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Young and Hungry Grizzlies Poised for Playoff Contention

Bigfork native Josh Sandry ready to make a name for himself in maroon and silver

By Dillon Tabish
Derek Crittenden (47) and Tyrone Holmes (91) lead the Grizzlies onto the field. Montana defeated Eastern Washington 57-16 on Nov. 14, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Josh Sandry had a simple list of personal goals this summer: bigger, faster, stronger.

As Montana Grizzly fans are about to find out, the Bigfork native was successful.

Sandry, a redshirt freshman, is eager and ready to begin his tenure in maroon and silver. He won’t have to wait, either. The former all-state Viking is entering fall camp as a possible starter and definite backup at safety.

“I’m pretty happy with where I’m at and with where the team is at,” he said last week.

“All the hard work we put in in the summer and spring, I think it will pay off big time for us. We have a really talented team.”

Sandry and the Griz football team are gearing up for the new football season, set to kickoff Sept. 3 at home under the lights against Saint Francis.

Montana enters the fall highly touted once again, landing in a tie for second in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches’ poll and 13th in the nation in the preseason FCS poll.

There is plenty to be excited about at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Senior quarterback Brady Gustafson is poised for a big year leading head coach Bob Stitt’s break-neck offense and the Griz defense returns the conference’s preseason player of the year in Caleb Kidder.

But it’s emergent talent like Sandry’s that could put the Grizzlies back into the playoffs for an FCS-best 24th time. The Griz are looking for new, young players to fill several key holes. Stitt is working with a roster nearly half made up of new faces after Montana graduated several standouts like receivers Jamaal Jones and Ellis Henderson and defensive lineman Tyrone Holmes, who was named the top defender in the FCS a year ago.

“I loved the tempo of the practice,” Stitt said after the first practice of the fall last week. “Everybody was upbeat and we were very, very sharp for being a first day. We threw a lot of stuff at the guys, especially on offense, and we looked good. It looked like we’ve been practicing for 10 days. The kids have done a good job this summer, and these new guys have really, really worked on what we’re doing.”

Sandry can vouch for the summer preparation. A large group of players spent the last few months in Missoula training and preparing.

“We’ve been working all summer and we’ve had some good lifts,” Sandry said.

Sandry added over 10 pounds of muscle onto his 6-foot-1 frame in the last year, ready to hold his own at the next level.

“You can always improve in any area of the game. I’m just trying to get bigger, faster, stronger, and learn the playbook and where to go.”

It was a dream come true to land an opportunity to play for the Grizzlies, which was Sandry’s favorite childhood team. Now the chance is here and he’s ready to capitalize on it.

“It was very nerve-wracking at first, but I’ve just been watching a lot of film and getting comfortable,” he said. “A lot of the older guys have been really helpful. They got confidence in me and that helps a lot.”

Sandry has been practicing with the first- and second-team defense during fall camp, which is rare for a freshman.

The first of the Grizzlies’ three scrimmages was Monday, Aug. 15 after the Beacon went to print. It was the first practice on the new turf inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Griz will also scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 9 a.m. That scrimmage will be open to the public. A final scrimmage is scheduled for Aug. 25 at 3 p.m., but will be closed to the general public as the Griz make final preparations for the season opener.

In the FCS media poll, the Griz were the highest ranked of the five Big Sky Conference teams in the top 25, coming in ahead of Eastern Washington (No. 14) and Portland State, Northern Arizona and North Dakota, who rank No. 17, 18 and 19, respectively.

In Stitt’s first season as head coach a year ago, the Griz finished 8-5 overall. The team defeated ninth-ranked South Dakota State in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to top-ranked North Dakota State in the second round.

This fall Stitt has emphasized the need for as many reps as possible with his quarterbacks and receivers, which feature several new faces.

He can rely on Gustafson, who is the incumbent starting quarterback. The 6-foot-7 Billings native is back as the second-year starter; last season he tossed for 1,984 yards and 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions while playing only seven games due to an injury. He made a name for himself after throwing for a career-high 434 yards in a win over North Dakota State. In a playoff rematch, though, the Bison got the better of Gustafson and the Griz, intercepting four passes and ending Montana’s season.

So far this fall Gustafson has taken the lion’s share of the reps, while quarterbacks Chad Chalich and Reese Phillips have split the majority of the following reps as the battle for backup QB is underway.

The favorite targets for the quarterbacks are James Homan, Jerry Louie-McGee, Josh Horner and Kobey Eaton. Nebraska transfer receiver Lane Hovey is poised to break into the starting lineup, too. True freshman Samori Toure is also garnering attention already.

The defense will be led by Kidder, a Helena Capital product who is the team’s leading returning tackler. He is the only player from the Big Sky Conference named to the FCS Player of the Year watch list.

All in all, the Grizzlies will have a lot to prove this season. If Sandry is a good barometer, the team has big potential. Standing on the sidelines a year ago as a redshirt only fed his desire to get better and return to the field.

“We’re ready to get going,” he said. “I can’t wait for Sept. 3.”