Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 11

Bobcats ready for I-AA championship shootout tant game of the By GEORGE GEISE Tech's offense, which averaged a ican linebacker Doug "Tank" Lan I of his 196 passes for 14 touchdowns. we can do," Arnold said. Nearly every team Montana State has played the past two months has double-covered the 240-pound Bignell much of the time. Both teams are healthy for the title game. Montana State's tailbacks, Tim Clements and David Pandt, are recovered from knee injuries and should be ready for pass-catching and occasional running duties.

Landry, who missed last week's playoff game, was running at full speed Friday. Both teams have won national small-college football championships before. MSU won the Division II title in 1976 and played a 0-0 tie for the NAIA crown in 1956. Louisiana Tech captured Division II titles in 1968, 1971, 1972 and 1973. The Bulldogs later moved up to Division I football, playing in the Independence Bowl in 1977-78, before dropping down to I-AA competition.

That one-game-at-a-time philosophy has been grasped faithfully by the team, and a squad that few gave much chance for even a .500 season has forged an 11-2 record. But on the back burner, the MSU coaching staff and players have been itching to find out just how good they are, how they compare with the nation's top I-AA schools, how their all-out passing attack would fare against a superior defense. Today, they'll find out. "The kids know that this is an opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime if they're lucky," Arnold said. "They know it and they'll be ready.

They didn't come here merely to participate in a national championship." Louisiana Tech's 10-4 record has been built on exceptional defense, including the nation's best against the pass. The Bulldogs, led by All-Amer- mediocre 15 points per game in the regular season, has exploded for 66, 44 and 21 points in playoff victories over Mississippi Valley State, Alcorn State and Middle Tennessee State. Tech quarterback Kyle Gandy, a 5-11, 192-pound senior, gets credit for much of the improvement. After Gandy broke his wrist in the third game of the season, the Tech attack floundered. But when he returned for the eighth game of the season, the Bulldogs became a much stronger offensive unit.

"Our line deserves a lot of the credit," Gandy said. "We've really come together the last half of the season. We feel we can move the football, both running and throwing, on anybody. But Montana State is the most physical team we've seen. And they give you a lot of different looks." Gandy has completed 51 percent Tribune Sports Editor CHARLESTON, S.C.

Montana State's long-term goal becomes a short-term goal this afternoon. That's when more than five months of blood, sweat and tears will be compressed into 60 minutes of football as the Bobcats collide with Louisiana Tech for the NCAA Division I-AA championship. Kickoff time is 11:40 (MST) at Johnson Hagood Stadium on The Citadel's campus. A crowd in the 10,000 range more than 10 percent of the fans will be from Montana is expected. The game will be televised via Satellite Program Network to eight stations in Montana and Louisiana, five of them in the Treasure State.

Ever since this amazing football season began against Mesa College on Sept. 8, MSU head coach Dave Arnold has been preaching one theme: "The next game is the most impor dry, limited opponents to a meager 105 yards per game through the air. MSU, of course, ranked No. 4 in the nation with almost 340 yards per game passing and the Bobcats have maintained that average through playoff victories against Arkansas State (31-14) and Rhode Island (32-20) two other schools with supposedly outstanding pass defenses. These art not one-dimensional teams, however.

MSU led the Big Sky in nearly every defensive category and boasts a pair of All-Amer-icans in end-linebacker Mark Fellows and punter Dirk Nelson. "Even though people talk about our offense, our defense has been consistent all year," Arnold said. "Because we play in the Big Sky Conference, where teams are bound to get yardage against you, our (national) stats aren't that great. But the team is anxious to show the people what they can do." Those numbers don't resemble MSU's Kelly Bradley's statistics (335 completions for 4,143 yards, 36 TDs), but the Tech QB has the reputation for playing his best games against the best teams. Although individual matchups rarely materialize in college football, Arnold pointed to two one-on-one battles as potentially important: MSU center Robb Fellows vs.

Tech nose guard Donald Myers, and Landry against Bobcat tight end Joe Bignell. "Robby is going to have his hands full (with Myers, a 5-9, 236-pound-er)," Arnold said. "He's very quick. Robb will have to get help from the guards." Anrold implied that Tech could be in trouble if it pays too much attention to Bignell, the MSU career pass reception leader who has caught a school-record 78 balls this fall. "If they start chasing (Bignell) with Landry, we have some things Section TRIBUNE SPORTS Saturday, December 15, 1984 Bison claim slim mat lead By BETH BRAGG Tribune Sports Writer The Bison aren't exactly on a stampede, but they are ahead of the pack.

Great Falls High took a somewhat surprising first-day lead albeit a narrow one Friday in the CM. Russell Holiday wrestling tournament. The Bison racked up 77 points for a slim three-point edge over defending tournament champion and favored Missoula Hellgate and a 5'2-point lead over CMR and Chinook. And things may get only better for the Bison when action resumes this morning at 11:30 with semifinals. That's because Great Falls qualified a whopping eight wrestlers for the semifinals, the most by any of the 17 teams entered.

Hellgate and Chinook are in good shape entering today's action, as well, as both squads placed five in the semifinals. CMR, meanwhile, has three in the semifinals. Havre and Billings Senior, who are within striking distance with 542 points and 44 points, respectively, also have three wrestlers in the semifinals. Billings West is currently in fifth place with 59 points, but the Bears qualified just one semifinal-ists. However, they could pick up plenty of points in the wrestle-backs that will start after the semifinal round.

The tournament concludes tonight at the CMR Fieldhouse with consolation matches at 6 and championship matches at 8. The Bison failed to qualify wrestlers for the semifinals in only four weight classes 98, 105, 126 and 145. And in one weight class, 112, they qualified two George Creighton and Steve Klepps but only Creigh-ton's points will go to the Great Falls team score. Klepps is one of several "extras" in the meet, whose points go to a catch-all team. Other Bison in the semifinals include T.J.

Campbell at 119, Eric Hig-gins at 132, Rick Newton at 138, Mike Meeks at 155, Jeff Betts at 167, Willie Brown at 185 and Scot Lewis at heavyweight. Creighton and Klepps will meet in the semifinals, one of two championship-round matches in which teammates will tangle. The other is at 126, where CMR's Tony Beardsley will meet Lonnie Robertson. Robertson is the extra. Other CMR wrestlers in the semifinals are Bill Barnhill at 145 and Andy Mears at 185.

Another Rustler, Jeff Haskell, missed a chance at advancing at 155 pounds by dropping an 8-6 overtime decision to Hellgate's Terry Maahs. Maahs will be joined in the semifinals by Hellgate's Paul Pfau at 105, Chris Olson at 119, Mike Hill at 132 and Brent Tripp at 185. I i i i A jf Ed Willhite of CM. Russell rides Tony Duncan of Billings Sen- day wrestling tournament on Friday. (Tribune Photo by Stuart ior during their 105-pound quarterfinal match at the CMR Holi- S.

White) Argos blast past Minot for the 7-3 Argos, and it also halted a a pair of free throws, Lacey James canned a short jumper, Matt Ferrick made it eight straight with two free throws and James concluded the run with another layup. Score: CGF 43, Minot St. 27. Total time elapased: Two minutes. Unfortunately for the visitors, the Argos See ARGOS, 2-B MINOT STATE (M) Edward Collins 2 12-14 17; Brian Watson 8 0-0 IB; Brian Thomas 0 4-4 Keith Westlake 4 4-o 12; Vine Simpson 1 0-0 Sham Solrls 1 2-4 Lelond Opp 1 1-1 Mike Mann 1 0-0 Andy Patiner 1 04 Rick Hedbera 0 2-2 Terry Collins 0 0-1 0.

Totals: 19 25-32. GREAT FALLS (5) Barry Barlow 3 4-4 10; Dan Gallagher 2 0-2 Mike Richter 3 7- 13; Lacey James 4 0-1 Matt Ferrick 6 5-5 17; Arnle Hayes 5 0-1 10; Mike Erlckson 5 4-5 15; Keith Berg 1 0-0 Casey Cotton 1 0-0 Langston Webb 1 2-3 4. Totals: 31 22-30. Halftlme score: Great Foils 33, Minot St. 27.

Three-point Held goals: Brian Watson 2. Edward Collins, Mike Erlckson. Total fouls: Minot St. 29, Great Falls 29. Fouled out: none.

Technical foul: Vlnce Simpson. By TIM ROBY Tribune Sports Writer Take heart, Al McGuire. You've got a disciple of your First HalfSecond Half Theory of Winning Basketball Games in College of Great Falls coach Steve Aggers. McGuire, the former Marquette coach turned popular national broadcaster, is a firm believer that the opening minutes of the second half is perhaps the most important stretch of any game. In his six years at the CGF helm, Aggers has preached McGuire's theory.

That preaching worked to perfection Friday night at McLaughlin Center as the Argos broke open a close contest against Minot State by scoring the first 10 points of the second half en route to an impressive 85-66 nonconference triumph. It was the fourth straight victory two-game losing streak at the CGF arena. Great Falls will go after their fifth straight win tonight at the University of Lethbridge. Of course. Aggers is hoping the Argos can maintain the momentum they gained during the second half of the Minot encounter.

"In the six years we've been here, we've felt very strongly that the first three minutes of the game and the first three or four minutes of the second half are extremely important," Aggers explained. "We've emphasized that throughout the years, and its something we stress every day. We took control of the game at the start of the second half by scoring the first 10 points." The Argos had a 33-27 lead at intermission, but Mike Richter opened the final 20 minutes with an offensive rebound bucket, Barry Barlow added Bison bury Blue Ponies jh ,74 1' onds left in the period to send him to By BETH BRAGG Tribune Sports Writer Great Falls High simply buried or should that be Berried? the Havre Blue Ponies Friday night. Gale Berry hit four straight buckets, including two in the opening 44 seconds of the game, to lead the Bison to a 78-55 romp over Havre in Class AA non-conference basketball action. Berry's 4-of-5 performance in the first quarter gave the Bison a 16-4 advantage and put Havre in a hole that it never quite managed to crawl out of.

"He set the tempo, he really did," said Great Falls coach Gary Turcott, whose team improved its season record to 2-1. "He passed off well, too. Even when he was getting assists on baskets, he moved the ball well." The 6-4 senior guard finished with a season-high 22 points thanks to dazzling 9-of-13 shooting from the field and a 4-of-5 showing at the foul line and added six assists before going to the bench with a little more than 4:30 remaining in the game. CMR wins again, 3-B And while Berry was working his magic on offense for the Bison, Mike Janikula was getting the job done on defense. The 6-5'4 forward kept a tight rein on Havre center Dave Worstell, who was a problem for the Bison last week in Great Falls' 57-52 victory over the Blue Ponies in Havre.

In that game, Worstell scored 18 points. This time around, however, he managed just six two of them free throws. With the long-armed Janikula knocking Havre passes every which way, Worstell seldom got the ball. Worstell didn't put a single shot up from the field until just 48 seconds remained in the first half. That, a follow shot (which accounted for his only rebound of the night), was good, and so was his only other shot of the night a bucket from underneath early in the third quarter.

Worstell was also hurt by fouls: he picked up three in the third quarter, including one with just six sec the bench for good. "The key job was Janikula on the defensive end," said Turcott. "He really did a good job on Worstell. We fronted him and denied him the ball." Berry and Janikula were unstoppable in the first half as the Bison raced a 36-20 lead. Berry had 14 points and three assists that half, while Janikula had eight of his team-high 10 rebounds and four points.

Butch Beaudry and Jon Logan were also big factors that half. Beau-dry's defense limited Havre guard Todd Martin to just five shots from the field and eight for the game while both combined for several steals and assists. Havre did make one run at the Bison in the third quarter as guard Tim Nielson reeled off eight of his team-high 14 points in less than four minutes to bring the Blue Ponies within 12, 48-36, with 4:24 left in the quarter. But Leif Nelson triggered a scor-See BISON. 2-B Mike Erickson (24), College of Great Falls guard-forward eyes the basket as Minot State defender Keith Westlake applies pressure.

(Tribune Photo by Stuart S. White).