Chinook's Molyneaux heading to Rocky Mountain College

It was never a question whether or not Chinook's Zach Molyneaux was going to play college football.

It was simply a waiting game, as college coaches and fans patiently awaited his final destination for the next four years. That decision has been made, and it is safe to say that the NAIA, Frontier Conference Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears have gotten a little bit better this offseason.

Molyneaux is currently a senior for the Chinook Sugarbeeters, but he turned in four standout seasons of 8-Man football on the gridiron. And with a long track season still ahead of him, Zach is happy to have finally made his decision on where to play collegiate football.

"It was nice to get that figured out early and get that off my back," Molyneaux said. "The recruiting process is fun and exciting to go through, but it is also nice to get that decision done with. I feel like Rocky is a good fit for me, both academically and athletically."

Academically, Molyneaux plans to major in biology.

But several schools were in the hunt for Molyneaux for what he can add to the football program.

He checked out the University of Montana in the early stages of his recruitment, but also made serious visits to Montana Tech, as well as Carol College. Older brother Tyler Molyneaux is currently a running back for the Minot State Beavers, and that was also a brief option for Zach. The two were key components in Chinooks Class C state title win, Tyler as a senior and Zach a freshman, the idea of the two getting to play together once again was intriguing. But as Zach continued to hunt for the right fit for him, Rocky was the clear-cut winner.

Zach had a dominating career on special teams, offense, and defense for the Beeters but was recruited to play defensive back for the Bears.

"I thought about that, playing with (my brother) again," Zach said. "But it just wasn't quite what I wanted to do, I guess. I figured I would do my own thing and let him do his own thing, and really it just wasn't the best fit for me.

"And I didn't really have a preference in what position I was going to play at Rocky." He added. "I wanted to focus on finding the school that was the right fit for me, then go from there. I don't know if my position will change over the years, but right now I was recruited as a defensive back, and I will play wherever they need me."

As a freshman Molyneaux was a starting linebacker for the state champion Beeters.

But along with earning a state title, Molyneaux also left his name in the Chinook record books on several different occasions. Currently, he holds school records for tackles in a single game, total career tackles, total career yards, career rushing yards, scores in a season and scores in a single game. His mark of 30 tackles in a game and over 430 in his four-year career are exactly why he was heavily recruited by multiple defenses. That production also led to three All-Conference and three All-State selections, as well as invitations to play in the East/West Shrine game and Class C 8-Man All-Star Game this summer.

Being familiar with success on the field, Molyneaux is also looking for a successful career in the college ranks. Team success is priority No. 1, but Zach has also set personal goals.

"Rocky is up-and-coming in the conference, and they really challenged top teams like Caroll last year," Molyneaux said. "I hope to be part of a conference championship and, down the line, hopefully grab some personal accolades as well. We will see."