Former Griz, high school heroes set to kick off season for new-look Phoenix

Avid local football fans mourning the end of not only the Griz football season, but also NFL football following this Sunday’s Super Bowl, finally have something to smile about. The Missoula Phoenix, formerly known as the Raptors, begin practice this weekend in preparation for their 2007 season that begins on April 14.

A member of the Montana branch in the Rocky Mountain Football League, the Phoenix are now in their third year of playing. The Phoenix are also the defending division champions, and have been so for the past two years.

“In our first season (2005) we won the division and went into the second rounds of playoffs,” Phoenix head coach Matt Softich said. “For an expansion team, and for taking a bunch of guys that are as diverse as our guys are, it’s a testament to what our players can do.”

With a roster of 70-plus players, the Phoenix are starting their 2007 season off with not only a new look and name, but also some new coaches, a new playing field and an administration that hopes to mimic the professional footsteps of the Missoula Osprey.

“To be blunt about it, (the players) didn’t like the way the team was being run,” Softich said. “The players felt that it was being run like a Rec team instead of like the Osprey, and that’s the goal, is to run it as professionally as possible.”

The Phoenix are also excited about being able to play their games in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

“We were able to work out a great deal with the Athletic Department for the use of the stadium that’s going to be useful to them as well as us,” Softich said. “That’s a great selling point for our team and for other teams around Montana, a lot of the these guys love the fact that they get to play in this stadium, it’s pretty neat.”

Players like safety Tony Sanderson, who has been with the team since it began, said he is impressed with how far the Phoenix have come.

“I had no idea it was out there, and at first it was kind of a question of whether or not this was something that was going to work,” said Sanderson, whose last experience with organized football was at Corvallis High School. “But now it seems like a really professionally run organization, and we get to use the stadium, which is a highlight. Not only do I get to play football again, but I get to play in a football facility in a football town.”

With their feet now firmly on the ground, the Phoenix are starting to look toward their upcoming season. Mixing both young and old, former Griz players and former high school all-stars, and even some guys who have never played football before, the Missoula Phoenix offers a variety of promise and entertainment.

“I would think that the core is going to be a strong point this year,” said Phoenix starting quarterback Shane Jurasek. “We have a lot of returning players, so instead of getting to know each other and having to adapt each other we already know each other.”

Former Griz players include Ja’Ton Simpson (2005-2005), Dave DeCoite (2000-2003) and Dave Garza (1986-87).

This year the Phoenix will be playing eight regular season games and have the chance of playing three playoff games.

Other teams in the division hail from Helena, Great Falls, Kalispell and Hamilton.

Softich, who added that the team was always for some new blood, said the Phoenix are a more appealing team because they only have to practice twice a week and don’t have the ten hours of meetings that coincide with college football.

“It gives the guys the second chance to go out and play again, we keep it light and we keep it fun,” Softich said. “We’re structured and we’re very organized, but you have to keep it fun.”