MISSOULA — Call it a dream scenario for Mitch Roberts.
Roberts was born and raised in Missoula, with Griz athletics playing a major role in his family.
His mother, Cheri Roberts, was a star for the Montana Lady Griz in the 1980's, and his brother Ben played football for the Grizzlies in 2015 after playing baseball at Washington State.
But now a senior wide receiver with the Griz, Mitch is winding down a career at Montana built on hard work and adjustments.
"The opportunity to get an offer from your hometown team that you grew up watching for many years, it was very special for me and it still is," Roberts said. "My family makes every game. To wear the maroon and silver, I take pride in it a lot."
Competition was everywhere in the family as Mitch's older sister, Liv Roberts, also starred in basketball at the University of Wyoming.
So as the youngest sibling in the family, Mitch was tasked with stepping up to the competition.
"No matter the sport, we were very competitive and it was pretty enjoyable," Roberts said. "Turned into a lot of competitive situations growing up. Wiffle ball in the backyard or playing hoops. Very fortunate to have them as mentors and teach me what it takes to play Division I athletics."
Those siblings rivalries helped set Roberts up down the road.
As a senior at Missoula Sentinel High School, Roberts led the Spartans at quarterback, but knew he would make the transition to wide receiver at UM, a position he never played growing up.
"I mean it was foreign to me," Roberts said. "I didn't know a ton about receiver and coach (Brent) Pease has helped me tremendously on everything at receiver. It was definitely something new and a challenge but I took it each and every day to try and get better."
At Montana, Roberts began to slowly work his way onto the field, and after cracking the rotation in 2019 in a deep wide receiver room, Roberts became a starter last year, and had his best statistical year.
All of that has led to this final run for Roberts, and the hometown kid was voted to be a captain for the Grizzlies by his teammates this year.
With two touchdowns under his belt this season, Roberts is off to a fast start in his final campaign, as he and the rest of the Grizzlies aim to make a memorable run in 2022.
"Going from watching in the stands as a high schooler and wanting to be in the maroon and silver playing and now this is my senior year and now I'm suited up for the Grizzlies and a team captain, it's very special and I'm just trying to enjoy every bit of it and be grateful for it," Roberts said.
