April 2005

Bulldogs Sign Seven
Thursday, April 28 2005
University of Montana-Western head football coach Tommy Lee announced the signing of seven student-athletes to Frontier Conference/NAIA letters of intent.

Mark Chmielowski is a 6-5, 316 lb offensive tackler from Chandler, Arizona. He will graduate this spring from Chandler High School.

Jay Graves is a 5-11, 200 lb linebacker from Chandler, Arizona. He recorded 181 tackles and five quarterback sacks and earned All-Conference honors. He also participated in baseball. Graves will graduate this spring from Chandler High School.

Kyle Mills is a 6-1, 180 lb wide receiver from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was second on his team in catches with 22 for 374 yards and seven touchdowns. He will graduate this spring from Coeur d'Alene High School.

Stephen O'Neal is a 6'3, 230 lb defensive end from Laurel. He transfers to Western from the University of Montana-Missoula. At Laurel, he earned All-Conference and All-State honors in football. He also competed in wrestling where he was a Class A State Champion in the heavyweight class. O'Neal is a 2001 graduate of Laurel High School.

Parker Patterson is 5-9, 170 lb wide receiver from McCall, Idaho. In his senior season, he rushed for 773 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 73 passes for 1156 yards and 17 touchdowns. Patterson earned All-Conference honors and All-State honors and was selected to play in the Idaho East-West Shrine game. He will graduate this spring McCall-Donnelly High School.

Taylor Ritchie is a 5-10, 180 lb wide receiver from Grand Junction, Colorado. He transfers to Western from Mesa State.

Matt Kyle is a 6-0, 180 lb defensive back from Seeley Lake, Montana. He will graduate this spring from Seeley Swan High School.



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Red and White Scrimmage Set For Saturday, April 16
Friday, April 15 2005
The University of Montana-Western football team puts the wraps on spring drills with the annual Red and White Scrimmage, Saturday, April 16, 2005. Kickoff is 11:00 a.m. from Vigilante Field.

The Bulldogs held a team draft on Wednesday night for the two teams. The game will be played with four twelve minute quarters. Very few of the returning starters will see action as the focus will be on the young players in game-like situations.

There was a little more at stake this Spring then any other with Tommy Lee at the helm. Last season, the Bulldogs lost 18 players to graduation, and many of those seniors were starters.

Lee used this spring as time of evaluation, giving his younger players as much playing time as possible to see who would step up and fill the holes left by graduation.

“I thought spring practice went very well,“ said Lee. “After the Red and White game we will sit down as a staff and evaluate individuals as well as positions and where we see people fitting, We have some ideas on who we see filling the holes left by graduation. The young kids worked hard this spring. We have some talented young players, but they lack game experience. I feel very positive on the guys we have that can replace the players who graduated. We will know a lot more after the scrimmage.”

Several of the players looked very sharp and caught the eye of the coaches. Dillon freshman Chad Schria took a step closer to locking up the middle linebacker position, but got stiff competition from junior Ryan Tuttle of Missoula. Sophomore Cooper Murakoa of Libby looks to inherit one of the vacated cornerback positions while Nanakuli, Hawaii freshman There are two names penciled in at top of the depth chart at one of the safety positions. Albert Distajo and sophomore Derek Stanley of Mullan, Idaho still have the coach's wondering who will start come the fall.. Both had excellent Springs. Lee was hoping for more reps from Stanley, but he was hobbled by injury. The defensive tackle remains solid. There is quite a battle going on at defensive end. The talent is there, the experience isn't.

The battle at quarterback was for back-up to returning starter sophomore Travis Blome of Billings. Transfer Justin Hartman of Great Falls and freshman Keal'li Perbera.

“It is still a toss-up,” said Lee. “We were looking for consistency from one of them. They both had good springs, but not consistent. One would stand out one day, and then the next day the other would have a great day of practice. It has been a peaks and valley's type of performance.”

Part-time starter Lance Frick, a sophomore from Great Falls, had a great spring on the offensive line. Also catching the coach's eyes were freshmen MaKana Mardonada of Kapa'a, Hawaii and Lanikai Kanehele of Hawaii.

“My biggest concern about the offensive line is depth,” said Lee. “I feel a little better after Spring, but it is still an area of concern.”

The strength of the Bulldog receiving corps is on the outside with that position going five deep on the depth chart. The mystery remains on the outside with several players battling for the two starting positions.

“There is a good group there,” added Lee. “They have all worked hard and we will be evaluating that position right through two-a-days in the fall.”

The Bulldogs open their 2005 season on August 27 at Montana Tech.





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Bulldog Football Signs Seven
Wednesday, April 13 2005
Four student-athletes from Montana, two from Washington and one from Idaho have signed NAIA/Frontier Conference letters of intent to play football for the University of Montana-Western, according to head coach Tommy Lee.

Riley Bouchee is a 5-11, 250 lb offensive lineman from Billings. He was selected to play in the Badlands Bowl. Bouchee also participates in wrestling and won the heavyweight divisional title. He will graduate this spring from Billings Senior High School.

Mike Kirby is a 6-3, 206 lb defensive end from Florence, Montana. He earned All-Conference honors as both a defensive end and a tight end and was selected to play in the Class B All-Star game. He also earned All-Conference honors in basketball and was selected to play in the Sheraton All-Star game in Billings and the All-Valley Classic in Hamilton. He will graduate this spring from Florence High School.

Matt Pancich is a 5-8, 160 lb defensive back from Great Falls. He earned All-Conference and All-State honors as a defensive back and has been selected as an alternate to the East-West Shrine All-Star game. Pancich also participates in hockey.

Troy TwoTeeth is a 6-2, 280 lb defensive tackle. He is a 2002 graduate of Arlee High School and has spent the last couple of years in the military.

Dean Anderson is a 5-9, 180 lb running back from Issaquah, Washington. He led his team in rushing with 163 carries for 1136 yards and ten touchdowns. He will graduate this spring from Liberty High School.

Brad Hollen is a 6-2, 180 lb kicker/punter from Spokane, Washington. He earned All-Conference honors as a kicker. Hollen is a 2004 graduate of Riverside High School.

Paul Hollis is a 5-9, 185 lb defensive back from Boise, Idaho. He had 32 solo tackles, 18 assisted tackles, four fumble recoveries and one interception in his senior season and earned All-District honors. As a junior, he played outside linebacker and led his team in sacks. He will graduate this spring from Boise High School.




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Great Falls Senior Recipient of Scholar Athlete Award
Monday, April 11 2005

Ben Snipes, a senior offensive lineman from Great Falls, was one of twelve recipients of the Scholar Athlete Award sponsored by the Montana Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Snipes is a three time All-Conference selection and two-time All-American selection. He maintains a 3.68 GPA.

Nominations by coaches come from Montana's five high school classifications, five Frontier Conference schools and the states two universities. Academic ability and football prowess are given the highest priority in selecting the winners while community involvement and school leadership activities merit considerable weight.


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Bulldogs Set for Second Scrimmage of Spring Season
Friday, April 8 2005
University of Montana-Western football coach Tommy Lee knew he and his staff had their work cut out for them entering the Spring season. With eighteen seniors graduating, there were a lot of holes to fill on the Bulldog football team.

The good news was there were a lot of young and talented players competing for the open positions. And, there was a good nucleous of returning players. So, the pieces to the puzzle were there. But step one to determine how the puzzle would fit together would happen this Spring.

Lee and staff got their first good look at the team in a 104 play scrimmage last Saturday.

“Every Spring, our goal is to take a look at all the players, in particular the young players,” said Lee. “We have 90 kids out for Spring ball and we need to see all of them. In the scrimmage, we got a chance to see everyone and saw some bright spots. I thought our quarterbacks played well. With our offensive line, we are looking at a lot of young guys and I thought they did a really nice job picking up where they left on in the fall. On the defensive side, I thought our linebacker crew as outstanding, in particular on the inside. Our corners and safeties did a nice job. There were no surprises at defensive tackle, that is a solid position just like I thought it would be. All and all, it was a good two hour scrimmage and we got to see a lot of positive things. But, we have a lot of work to do before our season opener against Montana Tech. Another positive was we came out of the scrimmage without any major injuries.”

The Bulldogs held a couple of small scrimmage in the midst of their two practices this past week. Another large scrimmage is set for Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.

“I feel good about where we are right now,” added Lee. “If we continute to improve in the areas where we are a little rough right now, we should be a good football team in the Fall.”
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Bulldogs Play First Scrimmage of Spring Season
Friday, April 1 2005
Despite inclement weather, the University of Montana-Western football team is right on schedule for the 2005 Spring Season.

Head Coach Tommy Lee and staff is using the Spring season to fill holes left by graduation. Lee is They will judge their progress with a scrimmage Saturday, April 2 at the Vigilante Field practice field beginning around 10:00 a.m.

“Spring practice has been going very well,” said Lee. “We are getting a chance to get a real good look at a lot of the young guys. We have a lot of holes to fill and a lot of guys to look at. We have been pleased with the work ethic of our kids. They had a great winter condition program and their attitudes have been outstanding. They understand the challenges we have in the fall.”

Travis Blome, last year's starter at quarterback, remains in that position with freshman Keali'I Perbera and transfer Justin Hartman along with freshman redshirt Ryan Euker battling for the back-up position.

Caleb Drinkwalter returns at running back. Tyler Cress moved from linebacker to running back last year to add depth. Cress has been very impressive thus far. Redshirt freshmen Clay Morrell and Caleb Ridgeway have also looked good this Spring.

Western's offensive line lost two All-Conference players in Ben Snipes and Mike Schimdt through graduation, and the status of two others remain up in the air. Starters Toby Beck and Cory Monroe are both recovering from off-season medical problems and are questionable in regards to whether or not they will play in the Fall. Lee does have All-Conference center Abe Apilado returning along with returning starter Darrell Bryce and part-time starter Lance Frick. Also in the mix are Kenese Letuli, MaKana Mardonada, LaniKai Kanahele and Josh Vogl.

“I think we will be decent at the offensive line,” noted Lee. “How strong we will be depends a lot on the progress of the young offensive lineman. They have the talent, they are just green.”

Sophomore Jeff Schultz looks to be the heir apparent to two-time All-American Dallas Mock at one of the inside receiver positions. But, he is getting stiff competition from Matt Allen, Connor Fuhrman and Casey Poitras. Fuhrman was originally a quarterback but has the athleticism to play receiver. All-Conference receiver Josh Illig returns to the other inside position. Seth McLean, Mike Bogy and Omar Rodriguez have also looked good this Spring.
The outside receiver position is where the Bulldogs lost the most. Lee will look to transfer Antwone Barlow, Travis Hartman, Logan Lewis, Rod Stuart, Lucas Stacy, Marcus Williams, and to fill the holes on the outside.

On the defensive line, the Bulldogs lost two All-Americans in Nik Rewerts and Jereme Hess and All-Conference end Ruley Stingley. The talent is there, but a lack of experience is an area of concern.


Defensive tackle has the most experience with Chris Alexander, Andrew Amosa, Casey Bingham, Kama McKeague returning. All have experience and will battle for playing time. Wes Wisdom and Aaron Manutai round out the group. Seth Roseberry is the most experienced of the defensive ends returning. Sean McKinney, Zane Nordahl, Brian Timmons and Jeff Yeager have looked good in the Spring. Yeager, a linebacker two years ago, sat out last season.

“This is a another quality group,” said Lee. “But, like some other areas, the talent is there, but the experience is not.”

All-Conference and All-American Eric Stoverud anchors the linebacker corps from the outside. At one of the inside linebackers, Kawai Curren was a part-time starter with a lot of experience. Ryan Tuttle, Travis Cole and Chad Schira also saw playing time at inside linebacker. Redshirt freshmen Keevin Bertlesen and Caleb Osborne add depth to the position.

Lee is building his defensive backfield around All-Conference safety Nick Prinzing. Derek Stanley looks to fill the other safety position. He sat last year due to an injury. Aric Harris, Caleb Ridgeway and Albert Distajo round out the group. Distajo moves from corner.

Cooper Muraoka had some minutes at corner last season and will contend for a starting position. Two players who saw mostly special team work last season contending for a starting position are Dustin Johnson and David Lawson. Lawson moves from safety to corner. Transfer Greg Alexander joins the group.

Gone but not forgotten is All-American kicker and punter Eric Zahler. During his career, Zahler re-wrote the record books in both kicking and punting. Lee is looking at several players who have the kicking experience.

“When you lose a guy like Eric who has been here for four years, he was so consistent, you just didn't worry about that area,” added Lee. But, now that he is gone, that is a huge hole to fill. We are also looking to bring in a kicker and punter.”

“Overall, we are pleased with the quality of our players,” said Lee. “The pieces to the puzzle are there, now we use the Spring to see how they fit. We have been able to stay away from any injuries and have succeeded. So far, it has been a good Spring!”

The Bulldogs will cap their Spring season with the Red and Black Scrimmage, Saturday, April 16.





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