SPORTS

Frontier Football: Tech, Morrell visit Rocky

Scott Mansch
smansch@greatfallstribune.com

Frontier Conference football teams are a little battered and bruised this time of the year.

From beating up on themselves.

The conference is regarded as the toughest in the NAIA but could conceivably garner just one national playoff berth. That’s in large part because the league’s quirky home-and-home scheduling with several league foes lends itself to parity.

“That’s life in the Frontier,” said Montana Tech coach Chuck Morrell, whose nationally ranked Orediggers are at Rocky Mountain on Saturday. “I know they have a tremendous environment up there and they’re very well-coached. It’s going to be a challenge, just like it is every week in the Frontier.”

The seventh-ranked Orediggers, led by All-American halfback Nolan Saraceni’s 127 rushing yards per game, Quinn McQueary’s dual-threat ability and a stifling defense, are 6-1 in league play and overall and will take on Rocky (4-3, 4-4) in the league’s top matchup of the week.

“At any time, if you don’t bring your A-game you can slip up,” said Morrell, whose Diggers have won six straight. “That can cause a lot of problems in terms of the bigger picture of where we want to end up at the end of the year. We certainly know that going over there we’ll have to play our best football of the season. That’s our goal.”

Redshirt freshman Jacob Bakken, the former Wibaux standout, earned the start at QB for the Bears in last week’s loss to Carroll. Because starter Chase White was sidelined due to injury, Bakken stepped in and threw for 174 yards and ran for another 99.

In other league games on Saturday, MSU-Northern (1-6, 1-6) is at Carroll College (3-4, 3-4), 11th-ranked Eastern Oregon (5-2, 5-2) is at College of Idaho (2-5, 3-5), and No. 23 Southern Oregon (4-3, 4-4) is at Montana Western (3-4, 4-4).

It would seem that Southern Oregon, which won the NAIA national championship two years ago and finished runner-up last season, is out of the playoff hunt. And Eastern Oregon probably can’t afford more than one more loss and keep its postseason hopes alive.

The Lights of head coach Aaron Christensen defeated the Saints last month in Havre. For the first time in a decade, Northern topped Carroll and head coach Mike Van Diest and grabbed its first win of any kind since 2014. Halfback Zach McKinley, the ex-C.M. Russell High standout who has 706 yards and 7 TDs this season, had 85 yards and three scores in a 28-14 triumph.

After losing four of five, the Saints rebounded last Saturday for a 28-14 triumph over Rocky. Bruising halfback Dylan Green scooted for 78 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Backup quarterback Tanner Gustavsen scored twice and was mistake-free as he took over for the injured JT Linder. Standout wide receiver Connor Fohn hauled in five balls for 73 yards and a TD.

Montana Western, meanwhile, and head coach Ryan Nourse were dealt a 21-13 setback a week ago to Eastern Oregon. The Bulldog defense remains one of the best in the country, giving up just 20 points per game, which ranks 17th among NAIA teams.