January 2008
Six Student-Athletes Join Bulldog Huddle
Thursday, January 31 2008
Six student athletes have signed Frontier Conference/NAIA letters of intent to play football at the University of Montana Western, according to head coach Rich Ferris.
Bob Anderson is a 6’3”, 290 defensive tackle from Great Falls, Mont. He is a 2004 graduate of Great Falls High School and transfers from Carroll College. In his Bison career, he recorded 110 tackles and 19 quarterback sacks. Anderson earned all-state honors. He also participated in wrestling where he earned all-state honors.
“Bob is a great addition to our defensive front,” said Ferris. “He is as strong a player as we have on our team. We look forward to throwing him in the mix and see if he can be a starter.”
Anderson was selected to the National Honor Society during his prep career. He is the son of Dwayne and Cindy Anderson and is majoring in business management.
Cody Darrington is a 5’10”, 195 lb linebacker from Glenns Ferry, Idaho. He transfers from Boise State University. In his prep career, he recorded 335 tackles, five quarterback sacks and three interceptions. Darrington earned all-conference and all-state football honors and was selected his team’s most valuable player.
“We recruited Cody heavily out of high school and we understood his decision to walk-on at Boise State,” said Ferris. “We are glad to have him wearing the red and black and expect big things from him in the future.”
Darrington also earned all-conference honors in basketball and baseball. From the classroom he was selected to the honor roll and selected the academic athlete of the year. He is the son of Wade and Pam Darrington and is majoring in health and human performance.
William Ellis is a 6’2”, 290 lb offensive lineman from Sparks, Nev. He transfers from Feather River College. Ellis earned all-conference honors in high school.
“Will shows the power and technique to move people off the ball,” said Ferris. “He will be a great addition to the Bulldog offensive line.”
He is a 2005 graduate of Reed High School and is majoring in political science at UMW. Ellis is the son of Albert and Viki Ellis.
Garrett Graves is a 6’2”, 205 lb quarterback from Missoula, Mont. In his junior and senior year at Missoula Sentinel, he was second in the state in passing. Graves earned all-conference and all-state honors.
“Having Garrett join the program solidifies the quarterback position,” said Ferris. “Garrett possesses all the tools a quarterback needs to successful in our offense. We are expecting big things from Garrett this spring.”
Graves is majoring in secondary education. He is the son of Steve and Loralee Graves.
Austin Laing is a 6’0”, 210 quarterback from Buhl, Idaho. Laing played both running back and quarterback at Buhl. He earned all-conference honors as a running back in his junior season. After his senior season, he earned all-conference and all-state honors, was named Player of the Year as a quarterback and was named the Offensive MVP of the Shrine All-Star game.
“Austin was an outstanding high school player,” said Ferris. “He has the athletic ability to play multiple spots both offensively and defensively.”
Laing is a 2007 graduate of Buhl High School and is majoring in education. He is the son of Mark and Debra Laing.
Ryan Mathews is a 6’1”, 270 lb defensive lineman from Pocatello, Idaho. For his career, he recorded 203 tackles and 14 quarterback sacks. Mathews was named the District Player of the Year and earned All-State honors.
He is a 2005 graduate of Highland High School and the son of Chip and Kathleen Matthews. He is majoring in business.
Reed Watkins is a 5’11”, 175 lb wide receiver from Kalispell, Mont. He is a 2007 graduate of Flathead High School where he earned all-state honors and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine and Mon-Dak All-Star games. Watkins is ranked second on Flathead’s all-time reception list.
“We are very fortunate to have Reed come into our program,” said Ferris. “Not only is Reed a great athlete, but he is an exceptional student.”
From the classroom, Watkins maintained a 3.5 GPA and earned academic all-state honors. He is the son of Maureena and Stan Watkins.
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