Sentinel (Missoula, Mont.) senior wide receiver
Ben Roberts set four state records and tied a fifth in football this year, but he may be an even better baseball player.
Sentinel High's Ben Roberts.
Photo courtesy of Raphael Roberts
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder snared a state-record 108 passes in just 10 games for 1,370 yards (No. 2 in state history) and 12 touchdowns. His career totals of 235 catches for 3,373 yards and 31 touchdowns all are state records by a wide margin. He also tied the state record with 18 catches in one game.
He had a three-game span this year where he made 45 catches for 474 yards and eight touchdowns.
"I had no idea I had all those records," Roberts told MaxPreps. "I feel honored. That's awesome. Obviously, I couldn't have done it without my quarterback (junior Riley King)."
The athletic Roberts earned every yard because he continually faced defenses that were designed to stifle him.
"Every game the defenses were different," he pointed out. "We would change it up a little. I would go into the backfield to start or the slot. I had to learn all the slot, wide out and running back routes."
Coach Pete Joseph noted, "When you catch 108 balls, you take a lot of hits. You would not believe some of the coverages he saw. It got pretty complicated, because he had to learn every route on the perimeter. His hand-eye coordination is second to none. He tracks every ball and his body control is out of this world. I've never been around an athlete who is so dominant in two Division I sports. He's by far the best player I've ever had."
Though Montana does not have high school baseball, Roberts stars for the Missoula Mavericks American Legion team, which posted a 66-11 record last summer and captured its first state title in 12 years. A center fielder and leadoff batter, he hit .415 with a team-record 19 triples, 16 home runs and 76 runs batted in. He also stole 27 bases in 30 tries.
His baseball coach, Brent Hathaway, says, "He runs very well. He does have a good eye and draws a lot of walks. He also strikes out a lot, too. He is a really above-average athlete. He's getting a lot of attention both collegiately and professionally."
Hathaway explained that he does not worry about Roberts' strikeouts in the leadoff spot because of his great power hitting.
The Missoula Mavericks' Ben Roberts.
Photo courtesy of Raphael Roberts
"It's kind of nice to start a game with a guy at second or third base," he noted.
Roberts said he studies the opposing outfielders in pre-game practice and once he knows their arm strength, he has a good feel for running the bases.
"I like to challenge them," he admitted. "I've had quite a few shots in the gaps. I'd rather try to get a triple than stand on second. I don't know if I'm fast, but I have long strides. I can't remember being thrown out trying for a triple."
Roberts also admits to loving the spotlight.
"I strive to be the last guy up with the bases loaded and two outs," he said. "I like that feeling of pressure. I realize I can't always do it, but I like being the guy up there to try."
His best game last summer came in the state tourney opener against Belgrade when he crushed two home runs, three doubles and drove in seven runs.
In football, Roberts enhanced his reputation as a prime-time player the night he tied the state record with 18 receptions (231 yards and three touchdowns). On the last two drives in the fourth quarter, he picked up 101 yards.
"There were a bunch of third and fourth downs and I had to make plays with double and triple coverage," he noted. "We (he and his quarterback) were in a zone."
Unfortunately, his heroics weren't quite enough as the Spartans were nipped by Butte, 38-36, on a 40-yard field goal in the final four seconds.
And we still haven't discussed Roberts' first sport – basketball.
He obviously was going to play the sport because he was tall for his age and his parents both were college basketball standouts. His father, Raphael, was a 6-1 forward at Montana State University. His mother, Cheri, was a 5-10 point guard at the University of Montana where she set a career record in steals. She now is a member of her school's Hall of Fame.
His father coached him in baseball for many years, while his mom coached him in basketball.
Roberts could dunk as an eighth grader, but his mother always stressed fundamentals and didn't want any showboating by her players – that is until the day they played an AAU game against a team from Seattle.
"Our kids were intimidated and freaking out," she recalled. "They were tall city boys and our kids were so psyched out. I told Ben in warm-ups, 'I want you to dunk every time.' Our other kids were going, 'That's so much NOT like you!' We totally got them intimidated and we won by at least 25 points. After the game they were coming up to Ben."
When he was a freshman, he started on the Sentinel team which finished second to Billings West in the Class AA state tournament.
Roberts, who has an impressive 35-inch vertical jump, averaged 15 points and more than nine rebounds and led last year's basketball team in assists as a junior. However, he has elected to bypass basketball this winter to prepare for the Legion baseball season, which starts in April.
Coach Joseph believes that Roberts is the first freshman ever to start in football, basketball and baseball in Missoula history.
During Roberts' junior year, the Spartans compiled a 6-5 football record – their first winning mark in 21 years – and made the state playoffs.
"Ben has been a great part of that," Joseph said of his school's resurgence in football. "He's meant so much to me. He flat-out loves the spotlight. He loves to be the guy and drives it. He's definitely a prime-time player."
Roberts returns the compliment when he says, "I feel like respect for the coaches has really improved a lot. Everybody has bought into what they are trying to teach. This year we had one of our best teams, but we just had a bunch of injuries."
Joseph keeps telling his protégé that he has a great future in college football, but he has made a commitment for baseball only at Washington State University. He carries a 3.5 GPA and is interested in either architecture or civil engineering.
Even though baseball scouts don't cover Montana often, Roberts was able to get his first real exposure last fall when he played for the Kansas City Royals scout team. That has translated into calls from close to 20 Major League teams and several home visits.
In-house visits already have been made by San Diego and Tampa Bay, with world champion San Francisco scheduled for this Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.
"Right now I'm planning on going to college," Roberts said. "That's my No. 1 priority. If I do happen to get drafted in the first round and get a couple million-dollars bonus, why not? My No. 1 goal is to be a Major League baseball player."
