HELENA — The 2024 All-Frontier Conference football teams and individual awards have been announced. The award recipients are selected by the nine head coaches in the conference, who are not permitted to vote for their own players.
Running back Gunner Yates of Southern Oregon was voted as the Offensive player of the year. This is the fifth time since 2012 that the Red Raiders had a player named Frontier football offensive player of the year. It was the first time since 2016 that a running back was named to the league’s offensive player of the year (Nolan Saraceni from Montana Tech won the award in 2015 and 2016).
As of Monday, Yates leads the NAIA in total rushing yards (1,488) and ranks second in rushing yards per game (135.3). He is also second in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 27.
Hunter Peck of Carroll was chosen as the defensive player of the year. It is the second time in the past three seasons that the Fighting Saints had a defensive player of the year (Garrett Kocab in 2022).
Peck tallied 50 tackles as a defensive lineman for the Saints, accumulating 132 career tackles. He also recorded 6.5 quarterback sacks for 47 yards lost, as well as 12 tackles-for-loss for 61 yards. He had a forced fumble.
Ryan Nourse was the conference coach of the year after guiding Montana Western to back-to-back outright Frontier Conference titles. The Bulldogs are 9-1 overall record prior to their NAIA Football Championship Series second-round home contest versus Dickinson State (N.D.) on Saturday. UMW had won six straight games to conclude the regular season and earned a No. 4 ranking in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 national poll.
Montana Western landed nine selections on the first-team all-conference list, and Montana Tech registered eight. The Orediggers had a Frontier-best 15 combined selections on the first and second teams.
The honorable mention selections and Champions of Character are also listed below.
2024 Frontier Football Postseason Awards
Frontier Most Valuable Player Offense: Gunner Yates, Southern Oregon.
Frontier Most Valuable Player Defense: Hunter Peck, Carroll.
Frontier Coach of the Year: Ryan Nourse, Montana Western.
| 2024 All-Frontier Football First Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| QB | Michael Palandri$ | Montana Western | R-Jr. | Maple Valley, Wash. |
| RB | Gunner Yates | Southern Oregon | So. | Coquille, Ore. |
| RB | Landers Smith | Montana Tech | Sr. | Charlo, Mont. |
| OL | Marcus Lombard$ | Montana Western | R-Sr. | Laie, Hawaii |
| OL | Brandon Spencer$ | Montana Tech | Sr. | Lolo, Mont. |
| OL | Braden Reed# | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Springfield, Ore. |
| OL | Rocco Beccari# | Montana Western | Sr. | Kalispell, Mont. |
| OL | Nick Espinoza | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Clackamas, Ore. |
| TE | Carson Ochoa$ | Carroll | R-Jr. | Yorba Linda, Calif. |
| TE | Logan Kennedy | Montana Tech | R-Jr. | Laurel, Mont. |
| WR | Eli Nourse$ | Montana Western | So. | Dillon, Mont. |
| WR | Malachi Spurrier$ | Eastern Oregon | R-Sr. | Yakima, Wash. |
| WR | Dylan Shipley | Montana Western | Jr. | Maple Valley, Wash. |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Hunter Peck# | Carroll | Sr. | Windsor, Colo. |
| DL | Gabe Foster | Southern Oregon | Jr. | Gardnerville, Nev. |
| DL | Kenai Liua | Montana Western | Sr. | Hauula, Hawaii |
| DL | Kobe Roberts | College of Idaho | R-Sr. | New Plymouth, Idaho |
| LB | Iona Purcell | Southern Oregon | So. | Kalihi, Hawaii |
| LB | Jace Fitzgerald | Montana Western | R-Sr. | Dillon, Mont. |
| LB | Cole Wyant$ | Montana Tech | Sr. | Rocklin, Calif. |
| LB | Cameron Pruitt | Carroll | R-Sr. | Boise, Idaho |
| LB | Willie Nelson$ | College of Idaho | Grad. | Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| DB | Kaysan Barnett$@ | Rocky Mountain | Sr. | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| DB | Matt Whitcomb# | Montana Tech | Jr. | Coeur D'Alene, Idaho |
| DB | Braeden Orlandi | Carroll | R-Fr. | Valley Springs, Calif. |
| DB | Jalin Speed | Southern Oregon | Grad. | Lancaster, Calif. |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| K | John Mears$ | Montana Western | R-Sr. | Belgrade, Mont. |
| P | Andrew Almos$@ | Montana Tech | R-Jr. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| KR | Levi Torgerson | Montana Tech | Jr. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| PR | Eli Nourse | Montana Western | So. | Dillion, Mont. |
| PR | Levi Torgerson | Montana Tech | Jr. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| 2024 All-Frontier Football Second Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| QB | Quincy Glasper | Eastern Oregon | R-Sr. | Stockton, Calif. |
| RB | Jake Humphrey | Montana Western | R-So. | Walla Walla, Calif. |
| RB | Hunter Gilbert | College of Idaho | Grad. | Tigard, Ore. |
| OL | Brett Gydesen# | College of Idaho | R-Sr. | Tualatin, Ore. |
| OL | Max Anderson | Montana Tech | Sr. | Kalispell, Mont. |
| OL | James Gray | Eastern Oregon | R-Sr. | Pullman, Wash. |
| OL | Eli Wells | Montana Western | Sr. | Hyrum, Mont. |
| OL | Shannen O'Brien | Montana Tech | R-Fr. | Helena, Mont. |
| TE | Jackson Clemmer# | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Camas, Wash. |
| WR | Wyatt Anderson$ | Montana Tech | Sr. | Whitehall, Mont. |
| WR | Sawyer Cleveland# | Southern Oregon | Grad. | Corvallis, Ore. |
| WR | Chris Akulschin | Carroll | R-Jr. | Gig Harbor, Wash. |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Garrett Worden$! | Carroll | R-Sr. | Laramie, Wyo. |
| DL | Adonis Jackson | Southern Oregon | So. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| DL | Michael Watkins | MSU-Northern | R-Fr. | Seattle, Wash. |
| DL | Anthony Okes | Montana Tech | R-Fr. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| DL | Forrest Suero | Carroll | Jr. | Helena, Mont. |
| LB | Keegen Muffich | Montana Western | Jr. | Butte, Mont. |
| LB | Brett Tommasini | Carroll | R-Jr. | Eagle, Idaho |
| LB | Ty Glumbik | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Lake Oswego, Ore. |
| LB | Devin Carmona | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Sacramento, Calif. |
| DB | Braden Swank | Montana Western | Sr. | Maple Valley, Wash. |
| DB | Angel Sanchez III# | Montana Tech | Sr. | Tacoma, Wash. |
| DB | Jason Grant$ | Eastern Oregon | Jr. | Toppenish, Wash. |
| DB | Jadyn Downs | Montana Tech | Sr. | Pocatello, Idaho |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| K | Dylan Root | Montana Tech | R-Fr. | Boulder, Mont. |
| P | Josh Horn | College of Idaho | So. | Boise, Idaho |
| KR | Coby Tanioka | Montana Western | So. | Kaneohe, Hawaii |
| PR | Gavin Ozuna | College of Idaho | Sr. | Meridian, Idaho |
$ - First Team selection in 2023 # - Second Team selection in 2023 @ - First Team selection in 2022 ! - Second Team selection in 2022 | ||||
| 2024 All-Frontier Honorable Mention | |
| Arizona Christian: | Spencer Cox (OL), Will Chambers (DL), Nestor Higuera (K) |
| Carroll: | Jack Prka (QB), Eli Aby (LB) |
| College of Idaho: | Torey Watkins (TE), Nathan Metz (OL), Jase Applebee (WR/KR), Tommy Hauser (WR), Andy Peters (QB), Jacob Arms (DB), Eli Mikita (LB) |
| Eastern Oregon: | Tanner Sweek (TE), Tanner Nett (OL), Blaine Shaw (DB), Jonas Waugh (LB), Parker Robinson (PR) |
| MSU-Northern: | Mason Dionne (RB), Lucas Thacker (LB) |
| Montana Tech: | Derek Pearse (TE), Seif Benjemia (OL), Levi Torgerson (WR), Blake Thelen (QB), Payton Gonser (DB) |
| Montana Western: | Brady Mounts (DB), James Ochs (LB) |
| Rocky Mountain: | Jason Weston (P), Mason Browning (LB), Kaysan Barnett (PR) |
| Southern Oregon: | Gustavo Mendez (OL), Dyllon Daniels (DB) |
| 2024 Frontier Champions of Character | |
| Arizona Christian: | Will Chambers - Senior - Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Carroll: | Hunter Peck - Senior - Windsor, Colo. |
| College of Idaho: | Gavin Ozuna - Senior - Meridian, Idaho |
| Eastern Oregon: | Juan Avalos - Senior - Zillah, Wash. |
| MSU-Northern: | Zach Brooks - Graduate Student - Germantown, Wis. |
| Montana Tech: | Kyle Torgerson - Senior - Great Falls, Mont. |
| Montana Western: | Pete Gibson - Redshirt Senior - Dillon, Mont. |
| Rocky Mountain: | Mason Browning - Senior - Queen Creek, Ariz. |
| Southern Oregon: | Caden McGowan - Redshirt Freshman - Corvallis, Ore. |
