The Next Griz: Havre High star Kellen Detrick commits to Montana football

It has been some time since the Havre High football has gone to work on the field, but even so, many of the athletes that make up the Blue Ponies have been working hard to make their futures become reality. But for one Havre High standout, his dream is being realized.

Upcoming Blue Pony defensive lineman and running back, senior Kellen Detrick, has been wreaking havoc on the field and working hard to help Havre go far, but as of Monday night Detrick moved forward with a big dream of his, as he committed to play for the University of Montana Grizzlies football program. Detrick has begun his first big step to playing college football.

As for why Detrick, who announced his decision via Twitter Monday night, chose to commit to the Grizzlies, it has a lot to do with his dream to play for the team since he was younger.

"I chose the University of Montana because the coaches were extremely nice and showed a lot of interest in me," Detrick said. "I've always wanted to play for the Griz. When I was younger, about 10 years old, I went to my first Griz game and I still remember it. Every second of it. The fanbase is incredible and the atmosphere in the game is unmatched."

Detrick has made a big impact for the Ponies since he first joined the high school program. Detrick is an athlete who has been making big plays, like the fumble return touchdown against the Lewistown Golden Eagles in the 2019 Class A playoffs last fall. Derrick has also racked up the accolades, earning Class A All-State honors twice in football and he doubled up on All-State honors this past school year in football and basketball. That made college coaches take notice, as Detrick held NCAA Division I offers not just from Montana and head coach Bobby Hauck, but also Montana State and head coach Jeff Choate, as well as Big Sky Conference stalwarts Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. Detrick was also being heavily recruited by the entire Frontier Conference, and was garnering interest as a collegiate basketball prospect as well. Football, was his first passion, though, and, going into his senior year, Detrick was tabbed a three-star recruit, and the No. 2 prospect in Montana for the Class of 2021 by 247 Sports.

There is no denying that there is a buzz around the young and hungry athlete. Not only is Detrick a strong athlete, but his character matches his game because it is always at a high level. Detrick is passionate, game-ready, a hype-man and, overall, just loves to play the game. There is no beating a player like that, no matter what.

Havre head coach Ryan Gatch was extremely glad to see that Detrick committed to a Division I powerhouse.

"I'm excited about that," Gatch said. "The young man has worked real hard in his high school career up to this point to put himself in a position to be a highly recruitable athlete. It's a good thing for him. The harder you work, the more options that open up for you. That's a great thing for Kellen to be able to do that. I'm proud of the work that he's done to be the best football player he can be in the state. He's going to be a good Blue Pony, so it's nice to see that the commitment he made shows that he is good enough to make it to that point."

Being offered by four DI schools is a big thing, but when it came to getting the offer to play for UM, Detrick was in great spirits.

"When they first offered to me, I felt like I was on top of the world," Detrick said. "In that moment, I was extremely excited and just felt great. It felt right."

When he made his announcement, Detrick thanked God, his father Keno, who was an All-American at MSU-Northern, and family, the coaches who recruited him, all of his coaches and the community of Havre for the support that has been shown to him. The three-star recruit will have one more season left in his high school career in the 2020 fall season with the Blue Ponies, where he will put forward one last hurrah before the next step.

Detrick is the first Blue Pony to join the Montana football program since Marc Mariani had an All-American run in Missoula from 2005 to 2009. He is also the second Blue Pony in as many years to commit to a Montana program. Havre High star Kyndall Keller is set to begin her Lady Griz basketball career this fall.

Montana football coaches are prohibited from commenting about recruits until they have signed their national letter of intent. The 2020 early signing day is Dec. 16.

Kellen Detrick's

Twitter Statement

Monday Night:

"First off I would like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunities I have been given so far," Detrick wrote in a note attached to his tweet. "Then I would like to thank my Dad for constantly devoting his time and putting in countless hours in making me a better football player and more importantly a better man. I don't know what I would do without him. I would also like to thanks the rest of my family: my grandparents, my Mom, my uncles and aunts, my cousins, my step mom, and my step grandpa and grandma. You all have played a huge roles in my development as a man and a football player, it has always been a dream of mine to play Division 1 football, and I can't thank you enough. Next, I would like to thank every single one of my coaches, I appreciate you guys more than you know. Thank you to my teammates and friends (especially my bro beans'). I would also like to thank the town and community of Havre, you guys have showed me an incredible amount of support, and I am extremely grateful for you all. Lastly, I would like to thank every college coach that recruited me, and gave me the opportunity to play for their program. I wish you all the best. With that being said I would like to announce my Commitment to the University of Montana!! Go Griz!!"

Note: Havre Daily News sports editor George Ferguson contributed to this story.