CMR football team hits the road to open season at Flathead

The C.M. Russell High football team officially enters the new era under first-year head coach A.J. Wilson on Friday.

The Rustlers hit the road for a nonconference tilt with Kalispell Flathead of the Western AA, kicking off at 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium.

CMR defeated the Braves 33-0 last fall to open a season in which Flathead finished 2-7 overall. However, Wilson said the Braves are much improved from last season and the Rustlers will need to be ready coming off the long road trip northwest.

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“We’ve got a long bus trip and we’ve got to be ready to get off and be ready to play,” Wilson said. “The first quarter will really tell us a lot about whether we’re a travel team or not and whether we can start fast. I know Flathead will be better than they were last year and we’ll have to get off the bus and be ready to go. They looked bigger, faster, and stronger than they did a year ago. They looked more organized and things like that. They went from a first-year head coach to a second-year coach (Caleb Aland) and he’s getting them ready to go.”

Here's a look at the Rustlers starters and top reserves as we enter Week 1 of the 2024 prep football season.

Offense

Quarterback

Junior Caleb Taylor returns under center for his second year as a starter. As a sophomore, he threw for just under 1400 yards and 11 touchdowns as he learned the ropes of the varsity game. After an offseason of learning the new playbook, Taylor is in full command of the new offensive scheme, Wilson said.

“I feel confident with Caleb leading the squad,” Wilson said. “He’s doing a great job with the install we have this week and he keeps taking the reins. I have a lot of confidence in him going into Week 1.”

Running backs

The Rustlers are looking to lean on the rushing attack in the new offense, and senior returning starter is back to carry the load. Last season, Fuller rushed for nearly 700 yards in eight games played and four touchdowns as he averaged over five yards per carry. Junior Jentri Nelson is the No. 2 back for CMR, while senior Ian Dalgarno and junior Damon Montano are also options in the backfield.

“Fuller is our downhill runner with a little bit of finesse to him and Gentry is more of a hardnosed runner,” Wilson said.

Offensive line

CMR brings back solid experience up front, led by three-year starting center Cody Hoehn. The senior has brought a lot of leadership to the team with a smaller senior class, Wilson said. John Szewcyk is another returning starter along the line, coming back at left guard. Junior James Doe will anchor the right side at tackle along with sophomore Brady Lewis at right guard, and Lincoln Senter is in at the other tackle spot.

“I feel good, they’re running and gelling together. It was rocky when we started, for sure, just installing everything and a new guy with Brady Lewis who had never really played O-line before at all, but I’d say they’re gelling pretty well together right now,” Wilson said. “They know our expectation is to run the football and protect the quarterback and they’ve been doing a good job of that since two-a-days started.”

Wide receivers

Junior Drew Etcheberry is the leading returning receiver for the Rustlers after the departure of standout River Wasson after hauling in 313 yards and two touchdowns last season and is a “do-it-all” guy on the outside, Wilson said, with the ability to play multiple positions. Senior Ben Hoiland is out indefinitely with a neck injury sustained during the summer, but sophomore Ben Cunningham – a valuable contributor as a freshman on the basketball team last year – brings plenty of size (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and athleticism to the offense.

“That’s exactly what he is, a tremendous athlete,” Wilson said of Cunningham. “We’re going to use his size and speed at that position.”

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Defense

D-line

Nick Donestar comes back for his senior season after being one of the top pass rushers in Class AA last season, totaling nine sacks on top of leading the Rustlers with 14.5 tackles for loss total. Senior Liam Gage, an interior lineman in CMR’s 3-4 defense last season, is starting at the other defensive end spot and junior Peyton Fenner moves in to the noseguard spot.

Linebackers

Junior Hunter Lee comes back for another season as the starting middle backer and is the Rustlers’ leading returning tackler at over six stops per game and 6.5 tackles for loss. Junior Dalton Heggem is another returner for CMR at Sam outside backer, and junior J.D. Lofgren, a transfer from Nebraska, slides in on the outside at the Will.

“They’re good football players in that front-seven,” Wilson said. “Dudes that love contact, love to hit. So, I’m excited for that group.”

Defensive backs

CMR returns a healthy contingent of experience in the defensive backfield with three players who saw significant time last fall. Ian Dalgarno will once again start at safety after being one of the leading tacklers on the team as a junior, and junior Damon Montano is also back at the other safety spot.

Senior Landon De La Garza, who started at safety last season, has moved to cornerback and will start opposite senior Jerick Doran. Chase Little, who moved to Great Falls from Mississippi, will be in the defensive backfield rotation as well.

“Outside of Jerick, three out of the four (starters) played a ton of varsity last year,” Wilson said. “We have plenty of experience in the back half.”

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: CMR football team hits the road to open season at Flathead