Welcome to the New Frontier Conference! With the dissolution of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA), its remaining members have joined the Frontier Conference, creating two divisions within what has long been one of the NAIA’s most competitive leagues. This new structure guarantees each division an automatic postseason qualifier and opens the door for additional at-large bids from the Frontier.
The Frontier Conference East Division preserves many traditional rivalries and adds new stakes to familiar matchups—most notably between Dickinson State and Rocky Mountain.
The Race for the Division Crown
This fall’s division race is expected to run through one of two programs: Montana Tech and Dickinson State, though teams like Rocky Mountain, Valley City State, and Dakota State should not be overlooked.
Montana Tech enters 2025 as the early favorite. The Orediggers return a solid core on both sides of the ball but must replace key starters at quarterback and running back. Several QBs from last year’s roster may compete for the job, or Tech could turn to true freshman Merek Mihelish, who flipped his commitment from the University of Montana last winter. Returning to lead the offense are wide receivers Dylan Snyder and Levi Torgerson, tight end Derek Pease, and offensive linemen Shannen O’Brien and Thomas Walkup. Defensively, Tech brings back five starters, including standout lineman Anthony Okes and defensive back Payton Gonser.
Dickinson State closely mirrors Tech in terms of roster makeup. The Blue Hawks return a strong core on both offense and defense but also must replace multi-year starters. Key returners include tight end Gage Gilbert, wide receiver Semaj Clark, and center Carson Lunak. On defense, DSU brings back six starters, including a seasoned linebacker unit.
The key difference in the battle between these two contenders may come down to how quickly each team can develop its inexperienced players before the season kicks off.
Contenders and Wild Cards
If either favorite stumbles, Valley City State could rise to the top. The Vikings return 13 starters, including offensive standouts Jacob Deutsch (WR), Jonah Larson (OL), and Trent Finney (TE). On defense, TaQuez Chatman (DL), Gavin Gerhardt (DB), and Emanuel Spiyee (DB) lead the charge. The biggest X-factor could be transfer QB Joey Cave, who joins from New Mexico Highlands after beginning his college career at NAIA Culver-Stockton. Cave earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors last season.
Rocky Mountain is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-8 season. The Bears return 12 starters and regain quarterback Trent Nobach, who missed all of 2024 due to injury. He’ll have a strong offensive line and a solid group of wide receivers to work with.
Dakota State may be the most intriguing team in the division. The Trojans are the only team returning a starting quarterback with significant experience—Tray Hettick, who missed the second half of last season due to injury. With seven returning starters on both offense and defense, Dakota State is poised to take another step forward in 2025.
Mayville State showed improvement last season despite early injuries. Quarterback Dylan Lamont returns, though he’ll be challenged by transfer Matt Donovan from Minot State. The offense also features returning talent like offensive lineman Daniel Suda and running backs Jack Simmers and Kelby Azure.
MSU-Northern continues its rebuild under head coach Jerome Souers. The Lights return four offensive and seven defensive starters from a team that improved from 1-9 in 2023 to a more competitive 2024 campaign. While they were shut out four times in 2023, they avoided that fate last season, improving from 5.0 to 12.9 points per game on offense and cutting their defensive average from 40.4 to 34.1. The progress may not yet show up in the win column, but the foundation is clearly improving.
Dannelly’s FCE Prediction
- Montana Tech
- Dickinson State
- Valley City State
- Dakota State
- Rocky Mountain
- Mayville State
- MSU-Northern
Frontier Conference East Profiles
Dakota State University (2024 Record: 6-4)
Head Coach: Josh Anderson (64-100)
Offensive Coordinator: Logan Levy
Defensive Coordinator: Anvil Sinsabaugh
Special Teams Coordinator: Devonte Murphy
Returning Starters on Offense: 7
Key Offensive Returners: Tray Hettick QB, Tyler Kjetland OL, Uziel Ruiz OL, Melek Ford WR
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Tyce Ortman RB, Austin Lake WR
Returning Starters on Defense: 7
Key Defensive Returners: Deveon Moses CB, Brooks Jansen DL, Caleb Dwyer DL, Taron Serr LB, Kaden Eng FS
Key Losses on Defense: Jay Skogerboe FS, Blake Duran CB, Collin Brueggeman OLB, Chris Guipi OLB
Key Returners on Special Teams: Carson Sauseda K
Key Losses on Special Teams: Tyce Ortman P, Braxton Lacher Snapper
Key Recruits or Transfers: Ashley Brantley CB, Tamareon Foster FS, Jordan Cooper OLB, Kacey Cauley DE, Victor Boggs WR, Ashton Sandbulte RB
Dickinson State (2024 Record: 10-2)
Head Coach: Pete Stanton (95-29)
Offensive Coordinator: Russell McCarvel
Defensive Coordinator: Jason Thier
Special Teams Coordinator: Nate Masterson
Returning Starters on Offense: 5
Key Offensive Returners: Carson Lunak Center, Gage Gilbert Tight End, Semaj Clark Wide Receiver
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Will Madler QB, Braden Zuroff RB, Scotty Woodruff OL, Brandon Bennick OL
Returning Starters on Defense: 6
Key Defensive Returners: Riley Waters LB, Keaton Meschke LB, Dylan Dahlgren DE, Wyatt Anderson DL, Jack Hartman DB, Nathaniel Jilek LB
Key Losses on Defense: Matt Anderson DL, Joey DeMarco DB
Key Returners on Special Teams: Chase Miller Kicker
Key Losses on Special Teams: N/A
Key Recruits or Transfers: N/A
Mayville State University (2024 Record: 4-6)
Head Coach: Rocky Larson
Offensive Coordinator: Jack Mullen and Scott Olsen
Defensive Coordinator: Jake Litecky
Special Teams Coordinator: Nick Flesland
Returning Starters on Offense: 3
Key Offensive Returners: Kelby Azure, Daniel Suda, Dylan Lamont
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: JJ Davison, Darrick Frederick, Xaiver Powers, Maalik Flowers, Eli Roundtree
Returning Starters on Defense: 5
Key Defensive Returners: Anthony Johnson, Xyler Carlson, Marcus Johnson, Tyson Snagg, Devon Woods
Key Losses on Defense: Will Flemons, Bailey Mullenberg, Danzele Navy, Richard Shelton
Key Returners on Special Teams: Xyler Carlson
Key Losses on Special Teams: Kj Johnson
Key Recruits or Transfers: Isaac Folland OL, Matt Donovan QB
Montana State University – Northern (2024 Record: 1-9)
Head Coach: Jerome Souers (125-143)
Offensive Coordinator: David Sandau
Defensive Coordinator: Dylan Wampler
Special Teams Coordinator: Dominic Marino
Returning Starters on Offense: 4
Key Offensive Returners: Devin Shelton WR, Colter Wolstadt WR, Jeramiah Benson WR/SLOT, Jake
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Mason Dionne RB, Zach Brooks QB
Returning Starters on Defense: 7
Key Defensive Returners: Spencer Lenherz CB, Brady Smelzer FS, Gio Enea SS, Crawford Terry, OLB, Brayden Cline MLB, Mike Watkins Edge, Julius Leapai OLB
Key Losses on Defense: Devin Carmona ILB, Lucas Thacker OLB
Montana Tech (2024 Record: 9-3)
Head Coach: Kyle Samson (28-15)
Offensive Coordinator: Travis Dean
Defensive Coordinator: Montel Allen
Special Teams Coordinator: Doug Schleeman
Returning Starters on Offense: 5
Key Offensive Returners: Dylan Snyder – WR, Levi Torgerson – WR, Thomas Walkup – OL, Shannen O’Brien – OL, Derek Pearse – TE
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Brandon Spencer – OL, Landers Smith – RB, Blake Thelen – QB, Wyatt Alexander – WR, Max Anderson – OL, Seif Benjemia – OL, Logan Kennedy – TE
Returning Starters on Defense: 5
Key Defensive Returners: Anthony Okes – DL, Payton Gonser – DB
Key Losses on Defense: Cole Wyant – LB, Matt Whitcomb – DB, Jadyn Downs – DB, Angel Sanchez III – DB
Key Returners on Special Teams: Levi Torgerson – KR
Key Losses on Special Teams: Andrew Almos – P, Dylan Root – K
Key Recruits or Transfers: Merek Mihelish – QB
Rocky Mountain College (2024 Record: 2-8)
Head Coach: Chris Stutzriem (26-29)
Offensive Coordinator: Teague Blome
Defensive Coordinator: Joe Dunning
Special Teams Coordinator: N/A
Returning Starters on Offense: 4
Key Offensive Returners: Trent Nobach- QB (missed 2024 due to injury), Eric Lira – WR, Darius Haskin – WR (scored 2 TD in two GP, redshirted 2024), 4-of-5 starting OL return
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Graedyn Buell – QB, Ben Rooney – RB, Joseph Dwyer – WR, DeNiro Killian Jr. – WR, Jack Waddell – WR, T’Ziaha Quint – OG
Returning Starters on Defense: 8
Key Defensive Returners: John Aragon – DL, Mason Browning – LB, Dylan Deines – DB, Landen Quesnell – DB, Cade Reynolds – LB
Key Losses on Defense: Kaysan Barnett – DB/PR, Jasper Djouma – DL
Key Returners on Special Teams: Austin Drake – K, Kaden Loshonkohl – P
Key Losses on Special Teams: Jason Weston – P, Kaysan Barnett – PR, Jack Waddell – KR, DeNiro Killian Jr. – KR
Key Recruits or Transfers: Dylan Post – OL (New Mexico State), RB Brock Ping (Chadron State), WR Gage Goltz (HS, Bridger, MT), DT Anthony Tuala’i (HS, Graham Kapowsin, WA), DB Cohen Groener (HS, Billings, MT)
Valley City State University (2024 Record: 3-7)
Head Coach: Dennis McCulloch (161-119)
Offensive Coordinator: Dustin Yorek
Defensive Coordinator: Gregg Horner
Special Teams Coordinator: Jahidi West
Returning Starters on Offense: 7
Key Offensive Returners: Jacob Deutsch – WR, Jonah Larson – OL, Trent Finney – TE
Key Offensive Losses from 2024: Avery Thorsgard – QB
Returning Starters on Defense: 6
Key Defensive Returners: TaQuez Chatman – DL, Gavin Gerhardt – DB, Emanuel Spiyee – DB
Key Losses on Defense: Georgie Mageo – DL, Georgia Mageo – DL, Loke Iese – LB
Key Recruits or Transfers: Kassius Ashtiani – WR, Ashton Raquino – LB, Joey Cave – QB
Interesting to note that the last meeting between the two teams, deemed to be favorites in the East, went to Dickinson State in the 2023 post-season; a 35-28 win over the Diggers at Tech. They meet on this year’s final weekend in Dickinson. “A winner-take-all scenario?”
Another great write-up, Jason!
Both squads have a lot of questions to answer on offense. On paper, I’d say yes but I’ve been incredibly wrong before!