Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
Best Player: Brock Osweiler, Sr., QB, Flathead
A 6-foot-8 basketball standout, Osweiler dropped his verbal commitment to play basketball at Gonzaga in order to commit to play football at Arizona State. As a sophomore, he passed for 2,454 yards in leading Flathead to the state semifinals. He bettered that total as a junior, throwing for 2,935 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also averaged 22.1 points per game in basketball as a junior. Returning State Leaders – Passing: Osweiler, 218-346, 2,935 yards, 27 TDs; Rushing: Nick Trapp, Helena, 218-1,102 yards, 14 TDs.
Top All-Time Player: Pat Donovan, Helena
Donovan played offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1983 and earned Pro Bowl honors four times. He helped the Cowboys reach a pair of Super Bowls. Born in Helena, Donovan played college football at Stanford.
2008 Must See: Billings Central Catholic vs. Beaverhead County
Beaverhead County lost only two games all of last year, both of them to Billings Central Catholic. The Rams went 12-0 in winning the Montana Class A championship while the Beavers finished 9-2. The two teams meet for a non-league game on Sept. 13 in Billings.
On The Throne: Capital
The Capital Bruins have dominated the Montana AA division the past three seasons, winning the state title in 2007 and 2006 and finishing second to Billings West in 2005. Capital is 48-12 over the past five seasons, going 12-1 last year with a 30-27 win over Billings in the championship game. Capital returns All-State players Brad Daly (6-1, 210, DE), Matt Miller (6-3, 190, CB, Jr.), and Michael King (5-9, 165, RB).
Best Rivalry: Butte vs. Butte Central
Located in southwestern Montana, Butte hosts the oldest football rivalry in the state, featuring Butte and Butte Central high schools. The two schools not only share a city, they share a coaching nickname. Butte has won 14 state titles in its history, many coming in the first half of the 20th century under head coach Harry “Swede” Dahlberg. Butte Central won three titles in a row in the 1970s under Ron “Swede” Kenison. A book has even been written about the rivalry that is nearly 100 years old.
Future Star: Matt Miller, Jr., WR, Capital
The 6-3, 195-pound wide receiver was the only sophomore to earn all-state honors last year at the 2A level, making the second team after catching 35 passes for 596 yards and six touchdowns during Capital’s state championship season.
Fun Fact
The best quarterback to ever come out of Montana just might be Dave Dickenson. Never heard of him? That’s because Dickenson has done most of his passing in Canada. The Montana high school career leader in total offense with 5,980 yards, the C.M. Russell High School graduate went on to lead the University of Montana to a Division 1-AA national championship, setting several NCAA records along the way including highest percentage of TD passes per attempt. He threw for 13,486 yards in his college career. In Canada, Dickenson went on to lead Calgary to a Grey Cup championship in 2000 and the British Columbia Lions in 2005. He was named the Canadian Football League MVP in 2000 and set a CFL passing efficiency rating record at 118.8. According to Sports Illustrated, “Super Dave” is considered the most popular athlete to ever come out of Montana.
MaxPreps Preseason All-State Team
WR – Matt Miller, Capital
WR – Drew Zelka, Hardin
WR – Dalton Bright, Sentinel
TE – Dan Olinger, CMR
OL – Josh Barnett, Billings West
OL – Tyler Thomas, Flathead
OL – Toby Erickson, Helena
OL – Louie Blood, Capital
OL – Eric Digiovine, Butte Central
QB – Brock Osweiler, Flathead
QB – Bryce Carver, Beaverhead County
RB – Michael King, Capital
RB – Nick Trapp, Helena
RB – Josh Wilson, Columbia Falls
ATH – Matt Upham, Helena
K – Tristan Costa, Hardin
DL – Brad Daly, Capital
DL – Darian Jones, Bozeman
DL – Justin Graham, Libby
DL – Decker Roberts, Skyview
LB – Chris Lavoie, Hellgate
LB – Brennan Haughian, Miles City
LB – Brady Anderson, Hamilton
LB – Austin Brooks, CMR
LB – Garrett Bergum, Skyview
DB –Sean Donahue, Helena
DB – Josh Pelczar, Billings West
DB – Cody Kirk, Frenchtown
DB – Matt Smith, Corvallis
P – Cody Kohlwes, Seeley-Swan
