin Breunig has been named to the NABC’s Division I All-District 6 team.

The all-district squads are selected and voted on by member coaches of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Bruenig, a 6-8 forward from Leverkusen, Germany, was a unanimous first team All-Big Sky Conference selection. The transfer from Washington was also named the league’s Newcomer of the Year.

Breunig averaged 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. His 534 points ranked 10th in Grizzly single-season history.

Breunig is one of four Big Sky players named to the first team, joining Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey and Eagles forward Venky Jois, both juniors, and senior guard Mikh McKinney from Sacramento State.

Also recognized from the Big Sky were junior forward Joel Bolomboy of Weber State and senior guard Quinton Upshur from Northern Arizona, who were named to the second team. Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz was recognized as the District 6 coach of the year.

Reno, Nevada, and Spokane, Wash., submitted bids to host both the men’s and women’s tournaments while Ogden, Utah also bid on the men’s tournament. Missoula bid on the women’s tournament. Big Sky officials are visiting all the sites.

Deadline near for Grizzly ticket holders

The deadline to renew season tickets for the Montana Grizzly football season is Wednesday.

Griz football season ticket holders must pay for their discounted 2015 tickets by April 1 at 4:30 p.m. in order to receive the discounted price of $235. After the April 1 deadline, tickets prices will increase to $260.

The final date for ticket renewal for Griz football season tickets is May 2; any season tickets not paid for by the May 2nd deadline will be released for sale to the general public on July 6th.

The 2015 Grizzly football schedule features six home games, including four Big Sky Conference contests.

Montana opens its season at home in dramatic fashion, hosting three-time defending national FCS champion North Dakota State on Saturday, Aug. 29, in a 1:30 p.m. game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Outdoor track season starts in Missoula

MISSOULA – The college outdoor track and field season gets started here on Friday as the Al Manuel Invitational begins.

The meet begins Friday afternoon with the weight throw. The women compete at 3 p.m., with the men to follow. The remainder of the meet will be held Saturday. The women’s javelin kicks off the field events at 10 a.m., the women’s steeplechase starts the running events at 11:15 a.m.

Joining Montana at the meet will be athletes from Montana State, Eastern Washington, MSU Billings, Carroll, the University of Great Falls and Rocky Mountain.

Brody Miller new hit king at MSU B

BILLINGS – Senior second baseman Brody Miller of Missoula recently became the all-time career hits leader at Montana State Billings.

Miller, an NCAA Division II All-American last spring, has 223 career hits, which ranks fifth all-time in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

MSUB currently sits in second place in the GNAC standings, with a 6-5 record in conference play. The Yellowjackets, 11-16 overall, open their home schedule this weekend with a four-game series against Saint Martin’s. Doubleheaders are slated both Friday and Saturday.