The Frontier Conference announced their seasonal awards on Monday afternoon for the 2023 football campaign. Five MSU-Northern Lights were amongst the honorees.
Frontier Conference All-Second Teamers were senior linebacker Dylan Wampler and junior punter Nik Hunchak. Wampler, who has been on this list each of his four years with the program, was a top-5 tackler in the conference with 80 total this season, averaging over seven per game. Hunchak averaged 43.3 yards per punt in his first season with the Lights.
Frontier Conference Honorable Mentions were freshman linebacker Braydon Cline, senior punt returner Joshua Rose, and junior linebacker Lucas Thacker. Cline had an impressive first season with 70 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Rose averaged 19.9 yards on 22 kick returns. Thacker averaged seven tackles per game and was second in the conference in tackles for loss at 12, one behind the Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Sophomore defensive lineman Aiden Perkins was the Lights’ recipient for the 2023 Frontier Champions of Character.
| 2023 All-Frontier Football First Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| QB | Michael Palandri | Montana Western | R-So. | Maple Valley, Wash. |
| RB | Blake Counts1#@ | Montana Tech | Sr. | Kalispell, Mont. |
| RB | Avery McCuaig | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Calgary, Alberta |
| WR | Malachi Spurrier | Eastern Oregon | R-Jr. | Yakima, Wash. |
| WR | Wyatt Alexander | Montana Tech | R-Jr. | Whitehall, Mont. |
| WR | Eli Nourse | Montana Western | Fr. | Dillon, Mont. |
| TE | Carson Ochoa | Carroll | R-So. | Yorba Linda, Calif. |
| OL | Hunter Mecham2!* | Carroll | R-Sr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| OL | Garrett Rehberg1# | College of Idaho | R-Sr. | Boise, Idaho |
| OL | Brandon Spencer | Montana Tech | R-Jr. | Lolo, Mont. |
| OL | Marcus Lombard | Montana Western | R-Jr. | Laie, Hawaii |
| OL | Imori Heard | Rocky Mountain | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Garrett Worden2* | Carroll | R-Jr. | Laramie, Wyo. |
| DL | Reese Artz2 | Montana Western | R-Sr. | Battle Mountain, Nev. |
| DL | Tanner Harrell2# | Montana Western | R-Sr. | Shepherd, Mont. |
| DL | Noah Turnbull | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Bend, Ore. |
| LB | Willie Nelson | College of Idaho | R-Jr. | Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| LB | Jason Grant | Eastern Oregon | So. | Toppenish, Wash. |
| LB | Cole Wyant | Montana Tech | R-Jr. | Rocklin, Calif. |
| LB | Kameron Rauser | Montana Western | Sr. | Townsend, Mont. |
| DB | Tug Smith | Carroll | R-Sr. | Newport, Wash. |
| DB | Chip Mitchell | College of Idaho | Gr. | Midvale, Idaho |
| DB | Kaysan Barnett1 | Rocky Mountain | Jr. | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| DB | Spencer Kuffel | Southern Oregon | So. | Tigard, Ore. |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| K | John Mears | Montana Western | R-Jr. | Belgrade, Mont. |
| P | Andrew Almos1! | Montana Tech | R-So. | Great Falls, Mont. |
| KR | Caden Cobb! | College of Idaho | R-Jr. | Kuna, Idaho |
| PR | Kaysan Barnett# | Rocky Mountain | Jr. | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| 2023 All-Frontier Football Second Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| QB | Andy Peters | College of Idaho | Jr. | Boise, Idaho |
| RB | Allamar Alexander2 | College of Idaho | Sr. | Nampa, Idaho |
| RB | Zaire Wilcox | Rocky Mountain | Jr. | Lecanto, Fla. |
| WR | Jon Schofield | College of Idaho | Sr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| WR | Joseph Dwyer | Rocky Mountain | Sr. | Puyallup, Wash. |
| WR | Sawyer Cleveland | Southern Oregon | Jr. | Corvallis, Ore. |
| TE | Ben Hruby | College of Idaho | Gr. | Boise, Idaho |
| TE | Jackson Clemmer | Southern Oregon | Jr. | Camas, Wash. |
| OL | Conor Quick2 | Carroll | R-Sr. | Helena, Mont. |
| OL | Brett Gydesen | College of Idaho | R-Jr. | Tualatin, Ore. |
| OL | Ryan Halford1 | College of Idaho | Gr. | Boise, Idaho |
| OL | Rocco Beccari | Montana Western | Jr. | Kalispell, Mont. |
| OL | Braden Reed | Southern Oregon | Jr. | Springfield, Ore. |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Moses Smith | Arizona Christian | Sr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| DL | Hunter Peck | Carroll | Jr. | Windsor, Colo. |
| DL | John Aragon | Rocky Mountain | So. | La Verne, Calif. |
| DL | Ethan Hurst | Rocky Mountain | Sr. | Santa Margarita, Calif. |
| LB | Cameron Tibbetts | Arizona Christian | So. | Cleveland, Texas |
| LB | Tucker Jones | Carroll | R-Jr. | Hamilton, Mont. |
| LB | Dylan Wampler1#* | MSU-Northern | Sr. | Peoria, Ariz. |
| LB | Prince Johnson | Rocky Mountain | Sr. | Gilbert, Ariz. |
| DB | Brady Frame | College of Idaho | Fr. | Meridian, Idaho |
| DB | Matt Whitcomb | Montana Tech | R-So. | Couer D’Alene, Idaho |
| DB | Angel Sanchez III | Montana Tech | Jr. | Tacoma, Wash. |
| DB | DeShawn Craig | Southern Oregon | Sr. | Placentia, Calif. |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Hometown |
| K | Austin Drake | Rocky Mountain | R-Jr. | Hamilton, Mont. |
| P | Nikolas Hunchak | MSU-Northern | Jr. | Saskatoon, Canada |
| KR | Andre Martinez | Eastern Oregon | Sr. | Lake Oswego, Ore. |
| PR | Parker Robinson | Eastern Oregon | R-Jr. | La Grande, Ore. |
| 1 – First Team selection in 2022 2 – Second Team selection in 2022 ! – First Team selection in 2021 # – Second Team selection in 2021 % – First Team selection in 2020 * – Second Team selection in 2020 $ – First Team selection in 2019 @ – Second Team selection in 2019Players listed at each position alphabetically by school |
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| 2023 All-Frontier Honorable Mention | |
| Arizona Christian: | Spencer Cox (OL), Johnny Herrera (PR), Griffin Meier (DB), Jackson Ortiz (DB), AJ Sibley (RB) |
| College of Idaho: | Tanner Leaf (LB), Brock Richardson (WR), Kobe Roberts (DL) |
| Eastern Oregon: | James Gray (OL), Josh Mendoza (DB), Blaine Shaw (DB) |
| Montana Tech: | Max Anderson (OL), Major Niccum (LB), Landers Smith (RB), Blake Thelen (QB) |
| Montana Western: | Bryer Monson (DL), Dylan Shipley (WR), Coby Tanioka (KR) |
| MSU-Northern: | Braydon Cline (DL), Joshua Rose (PR), Lucas Thacker (LB) |
| Rocky Mountain: | Wyatt Brusven (LB/P), Jack Cline (DB), DeNiro Killian Jr. (WR), John Waddell (DB) |
| Southern Oregon: | Brian Batres (K), Taye Courtney (DL), Brock Duyck (OL), Hunter Geissler (OL), Ty Glumbik (LB), Duncan Hicks (OL), Adonis Jackson (DL), Seth Miller (DB), Marve Nyembo (DB), Iona Purcell (LB) |
| 2023 Frontier Champions of Character | |
| Arizona Christian: | Clayton Dowdy |
| Carroll: | Ben Held |
| College of Idaho: | Joey Calzaretta |
| Eastern Oregon: | Walker Camp |
| Montana Tech: | Mark Estes |
| Montana Western: | Zack Rouse |
| MSU-Northern: | Aiden Perkins |
| Rocky Mountain: | Chandler Stalcup |
| Southern Oregon: | Rayden Kaneshiro |
