COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: Casey receives First Team All-Big Sky honors for second straight year
Brandon Casey, University of Montana Football
Brandon, a 2020 Sandpoint High graduate, recently received First Team All-Big Sky honors for the second straight year as his contributions at right tackle have not gone unnoticed. He was one of only two Grizzlies to be named to the First Team, the other one being Junior Bergen, who just set a new Big Sky record for punt return touchdowns in a career. Nine other Montana players were named to the Second Team.
According to the University of Montana Sports Information Department, Brandon is one of the top-rated tackles in the conference in regards to this year's NFL Draft class with an "A" grade from Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the NFL and NCAA Division I football. Additionally, he was given a 91% assignment grade by his coaches this season. As a senior, he's helped Montana produce one of the league's top rushing attacks, one that is averaging over 200 yards rushing per game and is second in the league in rushing touchdowns with 33.
Montana, which is 9-4, travels to South Dakota State for the second round of the FCS Playoffs this Saturday in a rematch of last year's national championship game. The Grizzlies defeated Tennessee State 41-27 in the opening round this past Saturday in a game that was streamed on ESPN2. Brandon helped Montana to 19 first downs and 369 total yards — 254 rushing and 115 passing — in the win.
Caleb Norling, Olivet Nazarene University Swimming
A 2023 graduate of Sandpoint High, Caleb competed in seven different events at the Don Kimble Invite held Nov. 22-24 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Most notably, he helped the Tigers to a fourth-place finish out of 20 teams in the 400 freestyle relay (3:05.21), was 22nd out of 24 swimmers in the 100 freestyle (48.90) and 17th out of 24 swimmers in the 200 freestyle (1:45.72). Caleb had to beat out a large number of competitors in the preliminary rounds to qualify for these finals. Olivet Nazarene returns to action Dec. 5 to 7 for the Wheaton (Ill.) Invitational.
Helena White, Napa Valley College Basketball
A 2024 Priest River High graduate, Helena scored her first two collegiate points (1-1 FG) and added two rebounds and three steals in a 74-43 road loss to Butte College on Nov. 21. On Nov. 30, in a 65-41 loss to Cabrillo College, Helena posted seven rebounds, five of which were offensive, and a block across 19 minutes off the bench. The Lady Storm, which were 2-4 at the time of publication, battled against Hartnell at home yesterday afternoon and will host Mission this upcoming Saturday.
NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athletes: Abigail Shumaker (2020 Bonners Ferry High graduate), Connor Alexander (2022 Bonners Ferry High graduate) of Lewis-Clark State cross country, and Jerzie Bair (2019 Bonners Ferry High graduate) of the College of Idaho Volleyball were recently named Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes. The award recognizes excellence in the classroom by NAIA-member student-athletes who are sophomores or above in academic standing with a 3.5 residential cumulative GPA. Students must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year as a non-transfer or one full year as a transfer. The awards are given annually to outstanding student-athletes in the various sports in which the program is active and their respective teams are eligible for NAIA postseason competition.
Helena White