Frontier Notebook: The last four weeks in the Frontier shaping up to be wild

The bye week is over, and the Frontier Conference now comes down to the last four weeks of the season.

And things couldn't be any closer.

Rocky Mountain College carries a one-game lead into this week, with a 5-1 record as the Battlin' Bears host Carroll College who is tied for fourth with Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon at 3-3. Meanwhile, Western and College of Idaho are tied for second at 4-2, and neither team can afford another loss.

The league is Rocky's to lose, as the Bears also visit Tech, host Northern and then travel to Western to finish the season. Meanwhile, Western and CJI will essentially play a playoff game this weekend in Caldwell, Idaho, when they face each other. The loser of that game is all but out of playoff contention.

Western meanwhile, finishes the season at Northern, home against Tech and home against Rocky. C of I, which won the conference in 2019, finishes at SOU, home against EOU and at Carroll.

So, while it looks like a three-team race to the finish line, as the league has proven so far, anything can, and probably will, happen.

Leading the Way

As the final stretch of the season arrives, here's who's leading the league in several key areas. Western's Jon Jund is first in passing with 271 yards per game and 19 touchdowns. He's 11th in all of the NAIA. C of I's Nick Calzaretta leads in rushing with his 115 yards per game. He's also scored eight time. He's seventh in the NAIA in rushing. SOU's Bryce Goggin is first in the Frontier and 15th in the NAIA with his 101.4 yards and six catches per outing.

On defense, MSU-Northern's Dylan Wampler leads the Frontier and is ninth in the NAIA with 73 tackles and 10.4 per game. SOU's Alejandro Sanchez is tops in the Frontier and fifth in the country with seven sacks, while Rocky's Ethan Hurst has a league-high 10.5 tackles for loss. Northern's Isaiah Paul is first in the Frontier and third in the nation with five interceptions.

Frontier Hoops Polls are in

Last week, the Frontier Conference released its 2021-22 Frontier Preseason Basketball Coaches Polls.

Carroll College was picked first in both the men's and women's polls. Montana State University-Northern was picked fourth in both polls.

In the men's poll, Montana Tech was picked second, followed by Providence, Northern, Western and Rocky Mountain College.

On the women's side, Western was picked second, followed by Providence, Northern, Rocky and Tech.

Frontier Honors

MSU-Northern linebacker Dylan Wampler has been named Frontier Defensive Player of the Week.

Wampler, is a linebacker from Peoria, Arizona, In MSU-Northern's 30-3 loss to Simon Fraser University, Wampler recorded seven solo tackles, two assisted tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss (-6 yards), one quarterback sack (-3 yards), two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.