Grizzly Starters Win 31-0 Ah Yat Tosses Two Tds As Copper Team Rolls Over White Squad In Montana Intrasquad Scrimmage

Brian Ah Yat completed 11 of 17 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as the Copper team shut out the White team 31-0 in Montana’s spring intrasquad scrimmage.

Grizzly starters made up the Copper squad, which suited up in the team’s old Texas orange jerseys. Quarterbacks were off limits to charging defensive linemen and the game clock ran most of the time.

Otherwise, it was vintage Griz.

The Copper scored just three plays into the scrimmage when Ah Yat connected with high school teammate Raul Pacheco. The play covered 67 yards - barely. D.J. Colter, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle, caught up with the 5-9, 170-pound Pacheco, who dove over the goal line as Colter grabbed him.

The Copper went up 14-0 just before halftime on a 16-yard pass from Ah Yat to Butte’s Josh Paffhausen, who had three catches for 41 yards.

Ah Yat did not see action in the second half.

“Whether we like it or not, we’re going to be young and inexperienced on defense,” said UM coach Mick Dennehy, a Butte native. “Our offense may have to carry us for a while.”

Backup quarterback Darren Rowell completed 8 of 11 passes for 109 yards, including a 50-yarder to Jeremy Watkins.

That play set up a 31-yard field goal by Kris Heppner, which put the Copper up 17-0 with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

Di’Onte Smith got the only interception of the game in the fourth quarter, when he picked off Sean Davis. During the runback he lateraled the ball to Jason Miller.

“It’s not exactly what you’d like to see,” Dennehy said of the lateral. “You risk turning the ball over again.”

The Copper ended up with the ball on the White 35. Five plays later, Anaconda native Nate Sanders scored on a 4-yard run.

Sean Kittle quarterbacked the final series, completing 7 of 8 passes for 52 yards.

Sanders finished with six rushes for 34 yards, including a 1-yard scoring dive as time ran out.

From hoops to football

UM assistant football coaches Jerome Souers and Bruce Read recruited their team’s newest cornerback right off the UM basketball team.

Kenyth Henry, who averaged just five minutes and 1.7 points per game as a junior guard, hopes to see more action in a football uniform.

“I didn’t fit in the (basketball) program,” Henry said. “I have more of a friendship with the football team. I had friends on the basketball team, but the football players help me out, encourage me.”

Henry said Souers and Read used to walk through the gym during basketball practice saying “football, football,” in Henry’s direction.

Although he hadn’t put pads on since high school, which was three years ago, Henry decided to try it.

“It was an easy decision,” said Henry. “I felt that I wasn’t really wanted in basketball.”

He’s also hoping for a football scholarship for his senior year, since he is not playing basketball next year.

Henry, who’s from the Los Angeles area, plans to return to work at Disneyland this summer.

Island connection

UM has four players from Honolulu and just three from Butte, which begs the question - Why not hold the spring scrimmage in warmer climes?

“Yeah,” said quarterback Brian Ah Yat. “Or maybe we could just play Hawaii some time.”