Holden Sampson has been showing up at summer morning workout sessions at Helena High likely longer than most who have ever played for the Bengals.
“Assistant coaches make fun of me because I’ve been going to morning workouts with him since I was really young,” the Helena senior-to-be said earlier this month. “I’ve been around the game for a long time.”
The kid who started coming to the weight room with Helena High offensive line coach Bob Sampson since before he was of school age has now developed into one of the top offensive line prospects in Montana. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder recognized early on the solid men helping mentor the Bengals’ players, consistent leaders like Tony Arnston, the head coach at Helena for 24 years before retiring after last season.
“I’m sure it’s given me a boost, being around all those guys, the leaders they were, the role models I have down there, it’s been why I want to be a Bengal and carry on that legacy,” Sampson said.
Now Sampson will get a chance to carry on another legacy, this one with the Bobcats at Montana State. His cousin, Shaun Sampson, went from undersized walk-on out of Helena Capital to first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection at center on MSU’s 2012 league championship squad. Shaun is now coaching at Billings West while working as an engineer in the Magic City.
Last fall, Montana State special teams coordinator and director of high school operations B.J. Robertson dropped into Helena to see Bobcat commit Kaleb Winterburn, an all-state quarterback who will transition to safety beginning during fall camp next month. Sampson eventually came to team camp at Montana State in June.
Although he rolled his right ankle during the camp and missed part of the action, MSU third-year head coach Jeff Choate still extended a scholarship offer. Sampson confirmed his Montana State commitment to Skyline Sports on June 23.
“I went down there for their junior day,” Sampson said. “I got pulled aside, me and my family and I got a chance to talk to Coach Choate. They really liked the way I played but they really wanted to see how I performed at the team camp. That’s when I rolled my ankle so I got called back in there the next Wednesday. I figured he wanted to tell me they wanted to watch me more but he said he’d like to offer me. That was crazy.”
“This chance, it’s been a lifelong dream. From watching my cousin play down there, it was unreal when I heard that. It was crazy.”
Last season, Sampson earned second-team Class AA all-state honors as the Bengals set a school record by scoring 422 points (35.2 per game) during their run to the AA state title game. From the blindside, Sampson notched seven pancake blocks, according to the Helena Independent Record. He will play left tackle his senior season before transitioning to the interior offensive line with the Bobcats.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the field,” Sampson said. “I will play wherever I can get on the field. It should not be much of a change. You just have to block the guy in front of you.”
That’s the mentality instilled in him by his father as Holden has developed from the tagalong kid into a standout athlete. Although football has long been a part of the Sampson household, Holden said he did not have a rooting interest between the ‘Cats and Montana Grizzlies as a kid.
“But watching my cousin go down there and experience that, that’s when I realized I wanted to be a Cat,” Sampson said.
Sampson got a taste of second-year offensive line coach Josh Taufalele’s coaching style during his participation in the MSU camp in Bozeman. He said he really liked Taufalele’s coaching style, energy and fun personality. Sampson admits he has not spent much time in Bozeman but, “every time I have, it’s been a good time.”
He won’t make his official visit to Montana State until the fall or winter depending on how the Bengals’ pursuit of a state championship goes during the upcoming season. He is deciding between majoring in kinesiology and education.
Sampson also admits he is “nervous about everything”, adding it’s a nervousness accompanied by tremendous excitement. The standout and his prep teammates know they are in for a transition period under new head coach Scott Evans. He said the transition should be a very easy one, but he still feels a sense of relief knowing his college decision is out of the way.
“It’s a whole ton of weight off my shoulders,” Sampson said. “After I did it, I sat down and breathed and it felt good. Now I can just focus on my game this senior year and go ball out.”
Photos contributed by Sampson family. All Rights Reserved.
