Growing up, Mitch Roberts always wondered if he would be good enough to someday compete in college some day.
The Missoula Sentinel senior watched as his brother Ben rose to stardom in football, basketball and baseball, seeing his name selected in the MLB Draft before playing four years of baseball at Washington State. Mitch watched as his sister, Olivia, led Sentinel to back-to-back Class AA state championships, earning a scholarship to Wyoming in the process.
Over the last two years, with Ben suddenly shining as a wide receiver in his final year of college eligibility for the hometown Grizzlies and Olivia rising to a starting role with the Cowgirls, Mitch has carved out a reputation in his own right.
During his junior basketball season last winter, the springy 6-foot-1, 180-pounder began to receive letters from Montana head coach Bob Stitt and his staff. By last spring, he was among the top prospects in the Treasure State, holding offers from UM, Montana State and Montana Tech. By the first game of his senior football season, Roberts knew he wanted to be a Griz.
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“I was trying to reach this goal for awhile,” Roberts said in an interview with Skyline Sports on January 3. “I just didn’t know at a young age, like freshman year, if I could get to that level but ever since then, I’ve wanted to be playing Division I football. And I’ve always wanted to play for the Griz.”
Roberts committed on September 1 before leading the Spartans to a 6-4 regular season and a berth in the Class AA playoffs as one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the state. He will play outside receiver for Stitt and the Griz after signing on February 1 and joining the UM program next summer.
“More than any other school, they make you feel special,” Roberts said. “They caught my attention and growing up here around Grizzly football, I know what it’s all about. It’s really something special. They are always a really talented team. That caught my eye first.”
As a senior, Roberts threw for 1,583 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 483 yards and four more touchdowns. He led the Spartans in a wild 63-62 overtime loss to eventual Class AA runner-up Kalispell Glacier at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The following week, Roberts helped Sentinel to a 36-35 overtime win at Great Falls High. The Spartans capped the regular season with a 17-10 overtime win over Kalispell Flathead to punch a playoff berth. Roberts’ senior basketball season ended in a first-round playoff loss to Glacier.
Throughout his high school career, Roberts competed in football and basketball against Braydon and Bryson Deming of Billings West, Nathan Dick of Billings Senior and Marcus Welnel of Helena Capital. All five are now committed to Montana. The Griz have garnered 10 verbal commitments from in-state athletes and 15 prep commitments overall. UM signed three junior college transfers in December. Roberts said his familiarity with the other in-state prospects was a selling point in his commitment.
Roberts spent the last four years playing for a coaching staff with strong Griz ties. Sentinel head coach Dane Oliver is a former Montana wide receiver. Craig Mettler, an All-Big Sky Conference defensive tackle for the Griz last decade, is also on the Sentinel coaching staff. Roberts said Oliver helped guide him through the process. Roberts would frequently have lunch with Mettler to discuss the ins and outs of the recruiting game.
Although Oliver has watched Roberts guide the Spartans from under center the last two seasons, he is confident in his ability to transition to wide receiver in Stitt’s up-tempo, pass-oriented offense.
“The few routes I’ve seen him run he models what his brother can do and I think that’s the sign of a great athlete,” Oliver told Kyle Sample of the Missoulian (now of Skyline Sports), in September. “When they can watch someone do something and then I can do it myself — in just the limited things I’ve seen him do, catching the ball and high-pointing the ball, he’s got all of those skills.”
Roberts played wide receiver during Montana’s individual camp in June. He said the position already feels natural to him.
“Running my routes at camp, I knew where they were going to be, what coverage they were in,” Roberts said. “I feel my ability of playing quarterback can transfer over to wide receiver. Knowing what’s going on, what everyone is doing, that’s your job as a quarterback and obviously will transfer over to other positions.
“That high-paced offense, it’s always fun for the offensive guys, the receivers, the quarterbacks if they get on the same page real quick. That’s what the offense is all about at Montana. I just wanted to join in on the fun.”
Ben Roberts emerged as one of the top baseball talents in the region as a star for the Missoula Mavericks. He was selected in the 7th round of the MLB Draft as a prep senior but elected to go to Washington State instead. After his four years of baseball were complete, Ben had a year of eligibility remaining. He spent it in Missoula, transforming himself into a wide receiver who earned a training camp invite from the Tennessee Titans by catching 66 passes, including five touchdowns, for the 2015 Griz.
“Then my brother’s success here (at Montana), he had nothing but good things to say about it,” Mitch Roberts said.
Mitch said he considered “getting out of town” for college like his older siblings. But he said he never really had any interest in Montana State and knew he wanted to compete at the Division I level. In Missoula, he will pursue a degree in business while transitioning to a new position in a prolific offense.
“It’s going to be so sweet playing in front of my home town, something special,” Roberts said. “Playing in front of people I know, them cheering me on will be pretty cool. All the in-state guys playing together, that will be really exciting. I’m super stoked about it.”
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Photos contributed by Roberts or noted. All Rights Reserved.
