Hoping for fall: Lights look to take the next step

Like everything else going on with the coronavirus pandemic, if the Frontier Conference plays football this fall, it's going to look a lot different.

No, the game of football hasn't changed, but the number of teams playing in the Frontier in the fall will.

Tuesday, the league held its annual Frontier Football Media Day via a Zoom conference, and present was every coach in the league, though three of them won't get to coach their teams in the fall.

Earlier this month, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced it was suspending fall sports, and three Frontier football programs are part of the CCC in defending Frontier champion College of Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon. Though those three teams could have possibly still tried to play Frontier football this fall, all three schools opted to suspend fall football along with all other sports, meaning, if there is Frontier football in the fall, it will be a Montana-only league.

"I support our president in his decision for us to forgo the fall," EOU head coach Tim Camp, a veteran of 13 years in the Frontier said during the event. "The biggest thing is, it was about the safety of our entire community here. So at the end of the day, it was the right decision for us. We'll be back, stronger then ever. I do believe that. So I am excited to watch you guys (Montana teams) play this fall, and be the conference rater. And I wish everybody the best of luck."

SOU head coach Charlie Hall emotional - spoke about what the decision to not play this fall possibly will mean for many of his players.

"It's an unfortunate situation," Hall said. "It's heartbreaking because we have 17-18 seniors, most of who can graduate and get their degrees this fall, so they might not be here to play in the spring, and it's tough because right now, we still don't know what a spring season is even going to look like. So it's a tough decision, because these seniors are at the peak of their athletic careers.

"At the same time, this hits very close to home with me," he continued. "It's about health and safety. It's what's best for us right now. So I just want to wish everyone playing this fall the very best, and we look forward to next year when we can all be together again as one conference."

Of course, if the Frontier decides to move forward with a Montana-only season, and the NAIA signs off on it, as so much about college football is uncertain right now, the Montana State University-Northern Lights will be a part of that season.

Northern head coach Andrew Rolin enters his third fall at the helm of the Lights' program, and he spoke on several topics during Tuesday's Zoom meeting.

"First and foremost, I want you guys (Hall, Camp and CofI's Mike Moroski) to know we're all with you," Rolin said. "We wish you guys could be out there competing with us this fall. It's tough, and my heart goes out to you guys. I have so much respect for your programs."

Rolin then went on to talk about the excitement surrounding his program's construction of a brand new on-campus stadium, which the Lights are hoping will be done for their home-opener, which is tentatively set for the end of September.

"We're very excited about our on-campus stadium," Rolin said. "Blue Pony Stadium is a special place, and it's been our home. But now it's time to move to a new era of Northern football. It's time to have our own facility. It's been fun to watch it come together this summer, and we're excited to play there this fall."

Not only do the Lights want to make their new stadium a home-field advantage, but, Rolin said, in year three, it's also time to win.

"This is my third season here," Rolin said. "It's time to take the next step as a program. I feel like we've instilled a culture of excellence here. We're headed in the right direction. But we need to turn those things into victories, and I believe we will."

Northern will, yet again, be considered a young team in 2020, but the Lights do return some key pieces to the puzzle.

On offense, Rolin highlighted wide receiver Marvin Williams Jr. tight ends Jared Eisenbarth and Levi Keltner and running back Andrez Trahan-Proctor, as well as standout defensive linemen Joe Fehr and Justin Pfeifer and safety Hunter Riley among others.

Of course, he also mentioned what should be yet another competitive quarterback battle in fall camp. Sophomore Brendan Medina started nine games for the Lights in 2019, but fellow returners Tre' Long and Oakley Kopp and newcomer Davante Armstrong will all get their chance.

"It will be a really competitive quarterback battle this fall," Rolin said. "Brendan is the leader right now. He did a great job for us last year. But we have a lot of talent at that position, and that's going to make it really competitive."

It will indeed be a hotly contested QB battle at Northern, if in fact, there is a fall. Monday, the Frontier put out a statement regarding ongoing discussions about how to proceed.

The Frontier Conference Council of Presidents - COP - met Monday morning and will meet again later this week following tomorrow's NAIA COP virtual call to make decisions as to the conference moving forward both academically and athletically, the statement by Frontier Commissioner Kent Paulson read.

As a result of ongoing meetings, Tuesday's media day was kept to football questions only, so no questions regarding the fall were posed. As it stands, the Frontier is allowed to start practice Aug. 14, with first games allowed Sept. 12 per the NAIA's Return to Play Plan released back in June.

Normally, the Frontier releases its Coaches and Media Preseason Poll on Media Day, which is usually held live in Great Falls. But those polls will be held to a later date.

Meanwhile, Rolin spoke about being optimistic and excited, even as the pandemic continues to be a major threat to football, and college sports in general.

"I love coaching, I love this game," Rolin said Tuesday. "This last year has been tough, sitting on the sidelines. We didn't have spring ball. Our kids were off campus since March. We haven't been able to be around them much at all. It's been hard. So I'm really looking forward to this fall. We're taking it day-by-day, and we know things can change in a hurry but, right now, we're excited, and we're looking forward to getting back out there and competing in this great conference."