Sky honors Eastern kicker

The last thing Brett Bergstrom wanted to do was become the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

The player of the week thing isn’t bad, it’s the special teams thing.

But Bergstrom really was special Saturday, kicking four field goals, including a 53-yarder, as Eastern Washington defeated Montana State 19-10.

“He’s a veteran player and has a strong leg,” Eagles head coach Paul Wulff said. “We really feel like we have a player that can help us win games. And he did against Montana State.”

That wasn’t the original plan. Bergstrom bounced from safety to wide receiver to defensive end.

“I didn’t tell the coaches at Eastern that I kicked because I thought I could make it at those positions,” Bergstrom said. “But I’ve been working hard at it and I’ve started to get into it.”

The coaches knew because Bergstrom was a standout defensive back, receiver and kicker at Mount Si in North Bend, Wash., before going to Shasta (Calif.) Junior College.

While Bergstrom was changing positions they asked him to try kickoffs and he won the job hands down. He ended up with 28 touchbacks last fall.

“We knew he kicked,” EWU special teams coach Keith Murphy said. “He said, ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you want, I just want to get on the field.’ “

Notes

EWU senior linebacker and co-captain David Eneberg won the league Defensive Player of the Week. He had a career-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops against the Bobcats. He also had a sack and broke up a pass, both on third down to force MSU to punt. … Bergstrom’s 53-yard field goal was the fourth-longest in school history. The longest was a 57-yarder by Eric Stein in the same stadium 19 years ago. … Punter Ryan Donckers boomed a 66-yarder, also the fourth-longest in school history, and just three yards short of his school record set in Bozeman. … Wulff reported no significant injuries, including left offensive tackle Rocky Hanni, who was down with a leg injury late in the game. Hanni’s starting streak of 25 games ended against MSU because of a neck strain and sophomore Julian Stewart got his first start. … Redshirt freshman Maki Borden got his first start at linebacker.