Staying close to home: Hauck sticks to Montana
2/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
There must be a mistake on the Montana Grizzlies football roster.
Nine out of this year's 14 new recruits are from the state of Montana. Trouble recruiting out-of-state prospects? Is Montana losing appeal to distant high school stars?
Actually, not at all, says head coach Bobby Hauck.
This is exactly the way he wants it.
"We are the University of Montana," Hauck said. "Our philosophy is to recruit Montana kids first. We evaluate them and then decide if they're right for our team and if they can help us win the national championship. If not, then we look elsewhere."
Hauck said his plan coming to Montana was to recruit in-state. Hauck, a Big Timber native, said he has always been a Grizzly fan as well as enjoying Montana high school football.
"I've always loved the Grizzlies and Montana football has always been important to me," Hauck said. "I think it's important to keep Montana players close to home whenever possible."
Six of the new recruits are redshirting this season, but three are expected to make contributions this season. Stevensville native Tyson Johnson is the first-string punter, while Kalispell standout Lex Hilliard is a backup running back and Billings Skyview star Matt Lebsock is a backup safety. Lebsock saw playing time in the season's opener against Maine.
Lebsock shared the Class AA Defensive Player of the Year award his senior year in high school with Billings West's Kyle Ryan, who is also a Grizzly this season.
Lebsock said he's always been a Grizzly fan, which isn't surprising considering his roots. His dad, Ron, was an offensive lineman for the Grizzlies from 1974-1977, winning the team's MVP award his final season. Ron also coached his son at Skyview.
"I've always wanted to play here because I grew up loving the Grizzlies," Lebsock said. "And now it feels like such an honor just to be able to be part of this great tradition. It's really nice to see that coach Hauck gives Montana kids such good opportunities to play here."
Only one game into his freshman season, it looks like Lebsock is going to be a big part of Grizzly football.
Lebsock's high school teammate, redshirt offensive tackle Ryan Gustafson, said he feels a special bond with some of the Montana players, in particular his teammate and the two Billings West recruits, Kyle Ryan and Eric Michel.
"We were such fierce rivals for so long that now we have earned a lot of respect for each other," Gustafson said. "There definitely is a different bond between some of us because of that respect and because we know each other."
Gustafson, a second team all-state selection his senior year, said he was recruited by other schools including Montana State University and the University of Wyoming, but he chose Montana because of the way Bobby Hauck and his staff treated him during the recruiting process.
"I grew up in Minnesota so I wasn't necessarily a Grizzly fan before I came here," Gustafson. "Mostly what got me here is that I was impressed with how coach Hauck and the other (Montana) coaches came directly to me and made me feel welcome and like I had a home here. Some coaches from other schools just acted indifferent."
Hilliard didn't grow up a Montana fan either, but he still feels being a Grizzly is definitely what's right for him.
"It's great to be a Grizzly," Hilliard said. "I'm just excited to be in the stadium and step out on that field. It already feels great."
Hilliard was one of the most dominating running backs at any level during his stay at Kalispell. As a senior he rushed for 1,139 yards and 18 touchdowns, finishing his career with 4,410 all-purpose yards and 46 touchdowns. He was named all-state three years in a row.
Hilliard said that although there is a common ground between Montana players, he is quick to point out that it doesn't matter once everybody's on the field.
"It's definitely nice to have Montana kids and I'm glad Hauck recruits here first," Hilliard said. "But now we're all the same. We're all on the same team for the same reasons. We all have the same goals."
Lebsock agreed, "When we're on the field we're all just teammates and football players then."
All nine of the new recruits bring with them impressive high school resumes.
Billings West's Ryan, a linebacker, was selected to two all-state teams to complement his Class AA Co-Defensive Player of the Year award. West's other recruit, 6-foot-six offensive linemen Michel, was a two-year starter for the Bears.
Johnson, the starting punter, was an all-state selection at Stevensville at free safety, kicker and punter. Kelly Kain, CMR's standout from Great Falls, was a first team all-state selection as well as being a two-time Academic All State honoree. Loren Utterback, from Fort Benton, was two-time all-state selection and four-time all-conference selection running back who ran for 4,032 yards and 55 touchdowns in his illustrious high school career.
Let's not forget about little Kyle Sampson, only 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds. All he did was win "Montana's Gatorade Player of the Year" his senior year as Helena Capital's quarterback, throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 1,200 yards to lead his team to an unblemished 12-0 Class AA championship season. Oh yeah, he's pretty versatile too; he's playing wide receiver for the Griz.
With credentials like those, it's not hard to see why Hauck is so excited about them.
"I'm very happy with these guys," Hauck said. "They're all great kids and even though not all of them are going to play right away, I expect them all to contribute in the future. They're real well-disciplined, well-coached and hard workers."
Nine out of this year's 14 new recruits are from the state of Montana. Trouble recruiting out-of-state prospects? Is Montana losing appeal to distant high school stars?
Actually, not at all, says head coach Bobby Hauck.
This is exactly the way he wants it.
"We are the University of Montana," Hauck said. "Our philosophy is to recruit Montana kids first. We evaluate them and then decide if they're right for our team and if they can help us win the national championship. If not, then we look elsewhere."
Hauck said his plan coming to Montana was to recruit in-state. Hauck, a Big Timber native, said he has always been a Grizzly fan as well as enjoying Montana high school football.
"I've always loved the Grizzlies and Montana football has always been important to me," Hauck said. "I think it's important to keep Montana players close to home whenever possible."
Six of the new recruits are redshirting this season, but three are expected to make contributions this season. Stevensville native Tyson Johnson is the first-string punter, while Kalispell standout Lex Hilliard is a backup running back and Billings Skyview star Matt Lebsock is a backup safety. Lebsock saw playing time in the season's opener against Maine.
Lebsock shared the Class AA Defensive Player of the Year award his senior year in high school with Billings West's Kyle Ryan, who is also a Grizzly this season.
Lebsock said he's always been a Grizzly fan, which isn't surprising considering his roots. His dad, Ron, was an offensive lineman for the Grizzlies from 1974-1977, winning the team's MVP award his final season. Ron also coached his son at Skyview.
"I've always wanted to play here because I grew up loving the Grizzlies," Lebsock said. "And now it feels like such an honor just to be able to be part of this great tradition. It's really nice to see that coach Hauck gives Montana kids such good opportunities to play here."
Only one game into his freshman season, it looks like Lebsock is going to be a big part of Grizzly football.
Lebsock's high school teammate, redshirt offensive tackle Ryan Gustafson, said he feels a special bond with some of the Montana players, in particular his teammate and the two Billings West recruits, Kyle Ryan and Eric Michel.
"We were such fierce rivals for so long that now we have earned a lot of respect for each other," Gustafson said. "There definitely is a different bond between some of us because of that respect and because we know each other."
Gustafson, a second team all-state selection his senior year, said he was recruited by other schools including Montana State University and the University of Wyoming, but he chose Montana because of the way Bobby Hauck and his staff treated him during the recruiting process.
"I grew up in Minnesota so I wasn't necessarily a Grizzly fan before I came here," Gustafson. "Mostly what got me here is that I was impressed with how coach Hauck and the other (Montana) coaches came directly to me and made me feel welcome and like I had a home here. Some coaches from other schools just acted indifferent."
Hilliard didn't grow up a Montana fan either, but he still feels being a Grizzly is definitely what's right for him.
"It's great to be a Grizzly," Hilliard said. "I'm just excited to be in the stadium and step out on that field. It already feels great."
Hilliard was one of the most dominating running backs at any level during his stay at Kalispell. As a senior he rushed for 1,139 yards and 18 touchdowns, finishing his career with 4,410 all-purpose yards and 46 touchdowns. He was named all-state three years in a row.
Hilliard said that although there is a common ground between Montana players, he is quick to point out that it doesn't matter once everybody's on the field.
"It's definitely nice to have Montana kids and I'm glad Hauck recruits here first," Hilliard said. "But now we're all the same. We're all on the same team for the same reasons. We all have the same goals."
Lebsock agreed, "When we're on the field we're all just teammates and football players then."
All nine of the new recruits bring with them impressive high school resumes.
Billings West's Ryan, a linebacker, was selected to two all-state teams to complement his Class AA Co-Defensive Player of the Year award. West's other recruit, 6-foot-six offensive linemen Michel, was a two-year starter for the Bears.
Johnson, the starting punter, was an all-state selection at Stevensville at free safety, kicker and punter. Kelly Kain, CMR's standout from Great Falls, was a first team all-state selection as well as being a two-time Academic All State honoree. Loren Utterback, from Fort Benton, was two-time all-state selection and four-time all-conference selection running back who ran for 4,032 yards and 55 touchdowns in his illustrious high school career.
Let's not forget about little Kyle Sampson, only 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds. All he did was win "Montana's Gatorade Player of the Year" his senior year as Helena Capital's quarterback, throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 1,200 yards to lead his team to an unblemished 12-0 Class AA championship season. Oh yeah, he's pretty versatile too; he's playing wide receiver for the Griz.
With credentials like those, it's not hard to see why Hauck is so excited about them.
"I'm very happy with these guys," Hauck said. "They're all great kids and even though not all of them are going to play right away, I expect them all to contribute in the future. They're real well-disciplined, well-coached and hard workers."
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