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Diggers Steamroll Blue Hawks in Playoff Opener, Advance to National Quarterfinals

11/25/2015

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PictureTech Quarterback Andrew Loudenback (18) throws a pass during the Diggers' game against the Dickinson State Blue Hawks, Saturday November 21. (Photo by Molly O'Neill)
By Molly O'Neill​

​There is a driving force behind what we see on the field and on the sidelines, as fans watch from the stands at Alumni Coliseum. The Montana Tech football team is a brotherhood, and above all it has generated a quality season thus far. On Saturday, November 28, the No. 5 Diggers will play in the national quarterfinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
 
This past Saturday the Diggers defeated Dickinson State 44-10 in the first round of the NAIA playoffs.
 
Tech’s tight-end-turned-quarterback Andrew Loudenback, a transfer from Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, CA had yet another strong showing in Tech’s opening playoff game Saturday. In total, he has passed for eight touchdowns over the last six games, being 37 for 67 passing for 565 yards.
 
“Winning the conference championship was a great feeling, especially beating such a quality opponent. It was surreal, but I think as a team we know that there is still work to be done so the celebration was short,” Loudenback said. “I am blessed for the opportunity to be a part of this team that has a chance to represent ourselves, coaches, school, community and Frontier Conference in the playoffs.”
 
 
In addition to the Montana Tech-Dickinson State showdown that occurred Saturday, the top four teams in NAIA played Saturday, all resulting in victory.
 
“We play as a family,” Clay Cavender, a junior studying business management from Redding, CA said in a post-game interview.
 
Cavender scored two touchdowns in the win against the Blue Hawks.
 
Matt Berg, a senior kicker studying Occupational Safety and Health, continued to be a strong foot kicking a 19 yard field goal during the first round playoff game. Both Berg and David Meis, a defensive linebacker and senior studying mechanical engineering, took home Frontier Conference player of the week after defeating No. 10 Montana Western November 14.
 
But Meis didn’t let up after the win against Western: he came in strong against Dickinson State with a total of seven tackles, two quarterback sacks, and three tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
 
“Being a senior I know my time is limited so I plan on making the most of it and try to leave behind a legacy for other Diggers to carry on,” Meis said after the win against the Blue Hawks.
 
The All-American leads the team in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (7.0), and is second of the team in total tackles (67).
 
“The defense has grown throughout the season in every way,” said Meis. “The most critical thing to keep us on the road to the chipper is for us to stay healthy. We have a very skilled group of guys and as long as we all are able to keep playing we should keep winning.”
 
“We were able to accomplish this title because of our team chemistry. You do not often see a team that plays together the way that we do, and I could not be happier being a part of the Digger family,” Derrick Holt, a junior from Renton, Washington, said. 
 
Holt was recently named All-Frontier Conference for his role on special teams as a punter.
 
The Oredigger football team credits their brotherhood and strong bond both on and off the field to the success of the team. Cheer on the Diggers this Saturday, November 28, as they continue the championship journey against No. 4 St Francis Cougars at Fort Wayne, Indiana.
 
“There is so much work being done behind the scenes since our season ended last year, that it is awesome to be out there with your brothers seeing our hard work paying off,” Loudenback said.  “My motivation on the field is my teammates, we are so close. It’s really special [and] we play for each other. I [also] play for my family, especially my mom; I know she is looking down on me every Saturday.”
 
 
 
 


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Tech Grabs Frontier Conference Crown

11/19/2015

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PictureKolby Kansala (88) snags a touchdown pass late in the third quarter against MSU-Northern. The Diggers return to action this Saturday in their first home playoff game since 1997.
By Molly O'Neill

The Montana Tech Orediggers won the Frontier Conference championship Saturday, November 14th, defeating No. 10-ranked Montana State University Western 24-17. Following the victory, the Diggers, now ranked No. 5 nationally, will start their run to the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Football Championship series this Saturday against the No. 18 ranked Dickinson State University Blue Hawks out of Fargo, ND.

Tech's Frontier crown is the second for Head Coach Chuck Morrell in his five seasons at Montana Tech, and the first conference championship since 2012. Montana Tech hasn't hosted a home playoff game since 1997.

Saturday's game was a nail biter, providing the fans with a nice dose of quality football. The game was off to a fast start when Zach Bunney returned the opening kickoff 50 yards setting the tone for the eventual win. Tech’s utility man and quarterback, Andrew Loudenback, was able to find eight different receivers during the game going 17 of 25 for 218 yards in the air. Kolby Kansala, a junior from Eagle Creek, Oregon, had an outstanding second half, pulling in two touchdown catches.  Kansala’s first touchdown was late in the third quarter on a key third down from the 19 yard line. He caught Loudenback’s 27 yard pass between two defenders to tie the game at the end of the third quarter. His second touchdown came from another Loudenback pass which aided Kansala in a 55 yard touchdown score.

The Digger defense saw yet another strong performance from the whole squad as multiple role players stepped up and continued to play championship style football. Standout linebacker Davis Meis, the senior linebacker out of Helena High, played a game that garnered him Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Matt Berg, the special teams guru and hometown product out of Butte High School, also pulled in Frontier Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his stellar performance knocking in three field goals during the game.



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Weekend Update

11/8/2015

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PictureOutside hitter Sydney Norris (6) goes up for a kill in recent conference action. The Tech volleyball team earned back-to-back conference wins this weekend. Photo by Emmy Keenan
By Macy Ricketts

Montana Tech had a strong showing in all athletics this weekend.  The Digger football team downed #1 Southern Oregon and the volleyball team earned a pair conference wins against Montana State University Northern and University of Montana Western.  Both Tech men's and women's basketball teams had strong showings, and the hockey club bounced back from a loss against the University of Wyoming with a win against Utah State University.

Digger Football Defeats No. 1 SOU

With quarterback Andrew Loudenback facilitating the offense, the Digger football team narrowly edged #1 ranked Southern Oregon University for the 21-17 win in Ashland, OR. on  November 7.   Loudenback connected with Sean Sullivan and Clay Cavender on separate occasions to score two touchdowns with 9 for 18 passing.  Strong runs from Nolan Saraceni and Zach Bunney lead the Digger offense.  The Digger defense was lead by strong showings from Gunnar Kayser, Luke Benz and Tyler Gavlak.

The only team standing in the way of Tech's eminent Frontier conference title is the University of Montana Western.  Tech will battle the Western Bulldogs at Bob Green Field this Saturday, November 14.

Digger Volleyball Earns Back-to-Back Conference Wins

Montana Tech volleyball defeated conference foe Montana State University Northern in straight sets on November 5, 25-16, 25-21, 25-11. Sydney Norris had 20 kills for the Diggers, while Jordan Danz added 10. The Diggers continued their winning ways on Saturday November 7 with a 3-1 win over Montana State University Western, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19.  Sydney Norris again lead the Diggers in kills with 15, followed by Bailie Cortner with 13.  Cortner also pitched in six blocks for Tech.

Montana Tech will head to Helena next weekend for the Frontier Conference Tournament.

Digger Men's, Women's Basketball Earn Wins

Tech's Men's basketball team earned a win this weekend against Yellowstone Christian College.  The Diggers defeated the YCC Centurions 113-76.  Cruz Ginns Jr. lead the Diggers in scoring with 26 points, while Jalen Coates, Lukas Vining and Paul Engstrom followed behind, pitching in 20, 17 and 17 points, respectively.  

The Diggers improve their record to 5-0 on the season and return to the hardwood this weekend at the University of Houston in an exhibition contest.

The Lady Diggers had an impressive showing this weekend as well, defeating St. Thomas University 83-73 on November 6. Backed by strong offensive performances from Sammy McGree, Shayla Mack, Callee Remsen and Hattie Thatcher, the Diggers improve their record to 4-1 overall.  They return to the hardwood this weekend at Dickinson State.

Tech Hockey Bounces Back, Defeats Utah State

The Montana Tech hockey team recovered from a 3-7 loss against the University of Wyoming in the Diggers' home opener to defeat Utah State University the following night.  Backed by a strong showing from goalie Alex Caravaggio, who got his third shutout of the season, the Diggers improved their record to 7-1.  Tech hockey returns to the ice this weekend in another double-header against Western Washington and Portland State.



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Rocky Defeats Tech on the Hardwood

11/4/2015

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By Technocrat Staff


The Montana Tech volleyball team lost a close match to Rocky Mountain College last weak.  Rocky outed the Diggers, defeating them in four with 25-18, 19-25, 25-12, 25-17 scores.  Sydney Norris lead in kills for the Diggers with 17.  Norris also added 13 digs. Karina Mickelson added 10 kills for the Diggers. Libero Brianna Nabbout pitched in 25 digs for Tech. 

The loss brings the Diggers' overall record to 16 wins, 11 losses.  Tech is 4-6 in Frontier Conference action. The Digger volleyball team returns to the hardwood on November 5th at home against Montana State University Northern, and again on November 7th at home against Montana Western.
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Diggers on a Roll: Montana Tech Cracks the Top 10 in NAIA National Rankings

11/4/2015

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PictureNolan Saraceni (33) and teammate Carlos Martinez (5) celebrate after a touchdown against Montana State University Northern. (Photo courtesy of buttesports.com)
​By Macy Ricketts
 
With Montana Tech’s sound defeat of Carroll College 42-7 recently at Nelson Stadium in Helena, Tech jumped to number 10 in the national polls.  Backed by a strong performance by recently named National Player of the Week Nolan Saraceni, Tech’s defeat of Carroll catapulted the Diggers’ record to 6 wins, and just one loss.
 
Tech avenged their only loss of the season, which took place September 19, in a head-to-head matchup with Eastern Oregon University.   The Diggers started off strong with a passing touchdown by Clay Cavender.  Quarterback Andrew Loudenback then connected with Alec Bray for another score early in the game.  Later in the game, Zach Bunney ran the ball 93 yards for a return touchdown, putting the Diggers ahead of Eastern 29-17.  
 
As always, the Digger Defense was on fire.  DeAngelo Bell had 11 tackles in the game, while Will Davey had six tackles and two picks, which brought him to four receptions in the last three games.
 
What does this win mean for the Diggers?  Their defeat of Eastern Oregon brought their record to 7 wins, one loss, but they moved up just one spot to #9 in the NAIA national rankings.  The Diggers return to action next Saturday, November 8 against Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR.  Southern Oregon is the only Frontier conference school ahead of Montana Tech in the national rankings, coming in at #1.

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    Angela Padden, Sports Editor

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