By Danny Waldo
After taking over as head coach of the Bozeman Hawks this past offseason, longtime offensive coordinator, Levi Wesche, knew there would be key positions to fill along the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Fresh off their second state championship in the past three years, Bozeman was set to lose a number of starters that played both ways, including Montana Gatorade Player of the Year, Balue Chapman. So, Wesche’s first order of business was to identify the ‘next man up’ in fall camp. Fortunately, he has a few athletes on his roster to help ease the transition.
For starters, Bozeman will once again be breaking in a new signal caller after the graduation of DJ Perdaems, who was nothing less than reliable in leading Bozeman’s offense a year ago. However, the Hawks’ projected starter in 2016 isn’t really new to the position, and in fact, could have possibly been the starter last year. Senior Callahan O’Reilly takes over under center after serving as Perdaems’ backup. O’Reilly and Perdaems were locked in a tight quarterback competition all fall camp before former head coach Troy Purcell opted to go with the more experienced Perdaems. But thanks to a number of lopsided contests for the Hawks last season, O’Reilly saw plenty of action in mop up duty, so stepping into the starting role shouldn’t be too much of a concern. The biggest area of concern for Bozeman has to be at the running back position, where the Hawks were blessed with a pair of bruising tailbacks last season. Balue Chapman and Trace Bradshaw were the perfect combination of speed and power, allowing Bozeman to grind opponents into submission a year ago. But both players have moved on to the collegiate ranks, leaving a lot of offensive production to be replaced.
The most likely candidates to get the bulk of the carries are the untested Jack Tetrault and Austin Hoell. Both showed flashes of speed in the Hawks’ recent Red/Black scrimmage, but neither appears to possess the power that Chapman and Bradshaw brought to the position. Two other players looking to make an impact this season are receiver Lance McCutcheon and tight end Cade Wessel. McCutcheon has big shoes to fill replacing Bennett Hostetler, who was a three-year starter for Bozeman, but he has the size and athleticism to give defensive opponents fits. Wessel will look to replace the production of Peyton O’Reilly at tight end, and moves to the defensive line to help shore up the loss of Chapman and Bradshaw. Wesche is excited about his potential, “He’s an outstanding player for us and we’re definitely going to have some wrinkles in the offense that will include ways of getting him the football.” As the team’s most well-rounded athlete, Wessel may have the chance to make the biggest impact of all of Bozeman’s weapons this season.
The Hawks’ do not open the season until Friday, September 2nd when they take on Kalispell-Glacier, due to a forfeit with Missoula Hellgate, who won’t field a varsity team this season. For Bozeman’s complete schedule, log on to www.bsd7.org and visit the district’s activities link. Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Bozeman Hawk and Montana State Bobcat athletics. •
