Overall MVP goes to Luke May. I've said all along he could've played in the Big Sky. Owned the All-Star games this year and was far and away the best QB playing tonight. The major difference in this game was the talent and depth of the West front seven and the lack of depth of the East front seven. Here are my thoughts on the game:
- Thought the West had the more talented roster when it came out in December of 2015. And then Balue Chapman, Karl Tucker, Andrew Grinde, Payton O'Reilly, and Dane Warp all opted out of the game and all were slated to play for the East. Benson opted out for the West team but holy crap the West defensive front seven was loaded anyway.
- Speaking of that front seven, lets review how they all looked. On the defensive line, you had two rotations. The first rotation was Jake Rebish of Sentinel at nose (who looked very imposing by the way) and Rosling & Chaffin Ross of Whitefish on the edges. Behind them was the starting LB core of Jace Lewis and Sean Opland at OLB and Kyle Schulte of Butte Central & LeTexier on the inside. When that group got winded, Rosling and Rebish came out and David Peterson & Jake Micholetti of Butte Central came in. The other linebacker group was manned by Kyle Finch and Sean Gallagher of Anaconda on the outside with Trevor Larson & Riley Lamb of Helena Capital on the inside. These two groups completely owned this game from start to finish, giving up one long touchdown run to Sam Sparks of Billings Senior. David Peterson was my MVP of the defensive line and Jace Lewis was my MVP of the linebackers.
- Now lets talk about that East front seven. The starting d-line of Jobman, Bradshaw, Joel Beck (Fairfield), and Derek Marks were warriors tonight based on what they were up against. I thought they all individually had really good games. They were not subbed out nearly as much as the West side and they still all played their asses off. Tucker Maxwell of Lewistown and Kevin Young of Chinook got in there a few times but it just wasn't enough compared to the talent the West had. Luke May is a tough QB to corral and Trefney can wear you down. On top of all that, the West ran a hurry-up attack so the East needed strong subs. Payton O'Reilly and Balue Chapman would've really added some depth and talent to this group. It really showed midway through the 3rd quarter when things started to get a bit out of hand for the East. I should also mention that Jobman, Marks, and Jobman played offensive snaps as well. As for the linebackers on the East, I thought Ed Baker had a decent game from Billings Senior and Jayson Leinwand made a few plays but that was about it. Trent Schilling of Sidney had a nice pick but it just wasn't enough. Not enough talent or depth on the East's defense to keep pace.
- The best play for the East the whole game was "throw deep balls to Jacob Hadley" and it actually kept them in the game until the end of the third quarter. Tygre Frye of Senior also had a productive receiving game. Justin May also had a few nice catches. Karl Tucker would've helped because of his ability to create after the catch. The run game got a nice punch every now and then from Sam Sparks (kid ran hard) but the score dictated more passing. Personally, I thought the East threw way too much in the first half. Should've tried to grind it out more with Sparks and Conner Bokma from DGS. Heck, when they brought in Bradshaw and Jobman, those two would get three to four yards in a cloud of dust. I thought Matt Blunt had a nice game. I also thought the two guards (MSU recruits Denver Krone and Jake Sessions) did a decent job against some of the inside pressure from the West front seven. Overall, this team was built to run the ball and they threw it just a bit too much in my opinion. Anyway, we all got to see how good Jacob Hadley is tonight.
- Luke May and Leif Erickson both ran Chad Ross's offense very well and they both made big plays in this game. Was actually pleasantly surprised by Leif Erickson. He will play college baseball but I really like how he looked back their as a pocket passer. Nice zip on the ball and good mechanics. Made a perfect comeback throw to Nate Simkins who took it 70 yards for a TD and made several nice throws to Will Hunthausen of Helena Capital. Luke created a lot more but Leif threw the ball better in my opinion.
- Nate Simkins does nothing but produce. The Dillon product had another 100 yard receiving day and the 150 lb wideout made life hectic for the East secondary. I am a fan of Nate Simkins. Can I pick him up for my PPR league? Julian Edelman clone anybody?
Favorite moments of the game:
- We were all kind of waiting to see Jacob Hadley play receiver again and he made a splash play right away, hauling in a 40 yard bomb in coverage from Fairfield's Tanner Meyer. Jeff Choate is bringing Jacob in as an athlete but I've scouted him as a receiver since Day 1.
- Kelly Murnion of Jordan, Montana was a corner for the East squad but he also was brought in to punt twice. Both punt snaps went over his head with the first one being downed by the West in East territory and one being recovered by Trase LeTexier in the endzone for a West score. In the 4th, Kelly came in on defense and got an interception. Timed as the fastest kid in the state this year, it was cool to see Kelly have some redemption, especially since he is a small, small town kid from eastern Montana.
- Jace Lewis and Sam Sparks got chippy after a play. Instead of taking it further, Jace turned away and clapped his hands with intensity. Cool moment and pretty much sums up the way Jace Lewis plays football. Jace may just be the next Montana player to wear the coveted #37. I love the way the kid plays the game.
- There was also a moment when Cole Rosling brought down Trace Bradshaw on offense and Rosling gave Trace a little lip service. All in fun but that was cool to see two Griz recruits get after it. Both are pretty laid back kids and very good sports. You could see Trace and Cole encourage their respective linemates all night. There is definitely a good amount of respect between these incoming Bobcat and Griz recruits. They play well with each other and too bad this was their last game together.
My MVPs for each team:
East - Jacob Hadley (offense) and Michael Jobman (defense)
Jacob had a huge game offensively. Sam Sparks was a close second. Michael once again did a bit of everything on the defensive line. A few TFLs, multiple hurries, batted down passes, and a sack or two. Trace Bradshaw and Derek Marks were close seconds. They were definitely the three most talented defensive players for the East tongith. Joel Beck also had a good game.
West - Luke May/Nate Simkins (offense) and David Peterson/Jace Lewis (defense)
Luke had four total touchdowns on the night and Nate had over 100 yards receiving. Both were difference makers on offense. Every time I saw a Capital helmet sacking or hurrying the QB, I was expecting to see big Cole Rosling...but instead it was David Peterson who stole the show on the West defensive line. I had him for about 3 sacks tonight with a few TFLs and multiple tackles and hurries. Cole had 16 sacks this year for Capital but people shouldn't forget that David Peterson had 13 sacks himself. Carroll got a steal with David Peterson. As for Jace? He had a few nice pops in this game and he was just always around the ball, which is kind of his specialty. Trase LeTexier was a close third with a fumble for a touchdown and nice diving interception. Good nights for the two future Grizzlies. They may be PWO's for their Montana Grizzly class but they had a great All-Star summer and in my mind they are scholarship football players.
Overall, the Bobcats, the Grizzlies, the Carroll College Saints, Montana Tech, Montana-Western, and Rocky Mountain (among others) should all be excited for their recruits. A lot of kids showed why they are the best in the state tonight. It was a perfect last game for this 2016 Montana class of recruits I've covered all year.
