Bobcats land postseason accolades
by Danny Waldo
The Montana State football team is in the midst of another successful season on the field, and several of their players were lauded for the efforts recently by the Big Sky Conference.
Five Bobcats earned First-Team All-Big Sky recognition, and a total of 13 players received recognition by the league for their performances in the 2019 season. In addition, Bryce Sterk was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given annually to the top defensive player in the Big Sky Conference.
First-Team
Mitch Brott, Brayden Konkol, Travis Andersen, Josh Hill and Travis Jonsen all received first team recognition.
For Andersen, this was his second consecutive selection to the first team after being a unanimous selection in 2018 from his quarterback position.
Mitch Brott, a senior from Billings West, has been part of an offensive line that has allowed MSU to lead the league in rushing in 2019. The Bobcats average 270.1 yards per game, which is good for No. 7 in the FCS.
Andersen, a junior from Dillion, made the switch from offense to defense in the offseason, but his production has continued to impress coaches across the conference. For the season, he has 54 tackles from his linebacker position, including 6.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and one interception. This despite missing multiple games due to injury.
“It’s awesome that Troy gets recognized as one of the best players in this league,” Choate was quoted. “I think he’s one of the best 11 so he deserves to be a first team player.”
Fellow linebacker, Josh Hill, a senior out of Kalispell-Glacier, received first-team recognition one year after missing all but one game in the 2018 season due to injury. Safety Brayden Konkol, a senior from Belgrade, was MSU’s final defensive selection on the first team after amassing 53 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
Senior Travis Jonsen earned first team recognition from the all-purpose position after totaling 903 all-purpose yards as a wideout/wildcat. Jonsen gained 432 yards rushing to go along with 471 yards receiving, and totaling seven touchdowns.
Other Bobcats receiving recognition include junior Lewis Kidd (Offense) and seniors Bryce Sterk and Derek Marks (Defense), who were all selected to the second team. Kevin Kassis and Taylor Tuiasosopo (Offense), and Chase Benson and Amandre Williams (Defense) were selected to the third team.
Senior punter Jerad Padmos was named an honorable mention all-conference selection for special teams. •
